Diary Entry - 4th October, 1916

Walford: Wednesday. About eleven, when we were all more or less asleep on the Tuesday night an orderly brought a message round from brigade to say that we were to move to the wagon line, leaving the position not later than eight-thirty a.m. From then until twelve the telephone kept going and there were all sorts of little things, like ammunition, to be handed over to the batteries of the 59th Brigade in the morning. About midnight, Bosch had disturbed our slumbers by putting some pipsqueaks unpleasantly close and we were just thinking about moving into the trench when he dropped to the top end of the Valley. As soon as breakfast was over, it began to rain and, by the time we moved off, it was coming down steadily. I took guns down to Aveuilly, where our wagon line was, it having moved up soon after the fall of Thiepval. Hoyland and Cruickshank brought the baggage and mess and said there was a stand-up fight between a 9.2 and 10-pounder battery for our position, mainly to get the dugouts we had built in the side of the trench. It still poured when we reached the wagon line and, beyond being almost run over by a galloping Canadian wagon, we had no casualties . We expected to find orders awaiting us but they arrived about an hour later, Cannover bringing them along. At two, we marched for our old lines at Senlis, arriving soon after three, having the consolation of being able to use a road which was in the enemy's view when we went up to the battle. We pitched tents again as no billets could be obtained in the village. There was much rejoicing at having got out of the 11th Division but there were many deep throated groans when it was announced that we were not for leave but going into another battle.

Bee: We got orders late last night to be out of our position by eight a.m. An absolute brute of a day, pouring with rain, which made the ground frightfully heavy. The mess cart got bogged. We only went as far as our wagon line, just near Albert, and sat there in the rain feeling very uncomfortable, awaiting orders, which arrived about eleven a.m. On the way down we went and had a look at the mine crater at La Boiselle, which was the signal of the start of the big push. It is immense. The crater is fully 100 feet deep and about 80 yards across. The Huns, I believe, occupied it first, but it blew up close to their line. We started to move again at two p.m. and came as far as Bouzincourt, about three miles. Walrond made the detachments walk so I walked with them in front. The road was blocked with traffic – the Canadians, who were on our right, were coming out too. The men have a very wet camp, I'm afraid, tonight. We were lucky enough to get a room in a house. This is the Canadian area and we only got it as a favour. They put a few gas shells over us last night but nothing much.