Diary Entry - 30th October, 1916

Walford: Monday, still raining. Siggers relieved Hoyland at the guns. The OC was president of a court martial, which he attended in the morning at the DAC. In the morning I started the servants and four gunners on flooring the officers' Mess - it is a place built of cupolas behind a big wall in the brigade chateau grounds. Cruikshank went over to the RE's to get the timber. In the morning, the battery was shelled by 5.9s, as also was the 15th, but we got the worst time, although we had no casualties. The 15th lost a bombardier with a splinter through the heart. No. 3 gun pit was hit and the cupola completely knocked in and the position was full of shell holes - even the Mess had a direct hit with Siggers inside but only one prop was bent as the shell fell on the side of the pit.

Bee: I went up to the OP last night and had a very peaceful walk up. The Hun evidently made things fly during the afternoon, with an organised straff. Between seven and eight p.m., I had a great time shooting. The light was bad but shot off 40 rounds at Huns walking over the top. Their trenches must be in a horrible state as they were going overland to the second line and, between the showers, we could see them quite plainly, some carrying trench mortar bombs. There were two fellows carrying a basket, which they dropped very hurriedly. Just after I had left the battery position and was coming home, they shelled it and the 48th very hard for an hour. They knocked in two of the 48th's pits and got two direct hits on our Mess. We had one poor fellow killed, Bomb. Linch of the right section. He was standing in his gun pit behind his gun when a splinter from a 4.2 burst 30 yards in front, which hit him on the heart and killed him instantaneously. It was frightfully bad luck as the same thing might happen dozens of times without a bit coming into the pit. It has been a most horrible day - could not be worse. It poured this afternoon and the road and everything else were covered with water. I went to the wagon line to get a pair of GS boots as have nothing that will keep me dry. Got sopping wet going down. The road was crowded with infantry relieving, poor things.