f 24 men, including two bombing squads, and had as its object
identification of the enemy on the immediate front. The night of the 6th
June was chosen and the party went out as arranged. In No Man's Land they
met a large enemy wiring party and their object was not attained. Three
nights later, however, a German was captured, and again on the 12th the
raiding party went out, this time with the object of killing Boches. They
entered the enemy trench, and after doing considerable damage with bombs
and rifles, returned without casualty.

Apart from these incidents the sector was on the whole quiet, except for
a certain amount of sniping. The principal feature was the daily enemy
bombardment with trench mortars, which lasted from one to three hours,
and was on occasions very heavy. The front line, however, was thinly held
and very few casualties resulted. After receiving two drafts of 190 and
110 men respectively the Battalion was relieved on 7th August by the 7th
Battalion King's Own and moved to its old billets at Berthen.

This ended the second phase of its war history, and a few days later it
moved South to the Somme area.

CHAPTER III.

THE SOMME.

_First Phase._

On the 10th August, 1916, the Battalion entrained at Godewaersvelde, and
detraining at Candas, marched to Heuzecourt and spent four days resting.
The 15th, 16th and 17th were spent in marching through Vignacourt and
Villers Bocage to Baizieux, where the men bivouaced in the wood. Here two
accidents occurred. Major F. Walton, Second in Command, and Lieut.
Ebsworth, M.C., Adjutant, were thrown from their horses and sustained
broken limbs. 2nd Lieut. Kirkhouse resumed duties as Adjutant.

Nearly a month was spent in the wood, the time being devoted to training
in the new wave formation for the coming offensive. It was about this
time that distinguishing marks were adopted in the Division and the
Battalion began to wear the red diamonds which came to be regarded with
almost as much pride as the cap badge, and continued to be worn as long
as the Battalion existed as a unit in France. On the 6th September
Brig.-Gen. N.J.G. Cameron took over command of the Brigade. Four days
later the Battalion moved to bivouacs in Becourt Wood, and there the
final preparations were made for action, and amid the growing violence of
the artillery preparation it moved again on the 14th September to Shelter
Wood.

Zero for the second phase of the Somme battle was 6.20 a