Diary Entry - 23rd March, 1917

Walford: A cold frosty morning and after stables I repacked some kit which had been dumped at Albert and sent a sand bag of stuff home, finally reducing a biscuit box full to an ammunition box full. After lunch, Suttie, Hoyland and Siggers went down to Albert and saw the kit inside the military forwarding officer's hands. In the afternoon, Cruickshanks and I rode out round Thiepval, Hamel, and back through Aveluy wood. It was rather funny to ride through Thiepval and find it absolutely evacuated, not the sign of any feet about at all, and it was not five months since it had been taken. The cavalry were very busy viewing things and on the way home we passed some RHA and and cavalry bivouacked just below our lines. The officers were beautifully dressed in flowing long coats and everything looked very smart but we could see them with set faces and looking rather depressed when they got into the mud belt. After crossing the Iancre below Thiepval, we crossed the railway which had been completed as far as Miraumont and seemed to have a fair amount of traffic on it. We all went early to bed that night as an early start was to be made in the morning and we had to be clear of Bouzincourt by nine fifteen a.m.

Bee: Quite a decent day. I was orderly officer. We had a section out for a trial, packing. The general and Colonel came round the horses. Had nine horses sent to mobile, lame one way or another. We have had to cut things down in the way of kit but we are better off for horses than most people. All the same, we are 30 short. We start tomorrow at eight a.m. and go as far as Pushvillers, then Outrebois, then Bourers Anniy [semi-legible, probably mispelled], so we have a fair march. The Five Army could not let us go without a souvenir so at midday told us we had to draw from a dump six miles away some nets to camouflage the guns. This finally turned out to be a GS wagon load, which means more stuff has to be dumped. We have to leave our poor old piano behind, so have presented it to the YMCA, on condition that, if we are able to carry it later on, we can get it.