"C" Companies divided the prizes between them. "A" Company won the
long-distance bomb-throwing, tug-of-war, relay and stretcher-bearer
races, "C" the accurate bomb-throwing, ¼-mile, sack and three-legged
races. Brigade Headquarters came to watch, bringing their band with
them, and the General gave away the prizes at the end of the day. The
weather was good and we all spent a very pleasant afternoon.

The 27th April brought us orders to return again to the line, this time
to work with the Tunnellers, French and English, in the neighbourhood of
Neuville St. Vaast. The following day the C.O. and most of the Company
Officers went to Mont St. Eloi to reconnoitre, returning in the evening.
While getting into a car in St. Eloi Colonel Jones was slightly wounded
in the left hand by a six-inch shell, which burst alongside the car. He
was sent to Hospital, but returned to us ten days later. On the 29th we
moved into Neuville St. Vaast, living in tunnels and dug-outs, and
provided large working parties in the mines. Tactically we were at the
disposal of the 25th Division, to whom we lent one or two Lewis Gun
teams. The work consisted almost entirely of clearing sandbags from the
mine-shafts and distributing them along our trenches, as far as possible
out of sight. It was hard and dangerous work, as was proved by an
accident which happened on the 7th May, the night before we were
relieved. The enemy blew a counter-mine close to one of the saps where
"D" Company were working, burying the French miners, and completely
destroying the whole sap. Two of the four men at work were never seen
again; the other two, bruised and shaken, managed to crawl half-naked
out of the wreckage.

On the 9th May, after spending a night in tents at Mont St. Eloi, we
went by motor-'bus through Avesnes-le-comte, Liencourt, Grand
Rullecourt, to Lucheux, where we went into billets. We left at Vimy a