acuating Starfish trench. An attack was therefore ordered to
occupy it. This attack was made by the 6th Battalion on the left and the
9th on the right, each providing 100 men. 2nd Lieut. W. Little, with 50
men of W Company, composed the Battalion's front line, and 2nd Lieut.
W.F. Charlton, with 50 of Z Company, the supporting line. A few men of
other Companies were also mixed with these two lines. Shortly after
starting they came under heavy machine-gun fire and had a number of
casualties, including 2nd Lieut. Charlton, who was killed. Some of the
party returned to their line during the day and others at night. All who
had been near the enemy trench reported it to be strongly held.

During the morning Y Company were sent up to relieve W, X and Z Companies
in the front line. Owing to the trenches being very muddy after rain, and
at all places very shallow, this was a difficult operation. To add to the
difficulty the 8th Battalion began to arrive to relieve the Battalion
before the Company relief was complete. However, they at last got out and
moved back to 6th Avenue East and the intermediate line, where two days
were spent in cleaning up. Here Lieut. Ebsworth rejoined as Adjutant, and
the officers and men who had been left at the transport lines also came
up.

On the 20th September, the Battalion moved further back to shelter in
Mametz Wood, where a draft of 50 men from the 2/6th Battalion, Essex
Regiment, joined. After four days' rest it again went forward to the
intermediate line. The same day Major Wilkinson, of the 149th Machine Gun
Company, joined as second in command. The following night the whole
Battalion turned out to dig a jumping-off trench. Lieut.-Col. Jeffreys
took them as far as the Battalion Headquarters of the 5th Durham Light
Infantry from where Lieut. Ebsworth and a guide led them to the position.
The guide lost his way, and after wandering about nearly all night, the
Battalion returned without doing any work.

On the 26th September Lieut.-Col. Jeffreys left the Battalion to proceed
to England for three months' rest, and Major Wilkinson took over command.
The following day a move was made to Hook trench, where the men lived in
small shelters and provided working parties at nights. This trench was on
the sky line, and as a result received considerable attention from the
enemy gunners. To prevent casualties, and also to provide more room, two
Companies were pushed forward on the 28th to Starfish trench.