The diary of William Dea of Juniper Green, transcribed by Malcolm Fergusson, covers the period 5 June 1917, the day Dea left Edinburgh, to 27 July 1917, immediately prior to Third Ypres where he was killed.
Timeline of William Dea’s military service:
- Sat 11.12.15 Attested, to Army Reserve
- Thu 15.3.17 Mobilised
- Tue 20.3.17 Posted to 3rd Royal Scots
- Tue 5.6.17 Left Glencorse, posted 15th RS
- Wed 6.6.17 Boulogne
- Thu 7.6.17 20 I.B.D. Etaples
- Sat 23.6.17 Joined for duty 9th Royal Scots (War Diary reports 118 ORs joined) at Wulverdinghe
- Mon 9.7.17 To Poperinghe
- Tue 10.7.17 To trenches
- Thu 12.7.17 Relieved by 7th A&SH
- Fri 13.7.17 To Houterque
- Sun 22.7.17 To Windmill Camp
- Mon 30.7.17 Advance to canal bank
- Thu 2.8.17 After dark four posts established east of the Steenbeek
- Fri 3.8.17 At night two further posts east of Steenbeek, William Dea killed, aged 41
- Page 2 Devlin is a small town in Ontario
- p.2 J. Michie, probably James Michie 46108, from Juniper Green, he died of wounds August 1917
- p.3 The explosions at Messines were indeed on 7th June. Boulogne-Etaples is about 20 miles.
- p.3 …..verdinge, probably Wulverdinghe, about 2½ miles from Watten
- p.3 Griffiths, perhaps Joseph Griffiths, or more likely William Griffin
‘The Inn of a Thousand Dreams’ by Gilbert Frankau was written in June 1916
Dea is buried at Bedford House Cemetery, Belgium. See the Index for further biographical information, and for the names included in the diary.
I am grateful to Malcolm Fergusson for providing a copy of this important document. The original is believed to have been lost in a house clearance.
Neill Gilhooley 