On February 1 the Battalion moved from Courcelette to Ovillers Huts, and on the 5th went on to Senlis, moving to Wolfe Huts on the 15th, and into the line for operations a day later.

Intense cold was experienced at this time. The ground, like iron, was covered with snow. The frost was intense, one man being actually frozen stiff at his post on sentry, and drinking water carried to the front line arrived as lumps of ice, from which bits were chipped for eating.

An attack on the German trenches was made on February 17. Unluckily a day before the attack the frost gave way, a very rapid thaw set in, making No Man's Land deep and heavy with slush and mud. Moving to the attack over such ground was terrible; the objective line was reached, but the following casualties were sustained:
 

Officers killed8Officers wounded 4Officers missing1 13Other ranks killed30Other ranks wounded165Other ranks missing32 227

Carole Fortune