Boxing Day, for us “Relief Day,” was bitterly cold, and an occasional blizzard made getting into trenches all the more difficult.  The ground was covered with snow, and each night there was a bright moon, so that the snipers of both sides were on the watch day and night for the slightest movement.  Our snipers claimed to hit several of the enemy during the tour, but we, too, had our losses.  First, F. Eastwood, M.M., of “C” Company, a soldier who had scarcely missed a day since the beginning, was shot through the head and killed outside “C” Company Headquarters in Northampton trench.  A few nights later, on the 30th December, Lieut.  P. Measures, commanding “B” Company, was sniped while fixing a sniper’s post in the front line, and also killed instantly.  He had not been with us very long, but both he and Lieut.  Watherston had proved themselves very keen subaltern officers, and both had been praised by the General for their work on patrol.  Lieut.  T.H.  Ball temporarily took command of “B” Company.

Whenever work was possible—­it was often too light even at night—­we worked at two new trenches, “Cardiff” and “Currin,” connecting Bart’s Alley with Savile tunnel, as an alternative to Savile Row.  These had been dug by the Monmouthshires, and now had to be wired, and here, also, we suffered at the hands of a German sniper.  Serjeant W.E.  Cave, a very fine N.C.O. of “A” Company, was killed with a wiring party, and one or two others had narrow escapes.  The New Year, 1918, was ushered in with several bursts of machine gun fire at midnight, but nothing of importance occurred.

Our stay at Annequin was once again disturbed, this time more disastrously than before.  A curious accident occurred on the 6th of January, when three of our aeroplanes collided and fell near the village.  The enemy as usual opened fire at once with one or two batteries, and an unlucky shell fell amongst our Headquarter runners as they were leaving their billet.  The two Corporals escaped, Collins with a slight wound and Hubbard untouched, but W. Raven, M.M., was killed outright, and A. Grogan, D.C.M., F. Smith, H. Eady, and H. Kirby, so badly wounded that they died soon afterwards.  It is impossible to estimate the amount of work that these runners had done for the Battalion, not only as message carriers, but some of them as personal orderlies to the C.O. and other Headquarter Officers.  In Lens they had proved themselves not only capable of wonderful endurance, but to be possessed of the greatest courage, fearing neither the enemy himself nor his barrages.  To lose so many at one blow was indeed a severe loss for the Battalion.  After this, there followed two comparatively quiet tours in trenches with the usual six days at Beuvry in between them.  The enemy’s snipers were mastered, and we suffered no more casualties at their hands, but our bad luck still pursued us, and on the 10th and 11th January the left of the Reserve Line was badly battered by trench mortars.  The