Subsérie 1916 - 1916

123 letters, paper

January 1916 - began his military training in Weymouth.
They rented out the Holt and Ruth and Clare moved to a cottage near Dorchester and then a more suitable place in Abbotsbury (a village 5 miles from Weymouth) so that they could spend their weekends together.

1 April - George moved from Weymouth to Lydd and Ruth returned to Westbrook. He only had Sundays off but they found a tiny flat in Littlestone where they could stay together.

4 May - George was assigned to the 40th Siege Battery and left for France. After a week he took the troop train to join the battery which was positioned in the northern sector of the western front a short distance from the front line.

Ruth remained at Westbrook and they let the Holt firstly to Mr and Mrs Green and then to the O’Malleys.

George was a Second Lieutenant meaning he was third in command behind the commanding officer Captain Lithgow and Lieutenant Bell. His responsibilities included taking charge of the firing of the guns and manning the observation posts (O.P.s) from where the fire could be directed. As he spoke fluent French he was also tasked with buying provisions at the local markets.

29 May – the unit moved south to ‘a hot part of the line’. A British infantry attack was imminent and the battery had to haul its guns into position with horses.

30 May - when the attack was launched the battery fired off more than 600 shells.

14 June – the battery moved south again and took up position near Albert, just north of the River Somme.

1 July – launch of the British offensive at the Somme. The battery had been firing at the German line for a week and at 6.30 on the morning of 1 July the firing intensified.

6 July - the battery fired all day in support of another British attack.

15 July – he saw flame throwers being used by the French for the first time.

29 July – George and 5 of his men went up the front line and after renewing a telephone wire they were crossing open ground when they heard an incoming shell and dived for cover. The two men who were carrying the coil of wire were moving more slowly and were killed.

Mid August – George was sent to rest camp near Amiens for 10 days. He started writing a novel, later to be called The Book of Geoffrey.

26 September - the British captured Thiepval (which had been their goal on 1 July)

December – sent home for 10 days leave returning to France on Boxing Day and arriving back at the battery on 29 December.