Welcome back to the Somme news and as the title suggests, we have two weeks put together on the news front, due to a shortage of supplies as well as the delay in our letters being collected. Week seventeen begun with a dull Monday with constant rainfall. French soldiers retook Douaumont, capturing 3,500 prisoners. Meanwhile, Trenchard took tea with Rawlinson, where it is said that they discussed the news that the enemy is currently producing aircraft at a rate of a thousand a month. It is believed that this is the main cause for the Royal Flying Corps having lost six hundred and sixty machines since the battle began on the 1st July.
Day one hundred and seventeen of the Battle of the Somme, saw very little action with the current shortage of supplies really reducing the effectiveness of the artillery. This paired with the rain we endured all morning, put trench morale at a low.
We awoke to the news on the 26th October, that due to the bad weather, Rawlinson had decided to postpone today's planned operation until the 30th. Rumours have filtered through that Rawlinson is currently on a break in Versailles, which have left the men wishing they could do the same. Instead, we are stuck in our trench, with the rain still falling, tired, wet and hungry.
The next morning, we were met by not only wet but cold conditions too. The conditions in fact were so bad, that Rawlinson has voiced his opinion that it would be a physical impossibility for the infantry to advance. Moving up and down the trenches is hard enough, moving across no mans land would wear us all out completely.
Day one hundred and twenty of the battle was a very wet and cold day. Despite this, morale was lifted with the news that German flying ace Oswald Boelcke has been killed in a collision with one of his pilots, so that's one less to worry about.
The next morning, despite very wet conditions, Allied soldiers were able to take Dewdrop and Hazy trenches by lunchtime. This was the first action we had seen in days.
As week seventeen of the Battle of the Somme drew to a close, the condition of the roads were worse than ever, with more rain expected. Having said this, French soldiers managed to take enemy trenches to the north-west of Sailly-Saillisel.
The beginning of week eighteen began with Rawlinson said to be in despairs, with no further advancements being possible. Road and trench conditions are now extremely bad indeed, with the area around Guedecourt waterlogged.
Day one hundred and twenty-four saw under heavy rain, a German counter-attack against Sailly-Saillisel repulsed, Allied soldiers advancing north-east of Lesboeufs as well as German soldiers evacutaing Fort Vaux (Verdun).
The next couple of days have nothing much to report apart from on the 2nd October British soldiers managed to capture trenches east of Guedecourt and on the 3rd October, French soldiers advancing to the outskirts of Vaux (Verdun). Both days were met with heavy rainfall throughout, with the area around us now resembling a swamp. In fact we have more chance of dying by slipping off the duck boards than we do under enemy fire.
Day one hundred and twenty seven of the battle saw a conference take place with Rawlinson, Haig and Foch, the details of which have not yet been released. Meanwhile, French soldiers occupied Damlup in Verdun.
By the end of the next day, we received the news that French soldiers had managed to occupy the whole of Vaux (Verdun). Not to be left out, the British soldiers made some progress at the Butte De Warlencourt, towards Le Transloy. The Anzac Corps won Bayonet Trench but by nightfall, the news filtered through that it had been lost again.
As week eighteen of the Battle of the Somme comes to a close, we have just received the news that French soldiers have progressed near St Pierre Wood. For the rest of us, we are currently trying to make ourselves as comfortable as possible, to get some sleep, before the heavy rain comes back.
Don't forget to come back next Sunday for all the latest news from the Battle of the Somme.
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