occupied at 6am and my headquarters is in a farm house about 1 mile south of the Lillegate. The 28th Division is one of those composed of British regiments from India and Egypt and left for service each about 900 strong - the trench work on very wet ground knocked them up sooner that [sic] the troops that came from England & one brigade is only a little over1000 strong. Some of them had to stand up to their waists in mud & water for some hours. The trenches had lately been taken over from the French & were in a very bad state - no wire entanglement & breast