chapters
Chapter 1
Enlistment and Embarkation
Chapter 2
Egypt and Gallipoli
Chapter 3
Malta
Chapter 4
To France
Chapter 5
The Western Front
Chapter 6
The Somme
Chapter 7
Moves and a Transfer
Chapter 8
Blighty
Chapter 9
Romance
Chapter 10
To War Again
Chapter 11
OTC at Last
Chapter 12
Officer in Waiting
Chapter 13
The Somme Again
Chapter 14
Dompiere and Mont St. Quentin
Chapter 15
Respite
Chapter 16
Peace!
Chapter 17
Belgium and Germany
Chapter 18
England and Marriage
Chapter 19
Homeward Bound
Chapter 20
Postscript
credit
The WWI diary of Percy Smythe was transcribed by his daughter Betty Smythe.
Introduction
Percy Smythe was one of four brothers that went to Europe to fight in World War One. He served in Gallipoli and France and was awarded the Mititary Cross.
The Smythe Boys 1912
L to R Vern, Bert, Percy, Viv
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Bert |
Viv |
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Percy |
Vern |
Dedication: For the other members of the Smythe clan – my cousins - for their much appreciated interest and help.
In typing up the diary,which was written in quite a number of exercise books of different sizes, I have endeavoured to type just what was written to it. It is possible some place names are incorrect as there were some unfamiliar to me and even though I am, of course, very familiar with my father’s writing, some of his letters can be misunderstood and so lead to possible errors.
In 1916 some names and places were originally in code, but were decoded some time after the war.
During his officer training he wrote some sentences in code. No one has yet deciphered it!
About 1960 my father decided to remove some pages from the diaries, one, two, three or more, and I have indicated these missing pages as ........... and a space between that line and the next.
Betty Smythe