trenches and sending out night patrols. On the night of 25/26 May, 167th Bde dug a new jumping-off trench half-way across No man's land. Over following days and nights, this position was enlarged and linked with communication trenches. Another round of intense work in preparing trenches, roads and dumps in June left the battalion exhausted and having suffered numerous casualties. 167th Brigade held the line in late June while the rest of the division practised the assault they were to make on Z Day (which was delayed by weather to 1 July). On the night of 29 June, 1/3rd Bn sent out a 20-man raiding party to a suspected machine gun post at Point 94, the junction of two German trenches codenamed 'Fir' and 'Firm'. After crawling across 300 yards of No man's land through heaps of barbed wire, the patrol surprised a German working party and after a violent fight returned with a prisoner. Major F.D. Samuel took over command of the battalion on 30 June. A and B Companies moved up into the reserve trenches, then early on the morning of 1 July the rest of 167th Brigade withdrew while the assaulting brigades took up their positions in the new jumping-off trench. Gommecourt 1/3rd Londons' role in the attack was split. While two companies were detailed to fill the gap to the 46th (North Midland) Division attacking on the other side of the Gommecourt Salient, and then to occupy the reserve trenches, the other two were to follow the leading battalions and dig communication trenches across No man's land from the jumping-off trench to the German front line. Guided by sappers of 416th (Edinburgh) Field Company, Royal Engineers, these two companies were responsible for digging 'C' trench from the end of 'Yellow Street' to the junction of 'Fen' and 'Ferret' trenches, and 'D' trench from 'Z' hedge to Point 94 at the junction of 'Fir' and 'Firm'. The battalion had already suffered from enemy shellfire as it moved up to the front, and started to take casualties as soon as it entered the communication trenches. Three times the men of the digging companies tried to enter No man's land and begin their task, but each time the men were shot down within yards of their own trenches and the task was suspended. No 15 Platoon, in reserve in the Z hedge, were almost wiped out by a salvo