Thursday July 15th, 1915. We are on the way to Folkestone ...We have just reached Folkestone 7.30 Saturday, July 17th. Have arrived. Nearly sick ! Doing well ! Eric Wreford Brown
DAY 1
Unlike Eric, we had a smooth crossing !
We travelled from Newhaven to Folkestone by coach (2 hours)
The journey on Eurotunnel took half an hour
Tuesday July 20th 1915
Here we are within 10 miles of the firing line; we can hear the guns going all day, last night they went on up to 9pm. We hear we are likely to be here for 6 or 7 days and then to business. We had a most successful march here, all walked smoothly. The men are well, tho' French cobbles gave some of them hell, nearly all stuck it, only one man fell out, which was a good mark for the Battalion. Eric Wreford Brown
Our first taste of the front line was at Vimy Ridge. We visited the Canadian War memorial there and the trenches that have been preserved. We also spent some time at Notre Dame de Lorrette, the French National War Memorial which is nearby
Your food you have to cook in your canteen and no fires during the day on account of the smoke. We really live like rabbits. We are extra busy at night, working, eating and we live underground. The soldiers suffer a great deal in their feet, so before we go in the trenches, they have to rub their feet and legs with a sort of tallow. Claude Wreford Brown, March 9th, 1915
