Wednesday 11th October 1916

Billets in Albert

On a fine morning the whole Brigade was inspected by General Sir Henry Rawlinson, commanding Fourth Army.

As previously arranged the Battalion transport departed from Albert. Orders were then received for the Battalion to leave Albert by train next day for Longpre; on arrival there they would proceed to Yvrench, via Buigny L’Abbe.

L.Cpl. Rennie Hirst (see 13^th September) was discharged from 18^th General Hospital at Camiers and posted to 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples. Nine days later he would be posted back to active service but, instead of re-joining 10DWR, he would be posted to 8DWR.

Capt. James Christopher Bull (see 9^th October), who had left the Battalion in September, suffering from paratyphoid, sailed overnight from Le Havre to Southampton onboard the hospital ship Asturias, for further medical treatment. On arrival he would be admitted to Reading War Hospital.

 

Capt. James Christopher Bull

Image by kind permission of Scott Flaving

Pte. Richard Butler, who had been absent without leave from the Regimental Depot at Halifax for the previous two days (see 10^th October) was ordered to be confined to barracks for five days and to forfeit two days’ pay.

Pte. Herbert Brown was formally discharged from the army on account of wounds received in action. He appears to have been an original member of ‘A’ Company but beyond that I have been unable to make a positive identification of him, and the date and circumstances of his wounding are unknown.

Capt. William Norman Town (see 7^th October) left Malta, onboard the hospital ship Galera, bound for England, for further medical treatment, as had been recommended four days earlier. 

Despite extensive searches, no trace had been found of Adelaide Benson, sister of the late Pte. Fred Benson (see 10^th October), who had been missing since 8^th October.  It was now decided to drain the Malsis Hall reservoir; being some fourteen feet deep it would take more than 36 hours for the reservoir to empty.

Pte. Fred Benson

A payment of £1 2s. 6d was authorised, being the amount outstanding in pay and allowances to the late L.Cpl. Trevor Roseberry Haigh (see 29th July 1916) who had been killed in action in July; the payment would go to his mother, Elizabeth. A further amount, of 7s. 6d. was reserved for payment to his brother, Cyril, but this would subsequently (13^th December 1916), at the request of Cyril, also be paid to their mother.