29/8/17 - 30/8/17
At 1.10 a.m. an Officers patrol left T Sap to ascertain whether the enemy was working on ARROW TRENCH. Work was in progress about 50 yds. S. of BIT LANE.
At 2.20 a.m. a patrol of 6 O.R. left I.31/1 junction with LINK ALLEY. The advanced 150 yds. due E. and found the enemy occupying ARROW TRENCH as Very Lights were fired from 3 different places in it. They then turned S.E. towards BIT lane and returned to our lines at O.2/8 near BRIDOON ALLEY. The enemy was not working on ARROW at that hour.
The standing patrol N. of T Sap report no sound or movement on the part of the enemy.
A patrol of 1 Offr. and 2 O.R. left W. Sap at 11.50 p.m. Patrol went about 30 yds. in front of the Sap and listened but heard nothing, and then made a right incline for about 50 yds. stopping at intervals to listen. Digging was heard from what appeared to be I.32.c.25.85. in DEVILS TRENCH. No German patrols were encountered and no movement could be seen anywhere. Patrol returned by W Sap at 12.40 a.m.
ANGELS and DEVILS TRENCH shelled with 16 pdrs. at intervals during the day especially between 10 and 11 p.m.
Harassing fire carried out on the BOIS DE AUBERPINES between 9.15 and 10.50 p.m.
MONCHY was shelled with 5.9 during the day; about 10% of the shells failed to explode.
RIFLE and CHAIN SUPPORT also I.31/1 and O.2/8 were registered on with 77 c.m's by day.
During the morning MUSKET RESERVE was fired on with 5.9.
During the night our mortars fired on working party at I.32.a.10.05.
A Minnie was very active on SNAFFLE from ARROW SAP to BRIDOON ALLEY and along the latter between 7.30 a.m. and 8.30 a.m. and again from 7.30 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. Two bursts were fired at 5.45 a.m.
About 7.0 p.m. enemy fire 14 rounds of medium T.M. at our wire in fron of I.31/1.
Between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. a gain active. A direct hit was obtained on junction of CHAIN SUPPORT and LINK ALLEY. Two mortars fell in our wire near T Sap.
M.G. activity on both sides normal.
At about 4 p.m. a party was observed deepening ANGEL TRENCH about I.31.b.8.7.
About 10 a.m. a large party of the enemy was seen carrying timber near HAUSA WOOD.
A white Very light bursting into 2 stars was the signal for enemy T.M's to lengthen range.
Enemy snipers were active during the day.
The smoke of an engine was seen behind HATCHET WOOD.
On the morning of the 28th upwards of a dozen white stakes 8 to 10 ft high were observed in front of JIGSAW WOOD. They had disappeared by the morning of the 29th.
On the evening of the 28th between 10 and 11 p.m. bursts of golden spray similar to the bursting of a P bomb were observed at intervals in the enemy's trenches along the whole front, they also appeard to be fired N. of the SCARPE.
Two of the enemy were seen carring jugs or tins from one point to another in PARK WORK at 12.30 p.m.
CHAIN SUPPORT was heavily minenwerfered at 3 p.m.
Two men could be seen working in DEVILS TRENCH between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. near telegraph pole at about I.32.c.2½.5. They were wearing steel helmets and capes. These men were observed from CHAIN TRENCH. At 8.40 p.m. about 6 of the enemy were seen in front of their wire at I.32.a.9.4. They were fired on by Lewis Gunners. Rifle Grenades were also fired. The party was dispersed. It was impossible to see if any loss was inflicted. They were not seen again. Our Lewis Gunners swept the enemy wire near this point during the night.
It would appear that two red lights is the signal for their Trench Mortars to open fire as two red lights were seen on two occassions during the night and their trench mortars fired immediately afterwards in each case.