Diary Entry - 24th August, 1916

There were no orders about moving until two in the afternoon, when the motorcyclist from RAHQ 2nd Div. delivered a package to the adjutant, which said we would march for Vecquemont at four thirty p.m. As it was known we were not going out to rest but going into the line below Gommecourt, the BCs at once decided to try to give the subalterns – in fact, all officers – a night in Amiens. So Siggers and I did not wait to argue who was going but set off in a car, ordering our horses to follow on as soon as possible. The French car we had stopped dropped us at their flying ground, so we had to walk back a mile onto the main road for a lorry. Kellagher was with us and we got a slow old machine which took us to Corbie. Here the former left us and went to a dentist while Siggers and I had tea, meeting Todd in the tea rooms. About six, we walked about a mile on the road to Vecquemont when a lorry picked us up and took us into that town. From there, we started on the road for Amiens, expecting to get some sort of a lift, but never a car passed us and we had to step out the seven miles on foot, arriving at the Hotel de Rhin about eight fifteen p.m. There we had an excellent dinner and retired to a very comfortable bedroom for the night. Our grooms gave us a shock, as they did not arrive till ten thirty p.m. with our kit, which fitted into haversacks.