All the notebooks were written on the right hand page and additions, photos, cartoons or other documents were added to the left hand page.

Lord Henry Scott was commanding the Bde from 28^th of June to the 8^th of July, 1916, so I commanded the Bn.

On the 13^th of July 1916 a wire came to say I had been selected to command an Inf Bn and was to report at Belle Eglise on the 14^th.  I started at 7.15 a.m. there appeared to be only one Belle Eglise this was west of Paris, the station master obligingly made out my time table via Calais and Paris.  I reached Abbeville at midnight and Paris at 5.55 a.m.  Here I had to report to the A.P.M. driving there & back right through Paris in a taxi.  I saw the preparations being made for the ‘Quatorze Juillet’.  There were no British troops at Belle Eglise so I went on to Beauvais where I had lunch and then proceeded to Abancourt where I found an R.T.O.  He explained that Belle Eglise was the name for the new railhead just constructed, travelling in guards vans and on the tenders of two engines I at last reached there about midnight on the 14^th.  A Sergt Major kindly surrendered his bunk to me – there was no other accommodation – a phone message was sent through to the Reserve Army.

On the opposite page is a photograph of Major Allason, Lieutenant Tophy, Captain Barrett and the French Translator De Rosen.

A car appeared about 11 a.m. to take me to Bareuil on the way I met the 1^st Bn heard that Col Onslow had a Bde and at once phoned the Mil Sec^ry requesting that I might be appointed to them.

Barueil proved to be a Dump of officers awaiting appointment to command B^ns meanwhile they were to be employed instructing “young officers” the first batch of these arrived that evening before any provision could possibly be made for them.  About 150 hungry officers were asking for breakfast next morning and were told to use their emergency rations.  This most of them had considered a superfluous addition to the weight they were already carrying so their faces fell.  By dint of borrowing we managed to get them some biscuit and tea but the idea of going to school again did not please them especially those with ten years previous service.

On the opposite page is a newspaper cutting of a map of the Somme area.

A car turned up about midday to take me to the 1^st Bⁿ. 

Took over command of 1^st Bn. 16/7/16.  I joined them at Lahoussoye and took over command from Major Lawder.