TCD MS 10822 folio 21 recto
[May 16th 1917] dead Germans in a horrible state of decomposition. Weather misty, changing into rain which made the going very bad and slippery. Sent out two officers patrols one of which failed to return so I fear they must have been killed or captured.
May 17th. A very wet and dark night. It was hard work going around the line as the mud was very bad. The front line was however quieter.
May 18th. In the evening we captured two men and killed another. They were carrying two machine guns into a shell hole in front of their line. From the prisoners we got some very useful information with regard to all their machine guns and trench mortars, so that the following day we were able to put most of them out of action. The day was quiet but our guns were active. The weather and wind was unfavourable for the gas projectors and “Laycock” did not come off.
May 19th. Another prisoner of 8th Regt captured. He was seen in No Man’s land and chased and caught by some of our men. An NCO who had been lost on patrol the night before came in after spending all the day in a shell hole in front of the German line. He brought very useful information. The day was quiet, but the communication trenches were still very muddy. An attack by the VI th Corps took place on our left at 9 p.m. Our relief by the 8th Bt was not finished till 2.30 a.m. No casualties, though there was a certain amount of shelling.
May 20th. Very little sleep during the night as the 33rd Division on our right made an attack at 5.15 a. m. Our artillery co-operated but as it was very foggy we could see nothing. The attack yesterday evening was a failure and this one only partly successful. The day was very hot and I enjoyed basking in the sun outside the dug out. St. Aubyn came back with some lilac this evening. It shows that Spring has come. Towards nightfall it started to rain. I hear that Rennie is on his way out to the Battalion. No one ever thought that he would come back and after commanding it for six months, it is very bad luck to give it up again.
May 21st. Quiet days spent in support. Big working parties at night