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At 10.57am C and D Company’s moved off to take up their new positions.

At 2.00pm nothing of note occurred in the vicinity occupied by Battalion

HQ’s and B Company until at 1.40pm orders came from Brigade that B

Company was to be ready to move into the Vaulx – Morchies line and take

up a position between Lagnicourt – Maricourt Wood Road and Vaulx Wood.

Order to move received at 2.00pm.

At 2.10pm B Company moved off, followed immediately by Battalion HQ’s,

move steadily carried out despite very heavy Machine Gun re in the

neighbourhood of Vaulx Wood. The Company and Battalion HQ’s reached

the trench with comparatively few casualties. B Company took up a position

rather too much to the left, but they arrived just in time to eject a few of the

enemy who had managed to force an entry into the Vaulx – Morchies line.

The line was too thickly held on the left of our front, and very thinly on the

right. Attempts made to side step to the right were fraught with difculty

owing to the trench not being continuous, and the gaps to cross when

one had to go over the open were swept by Machine Gun re and marked

down by enemy snipers. No touch could be obtained with the troops on the

right of Lagnicourt – Maricourt Wood Road, owing to the fact there was no

trench line for a considerable distance.

At about 4.30pm a runner crossed this road with a message from the

Ofcer Commanding 459th Field Company, saying they were holding the

line on the right, but were, so far as they knew unsupported, as they had no

touch with troops on either ank.