Tuesday March 26th, 1918
Rose at 8:30. Only four in tent – good. Pick mushrooms and had bacon and bully mixed with mushrooms for breakfast. Did nothing but scrounge dinner. 12:30 onions and mushrooms for dinner. Went to YMCA for biscuits & chocolate. Asked a SWB chap for F Sutton – he did not know him. Left for camp 4:30 arrived at 9pm tired out.
More Mushrooms
Frank seems to have got his mojo back! For the second day in a row, he talks about food – particularly the mushrooms for which he is foraging and which seem to supplement every meal. He also takes advantage of being in Rates to visit the YMCA for some sweeter things to eat.
Fred Sutton
Frank asks after his brother-in-law, Fred Sutton but gets no news. Fred served with the South Wales Borderers (SWB). Both the 7th and 8th Battalions of the SWB, having moved to Salonika in October 1915, were part of the 67th Infantry Brigade in the 22nd Division of the XII Corps. As such they were in a fellow Brigade within the same Division and Corps as Frank. At some point Fred moves to 818 Divisional Employment Company (DEC) which is part of the Labour Corps. Apparently he was likely to have been transferred because of some infirmity caused by either long-term illness or wounds.¹
The 818 DEC was formed in September 1917 as part of the 27th Division within the XVI Corps. It fell under the command of Divisional HQ along with the 26th Middlesex Battalion (a pioneer unit), 27th Divisional Train, 16th Mobile Veterinary Section and the 27th Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop.². The 27th Division had moved from France to Salonika over a three month period from November 1915. It remained in Salonika until after the Armistice and then moved onto Russia.
More Football
Once again the main feature in the BWD today is football – where the complete inter-company league table is recorded. Apparently the French knew of, but were not that bothered about, soccer before WWI: their national sport was cycling. However during the war, because of the British troops, the French got hooked by this team sport. As Nick Roche noted in his article, ‘Originally suspicious of the game, the French came to embrace football, largely due to the legacy of the First World War.’³
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 26th March 1918 – No 1 Sector, Olasli
Training. Result of the Inter Coy League Matches:
Played Won Lost Drawn Goals For Goals Against Points C Coy 6 4 1 1 10 4 9 B Coy 6 3 2 1 7 5 7 A Coy 6 2 4 0 7 4 4 D Coy 6 1 3 2 2 8 4
References & Further Reading
¹ Information provided by Charlie at ‘The Manchesters.org‘. Fred Sutton, #45026 in SWB and #388973 in 818 DEC.
² ‘27th Division‘ from The Long, Long Trail
³ ‘Football in France and the significance of WWI‘ by Nick Roche, in worldsoccer.com