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Sunday, April 29, 1917

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wrote a 14 page to B. Sunday Apl 29. Day guard. 10-1 + 4-7. Church parade to Gd Servins. I don’t go.

Monday Apl 30. Wood fatigue with Billy Beck. Squad drill every afternoon for an hour. Gd Servins with L. Pratt in the evening Tuesday May 1. Sanitary - Fine weather, wear my first army slacks, no bon. Wrote Sam. Go to bed feeling awfully sick. don’t sleep at all

Wed May 2nd. Told to pack up + go to Gd Servins at 8. A.M to practice for the band. I am enjoying trench fever + feel terribly sick, do a little practice Get up from my bunk. (No 1 hut) to play at first post - hell of a row but it goes good. Thursday May 3 May 4. 5. 6. 7. Trench fever, feel awfully sick. don’t eat a bite in 5 days Tuesday May 8. Feel a little better, very weak, ache in every bone, had a dope sleep (10 hours) Wednesday May 9. feel better, get two meals into me Thursday May 10 feel still better. Some real eats shaky at bed time Friday May 11

Where was he?
The war at this time

French mutinies begin

In late April and early May, the French Army begins to crack. Soldiers who expected victory find themselves ordered back to the trenches for more futile attacks. The first mutinies occur on May 3. These are not desertions or refusals to fight. Soldiers remain at the front and defend their positions. They refuse to participate in attacks they believe are pointless slaughter. The French authorities describe them as 'collective disobedience.'