On September 21st, a draft, including myself, was despatched back to the 2nd, 4th and 5th divisions in the forward areas, and so my holidays, earned as a result of my being slightly wounded, had at last come to an end.

En route, the draft proceeded to Rouen, each officer being in charge of about thirty men. At Rouen, the draft disentrained early in the morning and leave was given to all ranks with orders to report back next night, an unoccupied hut encampment near the railway being used as a headquarters in the meantime, where men obtained food and shelter. Next afternoon, I amongst others was given charge of a draft of 30 odd men and N.C.O.’s to be taken to the 4th divisional Reinforcement camp at Peronne. After much argument with the Railway Transport Officer and the Train C.O. about the filmy condition of the trucks, we were to use, and in which I refused to put the men (the trucks having been used just recently to convey horses) we were reallotted to 3rd class railway carriages. These were clean and above the ordinary for comfort, so that by standing firm we had gained something for our trouble and were soon crawling along with our troop train towards the front. The railway line had been re-laid over the recently fought over country and consequently was rather shaky and necessitated slow travelling. The country was absolutely bare of trees, houses or any signs of civilian habitation and for over thirty kilometres was littered with graves of the dead, old trenches, barbed wire, old broken down huts and ruined villages, etc. giving the whole area an indescribably melancholy appearance as if the place was such a wicked place as to be totally destroyed and deserted.