This place proved a real "rest" area, and here we remained for a very pleasant month reorganizing, refitting, and, above all, resting. The day after our arrival the party in the "lifeboat," consisting of five officers and 71 men, rejoined, and on November 13th a draft of 76 men reported. At the end of November our "effective strength" was up to 38 officers and 867 other ranks. This period at Louches requires little description, though it was probably the most real "rest" the battalion ever enjoyed. Training was of the more practical kind--"leap-frogging," counter-attack, consolidation, intensive digging, attack on strong posts, and so forth. Among these were judiciously inserted the usual drill, rifle exercises, physical training, and the like. Musketry was practised on a large scale at the Zouafques ranges. Baths at Nielles also played a salutary if uninteresting part in the life of the battalion; while trips to Calais proved a great attraction to officers and N.C.Os., that place being within easy reach by means of a light railway. A Sergeants' Rest Billet was instituted, and thither for short periods the sergeants in turn betook themselves, free for the time being from all military cares. It was a sign of the Commanding Officer's constant care for his men, and the arrangement was strongly approved. It was odd to find oneself once more living what was after all the old life of home training areas. Here were no sudden alarms, but just the ordinary regulation routine. Afternoons were free, and football and musketry competitions soon blossomed into being. While we were here Major H. K. Wilson, who had been long suffering from an injury to his ankle, the result of a collision with a lorry, proceeded to England on leave, and was there admitted to hospital. To our great regret, we saw him no more; he had been with us since the formation of the battalion. Another officer who left us at this time was Lieutenant Hodgkinson, a most gallant and popular officer, whom we were extremely sorry to lose. His venturous spirit led him to transfer to the R.F.C., where his career, we may be sure, was, if short, full of incident. He was, we understood, shot down near Valenciennes, and must have been a great loss to his Corps.