Monday 3rd September 1917

Billets in the Steenvorde area.

At 7.12am the Battalion began its march of a further 15 miles west, via Cassel, Bavinchove and Zuytpeene, to new billets in the Lederzeele area from where they would be prepared for the part to be played in the forthcoming offensive operations.

Battalion Medical Officer Capt. Cecil Berry (see 21^st August) returned from leave and Capt. Stanhope Bayne Jones (see 22^nd August), who had been temporarily attached from 69^th Field Ambulance in Berry’s absence, returned to his unit.

Pte. Willie Priestley joined the Battalion; he had arrived at 34^th Infantry Base Depot at Etaples on 25^th May and had remained there for three months due to illness. He was a 34 year-old married man, with one son, from Bradford, and had worked as a locomotive fireman. Pte. John (Jack) Williams also joined from Etaples, where he had been since arriving in France on 29^th July; his posting to the Battalion had been delayed as he had been suffering from a mild case of scabies, for which he had been treated at 25^th General Hospital at Etaples. He was a 19 year-old labourer from Bradley, near Huddersfield. He had first been posted to France in January 1917 but had been wounded on 7^th February, just one day after joining 2DWR. He had then been posted back to England and had spent six weeks in the Red Cross Hospital at Netley, followed by a period in a Convalescent Hospital at Woodcote Park, Epsom. Pte. Albert Jeffrey had also been at Etaples since 29^th July but the reason for his delayed posting to 10DWR is unclear. He was a 28 year-old packing case maker from Bradford; and was returning to active service having served in France with 2DWR for just two weeks in October 1916 before being wounded and evacuated to England. 

Pte. John Killerby (see 26^th May), who had a string of minor offences behind him, one again found himself on a charge, this time for being “filling his water bottle from an unauthorised source”; he was reported by Cpl. Hill (unidentified) and, on the orders of Capt. John Edward Lennard Payne (see 15^th June), he was to be confined to barracks for seven days.

Pte. Isaac Robinson (see 7^th August), who had recently been transferred to the Brigade Light Trench Mortar Battery, was reported as having been “absent from parade” and was ordered to be confined to barracks for seven days; he had had a string of similar minor offences whilst with 10DWR.

Pte. John Edward Scott (see 12^th June), who was in England, having been wounded on 7^th June, was posted to 3DWR at North Shields.

2Lt. Fred Baume (see 27^th June), currently on light duty with 3DWR at North Shields, having been wounded during the actions at Le Sars, again wrote to the War Office to enquire about the progress of his request for a wound gratuity:

“I have the honour to request that my application for a wound gratuity may receive further consideration. I have now been eleven months on light duty and home service and am still unable to undertake any strenuous exercise owing to the effects of my wound”.