Nice bright morning after the rain. I wrote in yesterday strongly recommending the cheese ration—3 oz a day per man be reduced to the same amount twice a week, as the men do not care about it, and in lieu that more vegetables and potatoes be allowed, to be purchased locally. One cheese ration for the Batt. Hugh O’Neill has been taken on at Div. H.Q. Staff as Claims Officer. No chickens, no omelettes! Yes, Fanshawe is the G.O.C. 48^th Div., and he said “The 9^th R.I.F. appear to be well disciplined, well trained, and well commanded. They are the best Battalion in the New Armies I have seen.” Yes, there is some rheumatism, a good deal of toothache, some diarrhoea and the usual sprains, sore feet, &c. Few cases of flu. About 40 in hospital, of whom about 6 will go to England. The men are in barns mostly, and outhouses; very dirty some of them, but now cleaned up, and plenty of clean straw. We have nearly 2,000 sandbags now. Turned very wet.