Tuesday 19th February 1918

Billets at Valla.

Pte. Samuel Richards (see 29^th October 1917) of ‘D’ Company suffered a sprained ankle during a football match between men of the Battalion. As reported by CSM Fred Pattison (see 31st January), “about 9.30am the boys were doing physical training and games. During a game of football Pte. Richards, in attempting to kick the ball, slipped and sprained his ankle. I saw this happen”. Pattison’s account was corroborated also by Sgt. William Henry Mears (see 18^th November). The injury appeared trivial and the incident was not reported to the officer on duty, 2Lt. Edward Kent Waite MC (see 3^rd December 1917). 

L.Cpl. Reginald James Nosworthy (see 30^th December 1917) re-joined the Battalion from the base depot at Arquata Scrivia.

Ptes. William Hewitt (25172) (see 10^th February) and William Little (see 6^th January) were discharged from 23^rd Division Rest Station and re-joined the Battalion. 

2Lt. Wilfred Frederick John Thomson (see 6^th February), who had been posted to France two weeks previously en route to joining 10DWR, reported for duty.

It may have been in the more relaxed conditions at Valla that an incident occurred which 2Lt. Bernard Garside (see 12^th February) would later relate in the memoir he wrote for his young niece and nephew, 

“Now before I go on – you see I keep remembering things – I forgot to tell you a funny story about what happened at a dinner we had when we came out of the line on the Piave – you noticed we did no fighting there and we were only shelled. At the dinner I was sat by a pal who was opening a champagne bottle. He couldn’t get the cork out till, all of a sudden, he did. It flew straight up in the air, hit the ceiling and – would you believe it? – came plop down on the Colonel’s bald head. Oh dear there was a row!”.

A payment of £9 4s. 6d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Joseph William Henley (see 18^th October 1917) who had been killed in action on 18^th October 1917; the payment would go to his widow, Lilian.

A payment of £4 18s. 2d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. William John Williamson (see 16^th November 1917) who had been killed in action on 1^st October 1917; the payment would go to his mother, Mary.

Pte. William John Williamson

A payment of 8s. 10d. was authorised, being the amount due in pay and allowances to the late Pte. Frank Woodall (see 9^th October 1917), who had been killed in action on 9^th October 1917; the payment would go to his mother, Lilian.