still very cold + damp. Tuesday JUNE 27 Pass several icebergs in the morning. Wed JUNE 28. Fairly cold, still getting poor eats, a few go sick, Thursday JUNE 29. Cold, damp, Concert in Second saloon in the evening. Friday JUNE 30. little warmer, sea a trifle rough. quite a few go sick. concert in 3rd saloon at 4:30 P.M. Sat July 1. DOMINION DAY. Fairly warm. life belts worn from 1. PM to be worn continuously untill we land. Sports at 2 P.M. Picked up by a mine sweeper at 7:30 P.M. Sunday JULY 2nd Pass the south of Ireland, have a convoy of four gun boats. Enter Irish sea about 2 PM with convoy of one gun boat. Packed up kit etc. very hot about 6. P.M. Monday JULY 3rd. In Liverpool dock. go on deck at 5:45 AM, boat docks at 6:15 AM. leave L’pool at 10:30 A.M. for Shorncliffe camp via Blisworth Rugby + London, arrive at Shorncliffe at 5 P.M. march over cliffs to “Dibgate” camps, about four miles very hot + tiring march. Dover 9 miles away. Folkestone 3, + Shorncliffe 4. Tents all painted green, supper at 7. P.M. bed 9:45 PM. lights out 10:15. I find the ground very hard.
▸ Where was he?
▸ The war at this time
The bloodiest day in British military history
On July 1, 1916, the Battle of the Somme begins. It is a catastrophe. 57,000 British casualties on the first day alone, 19,240 of them killed. German machine guns survived the week-long bombardment and cut down waves of infantry. At Beaumont Hamel, the Newfoundland Regiment loses 90% of its men in 30 minutes. The Canadian Corps is not involved in the opening assault; they're still holding the line at Ypres. But they will be moved south to the Somme in late August.
