“After this Colonel Best-Dunkley walked down the lane with us and accepted Giffin’s invitation to come inside B Company’s Mess.  He had a drink with us there, and stayed a minute or two.  He remarked that it was a dirty mess, pointed out a match on the floor, and, with his customary blink and twitch of the nose, asked how we dare ask him into such a dirty mess; but he also paid us the compliment of saying that B Company was the best working company in the Battalion!  Then we walked up to Headquarters with him as he wanted us there.  He told us that Sir Hubert Gough expressed himself pleased with the Battalion yesterday.  When we got to Headquarters he gave us a paper to answer—­an account of an operation upon which we were each to write a report.  We then returned and wrote out the reports.  Then lunch.

“The weather has been glorious to-day—­bright sunshine, with a refreshing breeze, not too hot.  This afternoon I had a walk in the country beyond this village, and strolled about a thickly-clustered wood, plucking wild strawberries and eating them.  Then back for tea.  Then letter censoring.

" ...  We are supposed to do an hour’s reading per day of military text-books, and have to send in to Orderly Room a certificate to that effect every evening!”

“June 25th.

“We have been to the range again to-day.  A and B Companies went later than the others, so we did not leave here until 8.45.  It was 11.45 when we got there.  The weather was glorious as usual; and, since there was a slight breeze, it was not too hot.  We got the men into details of eight and fired this time.  We had taken our lunch with us, and so we had it there.  The ground there (at Cormette) is very high, and there is a splendid view.  I put my glass on it.  We remained there until 4.  Then we marched back....

“I had three sergeants with my platoon to-day—­Sergeant Clews, the platoon-sergeant, Sergeant Dawson, and Sergeant Baldwin.  The latter I like very much; he is a very pleasant youth; he was a corporal in 7th Platoon when I first joined the Battalion.  My four section commanders in 8th Platoon are Corporal Pendleton (Bombers), Lance-Corporal Morgan (Rifleman), Lance-Corporal Flint (Rifle Grenadiers, and Gas N.C.O.), and Lance-Corporal Riley (Lewis Gunners).  Lance-Corporal Topping, of 7th Platoon, lives in Oldham Road, Middleton; he is a nice easy-going boy; I like him very much.  He told me, when we were out on that working party on June 9, that he knew my face.

“Since I am on this subject I might mention that there are the following sergeants in B Company:  Sergeant-Major Preston, Quartermaster-Sergeant Jack, Sergeant Donovan, Sergeant Butterworth, Sergeant Williams, and the three I have mentioned above.  I think the most competent N.C.O. in my platoon, apart from Dawson, who does not command a section, and Baldwin, who really belongs to 7th Platoon, is Corporal Pendleton.  My servant is Critchley.  He is, of course, in my platoon.  He is a very obliging man.  I am perfectly satisfied with him.  Officers’ servants also act as runners.  I think it is a bit thick on the part of the Colonel making them go on parade; it means that they have very little time to themselves.