12.7.1916 BAILLEULMONT: Draft of 8 other ranks arrived from Base under 2/Lt E Jones
Ernest Jones
12th: Trenches 162-166 inclusive were taken over today by the 8th Sherwood Foresters from the 6th Battn Liverpool Regiment, 165th Infantry Brigade on our left. The relief was carried out by day. The new line taken over is very good.
It consists of a very strong firing line with a good support line in rear. Both are well wired.
There is a good supply of deep dugouts for the garrisons of the front line trenches, but more are required for the support line. There are a few posts in rear of the support line, namely:-
- BOUNDARY POST
- STARFISH POST
- BURNT FARM POST
- ORCHARD POST
These are well formed and in very good condition.
In conjunction with these posts there is what is known as the Village Line, which runs at intervals along the LISIERE of the Village. This line is fairly well wired but the trenches require improving.
The length of the line now held by the Brigade is over 5000 yards. The enemy trenches are some 400 yards distant on an average.
It appears to be a very quite part of the line. We have the 165th Infantry Brigade of the 55th Division on our left and the 137th Infantry Brigade on our right. We have never taken over such clean trenches before. They are mainly floor boarded throughout and are well supplied with grenade stores. The ammunition kept in the trenches would not appear to be sufficient and require to be augmented.
139 Infantry Brigade: Headquarters War Diary [WO95/2692]
Derbyshire Territorials in the Great War 