TCD MS 10821 folio 38 recto
[July 28th 1916] after going nearly 12 miles. It was a nice shady village with beautiful orchards & rich crops all round. The afternoon we spent lying under the shade of the apple trees. We raised some light French beer, fresh milk, fruit & eggs from the village, which was very refreshing after the hot march. I had a tiny little room in a farm house, very clean where I spent a good night. Some preferred to sleep outside in the orchard under the apple trees, but they were rather disturbed by wandering cows during the night.
July 29th. We did not start marching till 11 am & so had the hottest part of the day for the journey. We passed through very pretty country & delightful villages. Ivergny was a charming spot, lovely gardens & orchards & the house quite hidden under big shady trees. The march was not a long one, only 10 miles but it was very hot. We had our packs carried for us today in a motor lorry, otherwise many would never have arrived in. Towards the end, the road led us through shady woods of beech & oak at the bottom of a narrow valley until we came to the village of Occoches where we were to billet. The billets were very comfortable & the village lay among grassy water meadows with fine trees everywhere. At the back of it