we land the duds at Senlis Lionize the 36 of us. we get a hut to ourselves & everybody feels good because we are away from that deathly Somme front. I am a strict teetotaller or I would get drunk to ease my feelings, nearly everybody else gets drunk. I try to dry out & then hang up my clothes & go to sleep, only to wake up for the show when the drunks come home. I get some mail & a parcel of maple fudge from the best little girl I ever knew. & some chocolate also, every one of the boys get parcels & mail & we all feel good, Sunday Nov 26 up 7.30 had some grub, my cough & cold pretty bad. put in a nice quiet day, wrote to Susie McDougall go to bed early another batch get drunk & well lit up, lots of fun with them. Nov 27. Monday Pack up & leave Senlis at noon for Val de Mason, pass thro Herissart, my left boot has a hole in the sole under my big toe & marching is hard
▸ Where was he?
▸ The war at this time
Winter 1916-17 begins
The winter of 1916-17 will be one of the coldest on record in France. Temperatures drop well below freezing. The mud of the Somme freezes solid. Troops in rest areas behind the lines must still contend with inadequate heating, wet clothing, and the physical toll of months of combat. The Canadian Corps is being moved north to the Arras sector. Their next major objective will be Vimy Ridge, a commanding height held by the Germans since 1914, where French attacks in 1915 cost 150,000 casualties without success.
