World War 1 time lines

Donald is gazetted captain in the 4th South African Infantry (South African Scottish)

Being a regiment with a heritage derived from the Transvaal Scottish and also that the Colonel-in-chief was John Stewart Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl, the regiment wore the Murray of Atholl tartan.

Donald was gazetted Major in the 4th SAI (South African Scottish)

• 2 Jan 1916
  Moved to Devonport. Boarded the HMT Oriana to Alexandria
• 14 Jan 1916
  Arrived Alexandria to join the campaign against the Senussi
• 15 Jan 1916
  Moved to Mex Camp outside Alexandria
• 23 Jan 1916
  Battle of Halazin
• 26 Jan 1916
  Battle of Agagia
• 9 Mar to 15 Mar 1916
  Desert march to Sollum
• 13 Apr 1916
  Return to Alexandria and board ship to Marseille
• 22 Apr 1916
  Quarantine in La Valentine nr. Marseille

The South African Brigade in bivouacs at Grove town.

Billets until 5 July

I can do no better than simply to repeat Donald’s personal diary for the period covering the South African Brigade’s operation at Delville Wood. This section of his diary was published in The Springbok in September 1933.

• 1st July
  Bivouacking at Grovetown. Clerk and I combine C. and D. Company officers’ messes. Watched large number of German prisoners brought through the cages.
• 2nd July
  Grovetown. Completed fighting equipment, carrying platoons, etc. Moved to Cope” Valley during night and were shelled during night . Moved half company from one side of valley where shells were falling to the other side and thus escaped casualties.
• 3rd July
  Moved to Billon Valley where French heavies were and occupied eastern side. Battalion washing and cleaning.
• 4th July
  Billon Valley. Some of our fellows playing football with French heavy gunners.
• 5th July
  Billon Valley. Moved forward and occupied Glatz Redoubt, Dublin and Casement trenches and built strong points at Glatz and Train. Knocked over but unhurt by shell at corner of Little Wood as C moved up.
• 6th July
  Heavy rain and discomfort for all. C Company took over Bricqueterie Trench and began digging. Oughterson took over my tin shelter in Casement as I moved up to Dublin. He was killed there by shell a few minutes later. Regimental H.Q. at corner of Glatz. Colonel very cheery and happy.
• 7th July
  Consolidating Bricqueterie Trench. Shelled all day. Wet day. Oughterson buried at Mariecourt.
• 8th July
  Dublin and Bricqueterie. Working in wet trenches. Shelled all day. Talked with 64th Company, R.E. , Subaltern Clavering about guinea-fowl shooting in Sekukuniland. Fine, quick piece of wiring by C Company beyond road in front of Bricqueterie Trench. The French established mortars behind Dublin and shelled and attacked Faviere Wood on our right. A French soldier gave me a drink of ration wine from his water bottle. French soldiers fine big fellows. A few Germans came from Faviere Wood and surrendered to Farrell A Coy. Old Farrell very cheery.
• 9th July
  A Company moved to Trones Wood and one C Company platoon, No. 11, under Lieut. A. H . Brown, to Bricqueterie itself— a bad corner. Walked part of the way with Colonel towards Trones, but he sent me back and he went on alone, no orderly!
• 10th July
  Manchesters smashed at Trones. A Manchester man, mad, came all along Bricqueterie Trench shouting, “Oh! what a day! What a day!” Captain Russell, O.C., A Company, hit at Trones in stomach. Spoke to him as his stretcher was carried past Dublin. Shenton wounded while running telephone wire out from Dublin to Trones, but he ran the wire all right. When visiting Lieut. Brown at Bricqueterie I got knocked over by heavy shell and lifted yards away but untouched. Lieut. Brown excellent. Liverpools relieved us in evening in Dublin and Bricqueterie and we moved to Glatz Redoubt. Sinclair killed by picking up boobytrap bomb in Glatz. (It was a string bomb with
  the string nailed to a board).
• 11th July
  Glatz. Sent for by General Lukin. On way passed Padre Hill and Tobias in shell hole reading Bible. Soon after arriving at Brigade H.Q. , while talking to General, orderly came in with message on red paper saying Colonel Jones killed in Bernafay at 6.45p.m. General Lukin sent me up to take over Bernafay. On way up had just passed Corpl. Hockey and ration party in open trench when shell fire killed whole ration party and partially buried me. Helped out by two Black Watch men and went on to Bernafay. Heavy shell fire over whole wood. Found Forbes (M.O.) in the wood in midst of many wounded, his bare arms covered with blood, and a large knife in his hand. He directed me to Battalion H.Q. in wood. Took over. Russell died to-day of wounds.
• 12th July
  MacLeod came up to Bernafay and took over from me and I returned to Glatz. Artillery dump near Glatz set on fire; fire put out by C Company men, especially Pte. Veitch who pulled off the burning camouflage covering, and dump did not go up.
• 13th July
  Middlesex under Kemp—Welch relieved ours in Bernafay and whole battalion concentrated at Talus Boise.
• 14th July 
  Highland Brigade go for Longueval. In evening we moved to Montauban Road but Germans saw us settle in and sent over tear shells and crumps. Taylor wounded. Farrell gassed. Bad night.