issued early in the afternoon were, for some unknown reason, always
received very late in the day and sometimes after ten o'clock at night. As
the Company Commanders had then to issue orders it meant that much
unnecessary waiting and work was caused.

At Ramburelles so as to evade the heat of the day the Battalion paraded at
7 a.m. for a four-hours' parade, and then left off until late in the
afternoon. This scheme worked well only in theory. A lot had to be done
out of parade hours, which meant that the officers and men were very much
overworked. Sunday brought no respite. The Sunday previous to leaving the
place, the men were engaged on a work of supererogation until 8-30 p.m.,
digging bombing trenches which were never used.

While at Ramburelles seaside leave was granted to some of the officers,
who were able to spend two or three days away from the Battalion and enjoy
for a while the comforts of a seaside town. One or two, acting in the
belief that the Battalion would not return to the fight for some time,
postponed their trip, and on the very day that they arrived at Delville
Wood they remembered that that was the day they should have been basking
in the sun at Le Treport. Such is the folly of procrastination. On the
28th August the command devolved on Major P.G.A. Lederer, M.C., as the
Commanding Officer had been evacuated sick. On the 30th August the
Battalion marched by a tortuous route to Pont Remy, where it entrained and
arrived next day at Méricourt. It eventually was installed in close
billets at Dernancourt for a few days.

On the 4th September the Battalion marched to Montauban. On the march
Major H.K.S. Woodhouse took over the command, and the officers were
introduced to him during the dinner halt. Montauban was not a very
pleasant place, particularly as the weather was rainy, and as the