“We’re here because we’re here”. Shakespeare.
Battalion Christmas Card, 1916.
Drawn by 2nd-Lieutenant Ashton.
“To-day I have had all my men inspected for deficiencies and paid them; I find an excellent plan is to require a man to produce a chit from his Platoon Commander stating that he has been fully inspected before he is paid; by adopting this plan I get all sorts of people up for inspection who would otherwise probably have been missed. To-morrow I get my Company on parade for a whole morning—a most unusual occurrence and one to be made the most of.”
The 31st December found us still at C Camp—clean, fresh, and ready for another year of war, though fervently hoping for peace.
Our total casualties for the year were as follows:—
| Officers. | Other Ranks. | |
| Killed | 9 | 69 |
| Wounded | 23 | 434 |
| Missing | 1 | 190 |
| Do. believed killed | 2 | 0 |
| Drowned | 0 | 1 |
| Sick to F.A. | 16 | 204 |
| Totals | 51 | 898 |
The New Year started with a Brigade holiday, and in the Church Army hut the men were given a dinner followed by a cinema performance; the Sergeants and Officers also had dinners in their respective messes. “A dinner of stew, mixed pork, and goose, and plum pudding, and beer in a mess tin, means more to the men to-day than all the elaborate spread we had at SEVENOAKS, which cost £150.”
During this period reinforcements of Officers and men kept turning up, and were rapidly assimilated; on the other hand, almost every day some Officer or man went sick, the weather on the whole being mild and damp.
On 3rd January, 1917, we were inspected by the Brigade Commander, and were complimented on the turnout, also on the camp; in fact at this time Brigade were rather fond of us and let us alone quite a lot.