Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

James I. Marshall diary, 24 November-12 December 1916
MLMSS 1164/Item 4

[Transcriber’s notes:
This document is not in diary format, but has been written as a narrative. Parts of the diary are handwritten, on differing kinds of paper, and parts have been typed.
Typographical errors have largely been corrected and paragraph breaks have been inserted on some pages to improve readability.
Pages 15 and 16 appear to cover the same events (the "8th August 1918 stunt") as pages 17 to 24.
Pages 53 to 55 are badly damaged and difficult to read. While care has been taken with the transcription of these pages, it may not be entirely accurate.

Summary of content:
This manuscript is entitled "My story of the Big War" and is James I Marshall’s description of his service with the 53rd Battalion of the AIF in France and Belgium, including at Bullecourt, on the Somme, and at Peronne, from 22 December 1916 through to the Armistice in November 1918, a subsequent period in camp at Weymouth, and a description of the voyage home to Australia. He was significantly under-aged when he joined up.

Also included in the manuscript are short descriptions of periods of leave, visits to London, Paris and Brussels, reactions to news of the Armistice (pages 55 to 57), life in camp at Weymouth at the end of the war, participation in the London Anzac Day March on 25 April 1919 when Prime Minister Billy Hughes addressed the troops (pages 77 to 80), and Marshall’s delight at being back home and meeting his family at the "Anzac Buffet" put on for returning troops in Sydney (pages 83 to 85).

At the end of the manuscript (pages 85 to 93) is a tribute to the Roman Catholic Chaplain Father John Joseph Kennedy, who was attached to the 53rd Battalion and who was awarded the DSO "for conspicuous gallantry" at Fromelles. Kennedy later wrote a tribute to the gallantry of the men with whom he had served called The Whale Oil Guards (Dublin, 1919). Marshall refers several times to this nickname for the 53rd Battalion, bestowed after its Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Oswald Croshaw, ordered the troops to polish their helmets with whale oil (which had been issued to troops to rub into feet as a trench foot preventative) to smarten them up on parade. On page 6, Marshall talks about how the soldiers’ "whale-oiled tin hats" shone in the moonlight, making them easy targets for the German gunners.]

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J. I. Marshall Papers
‘My story of the Big War’

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My story of the Big War
The Journey to the Battalion.

We left Etaples about the 22nd of December and after a long wait, with a wild scramble for rations, the train trip began. It was very tedious, and but for the novelty of it all, would have been most irksome. Making tea en route with water from the engine was quite new and of course we gave it a trial.

The train would stop, and after giving it about five minutes to make sure of having time to catch the engine and get back again, one would venture off. Of course the train would start straight away. Eventually we got the water and it was quite lukewarm. We then decided to make a fire at the next stop and boil some. When it did stop again, by the time we had a good fire going the train started again.

After this had happened twice, we put our heads together and decided to look for a tin and make a fire in the truck. One of us found a tin alright but lost the train. After going another short distance tho, it stopped again of course, and for a long time. The other chap caught us up there, but we had finished the tea by then. Well, after about twenty hours we arrived at Albert and heard the guns going so knew we were not very far from the War.

After "waiting about" (our first experience of it) we began our march to the Battalion. By this it was quite dark, and raining miserably. On our way through the town several of us recognised the Cathedral tower from photoes we had seen.

When we had been marching for over an hour we naturally felt rather tired, but the person in front kept going so there was nothing else for us to do. Sometimes up to the knees in shellholes, and always in six inches of mud and slush, we soon realised that it was no picnic. What were left on the road after two hours were wondering whether the guide knew his way or not, for we had passed through several villages, and from the outlines of them my pals and I thought that we had been through some more than once.

We had been going for over four hours when Griffin and I decided to get into some old shed in the village we were than passing through and which we had been in earlier in the night; just then we heard Mr Elliot’s voice and knew that we must be there, at our destination.

We were then taken down to some tents which were pitched in the general sea of mud which existed everywhere. At the least I slept well and warm. The next morning when we saw the Battalion we wondered whom we had fell amongst. None looked at all prepossessing, but of course we then had no idea of the horrors of the Somme. Perhaps we looked worse when we did strike them. I had no difficulty though in adopting myself to the circumstances in which we found ourselves.

On Xmas Day we partook of the Battalion’s dinner, and when my piece of turkey fell into a mud puddle I had no scruples in fishing it out and thoroughly enjoyed it afterwards. During the next few days we got tired of the continual talk of our tent mates on the subject of loss of stripes so decided to shift into one of the unoccupied tents. We effected the move on New Years Day and had a great time making a stove on which to prepare our dinner. After scouring the country several times we managed to get it going. It was then late in the afternoon so we enjoyed our dinner.

A week or so later we moved back to Flesselles where we had a very good time for several weeks. The training was pretty stiff but we had good billets and plenty to eat (if we bought it ourselves) Four to a loaf of bread, a small piece of bacon for breakfast large enough to cover a penny, and not even L/Cpl stuff, and bully beef stew for dinner, does not form a popular menu. As we all had plenty of money though we did well from the canteen. And also with milk, eggs, and apple tarts from the bakery. I thought it great to be drawing 40 francs every pay till some months after when I was about £8 overdrawn and could only draw 5 frcs. a pay.

After staying there for about a month we moved back to Buire on our way to the line. We only stayed there for one night but we had a good feed while there. The shop where we bought most of our stuff was very small and when about twenty men got in there was very much a crush. As usual I had a good fill of dates, fruit, and other such things while waiting to be served, till I noticed the stock of tinned fruit in the shop going very quickly. Well as I had no overcoat I could not very well carry any out, so I gave the chap in front of me two tins and he was to wait outside till I came out. It was then that the girls noticed it going and restacked it. When I got to the counter eventually, I had another tin blatantly bulging out of my tunic. With the other one and what I had bought at their usual price, thus paying for the peaches, we had a good meal. The next morning we marched off to Fricourt.

We arrived there and saw our first look at a properly war torn area. The weather then was very cold and it did not improve while we were ther It was anything but a joke to have to take an entrenching tool to get our water, and to wash in snow. Tea would freeze while you cut your bread, and from then on it was some time before we had a sight of liquid water. While there we had a great snow fight and I enjoyed it immensely. Also I had my first experience of "light duty". The first issue of rum was served out here too and I did

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[Transcriber’s note: This page consists of a list of decorations awarded on 13 December 1918 and includes a had-written note:]

The Bn’s decorations for the Peronne stunt.

[Following is a transcription of the typed list of decorations:]

Special Order.
by
Lieut-Colonel W. J. R. Cheeseman"DSO"MC" commanding 53rd Battalion A.I.F.
December 13th 1918.

His Majesty the King has approved of the award of the following Decoration.

Victoria Cross
1584a. Pte. Currey.W. M.

Under Authority granted by His Majesty the King the Field Marshall Commanding in Chief has awarded the following Decorations:–

Distinguished Service Order.
Major J.J.Murray. "MC".

Bar to the Military Medal.
Captain W.S.Smith [indecipherable]
Lieutenant W.Waite. "MC".

Military Cross.
Captain W.F.Lindsay
Lieutenant W.Bevan.
Lieutenant J.Dexter.
Lieutenant A.W.Cooper.
Lieutenant A.J.Tofler.
Lieutenant G.A.Young.

Distinguished Conduct Medal.
3467.T/CSM. Burns.C.R.
2962.T/CSM. Wood.J.
2153.Corpl. Crank.R.
2283.L/Cpl. Weatherby.C.J.
2247. Pte Smith.O.W.
2642. Pte. Cameron.R.C.
2768. Pte. Gilmore.H.J.

The Corps Commander has awarded the following Decorations:–

Bar to the Military Medal.
1753.L/Cpl. Willard.H.C."MM".
4875. Pte. Sullivan.J.S."MM".

Military Medal.
3498. Sergt. Croker.J.E.B.
3408.Sergt. Scully.V.J.
5406.Sergt. Lineham.C.C.
3256.Corpl. Baker.R.J.
1720.Corpl. Rayner.C.R.
5472.L/Cpl.Turner.A.J.
1142. L/Cpl. Brown.W.C.
5479. L/Cpl. Webb.A.G.
4852. L/Cpl. Smith.A.E.L.
3353. Sig. Alexander.A.J.
3427. Pte. Smith.E.J.
2444. Pte. Marsh.C.S.
2171. Pte. Greenhalgh.W.J.
5405. Pte. Lette.B.I.
1887. Pte. Clarke.G.F.
3259. Pte. Barron.E.
5390. Pte. Hopkins.A.J.
869a. Pte. Payne.A.C.
4662. Pte. Wilson.W.S.

The Corps Commander wishes to express his appreciation of the gallant services rendered by the undermentioned Officer who was "Mentioned" in the Australian Corps Routine Order No 48. of 17-10-18.
Lieut-Colonel W.J.R.Cheeseman "DSO"MC".

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I did not refuse mine. It was vile stuff, but I never did jib at taking nasty medicine. From there we moved to Bernafay, another camp of Nissen huts which was the reserve line. In those days there was no night bombing done, nor much shelling of the back areas. Some of our chaps struck fatigues up to the line right away, but I was a ‘Signaller in Training’, a very important person who scorned to do such things. One afternoon at about four o’clock we moved up to the line. I was told off for Ration Fatigue, with Arch Willman, Strange and Bert Buckman.

At Waterlot Farm we experienced shell fire for the first time. I heard something whistling towards us and saw a cloud of smoke alongside some engineers near by, and the force knock them over. As nobody was hurt I thought them very harmless things and so did not get the wind up then. Right along the duckboards from there, we had them bursting between us (W.S. and J.) and the party in front, about 50 yds in front of us. Fritz was very accurate, getting the boards each time. When we arrived at Neeule Dump we sat down to watch the others coming. At the same time Fritz began to sweep backwards and the first shell got the party behind us. Stonestreet was wounded and Slade too. I then remade the acquaintance of Tom Lucas who had two Mills Bombs in his haversack smashed to pieces.

Well, as I still had some doubts as to my power of endurance I did not know what to think when I saw the things we had to carry and the distance we had to go. However I got along very well. On reaching the platoon’s position I did get an eye opener. The line was nothing but a row of old shell holes and one had to go over the top for about four hundred yards to get there. And Fritz was supposed to have a deep line of trenches about 500yds. in front. He never gave us any trouble though and we were very thankful for his flares, which he used in thousands.

Arch and I wished to take hot tea up to Mr Hill and our mates in the morning but he would not permit us to as there was no trench, so four of us used to take it up to the other platoons every morning as well as do the night trip. On the first afternoon Fritz gave us a heavy bombardment for an hour. I then saw badly wounded men for the first time. However that did not prevent me from finishing frying my bacon and annoying Arch by refusing to come into the shelter.

The next morning when we were returning from our trip, we passed some pioneers in the trench who poked a board up above the top to let us pass Immediately Fritz opened up with Whizz-bangs. As I had a big stew dixie on my back I could not hug the sides as the pioneers were doing. The chap nearest to me seemed very frightened and I shall never forget his face when I asked him if they were whizzbangs. As they did not trouble us, who were all new to them I gave Arch a nudge and we made a dash for it across another open stretch. I lost my footing on the ice and skated most of the way.

After being in for four days we moved back to Bernafay again for four days. Two of our refcts. were killed and several wounded. Whether it was because Fritz spotted our new leather jackets or not I don’t know, but as I [have] so often seen since, new men always get a rough go on their first time in the line. The old hands of the Battalion had told some poor chump that the new jackets would draw Hun fire and some had been only too willing to change them for the ‘chatty’ old sheepskins. Also during that trip in I had picked on a new shell hoe for Claude Lineham and I to get our water out of. It was not till the last day that we discovered the two dead Huns in it.

While we were at Bernafay Griff had a tin of pineapple and gave the chap standing near him a nudge in the legs saying:– Have a bit Hilly? and much to our surprise Mr Hill turned around and had some. Bill Hill, a Lewis gunner, had been standing there just before.

Firewood being scarce and the lining boards of the huts being too valuable for keeping the wind out, we used stacks of buiscuits available, for the fire. While camped here I struck my first line fatigue and they then became a nightly episode.

We used to start after dark and go to the dump at Guinchy and there pick up the material to be carried. From there it was about 3 miles to the line along the duckboard tracks. Going along in a bitterly cold wind with your load trying to twist around one’s neck was anything but a pleasure. The load used to consist of all kinds of things up to a ton in weight, and the size of a house in bulk. Curved sheets of elephant iron, double duckboards, iron pegs for wiring, iron girders, beams of timber etc. The usual thing was to make three trips before returning home.

I must say here that the behaviour of the Engineers was scandalous. At Guinchy too were several batteries of heavy guns and it was the usual thing for them to fire just as we were passing under their barrels. It was nothing to be blown fifty yards off the track. It was on one of these jobs that Reid was killed, staying to help another wounded chap along. The general thing for the next few months was a trip in the line of four days and a spell out for six or seven but a fatigue every night.

On the second trip in, much to my delight I was picked for a fighting patrol, and was always told that I was dotty by the others. From then on I did nothing but patrols, of which here goes for a general account.

Well!

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[Transcriber’s note: This page is a duplicate of page 2 but without the hand-written note; not transcribed.]

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account

Well for our first night out on patrol, Mr Hill and Mr Waite tossed to see which would go out and Mr Waite won. There were twenty of us altogether, so felt pretty confident if we should meet Fritz. It was a brilliant moonlit night and with the snow on the ground, it was very bright indeed. We had hardly started out when we realised the great effect of our ‘whale oiled’ tin hats in the light. After wandering around for about an hour or so, we de[c]ided on a definite course of action. Mr Waite went one way with most of the party and Frank Cooling took four of us with him.

We had barely gone 50yds when we saw a blaze of light in front of us and felt machine gun bullets in dosens around us. I was in a shellhole very quickly (before the bullets had time to reach us I think) and found Frank on the edge hanging on to the Hun rifle we had souvenired from a sniper earlier,; I tried to get him into the hole with me during which time our faces were about nine inches apart. Fritz firing at our radiant headgear was lobbing his missiles right between us, & it was mighty unpleasant feeling too. One scratched the top of my helmet, & another went through the back of Frank’s tunic. He soon opened up on the others though, who were attempting to get away, and so we took advantage of our chance, only to run into a ‘flare king’ about 50yds away. The rest of the patrol then saw us and we got out of a nasty position thanks to them. As the gunners saw the lot of us by the flare, we soon went home, and very quickly too.

Another night we went out and found a party of men in a trench whom Mr Hill challenged, all of us thinking that at last we had some Huns at our mercy. Imagine our chagrin at getting our own password back from each one of the party. It was one of our own outposts who had started out to come home an[d] got lost. Another night though, we did bag a Hun party and left an officer & a couple of men there. The next morning as it was very misty we decided to go out and collect any papers or souvenirs on them. Tom Lucas and myself went out and found them, collecting various maps and papers, also a watch. I took an Iron Cross ribbon and on shewing it to Mr Hill was much surprised when he told me that they carried the Cross with them. he got out first and collected a brand new Cross of the 1st class. I had to be satisfied with a helmet badge which I got later.

During all this time I did no post or sentry work. With Bob Logan, a stretcher bearer, I used to keep a good fire going all day and night for anybody to cook on, or warm their toes at. Up to then my feet had kept pretty well, but about the third trip in I had a bad gum-boot and had very bad feet in consequence. On account of the long trip out Captain Ramsay gave orders for me to go out before the Battalion. I started off from the post alright to go to Coy. Hqrs. to report in company with two others. It was then at the muddiest period of my experience, and we had not gone far before I got stuck up to my armpits in a big shellhole. As Fritz was making it very hot with big ‘coal boxes’ and had several aeroplanes up, I told the others to go on and wait at HQ. if they liked. After a good deal of trouble I got out minus one boot, which on account of the suction would not come out. I managed to grope around and get my rifle out though, and then made my waty to Coy. H.Q. I will never forget what I felt like, and have a good idea of what I looked like. When Captain Ramsay saw me he just put his hands on his hips and laughed rather too much for my liking. However as soon as he had given off steam, he fixed me up very well. He got out a dry pair of sox and gave me a good nip of rum which was very welcome and I started off again, carrying about a ton of mud as well as my pack. My overcoat and trousers had to be dumped and it was no good fun in that weather.

One night early in March we got some Hun papers which gave information of an intended evacuation. Anyhow a bit of a stunt was to come off and we were going to be in Heaven Trench before Fritz intended to leave.

After a long and weary crawl through the mud we arrived at the objective and almost the whole Battalion lined up along the wire in front of the trench. The small party I was with was isolated from the others and only that I knew the ground so well I would have felt very uncomfortable. For over an hour and a half we lay there with a flare king about five feet in front of us, and dosens of Huns further back promenading the parapet. Naturally we were all more or less glad when we had heard the aeroplane go over and signal the cancelling of the event. During our wait, there was a strafe on the other flank but where we were it was very uneventful except when one of the N.C.Os who was very shortsighted asked the Fritz in front of us "Is that you Frank?" Naturally we got no answer. Why we were never fired on I do not know as the Hun certainly knew we were there. The word to go back came at last and instead of getting up quietly and going away everybody made a wild bolt and got away certainly, but with the row of a herd of elephants. We were then gathered in the gully further back and lay in wait for Fritz patrols. I went to sleep then and do not know what happened. It was near daylight when they woke me and we went in. Something similar happened the next night, but on the third occasion we got in and took the trench. That morning we found that Fritz was 5 mile or more away. The 8th Bde followed him up and then the 15th who met him at Beaumetz and had a stiff fight,.

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Before Fritz had evacuated the Somme area he had carried out some very intense and heavy shelling which had caused us many casualties and given us a very bad time in every way. After that it seemed like Heaven to be free from it all for a while. On his side of No Mans Land there were fresh green fields and fresh country everywhere, except for the villages which had all been almost entirely obliterated by our artillery. During the preceding moths we had had some very dark periods and I now felt the loss of my old mates in earnest, although I had made many others. Arch Willman had gone, McSpedden , Reid killed, Stoney & Slade wounded, and Griff gone away with a very severe dose of malaria How I got through it all without a scratch still seemed too good to be true. I had got a good deal of fun out of it though and even at the darkest times the situation was never without its humour. When we were alongside the Tommies, we had a good deal of fun though we were in a rotten position and my feet were very troublesome.

There was the night that we had gone over to them and tried to explain that Woolloomooloo would be our password. And our familiarity with our officer seemed quite incomprehensible to them. They were a good lot though and several times we went out with them on patrol. Talking of patrols again there was one night when six of us went out with Mr Hill, Claude Lineham; It teemed rain and was very miserable but Dick and Bill livened things up by giving us all of the latest rags much to our annoyance at times. ‘Im afraid to go home in the dark’ is not a bad song at all so long as it is not sung while you are tangled up in the wire in front of a Hun trench.

The night that we made our first acquaintance with gas shells was also a bit comical. There were three of us with Mr Hagerty counting the great number of dud shells coming over until we had counted over a 100. Then we got a strong whiff of the gas. We then had a short argument as to whether it was gas or not but soon decided that it was a case for gas helmets. The only casualty we had from it was Dick Scott, who thought he was ‘garsed’ and put the wind up the Tommies for miles around by blowing the ‘tromus’. Johnny Laing, a sergeant with whom I was camped decided that a diet of tinned peas and milk was the thing to pick up on.

Well we stayed there for about a week or so and then went up to the line at Beaumetz. And I think that was absolutely the worst trip that I ever experienced in the line. Open warfare was always spoken of as being so much better than the trench style. After my experience of it there though, I had strong doubts.

On our way up we passed through several villages deliberately ruined by Fritz in his retreat. Our position was in a good sunken road with old ammunition possies on either side, so we all thought we had a good home. Gutsers were right though! We got no rations the first night and the next lot that we got had to do us for the rest of the four days. And the water(?) that we drank is best left undescribed. After four days of extreme misery I was sent out with bad feet and a recurrence of trench fever. Within a few days I was well enough to go into Bapaume and saw what a mess the Hun had made of that town. I did a good deal of tramping around after canteens though and returned to Fremicourt worse than ever.

About four days later we picked up the Company and we did a day helping the 56th in the Doignies stunt. When we had finished that we were all more or less broken up and felt very glad to start out for a rest. How I did the march to Thilloy I do not know but there were many others worse off than I was. Bert Buckman was, I think, the only one of us that could raise a laugh. Bennie was so done up that I gave him a hand with his pack, and brought on another dose of fever. Incidentally I lost my own pack during this move with all of my souvenirs etc. Captain Ramsay had quite made up his mind then to send me back to the Base on account of my being under age but I managed to be kept on.

We spent a fortnight there and then made a long march back to Becourt There we had splendid weather and a pretty good time in general. The hot days made themselves felt on me though and I was soon in Hospital again with the ‘dogs’ disease’. It was then that I first noticed Kline. I had several arguments with him on all kinds of subjects and also heard his ‘after the War’ speech. While in there the Battalion moved off up to Bullecourt. We had all heard of the stiff fighting going on there, and as the Company had gone over a week and we had all kinds of rumours back I made my mind up to get out and go up. I was still a bit mad headed, but learned better only too soon. Well after a good deal of argument with the A.M.C. orderly in charge of us, I got out and was sent up as a signaller. We had to march to Bazentin and that took all the good out of me at the start. There we got onto the light railway and had a good trip to Vaux. We had to get out and walk most of the way as the thing seemed tired, but that was a mere detail. We stayed at Vaux for the night and were ready the next morning to go up to the Battalion. Just before we started our chaplain came in and I think we all took advantage of his presence as we never saw too much of him. Then after dinner we started off.

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After we had gone about a hundred yards or so we came to the cocoa stall at ‘Higgary Corner’ and had a drink before going up. It was the closest stall that I had then seen to the line, and it was in a most uncomfortable position for big ‘toute suite gazumps’ were falling thick and heavy. Johnny Laing took us by a very peculiar route, right across the skyline in full view of the Hun. He soon saw us too, and let us know it. At first he used only 4-2" stuff, firing it at random all around the land we were traversing. It was most uncomfortable and when I got just about buried by one I certainly thought it time to go down into the gully, where there was certainly a little shelter. And when Johnny got several small pieces in the rear portion of his anatomy he too thought the same.

We made a wild rush to get there just in time to get in the way of a big flame shell, the first of it’s kind that we had seen. Naturally it was a bit if surprise packet and put the wind up us completely. After that he opened up on the batteries with which the ravine was crowded, and had us doing all kinds of queer physical exercises, but eventually it got so hot that The ‘boss’ shouted to run which we were only too willing to do.

As we had no idea of the direction though, it was a bit of a mix up. I followed the sergeant and got in at the ‘toot’. And just in time too, as Fritz then opened up on the batteries in earnest and continued throughout the afternoon, with 8" and 5-9"s. However we were in a good sunken road and felt pretty right. Most of my pals were still O.K though looking much the worse for wear, as they had had a very rough spin for the previous 8 days. Tom Lucas though, had been hit very badly but was supposed to be alright then. During the heavy shelling which the Hun kept up, all of the afternoon the Colonel was badly wounded. Duncan, called Simon David, was wounded by the same shell and on being carried past us sang out that the ‘old boy’ was knocked, and he’s walking behind me’.

Fritz continued the bombardment till late in the afternoon and got more than one gun too. Just about dark, we began to prepare to move off up to the line, and the Tommies who were on our right flank were starting to come out. A thick crowd of them were lined up on the bank waiting for the ‘orficer’ to tell them to step down into the shelter of the bank, when we heard some peculiar kind of shell coming along, and all ducked. There was a thud as a kind of dud hit the ground amongst the crowd, and up went a very bright starshell, a thing that was new to all of us. The case came whirling along the ground and cut a Tommie’s two feet off as clean as a whistle. Three more followed that one and then peace and quietness reigned.

As soon as it was dark we started off for the line and a rotten trip it was too. It was my first time in as a signaller and there was a good load to be carried. However we got there alright and I went down a deep dugout for the first time. It was a very poor example of it’s kind though, and it was absolutely the windiest home that I had ever been in. On top was a huge crater made by the continuous shelling from both sides. Inside it was propped up by all kinds of rough timbers and was indeed very shaky

I spent a good deal of time outside on that account, and got a good deal of amusement from sniping at Fritzies who were very much in evidence. There was an open patch in full view from us, where they used to pass very frequently with stretchers and any number of Red Cross flags. When we had got a good pair of glasses and made sure that they were carrying ammunition, we had no compunction in making it very hot for them.

On the first night in, the Jocks on our flank hopped over to take a cross roads, and the flare display given by the Hun was absolutely the best fireworks display that I have ever seen. We had plenty to keep our minds occupied while in, and wanted it too for it was a rotten ‘possie’. The trench was very nearly obliterated, and we casualties every time he did any shelling. Who did the most shelling it is very hard to say, but both sides seemed to be always busy with their artillery.

One day during a heavy bombardment by Fritz Mr Waite and I passed a very good hour or so in studying the mechanism of Hun rifles and various kinds of bombs. Though it seems rather a prevarication, we quite forgot that there was a bombardment on.

There was also the day when we had a 24 hours battle over a souvenir. In front of one of our bombing posts there was a big crater with several defunct Hun in it. The Adjutant, Quack, our O.C. and Mr Waite were very keen on souveniring them and at last the latter took the risk and hopped over. On looking over the other side he naturally got rather a shock to see that Fritz had a bombing post there, and he soon knew it was occupied too.

He came back at the ‘toot’ followed by dozens of ‘broomstick’ bombs. He retaliated with a dozen or so of Millsies. Fritz then gave us some pineapples, which was answered by Captn. Ramsay with several rounds from the Stokes, giving one Hun a fine rise in life. As he went up about fifty feet he saw things from a very lofty aspect. We then got some of his Minnnies, and had a casualty through it, which set the Captain going. After withdrawing the men from the post he got the 18pdrs. onto it and completely obliterated it.

It was then getting dark so Fritz made an attempt to get out post in exchange, but of course came a ‘gutzer’. That night we had more fire works. During the night the Tommies sent up the S.O.S. three times, drawing fire on us each time. There was no doubt that the Hun knew who to expect most trouble from. That was the first time that we had struck the conscript Tommy, and it did not make us eager to meet him of his kind again.

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After being in for four days we moved out and were very glad to do so. I left with Rutland and Osborne. We started out with two flags each and I had a bag of tucker and another piece of signalling gear. We had just reached ‘Windy Corner’ when the Hun opened up again with a whizzbang barrage and the three `[of] us were thrown down an old dugout by one that burst on the parapet. As the hole was already occupied by a Hun about a week defunct, we were out almost as quickly, but minus two flags and I was without my ration and ‘flapper’.

Round the corner we got mixed up with a working party and a big Tommy ration party. I lost the other two, and had to keep on my own. It had then begun to rain and the ground was very sticky and hard to walk on. I landed into the road at our destination just on daylight and completely fagged out. The others too were minus their flags so that we only had the ’phone. During the afternoon Fritz began shelling again and used the ‘grasscutters’ for the first time. They were first used by us, but he had evidently thought them a good thing, and also too good a thing to be kept. We stayed there for three days and then moved back to Beaulaincourt.

We stayed for one night at Favreuil, and then went on. We were put into tents at Beaulaincourt and as it was then midsummer had a good time. We were not there for long before the ‘two-up kings’ got going, and fortunes were changing hands day and night. I do not know if they ever knocked off, for up to the last thing at night there was always a bright ring of candles and slush lamps alight.

On one night when the Hun came over for an air raid on Bapaume attracted by the light he paid us a visit. We heard him coming and the bugler was just about to blow (lights out’ when he dropped three small bombs. Instead of Putting the candles in the tents out (we all rushed outside with them alight) to see what was doing and to find our tin hats. Evidently he had finished his load though for he dropped no more. It was rather exciting while it lasted though. From then on air raids were the usual thing on both sides.

On another day two chaps, old soldiers too, wanted to boil some water and put a 4-2" dud alongside two bricks for a hob. They had just gone out to pick the dixies up when the shell exploded, luckily giving them nothing more than a good fright.

While we stayed here I did no parades but went into Bapaume each day. My visits were to the dentist, and I found a very good strawberry bed, so having the chit I went in every day and had a good feed. The cows must have gone on strike though for cream was unobtainable. I came a ‘gutzer’ though in the end for decided to go on parades just as they started giving us long route marches. I did a good deal of touring around while there, and got some good sketches of the ruined churches in the different villages. After having a good rest there we moved back again, this time into billets and civilisation, such as it is here.

We reached Bouzincourt on the 16th of June and saw civilians for the first time since January. I was then sent off to a Sig. school at Warloy, and had a very good time there. Plenty of milk, eggs and other delicacies and fruit, particularly cherries. Considering that the claim put in was for over £5 I did very well indeed. I then went back to the Battalion in time for the move further back still. We went to Mailly first to do some training and put up at an old camp there. While there the Colonel came back and I afterwards got into a bit of trouble for letting him see that we had been given ammo. to carry on our march there. On one of the stunts we set our first Sig. office up in a bed of strawberries and needless to say they could not get any communication from us. We had about a week there and then went to Rubempre.

We got a good billet there and our good time continued. The billet was next to the fowlhouse and the old lady wondered why the fowls were not laying. I was still getting 5frcs. a pay and one cannot starve. Hill had just joined us up and he gave me credit for a splendid knowledge of French, much to my benefit afterwards. He always got me to buy his eggs, milk, and such and always insisted on my getting some for myself.

About this time I found myself getting very poor from the effects of the trench fever etc, and very near broke down altogether. So that when Captn. Ramsay again told me that it would be advisable to go to the Base I did not altogether object. He did not suggest it though till he knew that we were to do a big stunt pretty soon and then he packed me off at the ‘toot’.

I went first to the Field Ambulance, and from there to the C.C.S. at Edgehill. I only stayed there for a night and went to the 5th Gen Hospital at Rouen. I had a good stay there and found everything very satisfactory. The first time that the nurse spoke to me though I was struck speechless, as she was the first English speaking woman I had heard for over nine months. I got on very well and the old nurse in charge tried very hard to get me to Blighty but I was thickheaded and did not ‘compree’ even when I saw her altering my temperature chart. However I do not suppose I am any the worse off for it.

I was there for about two months and then went to the Con. Camp for two weeks and managed to get to the Base before my time. I had heard that the Battalion was going to do the stunt and wanted to go back again. Incidentally I began to wonder whether I would ever get any sense as to try to get to the line was almost incomprehensible, and against the very principles of a soldier

[Page 10]

However after having a good tour around Rouen I left for the Base. I arrived there late at night and in heavy rain. After being passed medically fit at first, though the quack wanted to put me into hospital, I got myself on a draft.

The day before we were to leave though I was put on guard and who should land in the Base but Mr Hill. Naturally he wanted to know what had been going on and when I told him that I was not too good he took me straight off guard and into the orderly room and made me sign a declaration of age. I was then taken off guard and put into the orderly room. From then on I had the most miserable period of my time over here.

Mr Hill was marked P.B. and could not get up the Battalion as he wished, so I did not forget to jib him about it. There was naturally a little excitement on the day when he was orderly officer and could not at first be found. The R.S.M. was in my tent discussing it when he (Mr Hill) found that he could not stay under the table any longer so he had to come out and do his duty. Rather rough on him as he was no soldier.

Just before the Polygon Wood stunt came off he went up with a draft to see the Battalion but they would not let him stay as he wished to do. So he had to come back and moan with me. We both detested the place and the crowd that infested it and would have been glad to get away from it. Eventually he did while I was in hospital.

I got a board out of that and was at first marked P.B. but when the quack saw my age he erased the first classification and altered it. I was of course annoyed as that lot went straight home. However I stayed and had to carry on. As I had told Mr Hill it was going to be a home for any of the Battalion coming through and I did my best to make it so. By faking the states I soon had 75% of the jobs in the place held by 53 rd men. They were company for me and it suited me as they repaid me by looking after me in return. Many a fine meal I had then and was well looked after all around.

Occasional trips into Havre relieved the monotony a little but mostly I had a miserable time. I had seven trips into hospital with the fever which kept recurring and got pretty thin and discontented. In February, just as I was hoping to get away from it all I was sent to the Corps School to be attached there.

During the above period I had had some very rough times but also many good times. Even in the darkest periods there was always something to keep one’s mind occupied and to make the hardships easier to bear. When Mr Hagerty first came into the line, we were having a very bad time but he provided plenty of amusement for us, though quite unconciously. It was very muddy and he managed to keep himself spotless right through. One could not help laughing to see him getting about with a big pickhandle, prodding the ground to find dry spots. And the others got a good laugh at my expense when I got caught between a whizzbang barrage with two dixies of hot tea. (I hung on to the tea though).

Then there was the night that Tom Lucas and I were sent up to Geudecourt with two ‘donks’ loaded with rations and mine got bogged. As it was the first time that I had had anything to do with such animals I was in a bit of a difficulty. The poor donk may be there yet, but the rations got to their destination thanks to other chaps passing the same way.

After Fritz evacuated I struck the same job again, this time to shift HQ across the old No-man’s Land. There were four of us and none had ever had any experience with horses at all, barring me, as above. It was a pitch black night and only that but I knew the place so well from patrolling it so often. My donk got into a trench then and another one got bogged. And the officers’ mess saucepans made the devil of a row. Thank Heaven I never got the same job again.

I do not think anybody laughed much though, when four of us were left in our possie in Blighty Trench while Fritz was shelling it like mad; everybody had got orders to evacuate, but we had missed them. While we were there he only blew five shelters in. It was fortunate that nobody was there. I got knocked down by about half a shellcase that came hurtling over, and a scratch on the face from another piece, and that was as near to being wounded as ever I got. Not to my sorrow either, needless to say.

It was about the same time that the Hun scattered a ration party that was around a truck on the light railway there. An 8" shell landed right on the struck and completely obliterated it, without wounding any of the crowd that were around it. Something similar happened one night out on patrol. Fritz saw us against the snow and dropped a 5-9" into the middle of us out in the middle of No-man’s land. For such accuracy I suppose the gunner deserved better luck, but I am most thankful that he did not get it.

Well I think that I have said enough of that time and will go on with the yarn from the time I got to the Base.

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I left the Base with six others for the same destination, the Corps School which was then at Aveluy. Owing to the rotten memories which I had of that part of the Somme I did not view the prospect with a great deal of pleasure.

After a tiresome and uneventful train trip we got out at Albert and walked to the School. The town was then looking pretty good as a good deal had been done towards rebuilding the ruined premises. After a long walk we arrived at our destination and found that the School was to move within a few days to the St. Omer district. Of course there was plenty of work to be done and we had far from a good.

we were attached to the Engineers and were expected to be rough carpenters and also to know something about a few other trades as well. I was indeed a rough (in fact a very rough) carpenter but seemed to prove satisfactiry [sic] We were there about five days before we started on the move. The party that I was with were put onto loading lorries and then changing the load onto the train. It was far from light and I did as little as possible.

The journey lasted two days altogether, the route being by Achiet le Grand, Arras, Bethune, St Pol to Esquelebech, where after spending the night in the truck we changed to the light railway and went to Bolzeele. From there we were marched to Merckeghem, the site of the new school. For a week I was then very engaged in helping to erect Nissen huts. At Bernafay I used to think them very convenient and simply arranged. Needless to say I now learned differently. I had only one uniform, and that was the good one that I had brought from Havre, and as that was also my working suit it was soon in a disgraceful state indeed. And I must have looked a picture covered with paint and tar, doing very little but giving instructions to those who at least should have been in charge. Anyhow two days later I was put in charge of a squad to erect them without the advice of the Engineers.

I got a great surprise one day then, to see Nick Carter arrive. After I had left the Base to go, presumably, to the 2nd A.G.H. he had decided to follow on. And like me he had been sent to the School, all the time thinking how fortunate I was to be at the Hospital. Just as I met him a runner came along from the orderly room to take me up there. Naturally I wondered what was wrong, particularly as I had noticed the C.O. giving me a good ‘screw’ on several occasions. However I went up and was surprised to see that the Sergeant had a huge sheaf of papers all relating to me.

As I had then no idea of what was going to happen and knew that they were not the papers I had brought with me I got the wind up right away. Instead, I was told that the Colonel had noticed me and was putting me in the best job available at the time:– Officers’ Mess caterer. He considered that ‘navvying’ was no good to me. Perhaps he had decided to put me where I might do a bit more work to earn my pay. The new job was certainly more satisfactory on account of the good food, and easier work, though it meant long hours.

The day after I had been put in there, the C.O. came around looking for me but I was out. He asked the cooks and waiters whether I liked the work and if I had too much to do or not. So when I came back I thought that he must be taking me for somebody he knew, and I quickly decided to keep well out of his way. If he had found I was not the chap he took me for, he would naturally lose all interest in me. He came again the next day, and I was again out (outside the back door) and took some of my usual work off my hands and gave it to the others to do. How I managed to keep out of his way for the following few weeks I do not quite know but he never lost his interest in me and my doings.

Carter and I were then going to get our leave together, when he got a cable announcing the death of his father in England, and went over right away. I got mine then the next day and went off. I had a good trip across and went to Shooters Hill. The general topic of the news then was the expected German offensive. I quite thought that he might get a bit of headway but certainly never credited the seeming huge success I read of a few days after I got to England.

Around Shooters Hill there were several Tommy Brigadiers and Colonels whom Mrs Butcher had introduced me to and I used to sit in their various office and discuss the situation with them. As they had never been to France there was nothing irregular about it for I had been over most of the ground that Fritz was getting so easily, and so knew a little about the situation. And when I surmised that he would make a push up North later on they thought that I must know something and one wanted me to write articles for him to send to the paper

Thank Heavens I knew nothing then of the despicable part played by the Tommies under the influence of their rotten officers then, for I would certainly have been put under arrest for disloyalty. The situation certainly looked very black till I saw the news that Foch had been put in supreme command. Haig and his hammer blows had never been less popular than with me, though I had never had any part in them.

As I expected the School had been disbanded when I got back but it was a surprise to learn that even then the Colonel had not forgotten me He had left word that I was to go to Corps H.Q. to see a Major Churchill about a position there with him. With a lot of kidding I got the staff-sergeant to let Nick come with me, and after a few days we started off for Caestre with a Sergeant from the Gas School.

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We went into Watten to get the train, and got into Hazebrouck just as it was getting dark. And it was not without excitement either. Huge rubber gun gazumps were falling all over the town and along the railway track and there was a very f[i]erce bombardment going on up the line. The most of the civilians had evacuated and we could not get much information as to the best way to get to our destination.

As it was not very far we decided to walk and get settled down for the night there. After we had gone about six kilometres though and seemed right off the track we tried to get a home for the night. After being turned down several times though we carried on. After a while we got to Borre, passing crowds of refugees on the way and made enquiries at a house there. Two girls who spoke excellent English gave us directions to the R.O.D. Camp outside the village and we went on again.

Before long we got lost again, and passed lots of Portugese who told us that Fritz had broken through them. As it was about fifteen miles from the line they had got back at a good pace. However we got to the camp and they gave us a bed for the night, and a meal. Fritz had then begun to shell the lines and camp so we did not get much sleep. About 2 a.m. a big one dropped between the two huts next to ours but luckily they were empty. The huts were completely flattened out and we did not go free from it’s [sic] effect.

At daylight we moved on and reached the camp at Caestre about dinner time. There was great excitement in the camp, and refugees in thousands were coming back from the forward villages. And a pitiable sight it was. And then I got my first sight of the Tommies at their worst. Their officers’ conduct was disgracefull and there certainly was no excuse for them as in the case of their men who had been taught to look to them for guidance. They were streaming back in thousands too and their sole desire was to get away because ‘Jerry’s coomin choom’. It never seemed to occur that he could be stopped.

The Aussies had just been taken down to the Somme then. The refugees saw the Aussie camp full and stayed in Caestre, till the next day when most of them were shifted down to the Somme. Immediately the people packed up and could not get away quick enough. I was up at Kemmel with a couple of pals out of the Battalion when the camp shifted and as I did not wish to be kept for the Working Battalion that was being formed, Nick and I moved off on our own and decided to go down to the Somme. After what I had seen, and heard from my pal I wanted to go back to the Battalion but Carter was not in favour of that so we decided to go to Vignacourt to look for the Major we were seeking.

As there was nothing doing at Vignacourt we went to Pernois where the Reinforcement Camp was to be started. I stayed there for a week and then got tired of it so left on my own to go to the Battn. which I had heard was in front of Corbie. At Villers Bacage though, I was pulled up by M.Ps and as I had no authority for being there was sent back. However I got some news of the Battalion there and it was not very bright either. I got back to Pernois and found Nick still there so we hung around for a bit longer.

During our stay here we were both very well looked after by a Froggie who fed us up on eggs, pork chops and chips all the time. She had been going to evacuate with several others when they heard of the Aussies arriving and decided right away to stay.

After another week or so we both got tired of things in general and decided to go somewhere or do something. The After a while we made up our minds to go to the 2 A.G.H. and Nick went to the C.O. of the camp and told him some yarn or other and he sent us off the next morning.

We went to Canaples for the train and got into the first one going out. Instead of going to Boulogne though, it pulled into Amiens almost before we knew it. We got out there to have a look around when Fritz woke up and began to shell the town, and also to bomb it. After a lot of trouble we found the R.T.O’s assistant and got some directions from him. We only had ten miles to walk to get a train to our destination. A very bright prospect indeed.

As it was not too comfortable in the town we thought it best to make for Saleux. We were lucky enough to pick up a motor, lorry that was going along at top and walking was not quick enough for our liking we stopped him and got a ride the whole of the way.

The station was crowded with refugees and their belongings and it took us some time to find which train to get. Eventually we got a train to a place called Romescamps somewhere out of the usual track of our troops. It took us about five hours to go there and on arrival found it to be a big railway depot. We put up there for the night and then made way to Abbeville by another train. It took us a day to get there and we put up at another rest camp for the night. Then we left there and arrived at Boulogne completely done up and looking it too. After a wash and clean up we had a look around the town and got a room for the night, spending our last francs in getting it too.

The next morning we went out to the Hospital and reported. The note that we brought with us caused a bit of amusement and we looked rather like being taken as a joke, than otherwise. The C.O. however seemed a good old sport and attached us pending inquiries to the Records off[ice.]

For the first few days I was put onto the dinkum Kiwi lancer job. That was to go around with a nail in the end of a stick and pick up papers. As that did not coincide with my ideas of AMC work I threw it in and applied to be sent to the Base. A fortnight later I got away and went to Havre.

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Again I had company for the trip, a chap on the Official Photographer’s staff. As we found out that our train did not leave till 1 a.m. we had to hang around the town for the night. As we had plenty of money then we went to one or two shows to pass the time and at last went down to the station with about 12 francs left between us.

We got into the train with a few young RNAS officers and a Tommy officer who seemed very decent. En route we discovered that we were in the Paris express. We had a good trip, at least comfortable, in a 1st class carriage and good company.

When we reached Abancourt, the place we were to change at for Rouen, we found that we were only 5 hours journey from Paris. As I had been done out of Paris leave by Fritz pushing I thought it a good idea to go there and have a look at it at least. I knew that it was necessary to go through part of the town to go to the other station; my mate though did not favour the idea as we had no money or rather very little. However I managed to persuade him as it would save three days travelling without rations, and we carried on.

I said 5 hours just now, but it took us every bit of ten, and we got there late in the afternoon. The M.P. on the station was very genial, a most uncommon thing for that tribe, and he told us where to get a meal and where to get our train to Havre.

We had a very good meal and a wash at a buffet on the station which took up four of our few francs. We then started out to have a look around. It was a good time too, as the big shops were just closing and all of the people coming out for their evening walk. We tried very hard to find the pay office but came a ‘gutzer’. However we managed to get a bed for the night at the Leave Club and had enough to get two meals the next day, leaving about 11 p.m.

During our stay, short though it was we saw quite a good deal of the place. The people in many cases took us for Americans and when we told them Australians, they shook hands and wanted to embrace and kiss us in some cases. On many occasions I have ‘done as Rome does’ but thought it time to draw the line in there. Many insisted on us having drinks and after I had had about forty aerated cordials – well it might have been better to get ‘blotto’ on something else.

We had a look at the Place du Concorde by night and it was indeed a grand sight. It was raining heavily and the lights all extinguished on account of air raids, and when we got out of the tube station, we turned around and could not find our way in again. By day though it was a fine place.. Most of the big monuments were sandbagged over & so we could not see much of them. Well eventually the time came around for us to go and off we went.

The two of us got into a 1st class carriage again and made ourselves quite comfortable, one on each seat; with a blanket and a magazine to read we ‘were set’. At Rouen a Tommy officer came along and asked if there was ‘roam in hyah’. We invited him in and told himself to make himself as cosy as possible. The other chap then asked him to buy his watch. In spite of his surprise he was a sport and gave him some cash for it so we got out and had a look round Rouen again.

When we got to the Base I tried to get to the Infantry Base but when I was told to go to the General base I did not mind so much as Mr Purves was there as Adjutant and would fix me up. A few days later I got to the other camp and got fixed up for a draft. Old ‘Daddy White’ the O.C. though got on to me and wanted me to stay in my old job. And as my time was not yet up and my enthusiasm had begun to wane I was about to accept when a couple of my old pals arrived. As they were going back I got away with them.

Perhaps it was hardly the right thing for me to do as I still had a month or more to go, and I knew that all was not well with those at home. However I had always done the job I came away to do to the best of my ability & the more I saw of the crowd of rotters at the Base the more I wished to get back to my mates. There were not many of them left though, and although I had kept in touch with many of them I would be almost a stranger. That did not make much difference though as I had always managed to get along O.K.

I left Havre with Tommy Robson and a few others with whom I had been through the various phases of life over here. We had the usual tiresome train journey up. The usual attempts to make tea, though by this time we had all become experts at it more or less.

On arrival at Pernois we were put into the Reinforcement Camp where one could have a very unpleasant time. I made for my old friend there and she got me a feed of steak and chips. After a few days there during which time I did as little parade as possible we left for the Bn. It was a long march of about 20 kms. but we stayed for one night at a staging camp near Flesselles. On our way through there, the people who a year or more before had locked their wells up could not do enough for us.

When we reached the battalion they were camped just outside a village named Querrieu on the Albert-Amiens road. I found that I knew a lot more fellows than I had expected. Amongst those gone was Hill who I had kept at the base as long as possible because he had always felt that the next trip in the line would be his last.

It was good weather and we were camped in a copse. I got in a shelter with a few old pals who had got through O.K. There was plenty of swimming done in the river close by and we had a very good time.

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Mr Hill soon got on to me though for coming back so soon and as he remembered that I spoke German (from the night that the Hun nearly got us) and there was a German school opening then he had me sent off to that wi[t]h a view to having me put on Headquarters.

I left the Battalion then and met four others at Bde. HQ. and from there we went to Div. Hqrs. It was a surprise for two of us who had gone to Fort street to find that one of our old teachers was instructor. We had a good four days there and I found that I had not forgotten nearly as much as I had thought. We then went back to the battalion and got ready to go up to the line.

During this time I had been wondering what shellfire would be like after being away from it for so long. We had a long march up to Franvillers where we took over a trench system from the 22nd Battalion who gave us some news of the sector that we were to go to. We spent a fortnight there and I did very little. There were some fatigues to be done but as I was going to the other battalions to keep up my German I got out of them.

At the last we got word of a stunt to be done by "D" Coy. and I was picked to go as a bit of a rough interpreter. My report then arrived from Division and as it was a good one the I.O. wanted to get me on HQ, and Captain Lindsay wanted to keep me in the Coy. The latter suited me and I did all I could to stay there, but it got to the Colonel eventually and I had no say in the matter. It meant the finish of me for the stunt which pleased Mr Hill more than it did myself.

I soon found that being on HQ was pretty good but it meant the breaking of the old friendships I had made to a certain extent. As they were a good lot that I got amongst though it made little difference after a while.

Nothing much happened while we were at Franvillers except that towards the last Fritz began to shell the place and livened things up a bit. We woke up one night very suddenly to find a lot of dirt and shell fragments raining down on our canvas roof. When we got up there was a big dent in the ground about ten feet in front of our possie. As it had no effect on me I felt quite confident again about standing the strain of shellfire.

It was rather a long and wearisome march to the line though I travelled as light as possible. We took over from the 8th Bde. ‘Tivey’s Chocs’ & a fine state things were in. The trenches were left anyhow and the Hun did just as he liked. After we had our O.P. going for a few days though things changed for the better.

There was one pet sniper though who could enfilade our trench, and gave us a very nasty time. It took us some time to discover his whereabouts too, but eventually we got him. Then in order to do any observing one had to keep a lookout with a periscope while the other did the looking around. While in that part of the line we had some good sport in making the Hun keep his head down. There is nothing so exhilirating as to see our 18 pdrs. or bigger guns chasing the stray Fritzes showing on the landscape.

When one chap lost the periscope though it was a bit awkward. I had the telescope shot out of my hand once so changed the post. I moved up alongside the artillery officer, and had not been there for long before some smart Hun saw the glint of the officer’s field glasses and got onto us with pineapples and whizzbangs. I then evacuated for a possie further back, according to plan and orders received; I had barely got set up there when I heard something big coming in my direction and ducked for the bottom of the trech saying my prayers as I did so, just as a 5-9" lobbed about ten yards beyond me. In less than a second I had made up my mind to stay till another came rather than to shift and run into one. The next landed some distance away as the first was only a rangefinder. It was not the most comfortable post I have had all the same as it was in the line of fire the whole time.

Just before the 4th July when we were to do our stunt, a chap was lost off the patrol and so our show was put off. The others on both flanks though carried on and it was some show. Fritz put all kinds of shells on our sector, frightened of a later stunt, but the chaps in the front line said they would have it every morning as they enjoyed the fireworks.

I had one very windy night on the Gas post. He started putting gas shells around and as I had forgotten what gas was like, I put my helmet on and chanced it. Then as I could not hear them coming I took it off to find one on the bank alongside me smoking a treat. I shifted at the ‘toot’ and for the next 12 hours worried as to whether I was gassed or not. Nothing came of it though luckily.

After being there for about a fortnight we shifted to the next sector and had a week in supports, then went into the line only to be taken out again to prepare for a stunt. We came in for a good deal of abuse from the other battalions & could not give any excuses as we did not know till the night before it came off, what was doing. Well now for a bit of a description of the stunt.

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Our tame Hun and myself were told off to go up to the battle Headquarte[rs] as interrogators, and the rest of the ‘Brains’ were to stay on the O.P. till after the stunt, when they were to go to the new line and form a new post.

The two of us landed up in Mad Minute about dusk and began to prepare a possie for the night. After scratching in the dirt for a while we found that Claude Lineham and his party would be vacating their little hole so we took that over and made a home of that. When it was finished it certainly would not keep an 8" shell out but they did not often land at the bottom of a 20 ft bank so we felt pretty safe.

‘Ignorance is bliss" is not a new saying but it is true. The night passed without much of importance happening. Both sides were pretty quiet. We, or rather I, did not sleep much as I wished to hear the barrage go over. And at 1 o’clock sharp it started. Being only a minor stunt there was no exceptional concentration of artillery but it was certainly ‘some hit’. It had barely started, though, when Fritz opened up with heavy stuff. He began on the trench mortars about 100 yds from our possie, but soon switched round. Cocoa Joe’s stall got it very hot.

It was then that we realised that shells do all sorts of funny things. Perhaps these may have been minnies, but anyhow, they were just sliding over the top of that bank and landing about ten feet in front of our humpy. Needless to say it shook a bit and perhaps I did too.

Anyhow after standing it for a few minutes I went outside to see what was happening, and got into the very small passage way into the Headquarters dugout. It was decidedly less use as a shelter than our hole, but I like to see what is doing rather than to think that all kinds of things are happening. And I had company too as there were two artillery signallers there and Mr Ridley and Mr Shearwood for most of the time. The only real danger was from a piece falling onto us, and I got hits from several but no damage resulted. The chaps that I pitied most were the guards who were perched in a very precarious position on top of the bank.

Bill Boyd, one of them got a knock on the arm and the two officers took him up to the A.M.C. and very nearly got knocked coming back.

After being very warm for about an hour or more the prisoners began to come in and Fritz eased off. He was busy taking his guns back I think from Malard Wood as the stunt was going very successfully and swiftly. I did nothing with regard to interrogating the prisoners, and so had yarns with them outside. They all seemed very tame, and all were glad that they were finished with the war. The last of them soon arrived so I had to take their papers and guide them back to Headquarters. As Bill Boyd also went out with us and wanted a wallet to take to Blighty with him I fished one out of the bag in front of the crowd but they did not seem to mind so I took one for myself too.

I got back again to the forward line without any mishap but you may be sure that I lost no time in recrossing the Mad Minute. Just after I got there though he opened up again and gave us another hot hour or so. Three stray Huns had just arrived and two of them were severely wounded by thier own shells. One could not help noticing that after coming through our barrage they did not seem to be troubled by their own stuff, and that is quite bad enough for me.

I then came out again to escort a couple of Hun carrying one that had been wounded. They seemed very decent fellows and certainly were glad to be prisoners. One who was from Hanover reckoned that he was English and would have fought for our King. One had 3 brothers in the American army.

The night after the stunt we were relieved by the Tommies and did not like it either. A sergeant of theirs said as they were going in ‘You Orsies havn’t half got the wind up Jerry, but as soon as he knows we are here he will push us right back’. Naturally we were in no way surprised when we heard that he had pushed them back, capturing nealy a company and gaining more ground than he had lost to us. And the Tommies were 3 times as strong as we were. I still blame their officers for the greater part though.

We then went to a place near Corbie and got lorries for Vaux en Amiennois. We arrived there about 8 o’clock and got settled in our billets. It seemed a very decent kind of place and we were quite satisfied with it. Of course we were expecting a long stay there.

The next morning though the Battalion went up to the Tankodrome to do a mock stunt with tanks, and to view a demonstration given by the latest type. It was very interesting but it put the wind up us a bit about another stunt likely to come off very soon. As we had been in the line already for so long though, we felt pretty safe. But gutzers again were the order of the day. After being in Vaux for a few days we were again shifted.

It was late in the afternoon when we started and had about 20 kms. to do to get to our old camp near Querrieu. It was a rather long march and done at a great pace. At Querrieu Mr Shearwood took the ‘Brains’ in and gave us the ‘guts’ of the thing. On the night of the 7th August then, we moved forward again to Villers Brettonneux, to follow up the attacking troops. Though we had had rather a rough spin during the preceding few months we all, I think, wanted to get in the front part of the show. It was just what the whole Aussie army had been witing for, a stunt with no limited objective. The Heads evidently knew it too for the Aussies were put in the centre and had very near the hardest to do.

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We stayed near Corbie till the barrage started, then we began to advance. The trip to our starting point was not without it’s excitement. Fritz planes were very busy and at one halt, when the troops were all smoking, he came in our direction at a great pace. But nothing extraordinary happened.

We stayed on the right of the village of Villers Brettonneux for a few hours, and moved on again. We knew that it was going successfully as there were no enemy guns firing, and that was a great comfort to us too. Our big guns had been brought right up under the Huns’ noses on the night before so they had no need to move forward then.

There were crowds of prisoners everywhere, and the troops spent a good deal of time in souveniring them. All of the prisoners were sure that they had lost the war, and that we would go right on to Berlin.

Just before we moved off, there was a little excitement. We were all sitting about talking, when there was a terrific explosion just behind us. A big shell of a new ‘toute suite’ variety had landed about 20 yards off. There had been absolutely no sound of it’s approach at all. Naturally we all had the wind up about some more coming unannounced, but the next went further off and we heard the report of the gun first, then the shell hurtling overhead. They were fired [at] long intervals and all over the country. So we knew that he had one gun still.

We moved from there to a ravine on the right of Warfusee Abancourt and stayed there for dinner. Then we wnt onto a position near Bayonvillers. We got good shelters there, just vacated by the Hun. From priso[n]ers and wounded we go[t] news of the Hun canteens captured, Red Cross trains, 11" guns etc. Later we a[lso] heard of the box of new Iron Crosses captured in a big village further ahead.

While here I tried to see the 2nd Battalion but had no luck. We stayed there for a night and then went back to Thilloy near Corbie. Just before we moved, a squadron or two of Hun planes came over and gave us a lively half hour or so. At Thilloy we were in a Chateau, but we made ourselves quite comfortable under a tarpaulin out in the grounds.

I’ll tell you the rest later on,
Jim

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1918
8th August stunt
When we got back to Vaux en Amiennois, & particularly after having been taken back in motor lorries, we felt sure that the ‘Heads’ were at last going to recognise our wishes for a good spell back from the line.

The fact that the furphy kings were again busy after a day spent in peace and bliss did not alarm anyone, but when orders were given to attend lectures at the Tankodrome, and to practise stunts in co-operation with Tanks, well, – what could one think? Even the nucleus of "Tivey’s Chocs" were sure of the impending stunt, but according to their story, they were to take a decent part. Naturally we refused to believe that such a thing could be possible.

After a few days, though, our doubts were confirmed. I knew sooner than most that something was going to happen for Martin M– was brought back from a holiday under escort and rather merry, and being brought before the C.O. was fined seven days pay, and promoted to corporal.

The battalion received five minutes notice to pack up, cover tin lids with sandbag, and get ready for a ramble up to Querrieu, where we had rested before going in to Morlancourt

[Page 18]

It was dusk when we started out and what a march it was. The pace was pretty hot but the companies continued calling on us to buck up, so everybody must have felt pretty fit. On arrival at our old camp site we made ourselves comfortable and got a good sleep, not worried by trying to glimpse into what the next night might hold.

During the morning Mr Shearwood had all of us in the ‘brainy’ crowd up at his tent to explain the situation. Generally it was as follows. –
"At 6 am on the 8th, all of the Aussies with 1 English Div on the north of the Somme, 4 Divisions of Canadians on our right who were protected by a couple of French Divs on their flank, were to attack on a front of about 40 miles, with an objective of 10 to 12 miles."

I wondered, and found the others were of the same mind, who had stuck a pin in some of the Higher Command and taught them the proper way to run a war. At last we were to have our long held wish. One could not help feeling jubilant at the prospect of at last getting Fritz on the run, and the haul

[Page 19]

of souvenirs likely to be obtained.

After collecting another set of iron rations, sandbags, and other useless odds & ends, we set out at about 2 a.m. to go to our assembly position near Daours. We got there without much excitement, and it was not long before the fun started. During the night the heavy guns had been moved right up to the then front line, and when they opened up it was some noise. The main barrage was entirely of 9.2" stuff; shells that make more noise than Christmas crackers.

It was an ideal morning for the stunt, a good mist which would clear very quickly when the sun rose. By that time the troops would be well amongst the guns though and so the most difficult parts of the job would be completed.

At half an hour after ‘zero hour’ we moved forward to take up a position in some trenches to the left of Villers Brettoneux En route we passed amongst the guns and we were naturally pleased on being told that the 9.2"s were then firing at their extreme range, about 11 miles. And it was also a pleasure to see that Fritz was not retaliating. For the

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first time in the war I think, the reserve troops were able to have an enjoyable time, and were jealous of the battalions in front who were having the pleasure of rambling over the pleasant green country with practically no danger from Fritz, and the delightful pastime of souveniring canteens, Div HQrs etc.

As usual Tivey’s crowd came in for the good things. Several well stocked canteens came in their way, and at one HQ, a box of new Iron Crosses were found. We had got settled down and were all passing the time in various ways when there was a fearful crash in the near vicinity, and causing a wild scramble for shelter to avoid flying pieces of what seemed a 10 ton shell. There was absolutely no sound of it’s approach, and it had only fallen 10 yards behind our possies.

Well we could only hope that it was either one of those freak guns that need re-boring after each shot or else that the gunners would choose a different target. At intervals of 10 minutes though, the same thing was twice repeated. No warning whizz –, just a vile crash! as it burst. After another 10 mins. though we heard the report of the gun first

[Written vertically in left-had margin:]
(practically no concussion from its burst)

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immediately followed by a sound like a tank hurtling across overhead at the speed of the PLM Express. That one burst about 800 yds to the rear, so that we were able to sit up & take note of its peculiarities. It continued firing at the same intervals, searching the whole area, for an hour or more, when I suppose it was captured, or moved away. during the day.

Before that came about long we had moved up to Bayonvillers, resting en route in a gully near Dog Wood. At Bayonvillers the companies took up their positions in the line [blank], in case of eventualities. We were in a hollow on the left of the village where some of us rigged up decent shelters. On arrival, the village was visited by numerous souvenir hunters but there was not much doing.

A book describing the exploits of the "Wolff" was very interesting. Amongst other items it confirmed our rumour that it’s seaplane had flown over Sydney, and described the Aussies taken off the "Matunga" as Portugese. In the photo shewn, they all looked well and. I found a volume of Shakespeare’s works, well annotated and fingermarked; by some ardent admirer of that bard, I suppose.

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We stayed there till the next afternoon when we marched back to Foulloy, near Corbie. Very little happened during the morning. Three small bombs were dropped by a plane, killing a chap in the Artillery.

The 15th Bde had a captured motor lorry filled with orderly room gear, which was very attractive to our little coterie – "The men of the Intelligence section" (not necessarily intelligent ourselves). Several attempts to souvenir stationery, books, etc were frustrated by some 60th Bn chap who had a very sharp eye on it and it’s contents. One of our chaps, a motor mechanic, got it going after a good deal of trouble, but to our annoyance the owners would not allow him to take it out of sight. And then I came a thud in trying to get away with a Zeizz range finder belonging to the 55th Bn ‘brains’ (I.O.). So that it was a very poor day indeed.

Just before we marched back we had the pleasure of at last seeing the ground lost by the ‘Woodies’ after they had relieved us, regained, making it possible to command the open country from the bend in the Somme almost up to Peronne.

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Marching back through Lamotte en Santerre and Warfusee-Abancourt we saw any quantity of evidence of our artillery’s destructive ability. We also came unpleasantly close to testing the same quality of the Hun’s too. He re-opened fire with his freak 12" popgun and was doing his best to hit the road. Fortunately he was 100 yds to the left, but on changing after two shots, they went about 200 yds to the right. After three more there, though, we were glad that we were turned off the road, for one landed right on it.

On landing at our destination four of us made a tent in the garden of our chateau home and freshened up a bit. Others did well by collecting beds & bedding from the ruined houses.

And so our picnic had finished. Conversation with various prisoners, the success of the attack and the result, convinced me that the war was indeed on the last lap. The first French stand down south had already shewn me that our side was going to win eventually, in spite of the German attack. If Aussie had a few more divisions here we

[Page 24]

could gradually have so annoyed Fritz by our elastic tactics and almost omnipresence ; north of the Lys that he would have asked for Peace, but, as it was, with the French preference of making the enemy fight rather than living to fight him another day, a victory was assured. (That is not meant to be funny, but, north of the Lys, the Aussies set the pace, and without them the finish would not have been so close), or a victory so assured for our side.

[Page 25]

Apres 8me Auot.
At Fouilloy there were several parades for inspection of iron rations, sandbags, bombs etc but though I had none of any either article I was lucky; Some had to pay their 10d etc for deficiencies. – the fortune of war.

Very little of any event happened while there. Air raids were more than nightly occurrences but I never knew of anything that happened after 9.30 pm. Such is the sleep of the innocent – (is it?)

Just when we were comfortably settled again, along came more sudden orders – and they were not for that chimera "Corps Relief" but for another stunt. Our brigade had to march 18 kms to Caix, wait there for a night and go over to take Lihons, a deed the Canadians were finding beyond their power to do. The march there was anything but a picnic.

En route we passed bunches of Huns kept at work behind the line in spite of repeated guarantees to the Germans that such was not done. it certainly never was done by the Australians. Thank Heaven we did not pretend to be so innocent as to point the finger of scorn at Fritz! The villages we passed through were all ruined by our artillery and everywhere were

[Page 26]

dumps, large & small, of all kinds of war material.

We landed at our assembly point at last and tried to make ourselves comfortable for the night. The first thing to be done was to sew an oblong patch of yellow on our backs. Perhaps that was evidence Why, we do not know! Our expectations of the morning show were dashed – perhaps not to our sorrow either – for the Canadian GOC refused to let anyone else do his units’ work. What a pity some Tommy heads are not of the same strain.

We stayed there two nights then, before embarking on our long & tiresome search for a fight. From there we marched across country one dark night to the ravine of Cerisy, near Susan Wood. The march was not very exciting as we struck no shelling but when we rested alongside the road, and our 6" hows opened up amongst us it was not too pleasant.

When we reached our destination it was to find that the 60th Bn had taken all of the possies, so we had to scratch in wherever it was possible. As I was feeling far from energetic I was not altogether sorry when we moved up towards Proyart, to take up positions in a trench line there, the next

[Page 27]

day. The fact that two of the battalions had to relieve the Tommies in the front line because they had the wind up about gas, was not fair though.

Three days later we went back again to the Hamel Ravine, while the 1st Div came in to relieve us and do a stunt. Again a move was welcome for the field guns had just been put behind the trench, easily seen by Fritz, & paid unwelcome attention by him.

A thing happened then that caused me a good deal of heart self reproach. While waiting to fall in several others & myself went into our dugout to play a game of crib to pass the time. I got tired of looking on so laid down behind them and went to sleep. How long afterwards it was when I awoke I have no idea but the place was empty so I grabbed my equipment & rifle, rushed upstairs & was just in time to hear my name called. On reporting I was asked to explain things. I then discovered that they had fallen in half an hour previously, the others evidently not seeing me asleep in their hurry. Then while seeking me Fritz opened up and nearly got the whole of HQ personnel. Thanks be to God none were harmed, but I shall never forget what might have

[Page 28]

happened.

The possies at the next place were better and so I had a good sleep there and thought my unfortunate failing was done with. The day was very hot and I had enjoyed a good swim in on of the pools off the Somme, at Morcourt. But misfortune came along, in the shape of a Hun shell, killing 5 of one bathing party. At about midnight I woke again and found the battalion fallen in, and was informed by my pals that they had been trying to wake me for nearly ½ hr.

I was soon ready, after a very quick packup and we moved back to the old positions near Proyart. x [Insertion (faint), written in left-hand margin:] Defective shells. Amongst us.

The 1st Div stunt was a great success and prisoners were being brought back in great numbers. A doctor (German) asked me if we still had 11 Divs on the Somme as well as the 3 up north. I soon gave up hope of convincing him of our actual numbers, and that the 3 Divs from the north were their captors – the 1st Div.

For the next week life here was rather uneventful. Our I.O. told us of a proposed general advance, by Foch’s orders, from the Channel to Switzerland which we all thought a splendid idea. The Tommies then on our flanks would only guarantee 1000 yds advance – and we were

[Page 29]

prepared to take Peronne, which was about 10 miles off. Why hadn’t we the 14 Divs that Fritz gave us credit for and be hanged to the Tommies, or at least their heads. commanders. However the whole scheme was abandoned, which was perhaps just as well.

On the 29th of August we packed up again and advanced by St Martin’s Wood, across country to Assevillers where we rested for a while before going on to a gulley near Barleux where we stayed in the open for the night. Here we learnt that the 8th Bde had crossed the river but had been obliged to retire again, partly on a/c of our own artillery.

Our night was by no means pleasant. Shells of all kinds were falling into Barleux and sweeping all over our gulley. 4’.2"s were falling all night on the road along which we were lying, and not 20 yds off. How we escaped I cannot imagine but the shells were of the kind we struck going up to Proyart. I remember there was one big thumper falling behind us all night at intervals of 2 min. That, I think, coming so regularly helped to lull me to sleep for a while.

With no feelings of regret we moved back a bit the next morning and went into some blank trenches in front of Foullicourt near a chalk quarry. I do not know why but at last we

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all seemed to realise that our long looked for fight was to be bought.

While here I met the chap I who had been so good to me on my first leave in London, and as he was broke I was able to repay him somewhat properly for his kindness.

Nothing much happened during the night, though three huge thumpers dropped almost on us, causing a big strategic retirement to the quarry.

Early in the morning of the 3 I went with Lt Gale to the 15th Bde Hqrs near Biaches to get information on the positions around Peronne, and to find out any progress they had made. Summing things up, I concluded that there was to be a big attack on that town, and after learning that it was quite impossible for the 15th Bde to cross from the South, that someone would push on the north. Well we were the only spare troops around, so our fight was assured.

Then, Fritz was putting a very heavy bombardment on the top of Mount St Quentin which was reported as held by the 2nd Div. but they were in a very bad position. Fritz was more or less succeeding in getting troops along the lowland on the north of the town and had them more or less surrounded.

[Page 31]

It was then obvious that our Bde would have to push across that ground, first crossing the river to the East, while the 3rd Div advanced to the north of Mt St Quentin, and the 15th Bde would push across the Causeway. Such was the scheme that was announced to the batta company commanders later that night, & from the outset all realised what a difficult task it was. The town was practically surrounded by wide swamps & the rivers Somme & Cologne, with elaborate branch systems & barbed wire entanglements behind them [insertion written vertically in left-hand margin:] and High hills to the rear with artillery positions & direct observation on all crossings.

Well No wonder that it had proved such an effective barrier before the Hun retreat of 1917.

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1918

On the 31st of August at about 5 pm we arrived at the cross roads above Clery – or rather its ruins – after marching umpteen miles under a searching shell fire. Everything shewed only too well the signs of the hard fighting found necessary by the 2nd Div, before they were able to wrest it from the hands of the Hun’s picked regiments: and making their approach to Peronne and its watch tower – Mont St Quentin – possible. The query – ‘What are we here for?’ naturally rose in each mind but all had decided that at last we had bought the fight we had been seeking for ever since the Canadian Command had refused us the staging rights at Lihons.

On turning into our route, in a steeply sloping road, my mate and I both remarked that the light shells could not reach us but that the heavy howitzers would come, lower down. (We were not in the Intelligence Section for nothing!) Sure enough we did get them and only by keeping on at the same rate without any rushing did we do it safely. As the whole battalion had to come through the heavy fire laid on the spot and all were rather worn from the march and the earlier fire, the total casualties of three were very light.

Of course we were pleased on turning off into a good re-entrant almost immediately afterwards where, on instructions being given, we settled down for a long rest. It promised to be a good spot, with a high bank towards Fritz and, in places, with a rough protection against the backwash.

We were there for barely an hour before we knew differently. One of the other battalions was marching up the road to its assembly point when Fritz opened up on them and we got the dregs: the shells were only 4.2" but as usual they did things not to be expeted of them. They just slid over the top of that bank and lobbed between it and our other line of defence.

However no one was hit and we thought perhaps it was the last of that kind of thing. And we were wrong again. Just before dusk a man was seen on top of a high hill in front of us and in full view of Fritz seemingly signalling. Our Sig. Sgt could make nothing of it so decided to investigate and went up to do so, and found it to be the official photographer taking some good snaps.

Whether Fritz, knowing the gully to be there, took him for an artillery officer taking observations or not I do not know but he made a good guess, for the artillery officers were there, but in the bottom of the hollow and as the Hun began his good work, the guns began coming in.

Within a few minutes the place was full of smoke and flashes, as shells big and little rained in by the score. After our former experience we all sought shelter and I was one of the lucky ones who got into the entrance of the HQ dugout. During occasional lulls the guns could be heard still coming into position and of course the stream of wounded, and list of men and officers killed amongst them was not small.

We soon gave up hope of getting any rations up that night but the noise had barely died down before we got word that the limbers were on the road. With spoken gratitude for the transport personnel, all rushed them in order to get the tucker off before the Hun opened up again and our lot were lucky enough to get the meal finished before the shelling began again, but one of the companies were in the midst of having it served out when they got a salvo into the centre of the crowd and from then on our own casualties were steadily pouring in. As the dugout also contained the R.A.P. we had to shift and seek shelter where we could. However a few of us stayed being able to help in getting the stretchers up and down the steps.

At about 2 am the C.O returned from a conference at Bde HQ and then I found that my surmises as to the job to be done were more or less correct.

At about 4.30 we moved off to go to the assembly point in the hop off line. After the long weary march and the continuous shell fire of the night the men were all about done, and results achieved shew only too well the qualities of the Aussie – the best soldier in the War.

Headquarters went into a maze of old trenches between the swamp and a deep narrow ravine known as the "Lost Ravine". At 5.30 the artillery began and the sound of the heavies going over in plenty was at first cheering

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if nothing else. They had barely started though when Fritz let go with all of his, and they certainly made the dirt fly. Our quarter was very unhealthy and our hopes were not raised much for we knew that if Fritz felt frightened he would have been busy shifting his batteries. And to make matters worse a fine drizzle set in making everything wet and the ground very slippery. For the first time since I had been with HQ I felt thankful.

Just before 6.0 o’clock, which was zero hour, Mr Gale came along to tell us that Mr Shearwood had already been killed in the Ravine and that he was to act as I.O. and that three of us were to go forward with him, follow behind the companies and return with a report of the situation as soon as the objectives were reached. I had laid my equipment down – as we were not going to carry it – and lifted my head as phut!! a couple of shell fragments passed where my head had been and ripped my haversack open smashing my two Mills bombs to pieces. For that I hadn’t time to thank a merciful Providence for we hurried off immediately.

It was good going of course along the ravine but my heart was in my mouth from the time we stepped out of it till we had passed Halle – about two miles it seemed. We hadn’t gone far when we knew that the companies had hopped, and that all the noise of our artillery was caused by the heavy bombardment of Peronne itself, and not by any fire on our sector for there was none there.

We had not gone far before we met a runner who told us that they had got off O.K. but only after a short but severe fight in the jump off line. When they got there Fritz was found in occupation and so had to be sent put out and after a lot of trouble that was done. The hand to hand fighting there, at a light cost to us, put fresh heart into everybody concerned and put them on their mettle for what happened afterwards.

The crossing of the swamp was very ticklish for it was under an intense fire of 8" and 5.9 stuff, and our appearance after passing through the flying mud and water, as well as shell hunks, was far from prepossessing. Mercifully the noise of the explosions was so voluminous that we were spared the need of ducking, as we could not tell when they were coming.

Outside of Halle we came on the 55th waiting to follow on, but they could not give us much news and we had to hurry on to catch up with our own companies as soon as possible.

The zero line was on the high ground in front of Halle and it was only too apparent, on our arrival there, that it had also been the Hun’s barrage line and there was quite a number of our wounded there.

From there we followed the road till Fritz opened up on it with machine guns and so we made a turn to the right. We had not gone far before we came on the hitherto unsuspected, and by the Higher Command, unmentioned – thick and unbroken belts of barbed wire entanglements. Immediately we began to wonder what deeds had been done there and to think of officers and men who had perhaps done them, and wonder what lesser lights had shone out that morning.

At last we came to a gap in the wire near "Gott mit Uns" Trench and there we found five of our men. After identifying them we crossed over to the trench where there were numbers of machine guns and quite a few enemy dead. We kept our eyes open thinking to hind a few strays and so hearing a slight movement made rush to investigate – to find a boy of not more than nineteen with a bayonet wound through his thigh. Goodness knows what his thoughts were on seeing a revolver and three bayonets pointed at him but I think we laughed as up went his hands and he said, in German, "The soldiers have taken all my money and my watch".

From him I got an account of what happened there.

[The following passage is crossed out and rewritten, with some differences in wording, at the top of the following page:]
"They knew that the attack was to take p[l]ace sooner or later but in spite of the havy fighting that took place in Florine Trench and its result felt quite safe behind their thick belts of wire and with so many machine guns. Were not the wonderful Prussian Guards there to help them and had not the Herr Obst assured them that Peronne was impregnable?

[Page 34]

"They knew that the attack was to take place sooner or later but in spite "of hearing the fighting take place in Florine Trench and seeing the result felt quite safe behind their thick belts of barbed wire. Had not the Herr Oberst assured them that Peronne was impregnable? and were not the wonderful Prussian Guards there to help them? But who could stand against such men as these who had attacked? While the section he was with was defending the gap previously mentioned, one of our officers and a small party of men, in the face of the heaviest fire had managed to effect a breach on the road – to the left – by pulling the knife rests there away from the main line of wire there, They did not know what to think when they saw our chaps led by the officers coolly cutting at the wire in front of them. However in spite of surprise – which seemed very real – they had managed to repulse them as there was only a handful.

"Then it was that one fellow had sneaked up to the breach on the road and single handed rushed the M.G. nest there containing three guns, firing his Lewis Gun from the hip. After he had succeeded the rest rushed through and led by an officer had made a frontal attack on their trench – which ran back from the wires – and had inflicted heavy losses on them, allowing the others to come through. Who were we? and what were we? The defences were impregnable and a handful of men had taken them! Why didn’t we have an artiller barrage? (I thought of the happenings of the previous night). War was awful!

We handed him over to a chap bringing out a bunch of prisoners and went on our way, making for the rear of the wood as we heard M.Gs firing there and expected to find the companies there.

Almost before we knew it we emerged onto the road between Halle and Peronne, close to a group of deep dugouts which had evidently been a H.Q. of some kind. The M.G.s were still very close and we did not know what to make of it as they were apparently on all sides. Hearing movement in the wood to our right we made for there and found one of our platoons coming through. And what a picture they presented – all festooned with revolvers and field glasses, and with bunches of watch chains hung from their pockets. It was Mr Young’s platoon of "A" Coy and they were the ones who had a leading part in the scrap mentioned above.

Leaving them we went down towards the town of Pero but on emerging from the wood made a hasty retirement. The fighting on the ramparts there (54th V Fritz. Mob rules.) was very severe and Fritz was keeping an eye on our position. We then went up towards La Quinconce, an old inn at the other extremity of the wood and there Mr Gale wrote his report. Anothe chap and myself went to the cross roads to view the scene there but did not stay for long.

The 2nd Div were held up there, being lined along the road, & Fritz was behind the railway line sending up SOS flares in galore with a great result. A splendid barrage came over in reply and fell right along his own line. Under cover of this the 2nd Div made another hop with improved results. It was then that we drew the unwelcome attention of the Hun. Standing there, with no equipment or rifles and a map spread out, obviously reviewing the situation he must have taken us for members of the General Staff? I am sure we couldn’t have seemed less important judging by his attentions.

We then cut through the wood as far as the railway line on our sector and there found our companies lined up. Their ranks were then pretty depleted but they were all doing well. Just after we left, and they had gone further on a mine blew up there but caused no casualties.

As the report was then ready two of us started off with it while the officer and our corporal went to inspect the suitability of the dugouts mentioned before as a forward HQ.

[Page 35]

[Transcriber’s note: There appears to be a section missing here.]

leaving one of their own around lying nearby badly wounded and later we came across a 54th Bn chap with a smashed thigh, lying in the open with shells falling all around, so we determined to see that they shifted him.

I went scouting around to look for a stretcher and going into what I thought was Halle came on a ghastly sight. The cross roads had been the scene of some severe fighting and lying there, unable to lose consciousness was a 54th chap with the bare stump of his closest pal in front of his eyes. Just as I was wondering what to do along came an

[Page 36]

officer and sergeant with a couple of SBs. We handed our two Huns over to them and my pal & I went on with the others.

The village was St Radegronde and the 54th were having a hard time, as the heavy fire shewed, in clearing Fritz out of the land along the swamp. Their advance was going well though and they had hooked big batches of prisoners, gaining the ramparts of the town and the citadel.

Without further mishap we got back, just in time to do some ammunition carrying from the limbers along the

[Page 37]

railway track.

We did nothing much that afternoon but from rumours & prisoners we heard of the second advance – carried out to improve the strength of the line and to enable the 55th & 56th to come into positions in the front. By about 5 pm the brigade was along the red line shewn on the map. It was then that their casualties were so severe.

Soon after dark we all went up with ammunition. We collected it from a dump on the road above Halle and took it to Major Murray’s position beyond the wood. The whole area was drenched with gas and the shells were falling

[Page 38]

pretty thickly. On returning from the second trip I was absolutely done up and was about to drop down and stay when Fritz opened up properly. That was all I needed. All made a wild scramble and I think I got back to the assembly place first. After a spell there we returned to H.Q. where I got little rest during that night.

Very early the next morning, the two of us went on running as they were short, and I spent most of the day up at Forward H.Q. While there I made three attempts to get to a dugout about 100 yds off which I supposed had been

[Page 39]

a Hun H.Q. but was completely bluffed – and once all but blown to pieces – by Fritz shells. However at the fourth attempt I was successful and after an hour’s exploration returned with four revolvers, a watch, a bag of official maps and secret code books, drawing & mapping materials in galore, and a bundle of new under-clothing out of a general’s pack. I was so pleased to get back, in spite of a barrage which I struck – or struck me – half way that the chaps downstairs encountered no opposition when they grabbed the souvenirs. It was only because the Herr

[Page 40]

Oberst’s revolver & dagger were securely attached to the belt that I still have them.

Leaving the mapping materials there for our draughtsman I went back to H.Q. with my maps & codes, as I thought was sure they were of value to the Div I.O. I had just got back when before I had time to get a bite to eat when the whole of H.Q. had to move off to the forward position, and of course I had to return too, with the bag of captured papers as well as my kit. Having been fourteen hours without so much as a drink of water, no sleep and doing several cross trips through

[Page 41]

wood. I was just fit to collapse, but was doing fairly well till I was pulled out to help a signaller carry a reel of wire up, as I knew the way to the destination

My feelings when he pulled out a 3 ft wooden drum of thick cable stuff, were indescribable. However it had to be done so I determined to do my best, and that must have been poor enough. I had not thought of the other chap’s opinion & was certainly past caring. We got there anyhow and I rejoined my section in their possie.

I had just settled down into a dull stupour

[Page 42]

with my load still on when the order came to go back as we were being relieved. Two others & myself were the last out and on getting onto the road saw no sign of the rest till we got to the other dugout where some of the relieving battalion said they had gone straight on. It was only the thought of being left there that kept us going & hearing someone ahead off we went.

As the object was going at a breakneck speed we were forced to do likewise. Imagine our surprise & disgust when we caught up & found it to be one who

[Page 43]

had pleaded illness during the two days & so dodged all fatigues etc. However I was for once too crook to argue & perhaps he had been ill & like ourselves was spurring himself by the one desire to be out of the place, so we ambled on together, still hearing movement ahead on the road. This time it proved to be another battalion so we decided to go on ourselves, to the first assembly place before the stunt.

From there we had to go over to the Lost Ravine to get into a row with the RSM who had been with the rest outside

[Page 44]

the other dugout when we passed.

From there we went via St Radegronde to a gully back near Flaucourt, passing the 8th Bde en route, who were going into our old position. As usual the mutual dislike shewed up strongly when passing.

While there we had a good bath and a spell, before moving on via Eterpigny to a destination unknown. That fact did not worry us much as things were quite and we knew that Fritz was retreating as speedily as was possible, thanks to

[Page 45]

the capture of Peronne, till I found myself detailed to go back to guide the Nucleus up. I went to their the place where they were to pass but after a miserable couple of hours I saw Major Roberts who told me that Capt "Gertie" Culson had taken them another route, along on the other side of the river to Eterpigny. Well such is life in the army so I went back to that crossing and got there just in time to head that impetuous officer off & tell him that he was wrong – spurred to do so, I suppose, by my general feeling of "fed-upness". He

[Page 46]

reprimanded me, and then asked about the casualties, percentage of mortalities, etc, till I got fed up & began yarning with some of my pals. As soon as he was ready he asked me where I was to take them to so I told him I had no idea, but that I knew the way, which shut him up & gave me the pleasure of having him follow me like a sheep dog with the flock. As it was only a matter of going on along a straight road till I found the battalion my task was not difficult. We came up with them above the ruins of Le Mesnil and

[Page 47]

I rejoined my section.

That afternoon – the 6/9th – we all moved on to follow the 8th Bde who were keeping in contact with Fritz, but only went as far as a big copse near the village of Bouvincourt, where we settled down for an indefinite period.

Just after we got there a stray Hun arrived and I was told to question him. As the crowd were all there gaping at him, he got the wind up and I got stage fright so things did not go too well. However I got what news he had, and for my trouble was prac[tically]

[Page 48]

[prac]tically called a liar and a fool by the C.O. Evidently he did not give the "Chocs" credit for having advanced so far as this bird stated.

The next day we moved to the village of Catelet – further to the left and stayed there for a night, without anything happening & then went back to Le Mesnil.

Life was rather uneventful and training was resumed. Air raids were nightly occurences & for the first time most of us saw the big Gothas being brought down wholesale. Immediately they got into the beams of

[Page 49]

the searchlights, one of our small fighters would drop on them from above & sent most to a finish. It was rather a fine sight to see one falling in flames, with red & green rockets shooting out as they caught alight.

After making several trips into Peronne itself & the surrounding district, – and incidentally collecting several bags of cabbages off the spot I thought I would never think of without shuddering – I left for Blighty leave once more.

Peronne was not a large town but appeared to have been very congested

[Page 50]

on account of the people all trying to build in the area of the old walls. Some of the old buildings were very picturesque, particularly the Citadel – the least damaged of all. Everywhere were huge piles of masonry covering German air raid shelters showing his state of mind owing to our airmens work.

The place was made homely by the new street names, such as "Roo de Kanga" etc. While I was in there I saw numerous ‘civils’ viewing their homes with the idea of re-occupation.

[Page 51]

My leave was spent in the usual way, very quietly with all the resting possible. London appealed less than ever to me and visiting the numerous friends I had made took up all available time and provided sufficient gaiety & amusement – and expense.

I thought it might be nice to go to the much mentioned "Rumplemeyer" for afternoon tea to see the really ‘naice people’. I went with two friends as guides, and having all donned our glad rags, started off to some picture exhibition first, whence we went to our destination in a taxi – usual rates. The tea shop looked quite ordinary – just occasional people entering – but inside was just it, as far as appearances went. I was ’it though when it came to pay up. Three very small cups of good tea, and six pieces of excellent but ordinary pastry cost only 10/6. After seeing them home I had to walk the rest of my return journey.

During that leave, big things were doing in France and when I saw the names of some pals in casualty lists felt glad to be getting back again, whether they were in or out of the line. After a good deal of the usual messing around, my pals and I left Boulogne on our own and made for the Abbeville district as we heard that was to be the Div. Area as they were coming out for a rest. Eventually we got to St Maxent and found them just settled down, in decent billets.

[Page 52]

For a few days they were busy straightening up and I was getting despondent over the expectation of at last having to do parades when my star rose again. The pay sergeant looked me up and asked me to help him audit the books for the replacement by a new issue. And so I smiled again.

After helping him for a few days I went with him to Bde H.Q to help write up the new ones. There he formed a staff of about twenty and we had a very good time.

We were fortunate in getting a good billet and with good people. Plenty of milk & eggs were obtainable and often madame cooked us fish, for ourselves, and also had us to dinner with them several times.– particularly after they had killed a pig. Being favoured with an extra pay we were able to do things in style and plenty of leave was available if wanted.

About this time the fighting was going easy according to what papers we got, but much alarm was caused by word received of the 1st & 4th Divisions of impending move forward. (A speedy finish though was never doubted) though we all felt glad if it was necessary to leave the area, for the ‘la grippe’ was prevalent, and though we suffered little on the whole, a few of our best men had gone. Anyway, on Friday, the 8th Nov, came a bombshell.

[Page 53]

[Transcriber’s note: Parts of this page difficult to read.]

Date? Sep. 6. 1918

[Transcriber’s note: The map referred to on this page is filed at Maps – M Ser.4 000/1 ML MSS. 1164 – maps1]

The accompanying map shews what happened. The 15th Bde were along the river to the south of Biaches – the 2nd Div on top of Mt St Quentin and Fritz had the lowland between that hill and the town. The swamp was an impassable barrier, and the 7th Bde could not get past Halle – and the 15th Bde could not afford to approach the Causeway to Peronne on a/c of numerous M G nests, and 77 mm guns firing at point blank range.

We attacked at 6 am on the 1st, bombing Fritz from the trenches along the dotted red line in front of Halle and advanced that day to the dotted red line through St Denis and Peronne. When out battalion came out the companies were 9, 8, 13 & 11 men strong, with 5 officers.

A dreadful cost to the Div but considering that Fritz immediately retreated to the Hindenburg line it was worth it.

[Page 54]

[Transcriber’s note: This page badly damaged and difficult to read.]

We had just started when a stray Fritz appeared out of the woods and begged us to take him back where he would work hard and get something to eat. His appearance was not impressing and when I questioned him his character did not appeal to me either. He was an absolute ‘nark’ and I found it easy to believe him when he said that he did not get on well with his comrades. In the middle of an argument with him a couple of runners turned up with a worse looking specimen. On finding that I spoke German he left them and quickly decided to stick to me, so the two followed us.

They absolutely refused to

[Transcriber’s note: A section appears to be missing here]

[Page 55]

[Transcriber’s note: Parts of this page badly damaged and difficult to read.]

[indecipherable] l’Armistice

Nov 8/9th 1918 Monsieur! Monsieur! la guerre c’est finis!

Hullo, what has gone wrong with Madame now that she is so excited? Madame en la rue dit verite, "c’est finis!" and off she went, waddling up to the Mairie to obtain information on the subject. Surely something had happened for there were flocks of men & women in various stages of apoplexy, we thought, flocking along the usually quiet village street.

Well we had to job to do, war or no war, so had to carry on till the old dame returned with information to the effect that four emissaries from the German Govt were already on their way to sign an Armistice based on Wilson’s 14 points. So far as I know, none of us went mad but we were all strangely elated [indecipherable] instead of looking for the Chap who had pinched that blotting paper or the pen.

Evidently Fritz must have heard that the [indecipherable] were coming up again for the 1st and 4th Divs were certainly under orders to go. No doubt they were more pleased about the news than we were.

Then followed a period of anxiety

[Page 56]

waiting for the decision. In the meantime we all returned to our battalions. Great was the anxiety of one of the officers. He did not actually sleep at the Sig. office but he spent as much time there as was possible, consumed with wonder as to what would come through. The fact that only such messages as "All L.Gs to be inspected and certificate rendered as to condition. All shortages to be indented for" etc did not tend to raise his hopes.

On the morning of the 11th the battalion was to pose for their photographer but I missed that, having to visit another village. At about 11.30 along came a French soldier on a bycycle shouting the news that the paper was signed, but he caused little excitement, among the Aussies. The ‘civils’ though did all kinds of queer actions in their excitement.

After the photoes of the battalion had been taken though, the Colonel made a speech on something or other, omitting to mention the increase in the number of poultry dinners the troops had been having. But he turned again, and at last the rebuke was coming. But no – it was "Armistice was signed at

[Page 57]

11.00 o’clock."

Well for a while we were left in peace. As several big ceremonial parades were expected I thought myself shrewd in getting a job in the B & R. While at St Maxent there was one advantage attached to the job. We had our own mess, cared for by an old dame nearby.

Besides supplying us with good meals, decently cooked and served, she also retailed all the gossip of the village. We were none of us excellent French speakers but she & her husband were easy to understand and we managed pretty well. Difficulty was experienced though in explaining how to make porridge, – and great fun in trying to explain "a worm". The recollection of the sergeant crawling around the floor, with the two of them deeply interested but the blank look of wonderment on both their faces, still makes me smile.

On the 26th of Nov. at midnight we bade ‘good-bye’ to St Maxent and marched to Pont Remy to entrain for a destination unknown. it was a miserable night but the march was made bearable by the music of the band, which kept

[Page 58]

up splendid time in spite of numerous difficulties.

It was very dark, and raining, when we arrived at Bertre the next night, whence we had a very unpleasant stroll to Busigny. There we heard, from the people, tales of the German treatment of the inhabitants during their occupation. Certainly their faces spoke shewed the truth of their statements only too well.

From there, after a day resting, we went to Ribeauville where we stayed for a night, then moved on to Fesmy, where we stayed for about three weeks. We had a particularly good billet and I think there were very few who were not able to make themselves comfortable. The people were very good to us and in return were allowed to buy various delicacies at our canteen. Such things as chocolate, and milk had been unknown to them for nearly four years.

Lucky were they who had been able to save any animals. During the period of fighting there, they had been moved back but returned as soon as was possible, to find their homes

[Page 59]

all more or less destroyed by the bombardment – of British artillery. Such is the fortune of war, though I cannot understand it, for flying from the church tower was the little white flag usually put up to shew the presence of civilians. Certainly at the beginning of the Allies’ approach the Germans had guns behind the Church but they were soon shifted.

Another thing noticed, in the Church yard, – was the grave of 8 unknown English soldiers killed in 1914, with a neat stone border & marble headstone and well trimmed shrubs growing on it, erected by the Huns.

In our billet every morning at 6.30 the old lady came in and got the fire going, leaving a pot of coffee there, and a tray of cups on the table. Also, on several occasions during our stay, she cooked us a dish of potatoes, which they had been obliged to dig during the night and hide away in a hole while the Germans were there.

After a thoroughly enjoyable stay we moved on to Boulogne sur Helpe

[Page 60]

where we stayed for one night only. Here the curé was shot for telling the Huns what he thought of them. From there we went to Sains where we were all billeted in magnificent chateaux. Most had been used as hospitals, as also a huge factory building. Ours had been magnificently splendidly fitted out inside but most of the oak panelling, door & window frames and some doors had been ripped off, as also the metal work of any kind.

We only stayed there a day also, moving on to Sivry, crossing the border after Liesses. It was rather a stiff climb up through the Forest of Trelon but it was a pleasant road.

[Note crossed out in the margin:] Xmas Day mention

Well at the start Sivry did not look too good. Billets were there alright but the whole Brigade being jammed in a very small area not much choosing could be done. Here again the people were fine and did everything possible to make us comfortable. On entering the place, one could not help noticing the ruins of many houses, and also of what

[Page 61]

was, obviously, once the Church. We soon discovered what had occurred.

On the 27th of Aug 1914 the Germans had sent word that they would be passing through the village and warned the inhabitants of the penalty for hindrance. Two soldiers had stayed behind, though, to watch for the Germans approach and being stationed on top of the Town Hall saw them when they were some distance off. They fired and killed one, so that when the Germans arrived, they were caught and shot.

By a strange freak of Fate their washing uniforms were being washed and so they were only accepted as being civilians. The Bourgemeistre was taken off as a hostage, causing some dissatisfaction naturally, particularly as the man put in his place was not by any means the most popular in the village.

On that evening, the 28th, at Benediction in the Church there was a fray between some of the men and Germans in which several Huns were killed. Immediately they set

[Page 62]

fire to the Church and burned eighty houses in the village belonging to the people concerned in the fight. The whole of the people then went off to the woods where they stayed for over six weeks. After this, except for the periodical visits of the old Landsturm men policing the district, they were not much troubled.

When the Germans required firewood etc they were given notice of the amount quantity required and supplied it. As in other places, they had levied all horses & many vehicles had been levied and taken machinery taken from any factories or the two breweries there. The place was the centre of the sabot manufacturing industry, though, and so the people did better than many other places.

Well, we arrived here on the 20th and immediately preparations for a Xmas dinner were commenced. As the Hun had made levies on commandeered such things as poultry, sheep, pigs etc to considerable amounts, it was naturally a difficult job for the caterers, but all things considered, the dinner was a success

[Page 63]

though not elaborate. After the dinner the C.O made a short speech and gave his greetings.

[The following paragraph crossed through:]
As usual his subject was of the [indecipherable] attainments of the Battalion and the rewards gained. I must say here that it was the first occasion on which it did ring true and sincere to me. Without a doubt he was extraordinarily brilliant, but to the general mind, lacked the bond of open sympathy with the men.

While at Sivry we had a good deal of snow and much amusement was obtained from sleighing, or rather attempts at that sport. As the sleighs were only built for the use of the local small child, humorous accidents were common. Snowballing was of course the carried on usual thing.

Another chap and I were fortunate enough to get away. After we had been there a few days the people took to us made themselves very obliging and on account of the other battalions leaving for fresh areas there was abundance of accomodation and very

[Page 64]

unfortunate were those who failed to get a bed in a house. The people formed an Amusements Committee and organized dances which were always very successful.

I managed to get away for a day when I made a trip up to Charleroi and from there I visited the 1st Div. Like us they were well situated and holding most cordial relations with the civilians.

I did not think much of Charleroi as it can not lay claim to any external beauty of situation or architecture. It certainly possesses an interesting history but now bears no trace of its past glory. It is intersected by several canals, and is surrounded by the slag hills of the coal mines. Ironwork factories & engineering shops are pretty numerous and its glass factories (which once supplied all before the war were the centre of the industry in Belgium) are now all more or less ravaged of their machinery by the Huns. There was One large factory there, for the manufacture of machinery of all kinds from scissors to locomotives, had been taken over by the German Govt who introduced their manager

[Page 65]

and carried on the business making huge profits and storing up articles for import ‘apres la guerre’ branded with the French Belgian firm’s name. it was also said that huge vast quantities were branded as "made in England".

Soon afterwards I returned my friend & I visited Brussels. On arrival there the lighting and illuminated signs etc impressed me very much. Having seen Paris & London in darkness, partly through shortage of coal, it seemed strange to see so much evidence of German extravagance – with other people’s articles goods.

En route there we passed about 15 acres of destroyed railway lines & rolling stock (work done by the Hun after the Armistice) and but in the town, except for numerous Ger there was practically no little trace of German occupation. Allied flags were everywhere conspicuous, thus with portraits of the King & Queen everywhere. The shops were all well stocked, though candles, soap, oranges and chocolate, were the principal goods sold when obtainable. Then, supplies were scarce and consequently prices were exorbitant, but later they dropped considerably.

[Page 66]

Like London, the buildings did not impress me much, but the contents took my fancy completely. Furniture etc was everywhere of the best quality & design and high class art goods were everywhere. The difference between it’s buildings and London’s are, I consider, that here they shew traces of the history that is associated with them, whereas London’s monuments appeared hoary & mouldy relics of a period, comparatively recent, when they were erected in memory of past glories. Brussels has gave me a sincere air of impression of medaevial glories, which the new buildings there, such as the Palais du Justice serve only to increase by comparison. The lace industry alone gives the town’s history in the shop windows.

We managed to book seats at the Opera for our third night there. After tramping around in snow & slush for 3 days, we were unable to get our boots polished, & did not have the cash for a visit to the barbers so did not look as good as we wished but that fact did not trouble us. The opera "Faust" was too good a feast to leave us, or any near us, to trouble about our personal appearance.

One thing that I noticed was the great number of English speaking civies there.

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Quite a number were American but it seemed that many French & Belgian parties spoke English for "impressement". Afterwards I felt very sorry that we could not stay and go to hear "La Boheme" the next night. During the three days of our stay we heard plenty of music at the YMCA, provided by local orchestras & Philarm[onic] Societies. Their members were of all classes and shewed only too well their natural love for music, all selected from the old classic composers.

The building occupied by the YMCA (Anglo Belge) was a fine sample of the style of store shop store there. It was very elaborately designed, sumptuously fitted, and with huge show windows. The centre was open to the roof of fine stained glass, and with an area of about 200’ x 150’. Above the remainder of the building were roof gardens, a concert hall, and tennis court. The woodwork was all of oak and mahogany, with fine marble panelling and staircase. There was also a splendidly fitted restuarant & large concert hall. Such a design would, I think, be very

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suitable for Aussie as having plenty of open air space and ventilation. The other adjuncts are necessary there. Farmer’s in Sydney have started on those lines, and have evidence of their success.

Well on the 6th of Feby we had to return, leaving the delicous pastry, good (if dear) meals, and dinkum civilian life, to retire to our country residence at Sivry. To walk Walking the 35 kms from Charleroi in 6" of snow and with a bitterly cold wind blowing against us, was no joke, but the trip was well worth it. Through possessing (perhaps) that queer thing – a conscience – we could not stay the night in Charleroi but determined to be back on time. It is certain that I shall never do any Arctic travelling.

At Sivry life went on as usual. Education classes (through the incapacity of our EO I think) were practically a failure and were further harmed by the necessity of the whole battalion having numerous fatigue work to do. The Dances were very popular and were continued till we left for Rance on the 24th Feby. The people were very sorry at seeing us go, and we were

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no more pleased. The reception at Rance was not of the best as the people there had placed lavished their affections on the 55th. Though within a week the troops had all made themselves comfortable and liked in our part of the town (!) many numerous were the men who still went back to their old homes at Sivry for days at a time. Naturally the 56/54th got a very cold reception there, but through no fault of ours. Many of the people there thought nothing of walking the 7 kms to visit individuals of our battalion.

While at Rance we were amalgamated with the 55th and taken over by Col Holland but life went on as usual. I do not think we worried the new administrators, and we did not permit them to worry us. Very little happened while there. The 55th heads did not shew us any spirit pf camaraderie and so it was that inter-unit sports were not as popular as they might have been.

On the 3rd of April we moved to Marchienne on the outskirts of Charleroi. On arrival there the billets were not of the best but the chaplain did his best to make as many individuals as possible comfortable

[Page 70]

The people were of the best and did all in their power. I, and a pal, had a fine room with sheets, lace counterpanes etc and every convenience & attention possible. Some of the chaps, who got into the bigger homes, were given the best rooms (for which the British Govt pay 1/2d per night), were ashamed to take advantage (as it seemed) of their kindness.

I went seeking a room for a friend and after trying in vain called at a mansion where we were told a Bosche colonel had lived, but never any Aussies. One of 5 maids who waited on the door asked us to call again as Madame was not at home, and she did not seem to think it odd I went back later with a pal and saw Madame. They had evidently just finished dinner, and when the maid had evidently made her announcement in one of the 3 reception rooms, there was some laughter which did not tend to make me confident. After a short interval Madame came and asked our business. Coming back to earth after an ecstacy over some of the furniture, I spoke my best French and explained that a friend, "one of the best" was seeking a good room which

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he would only require for the night, so not giving them too much trouble. My French was not pure Parisian as hers was, but she understood all except my phrase for "one of the best"" (eg thorough gentleman). So she asked me in English to explain speak tell it very slowly in English, which but my colloqualism floored her there. However five servants under the stairs seemed interested so I kept on. Then taking the bull by the horns I tried German, and with more success. Anyhow the business was settled and we were to bring him along at 11 am next day.

As the chap in question was a rather shy country man we had to agree we agreed to omit any mention of the style of his home-to-be. Imagine our chagrin when we found he was ill and going to hospital. Well the other chap would not come so I had to go next morning on my own to explain. You may be sure that I was very sorry that I was already so well settled situated, as the new place seemed very attractive. I tried several others who wanted rooms buy they were too shy of it when they saw the house so I faced the terror & rang.

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If only I had then known Madame came soon after I was admitted and did not seem too pleased with my announcement. She was then very keen on having someone there and her desire should have been satisfied if I had then known of the two fine kiddies there. However, after expressing her regret that the chap could not take it, I left.

On the 9th of With everything so propitious for a pleasant time, it was with mingled feelings that I left with no 31 quota on the 9th of April. Still The thoughts of home were more than sufficient to counteract any feeling of regret, but the period to be spent in camp in England had no promise of pleasure.

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1919

It was on the morning of April the 9th that we left Marchienne with a send off worthy of the occasion. Though we had been there barely a week, most of us felt extreme regret at being obliged to leave such friends as they had proved to be. Being used to changes, though, made it easier.

For one night we stayed in a camp at Charleroi, and early the next morning lined up in the Square before the station. There we were farewelled by several of the big ‘heads’ and with a great band recital were put onto the train. Greatly to our surprise everything was done without a growl, and no overcrowding was possible. Then in each truck was a stove, & box of coal; also several boxes of comforts. Give me that trip again before one on any train de luxe. And then another surprise at Havre. We were disentrained right against the camp, and there was no rushing etc.

And then the camp was composed entirely of Nissen Huts. But then came our first setback, even though it was slight. We had to go in tents – eleven at a time – and

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had to stay there for medical inspection and de-lousing. The Fritz prisoners were working well on the latter job and it was all done thoroughly & well. – making one feel a new man.

After a couple of days in the tents we changed over to the old infantry base, into the huts where we were very comfortable indeed, our pleasure only being marred by numerous kit parades, and the inability to get ‘riding strides’. Many Numerous were the visitors to the Tommy camps, usually with good luck. Life there was on the whole uneventful & we were again glad to depart on the 16th.

We went to the docks by motor lorry and as usual had to wait for hours on the docks. Having had little to eat during the day, the dry bread rolls, & oranges – the only edibles available – though being sold at outrageous prices were rushed. And then on board tea was immediately made by most, and the trip began.

It was very choppy and we had barely started before the troops began

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to go down to it. Till some of the crew put the canvas wind screens up it was awful to be along the side decks, for the stricken ones all rushed to the rear latrines and the stuff blew back along both sides.

I had never been ill before, and with several others – all of us fools of the same kidney – went about making it as bad as possible for any with whitening faces. I enjoyed it too, – then. My pal got off colour soon so I went below to an indescribable charnel-house to get him a blanket. On coming into the open again I found what impending mal-de-mer means, but fought it off with success.

Later, in spite of the C.O asking me if I liked pork & beans I resumed my former occupation till I got tired and found a good possie inside. I slept well for a couple of hours, and just woke to see my partner of our evil pleasures come in the door. Immediately all the misery I had caused others came on me and then I got the punishment. For about an hour or more I was half dead.

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We were all glad to get into the smooth Southampton Water and gladder still to get off the filthy boat reeking boat.

You can be sure that the tea & sandwiches were rushed as soon as we lined up in the station shed. Then we got into the train to go to the camp for organisation etc. Never have I had a journey run so smoothly as that from Charleroi to England. The sea experiences being the one bad blemish, but still they were to be expected.

On a bright sunny morning, then, we arrived at Littlemoor Camp, and that sunshine made all the difference. Besides auguring so well for our stay in Blighty, it was the promise of the sunshine to come in dear old Aussie.

The camp too was comfortable beyond all expectations. Beds to sleep on, and the huts not crowded. Hot baths, and other such conveniences that mean so much.

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We were in camp at Littlemoor for barely a week when after a good deal of cleaning up and refitting we took train for London to take part in the Anzac Day March.

Though we all took part in the great growling every man was determined to do his best, and the result proved it worth while. Very early on the morning of the 25th we set out from our billets near Paddington to reach the assembly point in the Mall in good time. It was a glorious day as far as the weather was concerned and all promised well.

After a good rest all fell in ready to start. How well that battalion got off!. What a rotten lot there! and so on till the first of our own column wheeled round into our line of vision – and it looked far from good. However, each crowd, in passing us straightened up splendidly & got away in great trim. Then our turn came, and we did likewise, for on the fence behind us was a brilliant (in appearance) bunch of those "pommy brass-hats".

What a reception we got! Cheers, and millions of cheers! Who could think of spoiling the show by looking sideways

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to see the girls. We passed Buckingham Palace well with the exception that the Queen Mother got no salute from us, or any section behind us.

Then in Victoria St we wondered if all the "stiff Johnny out to beat the guards" stunt was right. The crowd did not understand us. They had all individually read of the War Correspondents’ "long lean stern faced etc etc" but none had ever seen one. However they took it for granted that we were "dinkum" and only chided us for our attitude. "Smile! Bill, Smile!" and "Aint they solemn" and so on were very common remarks.

All the time the aeroplanes were busy overhead but few of us were willing to look up. They could be heard though, and occasionally seen – and the crowd’s remarks shewed their effect.

Just when we were about tired out, and had had a squint at HRH & the "Gaud-y Mare’ we reached the finishing point. Very tempting the luncheon tables looked as we passed them, and perhaps that was responsible for the

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scramble that followed. Off went equipment & rifle, and then the people would have seen their Aussie of leave-times.

No time was lost in getting to the tables, though the organisation was lost, and between mouthfuls we saw a little chap, bubbling like a volcanoe, mount a small platform, and of course we stopped eating to cheer, and to give our ‘Billy’ a hearing. Quite a few must have waited to finish mouthfuls, for the cheering – though loud – was long & spasmodic and I heard very little of what he said. But it must have been right, so as he seemed to be finished, we banged tables etc and cheered again.

Then we split up and went off to fill in the rest of the day. It passed uneventfully as far as I was concerned, and tired out, went back to the billet fairly early. We landed back at Upwey after midday on the 26th and resumed camp life there till the long-looked for furlough period came along.

For the first time in my military career I found it hard work to dodge fatigues and guard, but somehow I missed them all. Wonderful indeed are the works of a wheelbarrow, but it is by means – even so simple – that such evasions are best carried out.

Then on the Monday off we went again with great rejoicings – and many empty pockets – to spend our last leave in England. For my part England only then became interesting. It was certainly the most enjoyable leave I spent there.

Saying good-bye to the large circle of acquaintances I had made around my ‘home’ place was not the least welcome diversion. They were of the class that I believe will always keep England back, and I was honestly glad to see the last of them and their silly ideas & prejudices. There are people in Australia who would judge the Irish Question – one of my pet themes – in the way of one I met there, but not mad enough to look at everything else in

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the same light.

I revisited my favourite spots around London; then returned to camp, hoping that the boat for sail home would sail the next day.

Till that day life in camp was just bearable. Trips into Weymouth helped to pass the time, as also some typing work I did occasionally in the B. & R.

At last the welcome day dawned. Of course the night before was spent in all kinds of mad devilment & fun. The usual ‘raiding’ was of course common. Very early on the morning of the 2nd June we entrained for Devonport and our ship, "Beltana" and were on board that same afternoon.

The appearance of Father Goodman, our old chaplain, was hailed with pleasure by myself for I say a fresh means of dodging any work I disliked. Of the actual voyage I can say little, for I was kept very busy indeed in various occupations. Generally speaking we were very comfortable, and the food was good on the whole. I slept on deck though and continued to do so right throughout the

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voyage. On one night though, when at the time barely a dozen stayed out, I was awakened by a cold wind under my blankets, which I found soaking wet, and looked out just in time to see the last but myself just vanishing around the corner, bound for the other side. The whole scramble caused by the (un)-pleasantries of the wind, veering around. Of course I lost no time in following the rest, and immediately invaded the officer’s smoke room, to be followed by about six others.

Cape Town was sighted on the 22nd June and we pulled into the wharf at about 5 pm. it did not seem much to me as it was not Aussie, still a day ashore was welcome. My pal and I were both ‘broke’ and so welcomed an invitation to his home given us by a gentleman we met. Thanks to him the first day was very pleasantly spent. On the second day I got some cash, but our plans were spoilt by the appointment of my pal to the patrol, and so I spent rather a miserable day on my own.

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It was rather late on the 25th that we left, having experienced the first taste of Colonial kindness, making us all the more eager to reach Aussie.

Before reaching Adelaide, on the 14th of July, we experienced some rough weather and very funny it was to see some getting along the decks when at an angle of about 30°. As soon as we got to the wharf, the difference of Aussie was apparent. Quite indefinable, but plain & unmistakable..

How different the people appeared to us! There was not a very big crowd but their manner seemed so spontaneous and heartfelt. The kindness received at Capetown was great, but here at last we were home. How true the old saying of ours – "Put me anywhere in Aussie, and I’ll be home". It did not matter that Sydney was still a week’s travel distant.

Going ashore was a wonderful thing. and as everything was of so much interest time passed quickly and we went [on] board again to dream of our own homes. Our tempers were tried in the morning though for the boat

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had to stay till her lop-sidedness was righted. After a stretch while we were told that we would have to wait till the afternoon we went ashore again and spent the day around the Port.

At last we pulled out and after what seemed an interminable time landed at Port Melbourne early on the morning of the 19th July – Peace Day & the Anniversary of our Division’s baptism of fire at Fleurbaix. Troops other than Victorians got into the trains and at about 2 pm we started for Sydney – and civvy life.

Thanks to the multiple jobs I had filled while on board the trip had seemed very short & peaceful so I had not been worried by anxieties as to loss of speed etc.

The train journey was remarkably well organised & comfortable. Everywhere on route were we given a welcome home. They were most welcome to us on the whole, but at Yass, at about 3 am we were nearly all sound asleep so the brass band & fireworks were not as well

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received by most as they might have been.

A quick dash through the suburbs and then fullstop – we had arrived. A bevy of pretty V.ADs issued sprigs of wattle & cigarettes as we were waiting to step into the cars for the Anzac Buffet. Within what seemed a flash we got there and there I found all from home waiting.

The rest I can leave as it’s beyond me to describe

2453 J Marshall
53rd Bn.

Finis

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

To Father Kennedy – of the "WHALE-OILS"

We arrived at the Battalion on the 23rd December ’16, a batch of Reinforcements numbering 150, many of us looking forward to seeing the Father Kennedy, of whom we had even then heard so much. I had already decided that he certainly must be possessed of a remarkable personality indeed for to be alluded to only as "Father" by men who are non Catholics, and to be called spoken of so familiarly as "a good old b–, one of and the best "of them all" was indeed strange. And yet was it? I recalled numbers of ou[r] priests who appeared in such a light.

However my hopes of meeting him were soon shelved, for he was then away from the battalion for a spell. We were not with the men of the battalion for five minutes before we heard all about him, and heard his marching song sung around the fire at night. But then they told us how great a friend he was of the Colonel of his great friendship with the Colonel. Well, after his the latter’s "welcome speech" to us, he stood in a very poor light, and I wondered anew. What they could they have in common? were my

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

ideas again to be shattered?

I soon found out, for ‘Bluey’ S–, not a Catholic, could not say enough of him. At various stations in Egypt when he was a Mess waiter, & Father K– was Mess President, Colonel, then Major, Croshaw had discovered how what a misfortune fault mistake it was to rouse on the waiter if the president was within earshot.

Frankness – a grace undoubtedly possessed by both – was a bond of friendship. Then in the tents, how welcome the Father K– was made, at any time, with his fund of Irish wit, and open, easy manner. Even then in the days of the battalion’s birth his Church services were muster parades, many of all denominations attending to hear his splendid sermons.

Then Arch L– told me of Fleurbaix. How he made all men prepare for that event – the Fromelles stunt – which was fatal to so many. How his kind word here, cheering greeting, and stern rebuke, here & there, must have influenced and inspired them to do the deeds which were

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

done, on the 19th of July 1916. And then after the chaos show, – that horrible nightmare for those who have lived through it, – how his cheery greetings to the men, all of whom he knew by name, as he walked out into Noman’s Land, to dress their wounds, give them food & water, and carry the badly wounded in; such wonderful work endured for so long, in spite of the enervating fatigue of the continual shelling, and the fatigue only to be expected after quite a few sleepless nights.

How, when the scattered remnants of the battalion were afterwards gathered together again, he used his powerful eloquence to dispel the depth of despondency into which they had sunk; to urge them to do greater deeds all the greater afterwards.

Then Major Croshaw was promoted & took command, How often then, did Father K– temper come between soften the keenness of that magnificent officer’s discipline and encourage the men who were then only too ready to resent it’s enforcement.

Since the Fromelles stunt, this has

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

ours was has indeed been the battalion to be proud of, due in the first place not a little due principally due to those two men, whose traces of whose fine work are only to still apparent, when most of the men of their time are gone. To which of them belongs the greater mead of praise, God alone knows.

It was at Mailly, in June 1917 that I made his acquaintance, and I found him all that I had thought him to be. Word came round that Father Kennedy was back. Immediately, men of all kinds left the huts, just to see him, say good greet him, and shew that they had not forgotten him.

[Asterisk and note in margin:] personality sketch

In those days, the Catholics were numerous indeed in the Brigade, but they were not of one denomination only, that crammed the church at Mailly, and afterwards at Beaussart. And during the week, he was around on parade, and never absent during hours of relaxation, – and always with the Colonel. And What fitting comrades they were!

Later, at Rubempre, I

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

the 19th of July was celebrated in a fitting manner, and the Colonel who was no brilliant speaker, managed in a few words to announced in the following strain that Father Kennedy would speak "a man who was the priest of a Church and preached the doctrine of that Church, but who like himself, did not stop not stopping swayed us all. I wish to commend him for as an example for you, as he is to me, to live the life as God ordains, fitting us to meet Him as one day we must. Also to thank him for his work, at a time 12 months ago, and since, by which he has helped to make this battalion, my pride, what it is to-day". I still hear those words, or words to that effect or similar.

Then followed Father K– ’s speech, or was it a sermon?, exhorting us to live in such a manner as would make us worthy to share the glory of those of our comrades, who had gone to their Eternal Happiness. What he said may have been a sermon, but it certainly was not preaching at us.

Soon after, I –

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

was sent away, when the Battalion were beginning to was beginning to be being prepared for the Polygon wood stunt. After that, while at the Base, men coming from the unit always spoke of him, and his work. No mere hero-worship but heartfelt admiration for a man, who at all times and in all situations, was outstanding amongst men.

Within a few days of the stunt, wounded were arriving at the Base, from hospitals, and great were the tributes paid to him. I was not at all surprised to learn that the Colonel had embraced the Catholic Church before his death, God rest his soul. What man, of intelligence, who gave a thought to religion could fail to be impressed by that upheld preached and upheld by such a man.

Unfortunately (with the exception of ‘Dad’ Hunter, who received the supreme penalty of War, and I’m sure went to sit with God, whom he also upheld so well) the chaplains of that other denominations with us at that time were a remarkable bunch

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[On Church of England Australian Fund for Soldiers Overseas letterhead]

of duds, and certainly did harmed the religious sense of the men to no small extent.

Before the stunt Father K– was showing signs of failing health and Colonel Croshaw before when about to move up, threatened to have him put under arrest if he moved from the Details Camp. What feelings were theirs when they parted? One with the firm belief that he was going to his death, and denying the other the privilege risk of being there to help him, The other fearing the first, and eagerly desiring the privilege of the latter latter as a privilege.

No one was surprised when, after the battalion’s arrival at Halfway House, Father K– should stroll strolled up the duckboard track. In the pill box he was unmistakably ill at ease, and although the restored by the Colonel’s pleasure at his being company, whose chidings at first had no effect, his bad health made itself felt. Still he carried according to many, he carried on in the old style, and the newer men

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realised how true, and yet short of the mark, were the praises of the old hands.

Soon After the stunt he spoke again to the battalion en masse, not as a chaplain of any denomination but as a man who had shared their hardships with them all, and their feelings, and common interests, and admiration of that sterling soldier Colonel Croshaw.

Soon afterwards he left the battalion, and has now been obliged to give up his work in the Army, but with men of the 53rd, and other battalions of the Brigade, his memory will last. If only other chaplains had possessed either his broad-mindedness, frankness, contempt of military conventions when interfering with his work, or other sterling points of his character, what how different would the general attitude of the men be towards their religion, upheld in such a striking manner.

2453 J Marshall

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[Ribbon in the colours of the 53rd Battalion’s colour patch – green and black]

With the "Whale-oil Guards".

2453 J. Marshall
53rd Bn. A.I.F

13/12/16 to 20/7/19

[Transcriber’s notes:
Beaulencourt spelt Beaulaincourt
Bertry spelt Bertre
Bollezeele spelt Bolzeele
Esquelbecq spelt Esquelebech
Le Chatelet spelt Catelet
Sainte-Radegonde spelt St Radegronde
Villers Bocage spelt Villers Bacage
Villers Brettoneux sometimes spelt Villers Brettonneux]

[Transcribed by Barbara Manchester and John Stephenson for the State Library of New South Wales]