War Diary Entry: 4th June 1916

I believe every division on the British front made a raid last night starting at midnight. In this divn 86^th Brigade carried it out in the other sector. They only had 2 days notice to get ready for it. There was a new departure in the scheme, after half an hour's bombardment the barrage lifted off the frontline for ten minutes and then came back for 10 minutes before finally lifting to allow the men into their trenches. This was to allow the wire to be cut by torpedoes and by hand. The wire was too thick to be cut in this time , so the 15 minutes allowed for the men in the trenches had to be partly spent in cutting the wire. When they got in they found the trenches deserted, and so came away with a few papers and one casualty. Kelly (now commanding the Essex, 88^th Brigade) was wounded by a shrapnel bullet in the shoulder which went down to his lung; he had no business to be about at all, but could not resist it and was standing on the parapet helping the raiding party back into our trenches. One unlucky shell pitched in a corrugated iron hut behind the Tendelon, and killed 11 and wounded about 22, all Worcesters, they should have been packed away in deep dugouts beforehand.. No casualties in this brigade. The 31^st Divn got into the Bosche trenches on our left and I believe only found a couple of Germans, whom they killed, & came away with about 9 casualties. I went round the whole of our frontline at 5.30am and only found the trench slightly damaged in one place.

Pierce came in to lunch & Welch afterwards to discuss operations. The KOSBs came out of isolation today, and this afternoon moved out of Mailly Wood into this village (Englebelmer)

War Diary Entry: 3rd June 1916

Raikes came up from the trenches and lunched. After tea I went over to Mailly Wood with Gillon to see the KOSBs. There has not been much shelling lately, except that they have marked down the entrances of Gabion and Witherington Avenue and the two batteries near there, so that the spot has been rather unhealthy lately.

War Diary Entry: 2nd June 1916

Went round the right subsection of the trenches with Fisher at 5.20am. they are getting fairly respectable now. Brand returned to the Brigade after lunch and Fisher went back to the 92^nd Bde. He is a very good fellow. They shelled Acheux station again yesterday. Pierce came up from the trenches and lunched.

War Dairy Entry: 1st June 1916

De Lisle came up at 8.45am and went off round the trenches. He did not ask me to go round with him, rather a relief. He was quite pleased with all he saw. Monkhouse returned off leave very pleased with life.

War Diary Entry: 31st May 1916

Started off with Fisher round the trenches at 545am.we went round the left sub-sector (SWB trenches), Micklejohn returned off leave a day early. Welch went round the trenches then came into lunch on the way back to discuss matters. They have been shelling Acheux rly station all yesterday and Monday, but not today. The gun is firing at 15000 yds, extreme range, and they have the huge chimney just this side of it to aim at. I suggested they should pull the chimney down and put up a camouflage one 400 yds to the right or left. Ellis went off on leave till the 6^th.

War Diary Entry: 30th May 1916

Started a deep dugout near the Bde office in anticipation of the day the Germans decide to blow Englebelmer flat. Conference of COs at 10am to discuss the way the battns will form up in the trenches preparatory to an attack and the accommodation available. Divn conference at 4pm.

War Diary Entry: 29th May 1916

Fisher and I went round the Inniskillings lines at 5.45am and got back about 9am. De Lisle turned up about 1030am with information about future operations. The Germans shelled Acheux Station all the morning doing practically no damage. I hear this is quite a new departure shelling as far back as this. Both the SWBs and the Inniskillings say they have detected mining under their lines, but if true, it must be a long mine.