“Yesterday, Sunday, was our last day in reserve billets.  We rose at 4 a.m.  At 6.15 we marched off.  We marched to a village about an hour and a half’s march away—­a village where there are some Portuguese troops.  There we entrained.  We left at about 10 a.m.  We travelled to the railhead where I got off on my arrival on June 5; but this time the train took us about two miles beyond the station.  Then we marched to a camp about three miles behind the front line.  We remained there, in tents, all the afternoon.  Colonel Best-Dunkley came into B Company’s mess tent.  He was so taken up with the arrangements which Allen, the mess president, had made that he remained for tea with us!  He was in a very agreeable mood; he is certainly a man of moods.  He tried to put the wind up me about life in the trenches, but did not succeed.  The Adjutant was there too, also Captain Andrews and an officer from the brigade we are relieving.  Nobody else seemed disposed to come in.  The Colonel dined at Division, which was the other side of some trees; but the Adjutant remained for dinner with us.  Gratton asked me to show my Middleton Guardian correspondence to the Adjutant, and I did so; he was very interested.  West, the Assistant Adjutant, also read it.”

While we were at Query Camp orders came round to all companies that one officer per company was to be detailed to leave at 5 p.m. and proceed to the Salient and reconnoitre the trenches.  Captain Andrews detailed Halstead to go from B Company.  Ronald went from A, Barker from C, and Wood from D. They all set off together.  Giffin also left us, as he was detailed to take over billets for us in the Prison.

“At 8.40 we moved off.  We went at intervals of three hundred yards between platoons, with six connecting files.  As Giffin had been sent on much earlier to ‘take over,’ I was in command of the combined 7th and 8th platoons.  I had four sergeants with me—­Sergeant Williams and Sergeant Clews in front, and Sergeant Dawson and Sergeant Baldwin behind.  At first I marched in front, but then Captain Andrews told me to march in rear of my platoon; so I chatted with Sergeant Baldwin for the rest of the way.  He is twenty years old and has been in the Army since he was seventeen.  He joined the Argyles in 1914, and was stationed in Edinburgh for some time.  Then he was discharged on account of weak eyesight.  But he immediately enlisted again; this time in the Lancashire Fusiliers.  His home is Higher Broughton.  His father, who is forty-nine, is a sergeant in the Manchesters at Salonica; I believe he said that he was wounded.

“Things were moderately quiet until we reached the (Prison).  It was about 10 p.m. when we got there.  Things then became much livelier; shells were bursting all round.  We found the building uninhabitable.  The casualties there during the last few days have been very heavy.  One shell buried a party in the debris; it took four hours’ solid digging to get them out!  So it has been decided to abandon the place as a billet.