Whilst in this neighbourhood and following the usual custom when out of the line, the 20th Btn carried out a days programme of sports including foot-racing, boxing, tugs-of-war, jumping etc. For the rest, the remainder of the fourteen days in billets was expended in training, re-equipment, and musketry practice carried out in the Citadel Moat. Early in June, the Battalion moved up to Villers-Bretoneaux via the Somme Canal and the village of Glesy where it went into reserve to the front line troops.

However, it being my turn for duty with the nucleus garrison I therefore journeyed to village of La Motte, situated on the banks of the Somme Canal a little distance from Glesy.

At this period, the German night bombing planes made it a practice of making nightly raids on the horselines and encampments situated in the neighbourhood. Therefore it was found necessary to erect splinter proof “dugouts” with the scanty materials available, the men being broken up into parties of two who were left to build their own shelter, using turf, sheets of iron, canvas etc. the design being left to their own particular fancy. In this manner and with additions being added as the necessity arose, an encampment was erected which served to house the present nucleus garrison and the constantly arriving and departing stream of details, affording shelter at night time from the bombs dropped in the neighbourhood by the marauding German aeroplanes which made it a practice of visiting the area on every suitable night, without, however, doing much damage.