We were now stirred to think of raids and night patrols. The following is an example of a patrol done by one of my Officers and some men of “C” Company. Lieutenant Young, Sergeant Renshaw, Riflemen Storey, Pollock, M‘Dowell and M‘Kelvey. March 16th. “C” Company Patrol Report.
“Patrol went out from Sap in Sector 41 at 7-30 p.m., consisting of one Officer, one Sergeant, and four Riflemen. On leaving our wire we turned north, striking sunken road which runs north-east in direction of German trenches. After going about 100 yards down this road we turned off under a ditch running north-west from the road. There were a number of small thorn trees on this ditch, and we could distinctly see footprints and elbow marks round them, also pits had been dug which could be used by snipers. Further along the ditch we came to a lone tree, which can be seen from Sector 49 in our lines, here we halted. About 20 yards from the tree we discovered a wire which came from the direction of the German lines. Following this we found it entered the parapet of a sniper’s pit, just beneath the lone tree. We then dug out the wire, and discovered it was attached to a square box covered with felt. This box we opened, thinking it contained a telephone, but instead found four German grenades with the detonators attached to the wire. We quickly disconnected the wire, and dug out the box. Not far from the spot we found another German grenade which we also took with us. At 10 p.m. we returned to our own trenches. A working party of the enemy could be heard, but it was difficult to say from which direction the sound came. Otherwise, everything was normal.”
G. O. Young, Lieutenant.
THIEPVAL CHATEAU.
MESNIL CHATEAU.
On March 18th we went into reserve, and were billeted in Englebelmer, being relieved on 24th by the 13th Royal Irish Rifles (The Downs). This time the 11th Battalion East Yorks were attached to us for instruction. They saw a fair amount of shelling for their first period in the trenches, the Germans putting a lot of trench mortars over on Thiepval hill. All that remained of the Chateau at Thiepval being the walls, about as high as the hall door, and a few holes where windows once had been, in all about 7ft. high by 20ft. long. The German trenches lay in front of it, on the carriage drive, and ours right up to the other side of the avenue, almost into them. Not a pleasant place, with an active sniper in the Chateau. Our trenches also ran through Thiepval wood, in which the trees were now thick with foliage. The birds built their nests and sang merrily enough on those Spring mornings. They did not appear to mind the shelling, even a cuckoo could sometimes be heard, reminding us that winter was over “this winter of our discontent.” Spring had indeed come, a time when the birds call, the trees call, all nature calls for life, while we were there to kill and to be killed. There were moments when a lull came in the busy day’s work, when the monotony of trench warfare left time to think, that thoughts such as these arose.
Thiepval Wood. G. Sector.