War Diary Entry: 5th July 1916

Heavy shelling again all day today, Thiepval Wood was given a bit of a rest, but Hamel, Mesnil and Martinsant got it pretty hot, also Aveluy Wood. Our Hd Qrs are just in the centre between all these places and has so far been overlooked. 

The patrol of the Inniskillings went out to the mill last night and found it unoccupied, they crawled about another 150 yards up the marsh and came on a machine gun firing through a hedge about 10 yards away, they watched it for a bit and then came away. They are going out again tonight with a party to try and capture it. The marking out of the new trench was not completed last night as they were very late starting work. Tonight two RE coys and 2 Pioneer battalions are going out to dig it. 

Various people were in here during the day arranging for the work. About 5pm a car with two staff officers in was hit by a shell about 300 yards down the road from our hd qrs. The shell burst under the car & smashed it up, but the 2 officers got out and walked away a bit shaken. I don’t know who they were.