On the return of the Adjutant, Battalion Headquarters moved up to the valley next the R.A.P.  At the same time a large supply of ammunition and bombs was brought up as far as the crater.  Colonel Griffiths himself set off to visit “A” Company, but he had not gone many yards along the road before he was heavily sniped by the enemy machine gunners.  The latter had established several posts on the high ground S.E. of Pontruet, and were now making the road impassable.  For a long time the Colonel, making use of shell holes, tried to make his way to the village, but every time he was “spotted” and finally he had to return.  Ammunition carrying parties lost very heavily and never got near our companies; the village seemed to be completely cut off from us.  To add to our discomfort the enemy’s artillery was again active and gas shells were fired wherever movement was seen.  The Headquarters and the R.A.P. were frequently bombarded.  At the same time the enemy’s infantry started to dribble back by Forgan’s and the new trench, into the S.W. corner of the village, probably to counter-attack.  Observers saw this movement from the Tumulus Ridge, and, as soon as Corpl.  Barber’s post could be withdrawn, the suspected area was heavily shelled by our gunners, and no attack developed.

During the afternoon, the Headquarters, finding that in their new position they were in touch with neither Brigade Headquarters nor their Companies, moved back to the hill-top.  Captain Jack and the Padre remained with the R.A.P., though their valley was almost continuously shelled, and never entirely free from gas.  The devoted work these two did that day is beyond description and too great for praise.

At 4-0 p.m., as our position was materially unchanged, we received orders for a fresh advance, to be made in conjunction with one Company of the 6th Sherwood Foresters.  Our objective was to be a line along the Southern edge of the village, to link up with “C” Company, or at least to extend to where we imagined “C” Company to be.  Captain Pink, of the Sherwood Foresters, commanded the Company which was to help us, and no one could have worked harder than he did to make our advance a success, but the uncertainty of “C” Company’s exact position, and the impossibility of sending them any orders, made our task very difficult.  Late in the afternoon we at last got news of Lieut.  Steel.  In spite of shells and machine-gun bullets, a runner came along the main road from St. Helene to the crater.  This runner, Private F. Lane, had had to crawl 250 yards across the open under direct observation, had had to kill two Germans before he could get clear of the village, and had then run the gauntlet of shells and bullets along the road—­all this alone.  Not content with having delivered his message, he refused to rest, and, though exhausted, made his way back by the same way that he had come.  We now knew where Lieut.  Steel was under the bridge, but still we knew nothing of the main part of “C” Company.