My Xmas in the trenches 1917

I came in off a work party about 2 O.K. Xmas morning and roled into bed, the bed consisted of two oil sheets and three single blankets between two of us.

The hut I slept in with about twenty nine other boys was far from being stuffy altho it was not big and there was no special ventilator fixed. our stove was a part of an old fire place some of the boys found in the village veins near by of Souchey. the stove pipe on was a bent up sheet of corrugated iron. smoke conductor.

We got up about seven thirty and ran out about sixty yards for a slice of army bread dipped in bacon fat and a slice of bacon, this was breakfast. We went to bed again after breakfast until 10 a.m. then we had to get up, go and break the ice on a shell hole to get water to wash and shave with before the rifle and ammunition inspection at 11.30.

About two hundred boys were at the school who came down to our camp for Xmas dinner split up so many to each co'y. Well dinner was pulled off at about 1.30 P.M. We had roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, gravy and (hard tack) Xmas pudding and tea. now this was a square meal we thought, Then later on they had us line up and they gave us an apple and cup of nutts each, some boys were given other stuff if they felt dry but I did not care for some my self.

Then at five P.M. or earlier we had to get our supper which consisted of a slice of bread spoonful of jam and peace of cheese allso our usual issue of tea which was always liberal enough. as soon as supper was over we lined up to go on work part. we walked about three quarters of a mile to Lens junction where we entrained on narrow gage flat cars and went about four miles to build barbe wire entanglements, it took us about two hours to get landed on the sceen of our labors then by twelve we were finished and about an hours wait on the track for the train and we started home. you can be sure that it was getting early when the boys were lining up for there rum ration before roling in that morning