On April 23rd, the battalion marched in column of route to Warloy and rested there in billets for four more days. We then marched into the line in front of the ruined town of Albert relieving the 10th South Wales Borderers. Except for the activities of enemy snipers, we found our four days garrisoning of this position very quiet indeed, scarcely a shell or a bomb of any description falling on our line the whole time. We very soon subdued the snipers too, by giving the Hun a good dose of his own medicine until finally one could have walked about the parapets, I believe, without being fired upon.

The weather was fine and warm it being the month of April and well on in Spring. Wild flowers were in abundance, the birds sang merrily and the sun was quite balmy and altogether it seemed a great shame to be waging a war in such peaceful surroundings. When we had completed our tour of duty we were relieved again at dusk on the fourth day by the 1st London regiment, a body of troops not likely to impress me on account of their smart appearance. Their officers seemed to have no control of their men whatever and the relief was really carried on by our own officers whilst the officers of the 1st Londons made straight for their dugouts and stayed there. This extra work made it necessary for me to take my platoon back to Warloy in the pitch dark, over country riddled with trenches and barbed wire and shell holes, without the services of a guide. However my sense of direction was always fairly sound and although some of the men of the platoon felt sure that they were lost, we eventually arrived back at Warloy, not much behind the other platoons who had the services of guides. The men were then fed and put into billets for the remainder of the night.