Jones, Oscar Anglesey (Captain, b.1892 - d.1917), letters - Part 10

country with a big chance of 

losing your worldly goods of

chattels. A lot of gear also becomes

very tiring: I generally go into

the line with the wet equipment

a haversack, water bottle, revolver,

field glasses & gas helmet. Generally

I carry some biscuits & a tin of

beef in the haversack; also have

a waterproof sheet. With those

things I do not care a hang one way

or the other how things come

or go.  I suppose by

this time Frank is home

again & perhaps Ivor as well

It will be nice for you

to have them, especially if they

are there for Xmas. I do

not like our chance of returning

for this one, but we should be

finished here in time for the

next one, although you never

know how long it will last

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by this morning paper the

Allies seem to be doing well all

along the line & if it continues

to be so the winter will see

us in a far better position

than last year.

I have not seen

Bert Jacka since that day of which

I have spoken but no doubt

he is somewhere about this

district and I hope to see him

any day, dodging around.

Did not see Des Eaton

around here, but with so many

troops about, it is quite easy

to pass anyone close by & not

see them.

To-day I have nothing

to do, so am taking it easy

We take it in turns  to go out

with the Coy.

Well Mum I think

this is all the news this time

so I shall close with the hope

that all at home are well & to

hear from you soon.

Your loving son

Oscar.

Somewhere in France

Sept 2nd

Dear Mother"

it is with mixed

thoughts and feelings that I now

sit down and write you a letter;

the first I have written since

before the attack on the 26th Aug

On that day two Coys of our

Battn hopped over the parapet & gave

the flower of the German Army

(The Russian Guard) their first taste

of Australians in action.

On that day, good men went

to their deaths cheerfully fighting

as soldiers should, giving no quarter

nor asking any from their enemies.

Death had no terrors for them;

duty was everything, Orders were

given to take a line of the enemys

trench and take it they did, 

although the cost was great

I was never so proud of our

Battn & Coy, and especially my

own platoon as what I was

that morning, when a few minutes

before dawn we cleared the parapet

and bore down on the German

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trenches. Cool to a degree of

recklessness, obeying orders implicitly

laughing as they were shot down

murmuring not when wounded

& mangled, such were the men

that I had the honour of leading

on the left flank of the first

line. They have come to me

since and thanked me for

commanding them & I am not

ashamed to say it I have

kissed them as they lay wounded

alongside me on the line where

I decided to hold & where we

defied the famous Prussian Guard

to shift us from. Were they not

worthy of their Officers embrace?

Those men with the smiling faces,

which seemed to take on so stern

a line when the sight was at

its worst? Did they shrink from

certain death when shoulder to

shoulder I had to form them

up to expect a counter attack?

To a thousand times. you will

if you think deeply realise (perhaps

just a little) what it means to

have good staunch men under you

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when you are cut off from support

and have to depend on a handfull

of men to hold the line. That

thin line which put fear into 

the Prussians & held them at

bay till we were relieved the next

night. I will just run through

briefly the events as they happened

"You will report as soon as you

are relieved to Coy H.Q.

R.G Smith Capt.

I had just returned from a trip to

the firing line (and having made

three such trips that day was

feeling a bit tired) when the above

message was put in my hands.

I swallowed some tea &

went down to the Valley where I

found the O.C. & Capt Sale.

"Well old chap, we are going

into the line to-morrow night &

attack at dawn next day.

I said, Thank God it has

come at last, Then selected

a place on the floor free of

equipment and sat down

To-morrow morning all

officers & men must be at Battn

H.Q.  at 6 a.m. for instructions

We will pick you up on the way.

After a brief chat over things

I went back to my dug-out

near the famous chalk-pit

and turned in. Alex Beatty
was with me, during the walk

and little did I think it was

the last time him and I would

walk together. Did not

sleep much during the night

as they were shelling fairly

heavily and occasionally a

large one would come rather

close. I awoke at

5.15 a.m. and was just

dressed when the Huns came

along. We reached B.H.Q. by

about 5.50 a.m. & in a few

minutes the others arrived.

The C.O. outlined the

scheme and then asked us

to have a look at the

front. Fred Sale & I crawled

on the parapet to have a

good view, it was risky but turned

out to be worth its weight

in gold. We then went back

and had lunch. After lunch

the five officers of the Coy had a
 

 

5

council & worked out the scheme

of attack as far as the coy was

concerned. "You will take the

left flank of the front line with

your platoon Offr Jones, also deal

with the stronghold & post two

blocking parties in the trench on

the other side of it. That was

my part of the performance.

I went to my lads &

explained the scheme to them

and detailed the blocking party.

The Coy were then told to

have as much rest as possible

and to be ready to move by

midnight. The Germans

started to send over big shells

where we were camped & the

men were brought lower down

the line. We were all up

and on the move by the

appointed time & I guided the

Coy to the quarry, where we

were to rendezvous, we reached

this spot about 1 45 a.m. or 2 am.

After a brief spell we issued a

shovel to each section and then

I led N^o 5 out to the position

from which, we were going to

6

attack. We were all worked

up to a high pitch, but every

one seemed cool and collected

I felt just the same as when

taking my place on the football

field,  or facing the mark in a

running contest. I had

already sycnchronised my watch

twice during the night and

at 3.30 went into H-Q to

report that B Coy front line

was in position I again

checked my watch wished everyone

luck and went out along

my line of men. Everyone was

in good heart, so we then

sat down to wait.

Promptly at 4.45 a.m.

the artillery fired with a

roar and one minute afterwards

we moved forward, following

the barrage within 10 yds all

the way. Little did the

famous Prussian Guard know

that within two minutes there

would burst on him, as fine

a lot of fighters as he had

ever been called on to face

My men were working like

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machines and watching me

for any sign or signal.

Just imagine how they

must have played the game

when you think of the infernal

din going on, rockets going

up, shells bursting, machine

guns playing this deadly rat tat

And the yells of men in

action. Red, Green, white, &

golden rockets were going up.

Henley was a fool to it.

Suddenly there is a yell & my

lads are at close quarters

Crack, Crack, Merci, [??]

N^o, N^o, N^o, and we sweep on

having wiped out a German

bomb post and its occupants

after a couple of minutes

hot fighting. All my men are

working well in hand & we reach

our objective line, By this time

things are in an uproar along 

the whole line.

Stop here lads!

"Right in" "Wheres that

blocking party"? "Here Sir"

Come on we will take the

strong hold" Right you are Sir

8

and into the jaws of hell we

went as happy as kids.

The first dug-out we

came to I put a bomb in

and waited for the burst.

Suddenly one of the boys

Cpl Esposito dashes forward with

a yell. Here they are he said, &

dropped on to his knee to steady

his aim. I went and stood

over him and together we

drove them back, Crack, Crack

both rifles are swinging out

fast and furiously. The

Boche is firing but wildly &

his bullets whizz close by but

do no damage.

Prussian Guards &

Australian boys at close quarters

A sight for the Gods. No prisoners

was my final order ere we

hopped over & indeed no quarter

is given or asked for.

The Germans are coming

on in big numbers. They

are in front behind & 

at the left hand side of us

Fahey is wounded in both arms

but he is still firing rapidly