3 MON. Cold day. Found out that “Intelligence” rumour of yesterday about our having lost all gained ground in S was untrue. Col Longcroft lunches at Squadron, also Capt Barton, Staff Capt 2nd Brigade.

4 TUES. Thick fog no view. No ballooning. Operations N and S of Somme progressing satisfactorily. Gilling and Higman, two officers of No 45 Squadron from Roehampton turned up and lunched at Squadron. I took them down to No 2 Sectn and lent them my bed etc.

5 WED. Thick fog and rain most of day. Went down to No2 Sectn in the afternoon. Bolitho, Fulton and McLean dined here and Raffles came in after dinner and played poker. I wrote letters. Bed at 1am.

6 THURS. Fine day, occasional shower. Cold. Went to Hazebrouck in afternoon ant took Dearie Col and another man.

Collected 2 Vickers machine guns for the two sections. Bought lampshade. Bateman and Fullingham dined here. Bolitho went to England.

7 FRI. Cold windy morning. No ballooning. Erected wind screens at No 15 balloon bed. Injured my eye on window of cookhouse.

8 SAT. Fine morning but rather windy. Went to Cassell and collected clothing in afternoon and afterwards to 2nd AAP with indents. Gave Burnett his shells. Mclean and Gavin dined here.

9 SUN. 3rd after Trinity. Cool day but sunny. Painted No 15 windscreens.

Tremendous bombardment by Germans of trenches in front of St Eloi between 7 and 8.30 pm. We retaliated. No result. Dined at No 2 and did ground officer after dinner until 11pm.