Diary gives insight into life in the trenches of World War One

Mike Lovegrove, of St George's Avenue, discvovered his grandfather's old army effects when his mother found them during a clear out.

Among the old paperwork was a small diary in which Mr Lovegrove's grandfather, Henry Weller, wrote about his service in France during the war.

Mr Weller joined the army in 1905 when he was just 15 years old, and worked his way up the ranks to be a Corporal by the time war was declared in 1914. He served in the army for 29 years in the Queen's Royal Regiment, West Surrey.

It took Mike around a week to transcribe the diary which has been written in pencil and is beginning to fade He said: “I enjoyed reading and transcribing it. I would've loved to have been able to pin it down even more though as I have been unable to trace many of the French villages he mentions - I suspect they were an English Tommie's way of spelling French names.

Mr Lovegrove was 16 when his grandfather passed away and remembers he said very little about his time in the army.

Here are a few excerpts from the diary which give an insight into Mr Weller's time serving in France:

August 4, 1914 11pm War declared with Germany

August 12, 1914 Left Southampton on Braemar Castle at 9pm

August 13, 1914 Arrived at Le Harvre 11am Marched to camp about 6 miles from harbour arriving about 9pm

August 23, 1914 Roused at 3am and stood to arms until 4.30am returned to billet. Reinforced our piquet at cross roads at 7am entrenched ourselves during the morning and afternoon left our trenches and reinforced the 2nd division nothing doing for our infantry our artillery letting go for all they are worth returned to our trenches for the night.

August 26, 1914 Reveille at 1am moved off at 5am took up a position to cover the 4th brigade retirement retired for the night slept in a field in Oisy raining all night.

August 27, 1914 Left Oisy at 10 am one man killed and 1 man wounded by one of our own men at this place (Ayars and Tolfrey) got into Macquyny 11pm slept in a yard.

September 6, 1914 Up at 5 am and moved off at 8 am passed through Rozoy de Boyne at 9.30 am and La Chapalle- Igar at 10 am. Germans firing near here our artillery answering. Left here at 2pm advance guard to Brigade about 8 pm came across 2 wounded 18th Hsr. Went into billets about 8 miles away. Was on advance post.

September 17, 1914 I am in a secure trench the weather is awful the Germans tried to rush our position. I was ordered to reinforce trenches to our right front, as soon as we left our trenches the German artillery caught us with shrapnel. The Colonel called me to take up a position beside him on a haystack borrowing my rifle, he sent me to get one from a wounded man he jammed my rifle and then wanted the other, which I passed to him, it was just after this that I got wounded. The Colonel went to go around the haystack and was shot dead through the heart. I must mention that had the French soldiers held out on our right instead of falling back we should almost have wiped out the Germans as they came. When wounded I lost the use of my right shoulder so was unable to fire, so laid still in the pouring rain for about 3 hours. I then went back to our dressing station and was sent to the cavalry dressing station who again dressed me and put me on an ambulance. I was then taken to the first dressing station I stopped here for about 1 hour then packed in a supply wagon, this was about 10 pm 17/9/14 we got to the final clearance station at 7am here we stopped until 1am 19/9/14 when we entrained for an unknown destination, we travelled via Parris Le Mans Nancy to St Nazaire detraining there at 7am 21st Sept 1914 and went to a hospital camp.

September 24, 1914 Made enquiries and found that my cousin of the RAMC is Sgt Major of the camp he has paid me several flying visits but he is a very busy man. For the first 3 days at St Nazaire I was not feeling at all well but am feeling much better today.

Most probably will go on board today for England on board the Carisbrook Castle 3.30 pm.