Letters from John Hardie to his family, 1917-1918 - Part 5

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
AWM2017.7.243
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

(3 came back into the reserve lines, which is about the worst place at the front as Frity can shell you there without being afraid of any dropping on his own likes We were there for some time doing nigh work, such as laying cables, and carrying ammunition. Then one night they shipted us back the other side of Ypres. That was when our boys capturce goonebike. Well after the stunt we went up again to make roaeds to bring up the guns. You just ought to see the state the t country is in There unt one inch of it that hasn't been torn by shell fire Of course it is our guns that do, most of in. The night we were making the roact old Frity sent over a few shells as we were going up. Our guns were silent for a long time and then suddenly the S.O.S. went up, and they opened. I think there were about a thousand guns firing over our heads. You can imagine the row. The Ferman gun closed up altogether and we never lost a single man on that got. If the enemy send over one shell on this front our fellows Isually throw back about ten, and if he sends more it always ends in our chaps giving him
Onf MTITE ERPEDN a barrage We were withdrawn from the line about the eighth of October to reorganise for the hop over on the th 12th On the we came back and camped outside youres at a place called Hill fire corner. forgot to say I had been transferred to the nent Machenegun any you see they had suffered ver a battle only a few days before and were very weak th At eight O'clock on the night of the 11th we left the camp for the line and then began the march through pouring rain, and a constang bombardment of H.6s and gas shells. Every little track was congested with, troops going up for the battle, which was to be one of the biggest things of the whole campaign We were slipping and sliding all over the place, and falling into shell holes, and to make matters worse we were loosing men every few yards. Well we got to our hopping off place at twenty minutes past five in the morning, wet to the skin and dead beat. F ihe minutes later our barrage
than ten we were away 14 forget the sight, and thin we my tring I aidn't feel, the least bit frightened. I never saw the sky lit up with such a display of lights before. It really was pretty sight. But we hadn't gone far fore Fritz got his guns onto us, Battalion after Battalion got practically aut to pieces. dont know how it, was our team gos through. Several of them had their clothes torn with bits of shell got a small &t got about splinter in the Tasan five hundred when we were held up You see they expected the attack and had been preparing for some time T he Passe hendaele. ridge also the Village of the same name was to have been our final objective of piece of the ground we had to take was some that the Tommies left seven days before, and would you believe it, there were some of the poor fellows who had been wounded still living in the shell holes. of lot of our wounded got drowned in the liquid mud. In the valley beyond our starting point the mid was up to our waist. You can form an idea how hard it was to tackle the enemy under such conditions. Faot hit just a little while after
reaching our first objective, and had to crawl, and flounder, through a swamp to get into the main track out. affter about half an hour of such going I reached the first dressing station which was - a German fll, bos that had just been captured. I had intended to get my wound dressed there, but what I saw there was the cause of me going on. as there were strete hers lined up outside besides those insider waiting their turn. You see it was an advanced dressing station Well I hadn gone far before I came across my B attalion which was in reserve sheltering in a railway cutting. I dont think I will ever forget the sights I saw along there bhaps whom I had seen alive only a day or so before were lying in little troups just as they were killed by the shells and all the way down the rocd it got worse. This uc- the Mennin Road I heard, after. -wards what was left of our boys went up and helped in an attack just after I came out heard poor Bob. Pearse got slightly wounded, and when
coming out got killed by a shell & think I told you before about having to make my way out for about five miles thow or to the fifth dressing station, just ought to have seen the traffic on that Mennin Rd. On one side there were fresh troops coming up, on the other a constant stream of wounded going out. Nearly all the stretchers were sarried by Terman prisoners as our bearers were about wified out Inr the centre guns were being brought up, and also an endless line of shell carriers. The Geman gan wire constantly hitting the road, but instead of getting misced up the traffic afraid and still went on. sometimes a gun and its team would get hit there would be a bit of a halt until they shoved the broken gen and the dead over the side if the road, and everything went on as before. When got about two miles from the front lines I came across the guns which had been brought up during the night. They had been placed in position just off the rroad, and wwereblaying away wither down there were eight wich
AUSTRALLAN RED CROSS. guns aboout in the open We must have had thousands of guns on that sector well there is very little eeI could tell you about that part except fpres, which is only a heap of ruins there isnt one building standing in the whole of what wis once a beautiful, town. The streets are still kept in good order and the cellars are used for billeting troops. Ior some places it is just like a town under ground there are, heaps things I would like io tell you but a person never knows when a letter may be opened One thing I will pay- though
81 is that our boys got cut to pieces in this last affair hey all say it was the worst they ever were in Battalion after B attation just seemed to melt away before the Terman Gins And I know for a fact that our gunsfired above ten times as much as Frity. So you can foom an idea what it was like. I reached a dressing station about two O'clock on the Saturday afternoon about fifteen mils from the line and had my bit of a scratch seen to for the first time. My word it was lovely to get a nice hot drink of tea again, and everyone was so good to us. 91 At every place we stopped we got a drink of hot tea and a bag of biscuits On the train it was the same on which we travelled all the next day and part of the night; about midnight we landed at Abbieville a small town on the lower part of the Somie Iwent there for a couple of weeks and then took the train again for Haune, which we reached after travelling all night we got on the boat at nine Oclock next morning and moved out into the bay, where we stopped until dark that night SOS Aesrallan War Momerial
6 when I woke up next morning we were off Southampton Svery one was quite pleased and beven the seriously wounded were quite cheerful. I know at one time I never expected to see England again We were not shifted off the boat until dark that night and then had another train ride until after midnight. It took us from Friday evening until nearly monday morning to reach & Withampton from the Hospital in France The boat we came over in was the Warialda, belonging to the Adelaide S.S. Coy. well dear ones, will draw this to a close now. Hoping all are well a and brother happy. Ian your loning son John Hardie.
Brighton otpil 24 Dear Mother and Frather just a little more scuibbling hoping all are well and also to let you know how Singettir gon The doctor told me several days ago that Im unfit for further genral service and also that I was booked to rail by the first boot for itnesie. I know how please you will be ovr that 0If I knew the excact late I would send a cuble but of course it might be quite a while yet before they serd me away. I had one operation in Fraance and is it was and uninccufiel, I espected another here. I wont under serays and the doctor rays the haese is very smell and is in such a difficult pesition that it would be better to leave it along. I'd rather have it out as it may trouble me later on still if he thinks it is allright it may come right Reath it seems to good to be true me gang home pt course it will be a bong time before I sawca a bort acain nht to be will on the
6 all the country we hasred through was begining to take on a look of shring. All the little chrubr and bushis wee begining to bud and blowem. It was a pity, we were so packed or otherwise the gomney would have been ver pleasant. Will we landed at Cartie lation the night of the 6th and spent a very enjoyable time in that town until the 9th whon I rejaned my Battalion behind the line, at armentiores. I was put on several working parties to the front line and did other jobs round Ploegsturt, oementiery and towards Menines ridge, until the 25tth where my Bor went into hold the line at La Barswitle. Everything was manelourly, quiet and very seldone a shill harred ovr. We were only there for five days and were then with drawn to supports at Deadhave comeraduring our stay in the pont timne we had only a few men hid our own guns, sate one nighe The bigget danger was tI

(2)
came back into the reserve lines, which is
about the worst place at the front as Fritz
can shell you there without being afraid
of any dropping on his own lines.
We were there for some time doing night
work, such as laying cables, and carrying
ammunition  then one night they shifted
us back the other side of Ypres.  That was
when our boys captured Zonnebeke. Well
after the stunt we went up again to
make roads to bring up the guns.
You just ought to see the state the
country is in  There isn't one inch
of it that hasn't been torn by shellfire
of course it is our guns that do most of
it.  The night we were making the road
old Fritz sent over a few shells as we were
going up.  Our guns were silent for a long
time and then suddenly the S.O.S. went
up, and they opened.  I think there were about
a thousand guns firing over our heads.
You can imagine the row.  The German guns
closed up altogether and we never lost
a single man on that job.  If the enemy send
over one shell on this front our fellows usually
throw back about ten, and if he sends more
it always ends in our chaps giving him 

 

a barrage.  We were withdrawn from the 
line about the eight of October to reorganise
for the hop over on the 12th. On the 10th
we came back and camped outside Ypres
at a place called Hill fire corner.  I forgot
to say I had been transferred to the ninth
Machine gun [[Company?]]  You see they had
suffered very [[?]] a battle only a
few days before and were very weak.
At eight-O-clock on the night of the 11th
we left the camp for the line and then began
the march through pouring rain, and a constant
bombardment of H.E.s and gas shells.  Every
little track was congested with troops going up
for the battle, which was to be one of the
biggest things of the whole campaign.
We were slipping and sliding all over the
place, and falling into shell holes,
and to make matters worse we were loosing
men every few yards.  Well we got to our
hopping off place at twenty minutes past five
in the morning, wet to the skin and
dead beat.  Five minutes later our barrage 

 

[[?]] and [[?]] than ten we were away
[[?]] thin [[w?]] forget the sight, and
a [[?]] thing I didn't feel the least bit
frightened.  I never saw the sky lit up with
such a display of lights before.  It really was
a pretty sight.  But we hadn't gone far
before Fritz got his guns onto us.  Battalion
after Battalion got practically cut to pieces
I don't know how it was our team got
through.  Several of them had their clothes
torn with bits of shell [[?]] I got a small
splinter in the h[[and?]] [[?]] & got about
five hundred ^yards when we were held up
You see they expected the attack and had been
preparing for sometime  The Passchendaele ridge
also the Village of the same name was to have
been our final objective. A piece of the ground
we had to take was some that the Tommies
left seven days before, and would you believe
it, there were some of the poor fellows who
had been wounded still living in the shell
holes.  A lot of our wounded got drowned
in the liquid mud.  In the valley beyond
our starting point the mud was up to
our waist.  You can form an idea how hard
it was to tackle the enemy under such
conditions.  I got hit just a little while after 

 

5
reaching our first objective, and had
to crawl, and flounder, through a swamp
to get onto the main track out.  After
about half an hour of such going
I reach the first dressing station
which was a German pill box that
had just been captured.  I had intended
to get my wound dressed there, but
what I saw there was the cause of me
going on as there were stretchers lined up
outside besides those inside waiting
their turn.  You see it was an advanced
dressing station.  Well I hadn't gone far
before I came across my Battalion which
was in reserve sheltering in a railway
cutting. I don't think I will ever forget
the sights I saw along there. Chaps whom
I had seen alive only a day or so before

were lying in little groups just as they were
killed by the shells and all the way
down the road it got worse.  This was
the Mennin Road I heard afterwards
what was left of our boys
went up and helped in an attack just
after I came out.  I heard poor Bob Pearse
got slightly wounded, and when 

 

6
coming out got killed by a shell.
I think I told you before about having
to make my way out for about five miles
or to the fifth dressing station. ^You just ought
to have seen the traffic on that Mennin
Rd.  On one side there were fresh troops
coming up, on the other a constant
stream of wounded going out.  Nearly all
the stretchers were carried by German
prisoners as our bearers were about wiped
out. In the centre guns were being brought

up, and also an endless line of shell

carriers. The German guns continually

hitting the road, but instead of getting

afraid and mixed up the traffic

still went on. Sometimes a gun and
its team would get hit; there would be
a bit of a halt until they shoved the
broken gun and the dead over the side
of the road, and everything went on as
before.






 

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