The 13th Battalion of The Royal Scots War Diary (National Archives Reference WO-95-1946-2) recorded the events of 30 and 31 January 1916. The diary notes for Sunday, 30 January 1916, report that the support trenches had been bombarded by Trench Mortars and that the British Artillery had been feeble in its response.
The entry for Monday, 31 January 1916, sadly records from the same trenches that Private Dunsire VC had been ‘mortally wounded’ by that onslaught of enemy trench mortars on the previous day.