We arrived at Marseilles this morning about 10am and disembarked at 1.30pm and boarded the train at Marseilles Py Stn at 3pm.

Still travelling in the train and passing through some glorious scenery. There are plenty of fruit trees here and they are just coming out in bloom and the fields are all green, making it look very pretty all along the line.

We are still passing through some pretty places, and we get a great reception all along the line by the French people who, cheer and wave as we pass. The train is travelling slow, so we have a good chance to see the country.

Arrived at a wayside station in the north east of France, named Thiennes about 7am after about 63 hours in the train and marched about 1 ½ miles to a village named Boeseghem, where we are billeted. A few of us went into a town named Aire about 2 miles from here and had a good day.

It is very cold here in the morning as a heavy frost lies on the ground. We are about 20 miles behind the firing line and occasionally we can hear the big guns being fired.

We have been out today to have a demonstration with poisonous gas. First, we marched round where they had some gas, which makes the eyes water and is called weeping gas. Then we had to pass through a trench with our respirators on, where there was a strong flow of gas.

There is no paddocks here handy for us to drill, so we go out each day on the road for a route march and sometimes stop for a while on the side of the road to do a bit of bayonet or rifle drill.

We left Boeseghem about 8.30am and marched about 16 miles to a village named Outerslenne, where we billeted for the night. On the way we passed through several villages and a large town named Hayebrouck, which was lined with people who gave us a great reception. At the entrance to a village named Morbecque, we marched past General Joffre and staff, who were standing with an English General and also Brigadier General Holmes.

We left Outerslenne about 11am. The whole 5^th Brigade are marching out here together and make a long line about a mile in length. Arrived about 4.45pm just outside the village of Erquinghem.

Went into Erquinghem today and had a good day out. This place is shelled occasionally but no great damage has been done. We see a good many aeroplanes up here being fired at and at night, when everything is quiet, we can hear the rifle and machine gun fire quite plainly, as the trenches are only about 4 miles away.

We are all ready this evening to move off again which we expect to do any time after sundown.

We left our camp last night about 8.30pm and marched on about 3 miles where we are billeted again in reserve. The Germans shell around here and several shrapnel shells have burst near here this morning. We are now just outside Armentieres.

It has been raining the last 2 days and the place all round is very muddy. We have done nothing since we came here, and we are not allowed out, so we stay in the house all day.

I was on a fatigue today out in the trenches and had a good look through them. They are fairly good, although there is a lot of water lying about, but the bottom of the trench is boarded, so there is something solid to walk on. On the way out to the communication trench we passed through the village of Bois-Grenier which has been knocked about a lot and there isn’t a building in it that hasn’t been smashed up some of them broken up completely.

We left the billets last night about 8pm and got into the trenches about 10pm where we relieved the 17^th, the 18^th being relieved by the 20^th. The part of the trench where we are is about 400 yards from the enemy’s trench, but further along to our right, they are about 50 yards closer. It is fairly quiet here except for a few shells in the daytime.

It is fairly quiet here except for an occasional burst of artillery fire but there is very little rifle fire.

It has been raining ever since we came into the trenches and it is very miserable as we are not allowed in the dug-outs at night and have to stand out in the rain.

We were relieved last night again by the 17^th, are back in same billets.

(Good Friday). It is fine again now and we have had a chance to get our clothes dry.

(Easter Sunday)

We came in last night to the trenches again and got in about 9pm.

It is a bit livelier now in the trenches as the Russian Guards are in the enemy trench opposite us. When we were in before, the Saxons were opposing us and they are a good deal quieter than the Russian Guards. They have bombarded our trenches a good deal during the last few days but we have only had a few casualties.

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