a mixed party of scouts from all Companies, while reconnoitering the “Osier Bed” suddenly found that a party of the enemy was in their right rear and close to our wire, where four of them could be seen.  Our patrol turned at once and ran straight at the four as fast as they could, coming, as they ran, under a heavy fire from a Boche covering party lying some 50 yards out.  Pte.  A. Garner was killed outright, but the remainder, led by 2nd Lieut.  Creed and Pte.  Frank Eastwood of “C” Company, rushed on and wounded and captured one of the four, who was found to be the officer.  The remainder of the enemy took the alarm in time and made off.  The officer proved to be an English-speaking subaltern of the 55th Regt.—­our old opponents of Hohenzollern in October, 1915.  He was led down to the Aid Post to have his wound dressed, much to the disgust of Captain Terry, the M.O., who would have liked to have killed him outright, though Serjeant Bent, the medical orderly, took compassion on his shivering prisoner and fed him on hot tea, and actually gave him a foot warmer!

This little affair caused the Boche extreme annoyance, and the following day he spent the morning shooting at Berlin Trench, the Bienvillers road and Bienvillers itself, round the Church.  As we were relieved during the morning we had to march out through it all, and found it particularly unpleasant, especially when a shell hit the R.E.  Dump, exploded an ammunition store, and sent the house at the Church corner several hundred feet into the air.

At this time there were again several changes in the personnel.  Capt.  G.W.  Allen went to Brigade Headquarters and thence to the Corps School as an Instructor; Capt.  J.D.  Hills, who took his place, fell down and injured his knee so badly that it took him to England for six months; Capt.  Knighton was made Town Major at St. Amand, and Captain Mould went to England.  Capt.  Wollaston rejoined us, bringing with him 2nd Lieut.  Banwell and a new subaltern, 2nd Lieut.  D. Campbell. 2nd Lieut.  C.H.  Morris acted as Adjutant. 2nd Lieut.  J.R.  Brooke paid one of his periodical visits to the R.A.M.C., driven thither by the M.O., who was afraid he would die on his hands, but returned to us again soon afterwards.

During the last fortnight of January we had several Units of the 58th (London) Division attached to us for instruction.  They were one of the first “second-line” Territorial Divisions to reach France, and were followed by our own second-line, the 59th, who went for their initiation to the most Southern end of the British front, and we consequently did not see them.  Nothing of any note happened during their stay, except a heavy gas shell bombardment on “D” Company’s (Capt.  Shields’) trenches.  The men were all warned in time and put on helmets, so that we had no casualties.  The shells were almost noiseless, so that when the gas blew over the crest into “B” Company (Capt.  Wollaston), who were in support, it was thought to be cloud gas