Happy New Year!
Things change quickly for Sargent Dixon in early 1917. On January 4th he is moved to the 3rd Reserve Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Then, a week and a day later, on January 12th he is transferred again. This time to the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion. This made sense as the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion consisted of men from Western Ontario. Therefore we assume that Robert will be reunited with many of the men of the 33rd Battalion he originally trained with. That is if they are still alive. Sargent Dixon takes a boat across the English Channel to Northern France. Then a short train ride down to a place named Dieval. . It is here in Dieval where he meets the men of the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion. In this transition to an operational battalion Sargent Dixon loses his Sargent title and reverts to being a Private. This is not because he has done anything wrong. It is simply standard procedure. He was a Sargent in a training battalion and that doesn’t cut much weight in the battle worn 1st Infantry Battalion. We can now follow the movements of Private Dixon and the 1st Canadian Infantry Battalion by reading the War Diaries as shown below. The one below shows us what the men were up to at the time Private Dixon first joined them.
The Battalion has moved north to Dieval and is undergoing training . One gets the impression that they are getting ready for something big. Private Dixon will have to be a quick study. And what do you know? A few days after Private Dixon joins them – January 16th to be exact – the big guy – the top gun -the ultimate leader of the CEF ( Canadian Expeditionary Force) himself – Commander General Currie – drops by to inspect the troops. He is satisfied with what he sees.. Yes something big is in the works.
When Robert first arrived in Dieval the weather was cool and damp with some rain – but that is about to change significantly – the weather is getting colder – on January 17th there is a snow storm that lasts a couple of days. Only appropriate that the Canadian troops get a “Snow Day” in France – some time off to do their housework before recommencing training. On January 20th they commence their march to the front lines. They march from Dieval four hours ( about 15 kilometers) to Verdrel where they spend the night in billets. The next day they are on the march again to the Bouvigny Huts. While there they encounter the enemy – German planes are very active and as a result they can not perform any training. On the 24th they are at the front line in the trenches at Souchez. They are relieving the 4th Battalion that evening. Right away they are met with intense enemy bombardment that lasts an hour. Two men are injured. Then another casualty as a man is sniped.
Welcome to the Western Front Private Dixon.