y leafy trees, and as the Battalion marched along it,
trees, branches and leaves were lying about, brought down by the heavy
fire. Arriving at the wood, which was being heavily shelled, the men were
put into ditches and half-dug trenches. Later in the day packs were
collected, and in the lighter "Fighting Order" the men manned the G.H.Q.
line in front of the wood, being in reserve to the 3rd Battalion
Middlesex Regiment, who were under orders to deliver a counter-attack.
Whilst taking up this position Major Taylor was wounded and 2nd Lieut.
J.M. Hare killed, and Capt. Jeffreys again assumed command. The
counter-attack was cancelled and the Battalion moved back to dug-outs on
the Menin Road, where it stayed all the next day.

On the night of the 25th May the whole Battalion paraded as a working
party to dig a front line trench to fill a gap caused by the German
attack. The right of this trench was on the railway cutting, the enemy
being on the other side of the cutting. The men worked magnificently and
finished the task in less than two hours. As soon as it was completed the
new trench was occupied by a Battalion of the Buffs. After two more
nights spent on working parties the men were relieved and marched back to
bivouacs in Brielen Wood. On the 2nd June orders were received to move
further back, and they marched through Poperinghe to a field on the south
of the town, where they spent the night and the next day, moving again on
the 4th to bivouacs at Ouderdom.

The organisation of the Battalion was now to undergo a change which did
not meet with universal approval amongst its members. On the 8th June it
was amalgamated with the 8th Durham Light Infantry, the new Battalion
being constituted as follows: Lieut.-Col. J. Turnbull, V.D. (8th D.L.I.)
in command; Capt. G.A. Stevens (Royal Fusiliers), Adjutant; A Company
(8th D.L.I.), Capt. T.A. Bradford; B Company (A and B Companies of 6th
D.L.I.), Lieut. W.P. Gill; C Company (6th D.L.I.), Lieut. T.B. Heslop; D
Company (6th D.L.I.), Capt. F.H. Livesay; Machine-gun section, 2nd Lieut.
R.A. Howe (6th D.L.I.); transport section, Lieut. Ramsay (8th D.L.I.);
Quartermaster, Lieut. W.M. Hope (6th D.L.I.). All supernumerary staff
were sent to the base at Harfleur. At the same time the 7th Battalion
became Divisional Pioneers and the 5th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire
Regiment joined the 151st Brigade.

On the evening of the 11th June the new Battalion marched by Companies to
dug-ou