Letters from John Hardie to his family, 1917-1918 - Part 3

26
of the contents some of the other lads were
so lucky. for several were wounded and
a few paid the supreme sacrifice.
After things quietened down we were marched
into a wood on the left of the Village where
we stopped untill one Oclock here we made
little enby houses out of our waterproof sheets
to crouch in as the rain was absolutely pouring
down. Still most of the lads were quite cheerful
and were singing the usual songs. If its a lovely,
Var" "Australia will be there" and keep the
home fires burning". This was on Easter Saturday
At One Oclock the Colonel lined us up and
gave as a lecture and laid on plenty of soft soap
We were to hunt the enemy out of Hangard weed
and capture the village on the other side and
on B Company would depend whether the
assult would prove a success of a failure
I afterwards found out that B. Company were
to attack on a three hundred yard front in
open contry and draw the enemy fire while
while the other three Company's sneaked
out the cocnery position through the wood.
 

27
When the Colonel had finished telling us to
play the game as men of the 23rd always did
The bugle sounded the fall in and the march
began towards the battle line or rather ^to the place where we
imagined Tisit to be Aentat I for t that march
you see there was absolutely no Infantry facing
the enemy here. The 10th Hussees were gustfatioti
in pont of him and having an accasionetohd
with their 15 pounders.
Hever shall & forget that march the Battation
was in echemn of threes and alongside was
about
o sqnare of bananry, 400 strong It was a sight
I had oer read allont but never expected to ever
see one thing I would like to know what
paor old Fiity thought when he first eaught
sight of us for it must have reared him a lit
Well i progressed in this fashion, for afout
int hs
Your mites in oin country before h
was
shotffired at us instantly we were given
the order oper fornation, and immediately
afterwards shirmishing order. The lavslry
shidaddled and took shelter behind selmp of
tember, but they fared rather badly there at
 

28
five minutes later. from shell fire
By this time we were about thirteen hundred
yards away from what seemed to be the
man pritien
wood
B Company was on the left of the and
A.C.Q. were to advance through it
The boys started to fall and little gaps were
made in the advancing line, slawly it
furst but quickes and quickes as in got elocer
very early in the bray our Company bommander
Mr Pockley fell.
He came pene the North Sodney, and I believe
knew Lsent Sonthwell in Dubbb camp and he
also was novest Merchal on board the
Anchises during the tript was on beard
Well we kept advancing by her faushes
and of course were learing men every yard
I couldnhelp noticing the little pufps of stelm
the red hat bulbets dent up on striking theredden
wheat fields sometimes they were all cound
me, other times just in front my mater felt
on either side and Ierefected my turn any
moment, but filt guite as Hough it
 

98
it was no concern of mine what happened
by the time the line had advaced to a poorter
avout three hundred Laids in port of the enemy
there was about twelve men left one surgent, tone
Corporal, and a lance borporal out of a
Company which had been over strength
All our slewis givns were out of action, and the
rifles were jamlong through our heating and
dirt. mine was that het I could hardly hold
it Our easualities had been dreadfully har
but the presentage of killed was very light
The Sergent said we could do more food by
stoping where we was now and by firing at
everything that showed and let the other lamp
antes push home the attack, which they did
but only get the port live trenches
Will we stoped in that position in the
sedden wheat fields until dark (as we were
out off from the rest of the Unit) and
thensent word back to H.Q. of the pligh
the remnants of B. Company weein
It appears the sommies were to come up behind
nd
inforce us, but never got any cl
certhe
 

30
the ridge we started from
Bge saw them appear on the shyling and sent
He gad news alone
a to the beys on my right but our hoper
were short lired as a fiw huse bullets stopped their
advance.
About eight belack that night the 32t Bettaton
came up and Eden't think there over was a more
pleasing sight. They were in close formation
and in the dark there lacked to be thousands
of them. You can imagine the surprise that
Frity would get for they were on top of his
trenches before he hnow what was doing
I sont think he fired fifty bullety altogether
and
the 24th used nothing but the bayonet
and Im efraid they were rather meciless
as they advanced half a mle beyond thesecond
line without taking any fulsoners.
In comming up they had passed over the
ground that our company did earties in the day
and what they saw had the same effect
that a red rag would have on a bult.
Ty way after commonsense again returned
the tk back to where we were
 

31
and mx Som Dick and Haiex, set to work
to dig trenches, and I can absure you that
it was no light undertaking especially
as we had nothing better than onr entelucting
lools, which are as usefull as a tablespoon
I happened to notice a shoral lying in a
field during the attack and after dark I soen
found it but the borporal and myself
had a hard job to heep it.
Ine of the 34th Company bemmanders
heard of it and send an orderly alone to
get persession as he wanted to make a
dugent, I wouldsit like to write what we
said but anyway the orderly only
receved our complements to take blick
to his Officer. Don't know if he delivere it
our message butt we managed to keep
our shorel. Of course ne nue quite justifieat
as we werl making a position for our
Lewis gin. All the time the trench digging
was going on diffeent ones of us took it is
turns to prowl round in pont I happened
to die veress a chep sitting behind a
 

39
mound and thinking he was asleep I gave
te wake him.
him a poke but it was the paes fillows last
sleep On having a good leck a him
I could see he was a gock and must ha
been acting as sently, when killed
A little later on two Officers and a private
went out and we heard a Terman Denty
challinge then there was a couple of shots
and a scream but all our men came back.
alright. About midnight we get wasring
to prepare for an enlmy counter attack
and about five minute later we could
see in the dim light a great maks of
men on the shatine about three hundred
yards away egry maching give and
rifle spenedup a muidesons fire and
needless to say we were left in peace
to strengther the pesitione
We could nhave picked a letter porie for
on trenches, as the gully dropped tought
tekind with a wood for a background
and Frity couldsit move without being
seen. About two Oclock in the morning
 

33
we were relieved by a Battation of Sommis
and mored back carrying the wounded
that were left to the neaest dressing
station I happened to be one of four who
carried a mate with a trohen leg about a
mile. The pear fellow never whimfired and
we must have hurt him
for
we were stumbling and slipping all the time
you can imagine how tired we were as
for several days we hadnit had advnt
sleep and there the stunt on top of it
all just craned thing
At daylight we pryned back at bachy on
MarchS1
Easter Sunday, and were met in the main
street by Mr. Danes our Motoon Officer who
hadnt ben in the stunt.
£d0n
en He trake
down completely on learning that twe
represented the tolal strenglh of B. Compan
No doubt we must have locked a miserebld.
and disseputable frush for we could horld
dragone fitt after anther and it was
impossible for any more mud to chrigh
 

34
our clothes (os rather rags.)
Ayway Dorney had the lill & beiling
and also our leds made re after hering
a drink and a lit of a onack we turned
in and slept like logs I wihe up at
sunrise on Easter Monday Aprit 10th escaclly
twenty four hours later.
after wreckfast our billets nere shelled and
several men were hit including two mare
of my bompany Con Officer gare the order
to take to thet open immediately the first
stell came sheicking over but several of us
disobeyed as it was mostly shrapnell and
it was th men amongs those whe
obexed that the casualities occured.
After things guiitered we got prowling about
same anuspal and onn of a French Play
faper a long confas
whien was fas tinee to the gable of a house.
in the main street.
I found a gas mask which was stuffect
with loot from a jewlers s hope which I
consigned to theroadway. I new gas mask
for
was what I was looking for 2 mine
 

35
was put out of action during the hoponer
it is wonderful what same fillows will do
oren while death is hovening about some of
them will stea
An Tuesday morning Arriland a few himforceneng
arrieed, and during the day B. Company was
farmed in to a senisgin Wetsor of Kive teams
Every one especially the new receuits were
drilted, and dectured, for another assul
which the authorities expected Iritse
make during the next day or se
just about Sundown our guns of ined up
and houred a murdeons 4re ito a valler
about your miles away I think my troos
were more surprised that. Irit as we
didnt know that there were one quarter of
these guns about. The whole ralley the
prcensed
were firing into so be just like a minster
hush fere with the great clad of smake
floating about
Atterdark we marched out to a large
Town on tap of the ridges which is callect
Villers-Bretonnense where we tillited for the
 

36
night in a chimists, shop.
The next morning the 2d of Arril a guard
was picked ben my cgmpany in which
was ingnded for the purpose of guarding.
a barge, wuilding, containing good of
every description, and aiso many different
kinds of langle fo ot. We had a very trying
day as far a patiezee was concerred
as all day long the boose artists were
lyying to snock in and I cose we didnt
the want to shoot as we were instructed
These men belonged to all the diffeent
units both Iniperal and Mrs nabiars
in that sector.
All day long the enemy shells were
sailing, into the town and spreading
deptenenon all agound of Major was
killed right arongside the gate we were
on duty at and in the thickest of
the fombardment an old lady of about
eaghty years of age- went by talfying
a busidle avout as large as that
which the Indiar Hawkers used to
 

35
carry through the country at honse
She was the last inhabitat to leave
Villers prettonenze and seemed quite
cheerful as she hobbled along that
shell torn road tewards Armans
Towards eneringg I was speaking
to a member of the Hary Sevice bapps
who 2dwnitiered to, take some letters of mine
and try and get them posted
You see we hadnit been at letescond
any letters during our trare Us and I
knew now anicious the people in.
ing
Sectland would be know what was on
and also that I had rejoined my muth
About ton minutes after the lad took
my letters. I was releeved to, go and get
tea and walking into the building
passed some remark to the Corporal
Sommy Polson,) avent the pleasures
of a soldiers life for on the flear was
some roat foub, manny kinds of tinned
regitables and a couple of empty
schampaywe bottlis for which my two
 

38
mates were responsible
We were both langhing when a shell
buist through the shylight
To me it seemed as though some one
had tipped a truckload of coal, over us.
Tommy died with a laugh on his lips
and also another chap standing near
and of course at fus I thought I was
pit in a dazen places.
It is uon derful how many different
thoughts will race through the havi
in such a small fradion of time
Thoughts about home and whether
a person is too hadly hust to recover
fear is absolutely absent
After a moment I recovered sufficinlty
to get on my feet and was tying
to remenber where the door was when
through the smake appeared one of the
guard off the main gate who sayd
something about getting out of the place
just ther over came another shell
and he batted leaving us to our fate
 

39
Oneglance at the borporal and the
orther chap was sufficent the floor
was torn to splinters all rounld me
and to this day I can't imagine hop
Tescaped anivd
I felt no pain and after I could see the
was out made a dive for the street.
but after going about this ty yards
the cabble stones seemed to float
up tom.0
t wasnt long bfore your stretches
learers camgalongg Iscarcety reminty
what I said tomern but afterwards
found out that I complained about
getting a branid now uniform)
ruined. They seegned to be quite
amused at how I took it but as
I said before pair was abserit
enpirely. They carried me round to
the dressing station where a lot more
wounded were collected in a cellar
About midnight I was put in anotor
Ambilance with another chap
 

and was begining to think I couldn't
sland any more as my wounds new
sumed to be on fire btnsinge hare
Iwondered hou I hied through that
fifteen mile ride.
 

PRoOSI9
Ressrallan
Mar Mamerial
 

Forthampton
October 30. 1919
Dear Sverybody
just a few lines to
tell you I am now in England and
getting on abright, I am still in hospital
but the wound has healed up- in fact
I was abrght a week after & got hit
would never have got deross here
if it hadnt been for one of the
hurses in our wardy who was an
Bustratian She used to do her best
to get all the cussics across
There seems to be a great difference
between our nurses and the others.
Of course they are all very kind, but
I would rather be in an Hustralian
Hospital at any time
Wiell & think I will now tell you
something about the place we were
fighting in, as we are free from the
censor now. The first time we went
into the line was on Sept. 29th, on
the Gounh Thres side of Younebike
Village on rather where it bused to be
Today there pnt even a reap of bricks