When the 43rd Provisional Battalion was formed, Sergeant Haydon became Signal Sergeant, and a large part of the success and efficiency of the section from then up till November, 1917, was due to his efforts. Lieutenant Wyatt had meanwhile followed 2nd-Lieutenant Rathbone as Signalling Officer. Flag wagging had by now been more than mastered; and the intricacies of the "D III" telephone were now being absorbed, and a limited amount of practical work done with this instrument. At Upstreet the first battalion line was laid, connecting Battalion and Brigade Headquarters. A further step in instruction was taken in the systematic and careful schooling of linemen, and the efficiency thereby obtained proved of the utmost value later. Corporal Gillison was particularly conspicuous in this direction. The Signal Section soon after this came under the command of Lieutenant J. T. Hazell, a really brilliant exponent of the signaller's art. From the time the battalion went to Aldershot till it left for France, the training went on with fewer and fewer interruptions; and the high standard attained may be realized from the fact that at the official tests, held late in 1916, we produced twenty-nine first-class and four second-class signallers out of thirty-three candidates entered, thereby bringing our total up to about fifty first-class signallers, and, further, won easily the signalling in the Aldershot Command Efficiency Competitions, in spite of powerful rivals. The names of the competitors, all of whom received bronze medals, were as follows:-- Officer in charge Lieut. J. T. Hazell. N.C.O. in charge Sergt. H. J. Haydon. Visual sender L./Cpl. S. H. Bell. Visual caller Rfn. A. C. Cowie. Visual reader Rfn. W. Whitehead. Visual writer Rfn. G. Potter. First line layer Rfn. W. A. Tomlinson. Second line layer Rfn. A. W. Hassall. Third line layer Rfn. E. Fryer. Buzzer sender Rfn. W. Harrocks. Buzzer reader Rfn. W. O. Copland. Runner Rfn. A. Wood. During the time the battalion was in France the section not only fulfilled all calls upon its activities in a most efficient manner, but it was continually improving on its methods, learning the latest instruments--fuller-phones, power buzzers, Lucas lamps, and so forth. Not only was the system of telephones in every sector we occupied improved and simplified, and communication kept up no matter how often the enemy or wandering individuals smashed the wire, but in raids and periods of fighting, the section, both individually and collectively, showed itself as brave as it was resourceful. In Sergeant Payne was found a worthy successor to Sergeant Haydon. 2nd-Lieutenants Novelle and Thomas in turn acted as Signalling Officers, though the inspiration of Lieutenant Hazell, until he was evacuated shortly before the Armistice, was always present.