Thursday 22nd November 1917

Billets at Minerbe.

On a brighter and warmer day the Battalion set out at 7.02am and marched east via Bevilacqua to Montagnana, where they turned north and on via Poiana Maggiore to Sossano, covering nineteen miles in total. Pte. Harold Charnock (see 19^th November) remembered that at Sossano, “Headquarters had a quite delightful billet with a charming hostess and small daughter.  Very good wine and spaghetti”.

The rigours of the recent long marches began to take effect on some of the men. Pte. John George Inshaw (see 29^th October 1917) reported sick with “swelling on underside of right foot, caused through marching”. He would be re-classified as fit only for Permanent Base duties and would be posted to the Trench Mortar School at the Base Depot at Arquata Scrivia. Cpls. William Edward Varley (see 20^th September) and Harry Wood (see 20^th September) and Ptes. Francis James Barnes (see 29^th October), William Hassall (see 16^th August 1916), Owen Frank Hyde (see 5^th October) and Edwin Wright (see 25^th July) were all admitted to 69^th Field Ambulance, suffering from inflammation to their feet; all of them, other than Edwin Wright, would be discharged to duty four days later. Wright would instead be transferred to 38^th Casualty Clearing Station.

Cpl. William Foulds (see 23^rd October), who had suffered an accidental wound which had seen him admitted to 10^th Stationary Hospital at St. Omer, was transferred to 7^th Convalescent Depot at Boulogne.

A payment of £1 10s. 9d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Frederick Arthur Stead (see 7^th June), who had been killed in action on 7^th June; the payment would go to his mother, Sarah.