Patrol work out there most interesting with of course

4 August 1916 Friday

Up 12.45 for turn of duty. Stood to 3.50. Stood from 4.55. Uneventful night except for message 2.30 from ‘C’ Coy that a Bulgar force was advancing on B Coy. Damn Smellie putting the wind up. I very carefully passed it on as his message through D to B where they learnt of the advance for the first and last time. More scrapping between patrols in front. French artillery bombardment commenced 6 am. Only one shell fired by reply – landed about 300x off me.
Slept 6 am to 9.30. Done up last night. Breakfast 10 am. Slept again for an hour. Took some ranges. Enemy about 3000 yards off.
Weather exceedingly hot by day. Fairly cold at night. All men not on duty by night have to sleep in the trench in equipment without blankets. By day loll about on the reverse slope of the hill. Too hot to sleep much. These pith helmets desperately noticeable by night and shorts about the last things in the world to wear in the dark walking among the bushes and thorns!
?B Coy messed up the finding of 1 NCO and 16 men for me as patrol – actually sent them along without bayonets for night patrol. I cannot believe that the v[?] old woman knitting socks would think bayonets could safely be left at home for that work. D Coy Sgt sent 10 men back to fetch 18 bayonets and those b-dy fools lost their way and never came back. Posted ‘D’ Coy patrol above the mill a mile to the front on the Roman road and came back for ‘B”s men. Had to post remaining six on spur of L’Oublie to protect gully. Patrol work out there most interesting with of course a very considerable spice of danger, for the Bulgar patrols are on the same road. [?]Day fought them last night.