This week Sabine’s battlefield guide Saturday
Diary extracts from Kurt Zehmisch 1916 Somme and Comines
The Somme area, my main interest at the moment is what happens when Kurt is in Belgium. But one wood that has always caught my interest high wood, the way he describes getting into the wood and how he treats the soldiers made me decide to wait a week longer with the matters of the heart. I admit was a bit disappointed to find out Kurt was no longer at the Somme when the tanks came in. He does return by mid November 1916 to Belgium, to the Comines area this time, his rabbits, the stinking room and an interesting meal for Christmas 1916 .
09.08.1916
The company got new steel helmets yesterday. We are getting our things ready today. In the evening we are to go to the new position. by 10.45 pm, the company is ready to march at 11 o’clock.
09.08.1916
In the evening at 9 o’clock the company marches from the magnificent park of Haplincourt via Villers au Flos, Béaulaucourt on the road to Ligny Tilloy to the regimental headquarters. After a short rest, we march forward via point 110 to our position in the Foreaux Forest. The II Battalion is in the front position, the III Battalion is in the 2nd position and the I Battalion is Division Reserve. To advance in the shrapnel and shell fire is a scary gauntlet run. After marching over terrain completely ploughed over by shells, I arrive at the position completely exhausted. 8th Company comes into the Foureaux barricade position. We relieve 5/163. We were constantly getting a lot of shell and shrapnel fire.
11.08.1916
Early in the morning between half 2 and half 5 the English tried small attacks in the Foureaux woods, which were immediately recognised by us and repulsed by hand grenades and artillery barrage. In the afternoon, from 5.15 pm about 150 heavy shells hit the ground on the right wing of our barrage.
You need to know that bois des foureaux or Bois des Fourcaux is actually known as high wood, The wood was first attacked on the14th of July, 1916, but the British were unable to take it High Wood looks very similar in appearance today as it did before the War, see the overlay map.
High wood was the last of the important woods in the Somme battle of 1916 to be captured by the British, on the 15th of September. The tanks came in action, after they had tried literally everything to capture the wood.
12.08.1916
From the evening onwards the British attacked our position, especially the one on the right of the forest. By continuous artillery barrage during the whole night all attacks of the enemy were repulsed. A German plane shot down an English plane over Martinpuich. In the afternoon from 5-7 o’clock, 162 heavy 28-30 cm shells were again fired at our barricade position on the right wing. Fortunately none of these shells went into the trench. The following night, various attacks by the British followed again, which were repulsed everywhere.
21.08.1916
The day passes again more or less like yesterday. The people have a lot to endure and achieve. Nevertheless, they are still in a good mood and stand firm at their posts. During the day I always let a number of people take turns sleeping in my company commander’s dugout and encourage them with drinks and cigars. I get buried in the trench with the people of the company. However, all can be dug out again and are then taken to my dugout where they can recover. My dugout is a former artillery dugout in Foureaux Forest. The position of my company section still extends 200 m beyond the forest ( east of F Forest) The rough part of our trench was levelled in the evening by enemy superior shell fire. During the night we had to work hard to rebuild the trench.
01.09.1916
Today the following regimental order regarding replacement arrives from the regiment : Lt. D. R Zemisch is appointed as local commander of Grand and Petit Moisnil, Gravenlin and Illies. He takes over all duties from the previous local commander and arrives at RIR 248 on 02.09.1916 in the morning. At the same time Lt. der Reserve Zehmisch becomes casino director of the regimental casino in Petit Moisnil . Successful takeover has to be reported.
The villages mentioned above lie between La Bassee and Lille. To be fair I didn’t really find anything that was of interest of what happens during his time there, he does return to the area of Bapaume mid-October but let focus on what he writes when he comes back to Belgium.
14.11.1916
At noon, the company posts. 12.15 p.m. Departure via Tourcoing, Linselles, Comines to the barracks camp, Krauthof (between Comines and Warneton in the bussche ferme), where we arrive at 7 p.m., completely tired. The crews live in very nicely furnished barracks, I myself live in the Busch ferme in a small but warm room.
15.11.1916
It got very cold early in the morning. It was getting frosty. At 10 o’clock in the morning I went for a walk to Warneton and Battery Wilisch( haven’t found this location). I pick up two of my rabbits there. In the afternoon, the company had a gas check and was fitted with gas masks in the stinking room.
25.11.1916
Vormittags neblig, nachmittags Regenwetter. 1.45 Uhr nachts explodiert noch eine einzelne Mine. Im allgemeinen während der vergangenen Nacht nur M.G. Feuer. 5.30 vormittags wurde Abschnitt H mit 3 Minen belegt; Am Wiederaufbau der durch Minenfeuer eingeschossenen Grabe teile wird eifrig gearbeitet. Der Betonunterstand des rechten Zugführers in vorderster Linie wurde durch Erdaufwurf nach dem Feind zu unsichtbar gemacht. Horchposten 3 und 4 wurden trocken gelegt. Die Seiten der Horchlöcher wurden zum Schutz gegen M.G Feuer durch Erdaufwurf erhöht.
15.12.1916
In the morning 10-1 a.m. I am in Messines in the listening post and eavesdrop on German and English conversations. In the afternoon and the following night the company is called up again for transport and entrenchment work. Between 5.15 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. I sound a test alarm in the company. In the evening it rains again.
18.12.1916
Today is Else Thorn’s birthday, as I learned today through a letter from her. Until now I had only known the month. Throughout the day, I mainly contributed to the regiment’s Christmas newspaper. At night I dream of Else Thorn.
24.12.1916
I receive a letter from Misses Else and Lene Thorn with a fir branch with a red ribbon and silver threads. I set it up in front of my desk. Next to it is a candle, and so in the evening I celebrate my third Christmas in my 1.12 m high concrete shelter. Christmas carols can be heard through the telephone. For dinner we have Grüne kloBe (potato dumplings, that took me a long time to figure out) and roast beef from the field kitchen. Of course, we are all very happy about this rare Christmas meal.
Sources :
Diary Kurt zehmish held in kenniscentrum IFFM
Library of Scotland ww1 maps
Mc Masters university ww1