Accounts relating to Herbert Austin Bailey, 1918-1919 - Part 3

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whole night long both around, on, & over us. 

Peronne being but a short distance away, we take

a walk in. Any my word there's destruction complete. At one 

time a large & flourishing town, now chaos & ruin presents

itself at every turn. Not one building left intact in the

whole place. The entire place will have to be rebuilt.

About the centre of the town and & outside the church ruins, is 

a pedestial on which once stood a statue of some Hero. 
The figure has been removed, so also as the metal plate, from

the scared pedestial. I suppose by Frtiz, for melting down 

in Munitions. A lot of captured war material is being 

sent to Australia, for to help swell the War

Museums that each state is contemplating. There

are also men around here from other Divisions

and numbers of us pay visits to our former associates. 

Around here too there are an immense

numbers of graves. Princibly of those that 

recently fell in the defence of Peronne & the surroundings. 

One might say that practically

for the whole distance Fritz has retreated

since we commenced the push on Aug 8

he had scarce any prepared defences to

make anything like a permanent stand.

So he has no possible hope against the weight 

that is being continually brought to bear

on him. Practically speaking & for the 

 

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Colossal of the stunt. It was more or

less a walk over untill we reached the Somme. 

Now he is even out of that, & being rapidly pushed

farther back. I suppose to make an effort

for a great stand on his famous Hindenburg 

line. Our men are of course exhilerated & delighted

with the continual success, day by day of the lads

pushing on in front. The drive is going forward

lastly & there's a great contrast in the general

surroundings of a place in very short time. 

Where guns &c belch forth & roar today, tomorrow

they are gone forward & the distant booms only are

heard. They having been removed & taken up

new position, farther forward under cover

of darkness. Fritz these days is at a great disadvantage,

in locating out guns & has to put 

out feelers at places he thinks most probable 

to be used as gun positions &c. For it precious 

few of his Aeroplanes, get over our lines in the 

day time. His Observation Balloons may perchance 

spot a position, by noting the flashes of

them when they are fired. Even with them, all 

though they are well back ^they are continually being

worried & frequently being brought down in 

flames by our hosts of planes. In most instances

when Fritz has to evacuate any place, it appears

to be allways done in a great hurry, for there's 

allways so much clothing, kit, arms &c left 

behind. The Army is allways being followed up 

by Salvage parties, who collect all things available

& its amazing the Colossal heaps of stuff 

of all descriptions that is got together. That 

he's terribly short of some things is very 

evident. His equipment, straps, harness, string 
bag &c, for the most part are made up of a prepared 
paper. Owing I suppose to being short of flax 

&c. His Motor Transport has Iron wheels & Bicycle ^wheels 
are steel bands, springs & leather. No rubber 
being available. Things are going well up 
in the front & rumour has it that we are 
shortly to make a move forwards & so relieve 
some of the boys, thus giving them a spell. 
We've had a fair good time here anyway. We pack 
up our gear &c put it all in Store. Blankets are 
loaded on Wagon. We get our Iron rations. I.E. rations 
that are served out & carried for emergency, in case 
the Transport cannot get up, or one is likely to be 
cut off for any time. We don battle order, Motors 
arrive & we are taken some distance forward by 
these. When the dance zone is reached we have 
to walk the rest of the journey. Its remarkable with 
what rapidity the Rail head is brought forward 
Where Frtiz was contesting ground, but a few 
days ago, trains are now running, both light 
 

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& heavy railways & quite a number of our great 
guns are now fixed up & firing from the rail head. We 
take up quarters in a large Quarry. Here there are a 
number of very large & deep dugouts. Quite sufficient in themselves 
toehold an rmy. One in particular which I was in 
could easily accommodate anything up to 600 men. Bunks 
&c fixed up 3 & 4 here high. Our men caught about 400 
Germans in this tunnel alone for the most part asleep 
All is so still in the bowels of the castle, that no sound of 
the great conflict that is raging around the neighbourhood outside can be heard. Around here (Templeaux) 
is part of the so called impregnable Hindenburg line 
And when one loos around it appears that our Army 
had an impossible task in front of them, when 
attempting to storm it. Yet they've done it & still pushing 
onwards. He'd everything around here that modern man 
ingenuity could devise. Shelter, protection from Shell fire, guns 
&c Still out he went. Our men are detailed off in small 
parties to join various other detachments. Infantry, Tanks 
&c princibly to go in advance & search for Booby Traps &c for the 

following morning stunt. These traps are various & of many 
kinds & descriptions. Placed sometimes so that the wright of a 
Tank, or body of men passing over a certain spot would 
immediately exp ignite a fuse & up the lot would go. Fritz 
also knows that our boys are great ones onin collecting 
Souveniors. Perhaps entering a dug out, one may 
start a fuse going, by their own weight on the steps 
 

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up would go the whole lot, yourself included 

other attractive things are laid about for the 
same purpose. A watch or other Nick back may 
have some devilish detonator attached to it. All 
troops are warned of these many cunning devices 
But there are times when men ignore them & come to grief even 
when all precaution is taken. My job this time is to 
follow-up with the transport. The attack is preceded 
with a terrific bombardment forming a barrage under 
& behind which the troops advance. The Americans in this 
instance hop over first. they're to reach a given point. 
Then open out & our boys go through them & continue the 
chase & so on. These Americans are about the finest 
& gamest body of men that ever anyone came across 
or in contact with Poor lads were for the most part new to the 
game and were over anxious in their hurry to gain ground pronto 
left many Germans behind them sheltered in Dugout &c 
but ran right into their own barrage. Consequently 
their casualties were fare greater than they need have 
been. They were shot with our own guns & also in the 
back, by their failing to mop up the Germans as they 
went. Our boys are older hands at the game & are now 
very seldom caught this way. They Mop up as they go 
leaving non unless they are prisoners & disarmed. By 
doing this they (the Americans) gave our men a 
hard task to perform, they not only had to go 
over & take the ground won, but before they 
 

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could proceed they had to mop up the trench 
of the Germans. Hordes of which were still 
underground. And this they succeeded in doing 
in remarkably quick time. Fritz will usually fire 
to the last & then immediately cry out Kamerade. 
Needless to say the Kamerad gag doesnt allways 
work. The early effect are soon to be seen by streams 
of prisoners & wounded &c coming to the rear. A truly 
pitifull procession to witness. Fritz is firing back & puting 
some heavy stuff on to the roads, to prevent transport 
&c from coming up. We get as far as Hargicourt 
(a village recently taken) & are ordered to stop for awhile. He 
directly after put over a number of Gas Shells, right 
in amongst us, of our small party of 7 men, he got 3 
badly wounded & 4 horses ^killed. Its nothing short of a miracle he 
didnt get the hole lot of us straight out. We apply our first 
aid Bandages to the mens wounds & Im fortunate enough 
to bail up an Empty Ambulance Car right away 
so we lift them in & they are borne away to the Aid 
post. One of the drivers ride back to the horse lines for 
more assistant in the form of horses, on his arrival 
there Fritz is shelling them & the Sargents horse is 
shot from under him. In this hotshot we have 
to stay for the remainder of the day awaiting the 
assistance that could'nt get up. Our boys farther 
forward had meantime found shelter in a Pill Box 
in the Hindenburg line. And after having had 
 

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a lively time all day, at last got protection 
from this source. They were waiting for 
their tucker which could'nt get up to them & we 
were waiting the opportunity to get to them with 
their tucker & also blankets. The chance didnt come 
that night. At dusk we started back for the horse 
lines, it soon became pitch dark & commenced 
to pour with rain. We were in a rather pitifull 
plight & drenched to the skin. Finally we lost 
our bearings & for awhile matters were made 
much more creepy, for we were surrounded 
with tanks & each was manoeuvring for position. 
Had either of them stepped on us. Well? After wandering 
about for an hour or two, we eventually 
get on the right track again. In the meantime 
a party had gone forward with the mens 
rations &c. So we find our way back to the Quarry 
tunnel (Bakerloo Tunnel its called) with a 
Blanket & spend the night there. In the 
p morning we proceed up the line to join up 
with the mob. On the way up we get the good news 
that the whole of the stunt the day before had been 
a complete success. Fritz had cleared out of 
Bellicourt & our men were well on their way 
towards St Quentin. The Hindenburg had 
collapsed & our boys had slept in that 
 

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night. Grusome sight, presented themselves 
to us on our way up. Corpses are 
strewn everywhere in all conditions, 2 of our 
own men we see lying by the roadside having 
paid the supreme penalty & we're told there 
are several others wounded & gassed. Also two 
others killed. The Battle though successful 
has not been accomplised without a frightfull toll 
in lives. We find our lads in the trench & Pill Box. 
These Pill Boxes are of reinforced concrete & very 
strong shelters. All around are frightfull scenes of 
the great conflict that has raged around. Tanks 
left stranded, burnt out, & direlect are all 
about the place. Undoubtly our great 
advance has been due to a large extent, to the 
vast superiority of both tanks & aircraft. Nothing 
Fritz has got appears to be able to prevent 
their advance. Honor & Glory of war may be 
allright to read about in A story, but to witness 
it is ^a far different matter. Horrible carnage & bloodshed, 
dead men lying everywhere in all attitudes 
Shell holes, trenches, barbed wire entanglements, torn 
down to shreds & rolled down by the tremendous weight 
of Tanks or torn to Shreds by Gun Fire. Fritz is 
still throwing back his shells amongst us occasionally by 
his long range guns. We are now in Bellicourt, 
well in the Hindengburg line & 
 

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& a place which like the rest is only an 
heap of rubbish. Fritz is a marvel with 
his deep dug out &c, they are to be found 
everywhere around here & some safe possy they 
are too, down them one can get a good sleep & 
hardly know there's a war on. I sleep in one 
part of this night, the other part is occupied by 
being on Gas Piquet. That is to raise the alarm & awaken 
the men if gas is sent over. I salvage & use some 
of his blankets of which he has left quite a number. 
Fleas too to wreck vengeance on his enemy's. During the 
night some Infantry coming out of the line, stop in the trench 
where we are. Poor lads they've suffered very heavy 
casualties & some Platoons are allmost wiped out. 
They are soaked through & miserable. Our men 
for the remainder of the night give up their place 
to them. If there's any hell at all its in France 
today. We're conquering its true & we will win 
but what a price is being paid for victory, in 
blood. Here in Bellicourt is a entrance to the underground 
Canal thats been so much talked of 
Rumours are pretty rife that the Australians are now 
going out of the line for a long spell. Away 
back from the scene of war like Operations 
There's something in the yarn too, for we 
get orders to prepare to retire. The men what 
there are left of them get away during the day 
 

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and march back over the scene of the recent 
struggle. The salvaging party are very busy clearing 
up the Battle field & vast heaps of Captured material 
are bing piled up for removal. The wastage on a Battle 
field is tremendous. Toward evening we read Long 
avenues, & are fixed up in some Bow Huts which was 
untill recently a German Red Cross Hospital. Consequently 
they are practically intact. Artillery 
fre having been kept away from them. Streams 
of our men are passing on this way back from 
the line, for their hard earned rest, other 
regiments are going forward to take the 

field. The ranks of ours are sadly depleted to what 
they were when they went into action. But a few 
short hours ago. Lose by here there are a lot of 
yanks taking a rest before moving further on.

It would be a very difficult matter for any person 
to find a ore friendly & sociable lot of fellows 
for a body of men go where you will. We remain here a 
couple of days, in the meantime our packs come 
along, so that the men can get a change of clothes 
if required. But unfortunately for us it means that we 
will have to carry them on the next stage of the 
journey. Which ultimately turns out to be another 
Fritz hospital just outside Peronne. Has one marches 
through this city they cannot refrain from giving 
a shudder to think that such a magnificent