Thursday May 16th, 1918
My wife’s birthday. Born 1888 now 30. Wrote home birthday greetings to wife. Chilly morning, we are going up line tonight to Bastion Hill Camp. Company reserve to Battalion H sector, relieving South Lancs. Aircraft guard. Very hot in afternoon and I feel a little bit groggy. Left Shelter Ravine 8:30 reached Bastion Hill 9:30. Slept in Mosquitoe Quadrant.
Packing Up
It is strange that, throughout his diary, Frank never calls his wife, Sarah, by name. She is always obliquely referred to as ‘home’ when he receives letters, or ‘wife’. Perhaps he was just being old fashioned – when he writes her address in the fly leaf it is as Mrs F. Whitehead. Or perhaps he was being circumspect, as he is throughout the diary, or didn’t think he would make it home and that the diary would be read by a stranger.
Today, for the first time, he seems to have been on aircraft guard duty. Also for the first time, he reports that he is not feeling very well.
The good news is that the march from Shelter Ravine to the front line is very short and only takes the Battalion an hour to complete. To return to a known location, Number 4 Sector, was also probably nicer than moving somewhere new. Though the Battalion HQ is now at Sporan and B Company is in Bastion Hill Camp instead of Bowls Barrow.
Battalion Reserve
B Company is to be the Battalion Reserve. This means that B Company is not committed to initial combat actions but held back such that the Battalion can use them as required. This may be either to take advantage of a situation or to use it for relief or reinforcement. Unfortunately for Frank, being in reserve doesn’t get him or B Company out of pulling their weight with fatigues.
Reserves are held at all levels in the Army. A couple of months ago, for example, the 13th Battalion itself was in reserve for the Brigade. This meant that the Brigade could deploy the 13th as it felt operationally appropriate.
Reserves are also not managed collectively, so the 13th gets to decide when and where to use B Company. It is nothing to do with either the Brigade or Corps.
Regardless, Frank is sleeping somewhere named Mosquito Quandrant, which seems to be asking for trouble. I hope the name is referring to the anti-mosquito bivouacs we have read so much about in the Battalion Diary over the past few weeks. Needless to say, ‘Mosquito Quadrant’ doesn’t appear on any maps or sketches.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 16th May 1918 – Saida
The Battalion spent the day packing up and preparing to to into the line. Outposts of each Coy were sent ahead yesterday in order to expedite the relieve. The Battalion relieved the 9th South Lancs in No 4 Sector. The relief was a very good one, ‘relief complete’ message being sent off at 22:45 hrs. Disposition etc. In the sector are the same as before, with the exception of Battalion HQ which have moved form Crow Hill to Sporan.
References & Further Reading
‘Military Reserve‘ on Wikipedia