On the 4th, being Sunday, of course orders for an immediate move were received at 11 30 a.m., and the Battalion packed up and concentrated at 2 15 p.m. and marched to ESQUELBECQ, a distance of five miles; this march will long be remembered by the Lewis gunners, who had to carry their guns there and back again—for this turned out to be a “camouflage” march; much hostile aerial activity had recently been displayed in the back areas, so large columns of troops were made to march eastwards during the day and back at dusk.
It was bitterly cold, snow on the ground and freezing hard—this weather continued all the time we were there. The time was devoted to training—Company, Battalion, and Brigade schemes, and in the intervals we smartened up and overhauled our interior economy.
On the 16th we moved back to C Camp, where we relieved the 14th Hampshires.
On 17th February, 1917, we sent an Officer and 20 men to attend an investiture of French soldiers by the Army Commander, as representatives of the 55th Division—rather a compliment.
On the 18th the Brigadier presented Military Medal ribbons to Company Sergeant-Major Heywood, Corporal Bamber, and 1147 Private Ainscough, T. On the 24th we moved into billets in CANAL BANK, YPRES. These were large elephant dugouts on the bank of the canal north of YPRES, comfortable and fairly safe, but we were only there for a night, relieving the 1/5th South Lancashires in the LA BRIQUE sector the next night. This was a rotten sector, badly neglected by previous Divisions; even the main communication trench was about two feet deep in water when we first saw it, and BILGE TRENCH well deserved its unsavoury name. It is only fair to say that when we left it it was fairly comfortable. On the 26th the line was rearranged, and we returned to CANAL BANK, whence we sent up the usual nightly working parties.
On the 4th March YPRES was heavily shelled during the day, but we relieved the 1/4th King’s Own in the line in the evening without casualties; at 7 5 p.m. the enemy sprung a mine on our right Brigade front and our artillery opened a heavy bombardment; one man was wounded in YPRES.
The 5th was a quiet day; at night a patrol went to examine CANADIAN DUGOUTS in the middle of NO MAN’S LAND and found them occupied.
On the 8th we were relieved by the 1/4th KING’S OWN and went back to CANAL BANK, where some artist did the Regimental Crest in bits of tile in front of a dugout. One wonders if it is still there!
On the 13th we sent a strong fighting patrol up the line to raid two of the CANADIAN DUGOUTS. The party consisted of one Officer, one N.C.O., and 12 men, who constituted the dugout party, and two complete Lewis gun teams.
Presumably the Hun got wind of the enterprise—he always did—for Nos. 1, 2, and 3 dugouts were empty and the wire round them destroyed. That evening we relieved the King’s Own again. On the 15th YPRES was shelled throughout the day, and again the following day; a patrol of ours had a scrap with a Hun patrol in NO MAN’S LAND, but suffered no casualties.