A quiet six months (January - June 1916): Difference between revisions

By the end of May 1916 half of the Battalion was billeted at the now familiar Bouzincourt whilst the other half bivouacked at Aveluy Wood. The 96th Brigade relieved the [[97th Brigade]] and the Lonsdales again provided working parties for the Royal Engineers. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred for the next few days until the night of the [[5 June|5]]/[[6 June]] when an [[Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - Appendix B|important raid was led into enemy territory]] with the purpose of gaining valuable information about the [[trench|trench systems]] at the “[[Bull’s Eye]]” and “[[Granatloch]]” (quarry) on the [[Leipzig Salient]]. Unusual activity meant cause for concern, especially as the mining and laying of high explosives under each other’s trench systems was a very real threat that, if undetected, could result in a high number of casualties. Finding out what this unusual activity was and how any potential threat could be deterred was tasked to the Lonsdales: a small group of volunteers led by Lieut. Barnes, the outcome of which was a success but with a tragic loss to the battalion.