The Queen's (Royal West Surrey) Regiment 30th January1916

30^th January 1916 – 

1st Battalion – Slight shelling, nothing to report. H Qrs at MAISON ROUGUE.

(2Lt Skeath left to go to his own Bat, 1 Royal Lancs. Kings Own.)

2nd Battalion – The Battalion marched to billets in POULAINVILLE to CORBIE (distance about 12 miles). Settled in billets at 1pm.

Officers 32.    Other Ranks 868.

2/4^th Battalion – BENI SALAMA CAMP. EGYPT.

During the past month the Battn, has been encamped at BENI SALAMA CAMP and has been engaged in Company Training. Special attention has been given to Musketry and Physical Exercises and classes have been formed for instruction in Machine Gun, Signalling and Scouting with the object of completing the Battn, establishment of these specialists whose ranks had been greatly reduced by sickness and casualties at Gallipoli Instructional Classes have been formed for junior N.C.O’s.

Upon the arrival of Battn, baggage from Gallipoli on 11-1-16, it was found that many packages had been rifled, including the Orderly Room stationary box. The latter contained War Diaries and all official papers & correspondence and the box is a serious inconvenience to the work of the Battn.

The health of the Battn, has considerably improved and is now good. The weather has been fine as a whole, with bright warm days and very cold nights. The daily range of tempreture under canvas has been from 38˚F to 98˚F. The present strength of the Battn, is 22 Officers and 343 other ranks.

A.F. Tredgold

Major & Adjt, 2/4 Queen’s.

1/5^th Battalion - Divine Service 11am. B Coy night outposts 30th/1st,

1/6^th Battalion – Battalion took part in 12^th Divisional Manoeuvres & furnished the Advanced Guard to the LEFT COLUMN.

O.C.  Advanced Guard Lt Col H.F. Warden.

VAN GUARD:- Commander O.C. Troops.

“A” Squad. K.E.H.

1 Troop “A” Squadron K.E.H.

1 Platoon 12^th Cyclists

MAIN GUARD:- 2 Sections 12^th Cyclists

“B” Coy 6^th Queen’s M.G.

6^th Queen’s “A” Coy 6^th Queen’s, 1 Section 69^th field Coy R.E, 1 Section 12^th Cyclists.

The rest of the Battalion were with the MAIN BODY under Major Watson, the Battalion went into billets at RELY for the night 30^th/31^st only local protection was furnished. The route taken to RELY was :- BURBORE-HURIONVILLE-BELLERY-AMETTES-WESTREHEN-RELY.

8^th Battalion – On the afternoon of the 30^th the bn, was disposed as follows :-

D Coy & 2 Platoons of A Coy – remained in Camp D.

C Coy & 2 Platoons of B Coy – CONVENT. YPRES.

2 Platoons of B Coy – Cellars. RUE de BEURRE. YPRES.

2 Platoons of A Coy – RAMPARTS. YPRES.

The Machine gun Section & Grenadiers relieved the M.G. Section & Bombing Posts of the 8^th R.W.K.Regt, in the left sectionof the left sector HOOGE trenches (Railway Wood).