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[Page 4]
August 1916
It was while encamped at No. 1 Anzac reinforcement camp Val-de-Maison that my second year on active service opened on 23rd August 1916. On the afternoon of the 22nd the Battalion had to attend a Brigade parade at La Vicogne at which Gen Birdwood presided & decorated officers & other ranks with awards won in the recent fighting at Pozieres the second time. Next day the 24th, the Battalion lined up & marched to Gezaincourt where we stayed for a couple of days. On the 25th I walked to Doulens a distance of about a mile & a half & had a look around the town which is a fine big place & it was here where we entrained the next day. At 4 am on the 26th I had to march with a party to the railway at Doulens as guide on the train for my platoon & it was at 5am when the platoon entrained but never moved till 6.30am & we went in a northerly direction till we arrived at Coperinghe in Belgium our destination. We disentrained at 1 pm & formed up into column & had about a three mile march to Toronto Camp where we stayed in huts. On the 27th I received a rise in rank & was made Temporary Corporal. On the 28th I was detailed as Battalion orderly corporal & it was my first experience at that kind of work & the battalion also marched to Poperinghe that day & had a hot bath & change of under clothes. At 11 pm on the 29th the Gas alarm was given & when it was found that everything was clear I was detailed of as corporal of gas guard & dismounted at 6am next morning. It was late in the afternoon of the 30th that the Battalion lined up ready to move off to the firing line & we marched to a siding north of Poperinghe where we entrained.