LANCE Corporal William John Meehan kept a detailed diary throughout World War I.
His first entry was on 19 September 1916 as he set sail from Melbourne on the SS Commonwealth.
He wrote of homesickness, concerts and sporting events on board the ship, church services, ocean wildlife, the weather, his training and the food – particularly his fondness for bacon.
20 January 1917, Albert, France
“The area for miles is nothing but a mass of ruins of old guns, machinery. Villages and woods are levelled to the ground.
“The whole area is a mountain of rubbish and every inch of earth is ploughed up, covered with tangled barbed wire.”
21 January 1917, the Somme, France
“Cemeteries are here and there and bodies of dead are found everywhere covered with a little clay.
“We are now four miles from front line of trenches.”
26 January 1917, the Somme, France
“It’s that cold at present that our noses freeze hard inside and water in our bottles is always frozen.
“Have three shirts, two underpants, cardigan, sheepskin tunic, also overcoat, scarf, gloves, cap comforters and waterproof capes. This is to keep us warm on the front line.”
28 January 1917, the Somme, France
“Fritz was bombarding all day long and we had some narrow escapes.
“Shells were all around us all day long. About three were killed and about six were wounded of the 29th.
“Hundreds of aeroplanes were out observing being fire at all the time. One of our planes was hit.
“The plane smashed and the pilot fell out and dashed to the earth.”
29 January 1917, the Somme, France
“The ground is frozen and we can’t even get water to drink or wash.”
31 January 1917, the Somme, France
“The names of the men buried are written in lead pencil on the wooden cross and sometimes a little fence is erected by the pals of those who have fallen and a few shell cases or stones laid on the grave.”
3 February 1917, the Somme, France
“Villages and towns on the Somme battlefield are now levelled with the ground.
“Some places a wall or chimney remains of what was once a town.
“The ruins, such as brick and stones, come in handy for dugouts and road making.”
29 March 1917, the Somme, France
“The dead are still lying on the ground of both sides.
“Crosses are erected every 30 yards or so, in memory of the different divisions who were lost in this fight. The loss was 40,000.”
4 May 1917, Bapaume, France
“The villages and towns the Germans evacuate are either burned down or blown up.
“Nothing but a lot of ruins are found when we enter these villages, even tins or anything that would carry water have holes put in them by the Huns. All wells are poisoned.”
5 May 1917, Bapaume, France
“Last night an officer, two Tommies and myself made an effort to bring in tank temporarily held by Fritz.
“Out of supports, we sneaked to within a few yards of the tank under machine gun fire and heavy shell fire. On our right a great battle was in progress.
“It was a wonderful sight – nothing but shells bursting.”
1 August 1917, Hazebrouck, France
“The people run screaming with biddies in their arms out to the farmhouse and neighbouring villages.
“It was a sad sight for us to see these poor people.”
