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

4^th Aug. 1916.           The Bⁿ moved off at 5 a.m. and marched to Dernacourt where we entrained about midday.  We detrained near Longpre and marched to ….here we stayed the night in a field, the transport arriving in time to get out our valises.

The next day we marched to Tailly, accommodation was skimpy but the situation magnificent, a chateau in large wooded grounds.  There was a small stream flowing through, not deep enough for bathing but by making shallow excavations along the bank and pegging in ground sheets a large number of improvised baths were soon made.  The rest from gun fire, the green grass and shady trees, the twittering of birds made it seem like paradise.  The suspect was at hand. 

On the opposite page is a postcard of Chateau Tailly and a group photograph outside same.

One afternoon a middle-aged rather stout French lady drove up while a boxing competition was being held on the lawn in front of the chateau.  She at once demanded to see me and for what seemed like an hour she overwhelmed me with reproaches and complaints.  I agreed that her remarks were very just but that we had just been fighting rather hard for “La Belle France” and needed some recreation.  I offered her a cup of tea and suggested that afterwards she should view “La Boxe” she agreed after some demur and quite enjoyed herself.  Finally I asked her to present the prizes and when the men gave three cheers for her for doing so she called out in a shrill treble “Vive l’Angleterre” and from that time on we could do no wrong.

On the opposite page is a group photo outside a chateau.  Probably Chateau Tailly.

Still it was not quite the same as it had been before.  We had several boxing competitions and sports, men & officers were granted 48 hrs leave to the sea side in turn there were several sing-songs, the Whiz-bangs gave a performance, there was a Bde horse show with numerous competitions in fact with fine weather throughout we had a most enjoyable time.  Training was steadily continued and a large number of Lewis gunners and Bombers were put through a course, this proved invaluable later.

On the opposite page are two photographs, one of the horse show and the other a group outside chateau Tailly.