Thursday 4th October 1917

In reserve in the Berthen area.

A fine day, though windy.

The Battalion marched to Caestre, from where they were taken back to Ypres by train and from there marched to a camp north-west of the town. However the men of D Company and one platoon of B Company who had been involved in the ferocious actions of 1^st October, remained at Berthen, attached to 8Yorks.

L.Cpl. Fred Greenwood (24522) (see 20^th September) was promoted Corporal.

Pte. George Albert Wright (see 17^th September), serving with 148^th Labour Company, Labour Corps, departed for England on ten days’ leave.

Pte. Victor Hillam (see 11^th September), who had spent three weeks in hospital at St. Omer, suffering from pleurisy, was evacuated to England onboard the Hospital Ship St. Andrew.; on arrival he would be admitted to hospital in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, suffering from ‘pneumonia and shellshock’.

L.Cpl. Joseph Dunn (see 11^th September), formerly of 10DWR but now serving with 2^nd/6^th DWR, was admitted to hospital suffering from tonsillitis.

Lt. Harold Lockhart Waite, (see 16^th August), who had served with the Battalion from its creation until being transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in May 1916, appeared before an RFC Medical Board, having been wounded almost two months previously. He was declared unfit for any duty for a further six weeks at which point he would be re-examined.

From her home in Gosberton, near Spalding, Elsie Alice Prestwood, widow of the late Pte. Arthur Prestwood (see 23^rd September), who had died of wounds on 22^nd September, wrote to the War Office regarding her late husband’s affairs. She had given birth to the couple’s first child the day after her husband had died.

“I am just writing to let you know that I am sorry I cannot let you have the form you sent for me to fill in for my husband who has died in France for I have only been confined a week. I was in bed at the time we received the sad news and I am not able to get out for the magistrate to sign it and only myself can take it but I will let you have it as soon as possible together with my marriage lines and birth certificate. If you will kindly send me a death certificate. Trusting you will oblige”.

A payment of £4 15s. 7d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Richard Spencer Howard (see 7^th June), who had been killed in action on 7^th June; the payment would go to his widow, Martha.

Pte. Richard Spencer Howard

A payment of £15 9s. 7d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Herbert Smith (200022) (see 8^th June), who had died of wounds on 8^th June; the payment would go to his widow, Elizabeth. She would also receive a parcel of her late husband’s personal effects, comprising of, “2 discs, letter, photo, pipe, 2 titles, steel mirror in case, watch (broken), comb, scissors, knife, piece of shrapnel, bandsman badge, notebook, handkerchief, purse, matchbox case, box of tobacco and cigarettes, 2 tobacco pouches, gold ring (9 carat), 2 pencils, Italian ½ d.”.

A pension award was made in the case of the late Pte. Herbert Baldwin (see 4^th December 1916), who had been killed in action in July 1916; his mother, Alice, was awarded 11s. per week, later (date unknown) increased to 15s. per week.