Fine morning, showers later. Hd Qrs inspection 12.0 noon. Bttn very weary & spend day in cleaning up. No mail again. Receive orders to move tomorrow No. 7 Area.
HUPPY very scattered village, Coys a long distance apart, but fairly good billets.
Fine morning. Orders to move at 10.40 am. Entraining duty. Train very late leaves about 1.40 pm. Crowded 40 in a truck. Arrive Aisnes (?) 4.0 pm. & proceed to HUPPY by march route. Very hard march 18 kilometres. Troops carry blanket & leather jerkin in addition to pack. Arrive 10.0 pm very tired. Good bed & good sleep. No dinner, no tea, a drik of tea on arrival at destination.
Wet morning. Church parade at 11.15 am in Cinema Hall. Nice service. Memorial for the Officers, NCOs & men we lost. Drums play 4.0 pm. Have a busy time at night & get no supper. Too late.
Fine morning. No parades. Bttn clean up. 2.30 pm. Bttn formed up for speech by Brig Gen WILDING. He remarks on the good work performed by the Bttn & congratulates them. Drums beat retreat 4.0 pm.
Bttn moves by train from PLATEAU Station at 12.30 pm. Wet morning, very dirty & miserable. Train to CORBIE arrive about 4.30 pm. Same billet as before good bed Very tired. Mme Parine Rue ?
Bttn rests in camp all day and tries to clean up. Very wet and muddy. QMS POSTE goes on leave. Nothing doing only heavy firing. Wet night again.
Coys march back to TRONES WOOD & get a hot meal Tea and Stew. After a rest Bttn march back to MANSELL Camp at 8 am, arriving about 11 am. Settle in tents for a rest.
GOC 4th Div. Visits camp in afternoon, troops nearly all asleep. Wet night.
Capts IRVINE & WATERS die of wounds. Rotten luck all our Captains gone. Bttn relieved at night by 20th R. Fus. Relief completed 2.0 am. Wet night. Fairly quiet day. Troops all glad to get out.
Bttn occupy front line & prepare for attack at 11.30 am. Fine morning but heavy mist. Attack cancelled until later. Zero time 2.30 pm. Weather clears a bit & Bttn attack, do very well capture strongpoint, no prisoners 106 casualties. CSM ANTLEY missing, CSM KYTE (?) & FRANKTON wounded. We hold ground & consolidate. Capts IRVINE & WATERS wounded, Lts LEWIS, CHEYNEY, DUDDELL & OGDEN wounded. Lt COX missing.
Very cold morning. Church parade 10.30 am. Fatigue party to draw bombs. Hand in Packs etc. & prepare for Trenches. Camp fire service at night Hd Qrtrs. Parade for Trenches 6.45 pm & move off Bttn follows by Platoons. Arrive Trenches, no casualties.