Tag: War diary

Saturday 17th March, 1917

On By Sue JenkinsIn First World WarLeave a comment

The big German retreat has commenced. Peronne and Mont St Quentin have been evacuated. From the latter place,the Germans could see our tramway and often bombarded it. Peronne is 2 miles away, and Mont St Quentin 2 and half miles.

The following additional information is from Martin Farebrother:

  • In March and early April 1917 the German Army in this area retreated a considerable distance to the ‘Hindenburg Line’, which ran north-south past St-Quentin. British Army railways (SG and LR) were extended east of Péronne. These distances suggests that B209 was west of Péronne, but not far. B209, 213 and 217 were across the Somme and Somme canal from Frise, as that was where the SG being ballasted was. The entry for April 3rd confirms that they were on the SG line N of the Somme. Also March 28th refers to LR being cut in ‘a day or so’. Certainly by the beginning of 1918 the LR across the Somme at Frise, and part of that along the north leading to the B line, had gone. On balance it is almost certain that the ‘B’ line was that north of the Somme.
  • [Later] After I wrote these notes we were definitely able to identify B209 as just west of Cléry, at the junction of the line from Froissy with the line from Maricourt and Plateau.

Monday 12th March, 1917

On By Sue JenkinsIn First World WarLeave a comment

Left Frise at 2.00pm, arrived B209 at 3.00pm. Here I found my old Longmoor chum Bob Baker*. I am now about 2 miles from the trenches. This is a cosy little dugout, all boarded-in and no rats or mice. Shells whizzing over us all the time.

*It would be nice to think that this might have been Robert Lionel Baker (1885-1971), June’s Uncle Rob, and that this was how the connection between the families was first established. Whilst not impossible, this does seem unlikely as I am not aware of Leonard and Rob ever having met except at Alec and June’s wedding. My theory has always been that the first meeting took place when Alec went into lodgings run by June’s Aunt Eva; when describing June to his parents for the first time he referred to her as ‘Miss Baker’s niece’ rather than ‘Mr Baker’s niece’, which would have been the case if Rob had been the first point of contact. Unfortunately, therefore, I suspect this is merely a coincidence of (not uncommon) names.