On the night of the 2nd December, we went once more to the line and
relieved the 4th Lincolnshires in our old sector, which we found very
much as we had left it, perhaps a little wetter, as it had been raining.
For this tour we slightly altered our dispositions, and instead of each
of the four Companies taking a tour in the front line, two Companies
only would do so for this tour, the other two doing the same the
following tour. It was hoped that in this way the garrison would take
more interest in improving their surroundings if they knew they would
return to the same place every other day. Under the old system, no one
took much interest in a trench which he only occupied for 24 hours, and
would not see again for four days. We did not, however, have a chance of
testing this new arrangement, for at 3-45 the following morning, orders
came that the Division would be relieved the following night, and was
under orders to go to the East. As soon as it was dark, the 19th
Division took our place in the line, and we marched back for the night
to the Rue des Chavattes, whence, after ridding ourselves of gum-boots,
sheepskin coats, and extra blankets, we marched the following day by
Locon, Lestrem and Merville to Caudescure, a little village on the edge
of Nieppe Forest.

We found fairly good billets here, though they were too scattered to
allow of a Battalion Mess, and we spent a very enjoyable fortnight
training, playing football, and listening to rumours about our
destination. The most persistent of the last was Egypt, based in the
first instance on a telephone conversation between a Corps and
Divisional Signaller, overhead by a telephonist at Brigade, in which the
Corps Signaller told his friend that he had seen a paper in one of the
offices which said that we were to go to Egypt. On the other hand,
Lieut. X of the Lincolnshires had a brother in the Flying Corps, who had
ridden on a lorry with an A.S.C. Serjeant from G.H.Q., and had been told