Lieutenant Colonel William McKenzie, MC, OBE - Diary - 1914 - 1917 - Part 6

Church burned down & many houses

ruined - we camped here for the

night & left at 4 A.M. for a

farm house billet behind the firing

line where we were in support of the

2nd Battln. The 9th Battln got shelled

in Billet - 70 casualties. Brooks

& McGrath amongst them - on April

25th Anzac Day - I had bought 400

lbs of fruit cake to give the boys a

hunk each in memory of Anzac Bay

They liked it well. I had travelled

to Brileaul Canteen for this - 9

miles - Heavy shelling every day -

I buried our first Casualty in Friojes

on 'Anzac Day' Foster D. Compy 4th

We went into the forward trenches

on Weds night May 4th & with considerable

shelling each day - then very busy

improving trenches & 'dugouts'

we were in for 16 days during

which time we had 26 casualties

10 killed, 16 wounded - buried Smith

& McKinnon - found letter addressed

to me in the paybook of former.

We came out of Trenches in late

night May 21st & returned to daily

in reserve. Held Church Parade

at Mill 11 A.M. Sunday, men very tired.

Had a useful busy week. Parade

held Sunday working under

fruit trees in Orchard. A big

musical in theatre after & a Service

at night in Hut, several [[?]]

One man lost recently grandmother, 

mother & daughters - tribute 'with ME'

etc. He was deeply moved.

 

 

Left for London on Monday night

pm May 29th slept from 10pm to 4 AM

in YMCA Steenmouth & then went 

to Rly Station. Got train for Bologne

arriving abt 4-30 & catching boat

right away for Folkstone. Got

train abt 2-30 p.m. journey [[?]]

in Billman's & had lunch aboard

took train to Liverpool St & thence

to Pembury Road, visited L.H.Q. next

day chatted with a number of

leading Officers, including Corman

Higgins, Raneb, Rawley Jeffries

& others. Duce & Knoth besides

Carpenter later. I arrived in

London on Tuesday night & left

on Friday night for Scotland -

visiting my relations Edinburgh,

Glasgow, Wisbow, Peebles & retnd

to London Weds morning & went

to L.H.Q. day at Clapham aftn & night

where I got a great reception &

had to speak in the aftn session.

June 7th - Had tea with Condan & Jacque

spent next day doing 'bis' & drive to

Handamouth Hospital had photo

taken with C.& G. in 'Baptist house'.

Retd to France on Friday arriving

on Sailly 1 a.m. Satdy morning 10th June

& left that night for Gluerbatt to

support 2nd Battln. Had 6 Services

on Sunday, (had 10 in unfortunately)

God was with us in these services

we were in support for 14 days

I buried Lt Hunter & Chrystal of 

the 2nd Battln during this time.

 

 

'Rodgers' was brought in to the Trenches

during our first week at Wye Farm

which H Qrts we took over on Saty

June 24th R. brought in 28th Raiders

were very plentiful on all sides

Heavy gun work & rain in plenty

we were in this position until Wed

night July 5th when we were relieved

by the 46th we retd to Sailly for

2 days where we encamped & prepared for

a 'move on', Moved out on Sunday

morning early for Ostherstern for

2 nights. Dumped luggage at Saileaul

Maison De Charite (Sisters of Charity.

Then on Tuesday morning we set out

for Bailcourt where we entrained for

the Somme. We detrained & then walked 

for 10 miles where we camped for

the night & then off again to another

village the following day - Thus we 

went on thro lovely country beautiful

& picturesque, delightful weather

smiling fields, splendid Crops with

flowers, singing birds, shady trees, old

villages. We ultimately passed on to

Warloy some 5 miles from Albert

We stayed 3 Days at this village &

held a fine open air meeting in the

street. We moved on toward the

trenches on Weds evening getting into the

La Boiselle dump (ex German Trenches)

at 11p.m. Here we were in support

for a few days & nights & on Satdy

July 22nd we moved up to attack Risigton

which attack began about midnight

The 1st Brigade took the village after

a tough days fighting. The Germans

 

 

were cowed & surrendered easily -

great progress was made & many trenches

The Germans turned all possible

Guns large & small on to the

villages after capture & control

the boys stood like a rack tho' the

punishment was severe. Many

were buried & dug out several times

& then unable to get out & perished

Some went mad quite a few lost

their nerve & some were blown to

fragments. It was strenuous

4 days & nights - losses in Brigade

2,000 - (50 Officers included). I had

spent the days (for 10 days) gathering

up & burying the dead. British,

German & Austn. It was trying

& at times risky work.

We got into a trench outside Albert

for a day & then marched out

to a forest near Conta, for

a night & day before going

on another 12 miles - We

had 4 days marches & ultimately

landed at _____ where we

remained 9 days & 10 nights

We were at the Mayor's Chateau

& had several Concerts Also [[?]]

3 services on Sunday. Commander

of Lone Pine change at night,

We left here at 9 A.M. on Wedy &

marched to ____ Chateau Farm

Men camped in open held a

Concert at night. It rained before 

morning men got wet. We set

out at 5 am for march to Fricourt

arriving there at noon. However

tired -

 

 

Friday March 23rd 1917.  Arrived in

Ribemont village from Fricourt

B.Camp yesterday afternoon, a march

of 8½ miles over muddy roads, still

the Battalion came along at a fine

swinging pace, the Brass Band

enlivening the boys enroute with

some fine tunes as also the Bugles

The Band under Pemoon has made

remarkable progress & gives much

promise of being a fine combination

We had snowstorms (3 times)

during the day & the cold was

intense. Ribemont is a miser-

able village & the people all

'on the make' out of the soldiers.

Their prices are extortionate.

The Billets are miserable. Three

of no sleep on a damp brick

floor & my rheumatics are

rather trying. The men are in

fine heart & look very fit

after their trying winter watch

in the Trenches. the recent fighting

& the German retirement has had

a fine reinvivating effect on

them & I guess they will show

up to good advantage in the

coming offensive.

It is not 12 months ago today

since we embarked on the

Sinla at Alexandria Egypt & 

sailed for Marseilles France

at 9 p.m. the same evening.

Much has happened since then.

 

 

Australia To Wit

RCM Ferguson

^{His Excellency the Right Honourable Sir Ronald Cranford Munro Ferguson.}

^{a member of his Majesty's Most Honourable Brim Council Knight Grand Cross of the Most}

^{Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Governor General and}

^{Commander in Chief of the Commonwealth of Australia.}

To William McKenzie

GREETINGS

^{By virtue of the provisions of the Defence Let.1903-1912 and of all other powers me enabling}

I, Sir Ronald Cranford Munro Ferguson, _{the Governor General aforesaid acting with the}

_{advice of the Federal Executive Council do hereby appoint you to be an Officer of the}

Military _{Forces of the Defence Force of the Commonwealth from the} 

Twenty fifth _{day of} September 1914

And _{I direct you diligently to discharge your duty as such Officer in the}

_{rank of} Honorary Chaplain 4^th Class

^{or in any higher rank to which the Governor General is pleased to} 

^{promote or appoint you.}

Given _{under my hand and the Seal of the Commonwealth}

_{this 1^st day of March}

_{One thousand nine hundred and twenty}

By his Excellency's Command

G.F. Pearce

[*ENTERED on record by the Registrar of Patents No 22 Page 20 this 24^th

^{day of March one Thousand nine hundred and twenty}

^{WN Shepard}

Photograph - see original document.

 

Mother

 

Chaplain

GREEN                     Unsworth           Wm. McKENZIE

of                                 from                    1st A.I.F.

New Zealand.          ENGLAND.         4th Battalion

 

PR84/150(1)

Australian

War Memorial

 

 

Photograph - see original document

on Parade in

front of camp

4th Battalion

A.I.F. to which

Chaplain McKenzies

is attached

25/1/15 for Home

 

CONTENTS.   Journal written by WILLIAM M^cKENZIE - M.C.

who was appointed CHAPLAIN

to 4th Battalion, 1st A.I.F.

& sailed by "Euripides", 1914