Battalion marched by a tortuous route to Pont Remy, where it entrained and
arrived next day at Mericourt. It eventually was installed in close
billets at Dernancourt for a few days.

On the 4th September the Battalion marched to Montauban. On the march
Major H.K.S. Woodhouse took over the command, and the officers were
introduced to him during the dinner halt. Montauban was not a very
pleasant place, particularly as the weather was rainy, and as the
companies were distributed among the field guns they came in for
considerable shell fire.

On the 7th September the Battalion moved up to the front positions between
Delville Wood and High Wood. The shell fire in this area was terrific. The
enemy guns never stopped firing day or night at the means of approach to
the Battalion's position along the side of Delville Wood. At night the
Battalion had to send working parties into the neutral ground between the
lines to dig what were somewhat incorrectly known as strong points. When
these were finished they were garrisoned by a platoon in each case. The
small garrisons of these strong points were quite cut off during the day
as no movement was possible on account of snipers. Food and water could
only be brought up at night, and were a man wounded he would have to
remain without attention until darkness. A prisoner was taken belonging to
the 5th Bavarian Regiment, which showed that the Bavarians were in line
opposite.

On the 9th there was a big attack by the British. The 16th Division
attacked on the right in front of Delville Wood, and the 1st Division on
the left, and consequently the Battalion was in the very centre of the
fight. The garrisons of the strong points being cut off as they were, did
not receive news of the attack. Suddenly in the afternoon after a
comparatively quiet morning the artillery on both sides became very
active, both the British and German artillery developing intense barrages.
To the men in the strong points this presaged an enemy attack, and the
order was given to be ready to fire the moment the enemy should come into
view. The members of these small garrisons knew there would be no hope for
them, as they would soon have been surrounded and annihilated, and most
probably all of them bayoneted. Fortunately the attack was by the British
and these eventualities did not arise. The Battalion was relieved during
the next two days and went into reserve at Buire-sur-Ancre. After a few
days here it moved to a