Monday 10th January 1916

Billeted in huts near Rue Marle.

There was some ‘excitement’ in the morning when three officer’s servants from ‘B’ Company apprehended a suspected enemy spy, who had been “asking for information regarding the residence of the General and Commanding Officers billeted where we are”. 

The Battalion moved off from billets from 4.30pm (although representatives from each platoon had moved two hours earlier in order to take over trench stores) to move to the same sector of the front line which they had occupied on the previous tour. By now conditions had somewhat improved; “the water has to a great extent been got rid of”. On this tour, most of Tunstill’s Men were not deployed in the front line but instead remained in close support in the Bois Grenier Line, although one platoon was stationed further forward at Battalion HQ at Farm du Biez, along with “12 first class bombers” from the Company who were to be placed under the command of Lt. Laverack, Battalion Bombing Officer. The relief was duly completed without incident.

Sgt. Arthur Walton (see 2^nd January) was reported ‘absent without leave’, having failed to return on time from his leave to England.

Pte. Richard Swallow (see 17^th November), serving with 11DWR at Brocton Camp, Staffs., having been evacuated to England after suffering an accidental wound to his foot in November 1915, was reported absent without leave. The military authorities would request assistance from the local police and Pte. Swallow would be detained at his home on Saturday 15^th January; he would appear in court in Halifax and would be remanded to await a military escort before being returned to Brocton. The nature of his military punishment is unknown.

A Medical Board convened at Shorncliffe Military Hospital to consider the case of Maj. Harry Hildyard (see 7^th January) found that he was suffering from “nervous exhaustion … this officer who is now on leave from France complains of loss of memory, sleeplessness and general inability to properly perform his duties. There is slight muscular tremor.’ Hildyard was declared unfit for general service and a further examination was set for one month’s time. At the age of 43 the rigours of trench life, in the appalling conditions with which the Battalion had been faced, had clearly taken their toll on Hildyard.

With Hildyard’s absence confirmed, Capt. Gilbert Tunstill’s command of ‘A’ Company was now to become permanent.

Cpl. Harry Wilkinson, serving with the ASC in Egypt wrote home with thanks for a parcel he had recently received; his letter was subsequently published in the Craven Herald (11^th February). Harry was the elder brother of James Wilkinson who was one of the men from Bolton-by-Bowland who had originally volunteered for Tunstill’s Company but had been rejected on medical grounds (see 14th September 1914).

"Just a few lines thanking you and the Bolton War Committee for remembering me with another of their many kindnesses. I received your parcel yesterday, and I notice it has escaped going down with the mail steamer Persia. I am very sorry to say that thousands of parcels and letters for the troops went down with her. By the time you receive this, you will all know that the Gallipoli Expedition has been given up entirely, and to tell you the truth it does not go down very well with the troops; all the same, everybody seems glad to get off. Things are not working very smoothly in Egypt by any means. We hear that we are having relief in March, but we are not too hopeful of getting it, though we ought to stand a good chance, for we were in the first ship out from England on the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. I have still to meet the person out here that I know, and I have seen most of the Lancashire Regiments, and met some of the West Ridings, who belonged to the same battalion as the Bleazards, but they did not know them. I hope the Bolton lads are doing well and keeping safe in France. Taking things as a whole we had a decent time at Christmas and New Year, and had turkey, ham and beer for our Christmas dinner. It needs all our resources to beat this formidable enemy, for we are up against a stiff obstacle. Everybody who has met the Turks gives them credit for being splendid fighters and clean with it."

A payment of £5 7s. 1d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Fred Job (see 18^th October 1915) who had died of wounds in October 1915; the payment would go to his father, Francis.

A payment of £2 13s. 11d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Allan Hiley (see 1^st October), who had been killed in action in October 1915; the payment would go to his father, Charles.