Letter from M Hannaford to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, 3 October 1916

PR82/8
Penshurst Street 
Willoughby
Oct 3.16
To the Editor of the Sydney Morning
Herald
Sir
I am forwarding to you a copy
of a letter that I received from my son
in France & I wish you to Publish same
I am
Yours faithfully
M. A. Hannaford
P.S. I also received cable saying he was
promoted Lieut on the fields
 

Somewhere in
France.
Aug 11 -16
Dear Ma
I expect you will be thinking
me very neglectful lately, receiving no
letters from me for such a long while,
nevertheless as opportunity offered I have
written home. The whole matter is that
Postal communication was held up for
six weeks & then we have been constantly
moving From Bois Grenier front to the
Somme We have now only just been
releived from hell There is no other word
to express what we have been through
for twelve days & nights. Leaving Bois Grenier
two months ago we marched 42 miles in
three days with full Pack up to a large railway
centre entraining to another large centre on
the Somme. Then by marching & drilling we
arrived in three weeks to the front. The remainder
you have read about in the newspaper by now
They can hardly Praise the work done by our
 

(2)
our lads too much the way they stuck to
it & theway they fought the Germans deserves
all that could be said of them Don't think
that I am blowing their trumpet. but our
lads are equal to the best in the world I had
a good opportunity of judging between
the Tommies & our lads as the Tommies
joined up our right flank in the Battle
of Poziers Repeatedly our Battn bombers
saved a trench that the Tommies found
too hot for them & thanks to the honesty of their
General he mentioned our valuable aid in
his despatches. Deeds were done times without
number which were glorious in the extreme
without any thought of reward, well the mildest
I can say they advanced without shrinking to
a Place known as Suicide Alley Many of
our bravest fell but it did not deter the remainder
& eventually we gave Fritz to hot a time with
our bombs he gave in This Place looked like a
shambles after a days fighting with the bombs
too horrible to think of It all appears as a nightma
nightmare now. & I thank God I am well away from
it for a while at least. I expect you read of the
work our division done I had charge of a Party of 

(3)
30 men I was to lead over the Parapet &
capture 250 yds of German trenches I got
them through the enemy barage of fire
alright & had them in the trenches Preparatory
to going over when we received orders from our
C.O. that it was too much & would not
let us go the stunt never came off that night
& while waiting to go back the German
Artillery opened out & strafed us with coal
boxes I gave an order for the men to spread
out so that not so many would get hit
with the one shell Everything went all right
until my section started to spread out I gave
them the order to spread out & they had just stood
up & was following me when two coal boxes
landed right in the trenches I crouched just round
a traverse & on looking back to see if my men
were still following I was horrified to see
them thrown about in all directions Eight
of our bravest went to their maker, all real
good men in fact I loved them as I do the
rest of my section They were a good lot & I felt
the loss of them much I am writing a message
of sympathy to their parents wifes & relations
They all think I was lucky but I think Providence 

(4)
helped me My being just round the traverse
saved me a couple of short seconds only
The next night we all went up as a fourth
line with Picks & shovels to the front line
which we had captured from the Huns
getting lost in saps & shell holes we eventually
eventually found a sap crowded crowded with
German Prisoners which we followed &
eventually got there In coming back we had
to cross the ground between a captured
first & second lines Our artillery had
pounded the sap about until it was just
a lot of shell holes just the same as the old
German first line the only way you could tell
where the trench was by the German dead
lying about not having any shelter we cut
it across the open & being seen by the enemy
they opened out with M. Guns & coal boxes &
They pour them in Thank goodness we got
through alright but it was a night that none
of us are likely to forget during our life time
I suppose you have heard by now
that Dan & George Grooms were wounded as
also Tom Knight but as far as I can gather
none of them are serious I have heard from none of
them yet.

(5)
I hope you received two cables from me
the first just before going into action the
other just before we came out I have been
recommended for a commission & be fore
the week has elapsed they will be calling
me Mr. Otherwise Lient C.R. Hannaford
My old friend & Cobber Allen Doig is
also to be made We both had to see
General Holmes this morning & passed an
exam by him I have received several letters
papers but as yet no Parcels have turned up
Will write another long letter as soon
as possible I am afraid the other
correspondents will have to wait a day or two
More to follow shortly
Sergt C.R. Hannaford
 

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