Produced by Irma Spehar, Christine D and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. Produced from page images provided by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries THE STORY OF THE 6TH BATTALION THE DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY France, _April_ 1915--_November_ 1918 EDITED BY CAPT. R.B. AINSWORTH, M.C. LONDON THE ST. CATHERINE PRESS STAMFORD STREET, S.E. 1919 CONTENTS. PAGE FOREWORD 7 CHAPTER I. THE "SALIENT" 9 CHAPTER II. ARMENTIERES AND THE RETURN TO THE "SALIENT" 20 CHAPTER III. THE SOMME 25 CHAPTER IV. ARRAS 35 CHAPTER V. RETURN TO THE "SALIENT" 41 CHAPTER VI. THE SOMME, THE LYS AND THE AISNE 45 APPENDICES. OFFICERS KILLED OR DIED, COMMANDING OFFICERS, DECORATIONS, ETC. 57 FOREWORD. During one of the short periods of training in 1917, it was suggested that lectures should be delivered to the troops on the history of their battalions in France. Accordingly Capt. G. Kirkhouse, then Assistant Adjutant, set to work to collect material for this purpose. Owing to there being no officers, and very few men, who had served continuously with the Battalion since April, 1915, the task was not easy, and it was found impossible to complete the information in time for a lecture before the Battalion returned to the line. The material was carefully preserved, however, and was the only portion of the records which survived the disaster of the 27th May, 1918. As soon as time permitted, the task was continued, but owing to there being very few survivors of earlier days, many details have probably escaped notice. Imperfect and incomplete as the story is, however, it is hoped that the details related will serve to recall other incidents, both pleasant and unpleasant, to those members of the Battalion who have been fortunate enough to survive. It is regretted that it has not been found practicable to include a chapter on the inner life of the Battalion which centred round the characters of some of its members. So many names occur to one's mind that a chapter would be inadequate to mention all, and the exclusion of any would have involved an invidious and unjustifiable selection. R.B.A. _July, 1919._ CHAPTER I. THE "SALIENT." _First Phase._