Diary Entry - 12th and 13th August, 1917

Sunday: stayed at the guns. Hewitson had gone off on a five-month course on the previous evening to Boulogne. At midday, we heard on the telephone that Claudet had arrived at Brigade and was not sorry to hear his voice in the Mess at tea as did not like taking command of a battery which I knew very little about. The Royal Berks man left without saying goodbye to a soul and another man of the KRRs arrived in the afternoon. The Padre had a service at the 48th at two p.m. McKinley came off liaison and went to D36, attached for work. Monday: relieve Cruikshank at ten a.m. Claudet, Thorburn and attached Colonel arrive about eleven fifteen a.m., the latter shoot on Les Briques, making a great noise in the OP. After lunch, I register the battery on Railway Cottage. Communication is bad to everyone all day and D36 Tucker tried to shoot 70 rounds on a minnie but it took him over an hour to fire two rounds, on the brigade buried cable. The Hun put 12 dudd[?] 4.2 hows very close to the Babe at four p.m. but think he was firing on the trench junction in front.