Walford: In the morning, Suttie and I started for Skyline trench but had to wait some time before the signallers could find the wires. When they did catch us up, we ran into an 8- and 4-inch shell zone and had a very uncomfortable 15 minutes looking for the ends of a broken wire. Half the time, we were taking cover in shell holes but eventually beat a hasty retreat, as about 40 yards of wire had been blown away. After an early lunch with Colonel Thompson of 59th Brigade, Suttie and I went up to Constance trench to register there. It is the front line and in full view of Thiepval, where, every now and then, a young earthquake seemed to disturb the town, it being one of our 15-inch bursting the base used to come right back into our lines. It was very pleasant observing over the frontline, but we were once sniped at and so weren't so keen on showing too much of ourselves and occasionally used the periscope. In the evening, as we neared the battery, I saw a tank wending its way up the road and went and had a look at it – a wonderful steel contraption with gun turrets for machine guns.
Bee: Armytage and I went to the OP this morning. It is merely observing through a periscope out of a shell hole. There are dozens of dead lying up there. Feet and hands stick out of the trench all over the place. We walked up through Pozière and saw the tracks of the caterpillars. There is no doubt they can climb all right. I saw one track where they had gone down into a shell hole about 10 foot deep and on the opposite side there was a solid brick foundation about 13 foot high, which it evidently went over without a murmur. The straff is supposed to start tomorrow. I can hear the old tanks making their way up to the lines now (ten thirty p.m.)
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