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[Page 19]
VII The Advance along the Somme - Bellicourt
On the battle that took place on Aug 8th the battalions main task was to make good the main road leading due east thro' Villers Brettoneux & Warfusee – this road was to be passable for armoured cars within 4 hours after zero & to be fit for general traffic as soon as possible afterwards. Other tracks had also to be cleared for which 'A' Coy were responsible – the main road being allotted to 'C' & 'D' Coys - 'B' Coy being in reserve. As much as possible was done in the way of repair prior to the battle; the road generally however was in better condition than expected – only two really bad patches were encountered & a large amount of debris in the village of Warfusee.
A number of contact mines were discovered which the engineers removed. By 7.40 am (3 hours & 20 mins after zero) the first armoured car entered Warfusee & by 10 am the traffic along the road was in full swing. Throughout the day no traffic was held up thro' road troubles. 'A' Coys road to Marcelcave was also completed & was largely availed of. For the next few days road maintenance was the chief consideration. A field dressing station was built by 'B' Coy near Bayonvillers on Aug 11th & on the 12th the battalion commenced repairing the main railway line & carried out 1½ miles of this in conjunction with the 1st Canadian Railway Coy.
A few days later the battalion a move was made to near Morcourt, the battalion camping in a large hillside. This lasted After a few days work on communication trenches & road maintenance another move to Vaux sur Somme was ordered. This involved about a 10 mile march along a very dusty road on a somewhat trying day. At Vaux sur Somme the battalion enjoyed a 4 days rest which was most welcome. The battalion then moved back to Morcourt where road maintenance & deep dugout construction occupied its attention. However on Aug 29th the enemy retired to the head of the Somme by Peronne so a rapid move forward