It was dark when the battalion wound its way along the Souastre--Fonquevillers road, and not only dark but raining. As the night drew on it got blacker and blacker, while the rain increased to a torrential downpour. The Commanding Officer of the Lancashire Fusiliers had suffered severely during his own relief by the ignorance of the guides supplied to him. To prevent a recurrence of this, because a late relief hits both parties, his guides had been over the track nightly, to make certain of the road; but this night the elements were against them. They lost their way, and two companies were piloted into the right battalion sector, and only achieved the relief of their opposite numbers after wanderings comparable with those of the Lost Tribes of Israel. On a drenching night, with an active enemy opposite you, and with dawn approaching, such a trudge in the dark, stumbling over obstacles and wading through mud and water, is no small task, and the men's language, if free, was hardly to be criticized. The relief was complete at 5 a.m., which left the remnants of the Lancashire Fusiliers the minimum of time to get out of sight before daylight broke--a proceeding that was most necessary where the enemy had excellent observation, and usually considered a party exceeding three or four a fair target. "C" and "D" Companies were in the front line, which may roughly be described as running from Biez to Rossignol Woods. "B" Company was in support, and "A" Company in reserve. On the day after relief Captain Oliphant, of the United States Army, and two N.C.Os. were attached to the battalion for two days' instruction. That night Colonel Fletcher, who had long been overworking, broke down and came to the rear for a rest, and Major C. W. Wilson took over command in the line. Colonel Fletcher was accommodated at Divisional Headquarters at Couin. Captain Broad and 2nd-Lieutenant Waln also retired to hospital, sick, the same day. The next night (May 8th, 1918) a very determined effort was made by Sergeant Corkill and three other scouts (Hill, Whelan, and Bradley) to obtain identification. Leaving our line from our left post in Oak Trench, they made their way across to a supposed enemy post at the junction of the road and the German front-line trench; this they rushed, killing two of its occupants. Before they had time to do anything more, they were attacked by another post from the left flank. Seizing the machine gun in the post, they made off; but owing to two of the party being immediately wounded, and the check to their movements caused by the weight of the gun, they had to abandon it, and made the best of their way back to our line. For this very gallant little enterprise Corkill received the Military Medal.