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[Page 17]
relaxed somewhat on Apl 28 & trenches were captured. Companies were occasionally moved from Bussy when their work lay too far from the camp for instance 'D' Coy were camped for a period at Vaux sur Somme, 'B' Coy near Aubigny & 'C' Coy were camped all along the River Somme acting as bridge guards to the various crossings from dubigny to the front line. Trench digging in the meantime was proceeding rapidly the battalion moving from one job to another, each trench after being dug was defended by barbed wire entanglements. A large number of bomb proof shelters (50 in all) were also built for various batteries.
On 31st May all forward work was handed over to the 4th Pioneer Battalion – by then in addition to other work such as bridge guards, bomb-proof shelters & roads some 13 miles of trenches had been dug to a depth of 4' 6" and effectively wired. The Lewis guns Special attention was paid to the Lewis guns at this period & up to 40 men per Coy were trained in the use of this weapon. A battery of 4 guns was kept regularly on duty & proved very effective.
After a fortnights spell during which 'A' Coy dismantled a rope conveyor near Bonnay & a certain amount of rear trench work was carried out the battalion moved northwards to a camp behind La Houssoye, the divisional sector included the portion of ground between the Ancre & the Somme & about ½ mile to the north of Ancre. Here trench digging was the main item but as the area was already well provided with trenches, attention was paid to improving & deepening these. The battalion H.Q. were moved to near Heilly as the quarters near La Houssoye proved too far back. this village was fairly heavily shelled during the first week or two but fortunately few casualties resulted. On July 4 'D' Coy took part in a small operation at the village of Ville-sur-Ancre & successfully dig communication trenches to the