Left Billets (kissing good bye to Petit [Madlel]) for Hazebrouck at 3:30. Distance 5.5 kilometer. Halted in front of church. I sneaked in, lovely interior. Entrained at 6 pm. Left at 6:15 pm after partaking of tea on platform. Ride in Horse Cars. 40 men with full marching order on rifle.
Rotten idea. Passed [pink] night in “Black Hole” and at 6 am we left train at Guillencourt and had breakfast. Bread cheese and tea. Marched 6 miles to Merricourt and stayed for dinner. I went into a cottage and had café au lait and bread and butter. To farm for bread and apples “quatre – sous”. Packed up again in full marching order for change of Billet. We encamp and bivouac in a grove of Balm O’Gilead trees all night. Wander around for 2 hours trying to find a farm. Lovely country but farms very distant.
*Bivouac – An improvised camp site or shelter constructed of natural materials such as a lean-to made of tree branches.
