Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
The War Diary for today records. At 12.30am our Medical Officer Captain BARTON was climbing on our parapet looking across no mans land to see if his help was needed there, when he turned and vaulted into the trench a rifle with bayonet fixed ramming into his right thigh. It is reported that towards the end of our bombardment last night one of our 18 pounders made a direct hit on a particularly troublesome Hun machine gun. We also located one of the large enemy mortars. The Brigadier General Commanding had his HQ’s in the trench during the raid. At 2.45am a sentry on our right Coy reported a man in our wire. Lance Corporal ARCHER and 2 men went out to investigate, the enemy heard this patrol and two of their bays at once opened fire. At this moment our 240mm, which had become jammed during the bombardment fired a solitary round which dropped amongst the firing Huns and must have considerably startled them. 2nd Lt MORRIS went to the Divisional Bombing School. The day passed very quietly. When daylight appeared that much damage had been done by our artillery and could clearly be seen. At 11.30pm in a shell hole not far from our trenches a patrol found the body of Private COBLEY, one of the raiding party. Private WRATH also one of the raiding party returned to the trenches uninjured at about the same time.