On the evening of the 4th June we moved up through Foncquevillers, and relieved the 5th Sherwood Foresters in the right sector, opposite Gommecourt Park.  A road and bank, running parallel with the front line, and about 100 yards behind it, provided Battalion Headquarters.  Behind this again, the “Bluff,” a steep bank, gave the support Company a good home.  Here we remained until the 21st, with a two-days’ holiday at Humbercamps in the middle, a holiday spent in digging cable trenches and carrying trench mortars and ammunition.  It was a long time to remain in the line, but one Company lived always in a large house in Foncquevillers, where they were very comfortable, and could get baths and other luxuries.

The enemy was not very active, and our most important task was now to prevent him from guessing our intentions.  This soon became impossible, for, in addition to the ever increasing Artillery, the new cable trenches, and the Lucheux model, we started to dig a new line of trenches some 100 yards in front of our front line, along the attack sector.  We, being opposite the Park, did not have to do this, but the Division on our right and the rest of our Brigade on the left were both out digging every night.  After the first night it became exceedingly dangerous, for the Boche, knowing exactly where we were working, kept up a steady bombardment on the right with trench mortars, and, on the left, swept the ground continuously with accurate machine gun fire.  We were ordered to keep all hostile patrols out of No Man’s Land, and consequently our parties were out most of the night.  The Boche, however, showed no inclination to do the same, and, even though we fixed up an insulting notice board in front of his wire, never put in an appearance.  Incidentally the back of the board was covered with luminous paint, and a Lewis gun was trained on it, so that any interference would have been promptly dealt with.

Before we left the sector we were reinforced by a draft of eight subaltern officers—­2nd Lieuts.  A. Emmerson, F.W.A.  Salmon, W.H.  Reynolds, A.S.  Heffill, A.W.C.  Zelley, M.J.S.  Dyson, W.K.  Callard, and S.G.H.  Street, while at the same time we lost 2nd Lieut.  Brittain, who went to Hospital and thence to England.

After practising their attack several times, the Staffordshires found that they had more tasks to fulfill than they could accomplish.  Accordingly they asked for help, and were allotted one Battalion from our Brigade, for which duty we, having suffered least at Hohenzollern, were chosen.  We were to advance as a ninth wave behind the attackers, carrying stores and ammunition; while one Company was to dig a trench joining the Sucrerie to the German front line—­a communication trench for use after the fight.  As soon as we left trenches and reached a hut camp at Warlincourt we, too, started practising for the battle, which, we were told, would take place at dawn on the 29th June.