On the 26th September the brigade was relieved and retired to Briqueterie for a day or two and thence to billets at Meaulte, seven miles away. The battalion was now sadly depleted, but the men had borne their hardships well and were still full of fight. On a special parade at Meaulte on the 1st October the battalion could only turn out 341 strong, with seventeen officers.[16]
Another short spell in the trenches near Givenchy with casualties every day, but amounting in all to eight killed and thirty-two wounded, and then a complete change of scene.
Imperial War Museum
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MORVAL
On the 21st October the move came to Daours and a week later to Bethune, where we may leave the unit for the present, only mentioning that October brought some welcome honours to the 1st Battalion, namely: on the 4th, Military Cross for Captain Causton and 2nd Lieut. Brown; and Military Medals for Sgts. Randall and Langton and Ptes. Smith and Baines; a few days afterwards the Military Cross for Captain Corrall and Lieut. Jacobs, and Military Medals for Corpl. Twelftree and Ptes. Boseley, Ashdown and Gambell. While on the last day of the month came notification of no less than twenty-two Military Medals viz., to—
- C.Q.M.S. Vincer.
- Sgt. Denny.
- Corpl. Earl.
- „ Mutton.
- „ Rose.
- L.-Corpl. Bevan.
- „ Sheen.
- „ Taylor.
- „ Wood.
- Pte. Baker.
- „ Black.
- „ Ellen.
- „ Heathfield.
- „ Jamieson.
- „ Page.
- „ Minns.
- „ Roberts.
- „ Scrivener.
- „ Spencely.
- „ Todd.
- „ Watkins.
- „ Wren.