The Battalion remained in billets, finding large working
parties each evening to assist the Royal Engineers.
In a letter to his family, J.B. Priestley reflected, with
some bitterness, on the time he had spent at Jesus Farm and the rigour of the
working parties; “The ‘rest’ we are supposed to get when relieved from the
trenches is a ghastly fraud; I never grafted and sweated so much in all my
life. We were ‘supernavvies’ for a week. And that’s the rest”.
A/Sgt. Frank
Shackleton (see 23rd
August) reverted to the rank of (Acting) Corporal.
The Battalion was reinforced by a draft of 60 NCO’s and men
from the 11th (Reserve) Battalion (see 7th October). They were mainly veterans of service
with either 2nd Battalion in Flanders or 8th Battalion at
Gallipoli. These were fit and experienced soldiers and they brought the
Battalion up to a total strength of 29 officers and 982 other ranks.
Pte. Robert William John
Morris (see 28th September),
who had been reduced to the ranks just three weeks previously, was re-appointed
Lance Corporal.
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