Thursday 27th January 1916

Brigade reserve billets at La Rolanderie.

With the weather described simply as ‘not good’, the Battalion returned to the front line. The two attached companies of the Royal Scots rendezvoused with the West Ridings at La Rolanderie at 10.45 am. Three of the eight platoons were assigned to 'shadow' Tunstill’s Men; three more were to work alongside ‘D’ Company and the other two with ‘B’. For the first two days the officers and men were to be ‘paired’ on an individual basis at all ranks and then for the remaining two days they were to be ‘paired’ on a platoon basis. At 5.15 pm ‘A’ Company led the Battalion on their move to the front line, with platoons marching at intervals of 100 yards and, as they came closer to the front line, from Gris Pot onwards to Bois Grenier, they proceeded by sections with the men marching in single file on either side of the road. ‘C’ Company remained in close reserve in the Bois Grenier Line while the others made their way to the front line trenches. The Battalion was allocated a 1,000 yard front further south than on their previous tour, with the right flank at Farm Grande Flamengrie at the end of the main Shaftesbury Avenue communication trench. This was to be where Tunstill’s Men were to be positioned, with ‘B’ Company to their immediate left and ‘D’ further left still. This was familiar ground, which the companies had occupied on previous tours (see 14^th December).  The reliefs were completed without incident by 8 pm. With two extra companies in the line, conditions were more crowded than usual and company commanders were reminded that, “special note should be taken of all available dugouts”. 

The story of the 16^th Royal Scots has been extensively researched and published in fascinating detail by Jack Alexander in his excellent book, McCrae’s Battalion, and extracts from his work help to add detail to the events of the following days.

Sgt. Gerald Crawford of the Royal Scots wrote to his family from his billet near Vieux Berquin just before moving up to the line: “for we have arrived on a salient in the British sector and the noise of guns is now continuous on all sides. Brother Boche occupies much of the ground to the north and south, as well as to the east, so we are perfectly besieged”. Having arrived in the line, Crawford was able to describe his new surroundings, and in particular his approach to the front line down Shaftesbury Avenue: “The trench is not wide but the boards are frequently loose so that if your pack makes you top heavy, or your boots are slippery with mud, you run a fair chance of a dip in the muddy depths below. Sometimes the enemy may know of your movements, but if they do not they just keep up an intermittent fire on the off-chance of catching someone. When you hear the crack of a rifle or the ping of a bullet, you cannot help ducking your head instinctively at first, but in a few minutes you get over it. When you finally emerge into the first line trenches you are again in another world”.

Pte. William Andrew Leiper Long was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance, 1^st Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and 22^nd General Hospital in Wimereux to 5^th Convalescent Depot also in Wimereux; he was suffering from influenza. He was a 20 year-old weaver from Keighley; he had enlisted in January 1915 and had been posted to 10DWR in April.

2Lt. John Henry Hitchin, who had been absent without leave from 11^th Battalion West Ridings for the last month (see 29^th December) checked himself in at the Waterloo Hotel, York Road, Lambeth. He was wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant and told staff at the hotel that he had recently been promoted Captain, which, of course, was quite untrue.

A payment of £7 0s 3d, being the amount due on his army pay, was authorised to John Cardwell, father of Pte. John Cardwell who had been killed two months earlier (see 21^st November 1915).