Sunday 13th May 1917

Scottish Camp, south-west of Brandhoek

Another hot day, although there was a little rain around midday. The large overnight working parties which had been provided whilst at Chippewa Camp resumed.

The Battalion was bolstered by a draft of 59 men, who had originally been destined for posting to 9DWR. They had arrived in France on 26^th April and had spent the interim at at no.34 Infantry Base Depot at Etaples. A number of members of this draft have been identified. Many of them had previously seen active service. Among these was Pte. Arthur Clarke (see 21^st February 1917), he was re-joining 10DWR having been in England since having been wounded in July 1916. Pte. Sam Appleyard was a 39 year-old weaver from Huddersfield and married with seven children. He had enlisted in May 1915 and had been posted to Gallipoli with 8DWR in November, returning to France with his Battalion in July 1916. In August he had been posted to 9DWR and had been slightly wounded in September but had remained with the Battalion. In November 1916 he had been posted back to England, suffering from dysentery and had spent two months in hospital in Southampton. Pte. Harold Firth was 20 years old, one of ten children of Sam and Elizabeth Firth of Todmorden. His father was a clog maker and Harold, along with most of his siblings, had worked as a weaver in the local mills. He had enlisted in January 1916 and had originally served with 2DWR before being wounded (details unknown) and evacuated to England, where he had spent some time in hospital in Leicester before being posted to 3DWR. Pte. William Postill Taylor (see 26^th April) had served with 10DWR on the Somme in July 1916; he had deserted from 3DWR in March, but had been apprehended after only two days. Pte. Arthur Wideman was a 32 year-old plumber from Sowerby Bridge; he was married but had no children. He had been called up in October 1916.

A number of others were men who had been called up in December 1916 and had trained with 3DWR before being posted to France. Pte. Willie Bates was a 36 year-old joiner and cabinet maker from Bradford. Pte. Joseph Firth was from Halifax. Pte. Herbert Smith (200022) was a 31 year-old married man from Southowram, Halifax; he had served with 4^th (Territorial) Battalion since 1908 and was now posted to active service for the first time. Pte. Joseph Henry Woodcock was a 30 year-old mechanic from Bradford; he was married with an eight year-old son. He had spent two weeks in hospital during training in December 1916, suffering from influenza. Pte. Edwin Wright was a 23 year-old joiner from Dewsbury.

Pte. Richard Marsden (see 3^rd May) also re-joined with this draft from Etaples, he had been away from the Battalion for the previous month following a bout of influenza.

At home in Bradford, Agnes Evans, wife of Pte. Ernest Evans (see 16^th January), gave birth to the couple’s sixth child; the boy would be named Victor Leslie.