Three days later the Battalion took over the front line, the Headquarters
still remaining at Gommecourt, but in another part of the village. The
trenches were very wet, and reminded one of the Loos trenches in 1915. It
was a time of great patrol activity. No one was quite sure where the
Germans were and in what force. Daylight and night fighting patrols
constantly left the British lines, and almost invariably came across
parties of the enemy, but as the enemy was caged in by wire prisoners
could not be obtained.

In this sector the enemy had full observation of the village from
Rossignol Wood, and men from other units were in the habit of betraying
the location of dumps and headquarters by walking along the roads in
daylight instead of through the communication trenches. This enabled the
enemy to note ways of approach which he could shell after nightfall, and
so inflict casualties on working parties. To prevent this, two snipers
were told off to lie in the grass and fire above the head of anyone who
did not keep in the communication trenches. The scheme was efficacious;
the men respected the snipers more than the enemy, and little trouble was
given afterwards by the casual visitor to the sector.

One fine morning the enemy elected to shell Battalion headquarters, to the
great amusement of the companies in the front line. Two out of the three
mine entrances to the dugout occupied by the headquarter's personnel
received direct hits and were blocked. The Second in Command then had the
unpleasant duty of crawling out of the third entrance to see if all was
well. Fortunately nothing untoward had taken place except three slight
casualties.

On relief two companies went to the Chateau de la Haie, and the two other
companies and Headquarters to Rossignol Farm, a large monastic farm of