Diary of Harold William Riggall 1916 - Part 8

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them and hold a nasty salient. Our losses

are still very heavy as the Germans are crumping

on our reserve trenches & roads of communication

day & night without ceasing. They are doing

so now but our infantry are not asking for

artillery support. I have just been talking to 

General Smyth V.C. who commands the 1^st Bde &

he is very enthusiastic, he tells me that our

infantry made the German prisoners they captured

dig the trenches for them & stood over them with

loaded rifles while they did it. The German

Colonel who was captured was made to dig

with the rest, & that they dug splendid

trenches although a lot of them were killed

while doing it with their own gun fire.

Such is war. Last night a sergeant took

out a party of 20 men to scout & went to Ferme

Mouquet about a mile to our left behind the

German lines behind Thupral which the

Tommies are still trying to capture. The party

returned before daybreak with 53 German

prisoners without firing a shot or losing a

man. Such is the Australians.

Friday July 28^th

Had a quiet night last night.  Beautiful

weather continues. Fired a lot today on our

barrage.  We have nearly finished pushing the

Germans off the ridge. The 1^st Division is

being withdrawn & the 2^nd Div is taking their 

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place. All the infantry went out last night

casualties about 5000. The 2nd Bde Arty went out

too. The 1st & 3rd are going out tonight.  We will be

the last to go. The first in and last out.  Morgan

went out beyond Pozieres today to our forward

line & brought me back the sights from a French gun

which the Germans had captured & we captured

back from them. It was a dangerous task to perform

as the gun was lying in Noman's Land & the German's

have a machine gun firing on it to keep us from

removing it. 
Saturday July 29^th

The 2^nd Division made an attack last night to

try & drive the Germans out of his second line of

trenches behind Pozieres but I do not know yet how

they got on. They are very keen to beat the 1^st Div as

they are sore at always having to come in to a new

position after we have done well in it.  I had no

sleep last night as I was turning until 4-45 AM

this morning. One of my guns is out of action having

broken her inner spring case - she has fired 1327

rounds in the last nine days. Reading the account

of the capture of Pozieres in the papers makes me sick

they say the Londoners & Australians or the

English took it, well not a damned Tommy has

put his foot in it yet. The 1^st Division did it

alone. And at the first attempt after the Tommies

had made three attempts & failed. The more I see

of Kitchener's army the less I think of it.  None

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of us have any opinion of the Englishman as a

soldier.  The French beat him hands down & in a

stand up so the German is far too good for him.

The present day Englishman seems to have no guts

at sticking things.  As Dad would say "he has

grown too soft & womanish & squeals too easily"

Received a cable from you last night dated

July 21^st “Delighted received London cable all well

all love Riggall."  Did you think I had sent my

cable from London dear? It was sent from

Doulleul but goes to London by post & is cabled

from there.  Have you heard that the 2^nd Division

did no good last night.  They captured the German

first line but were bombed out of it. I can't get

any definite idea of our casualties but do not

think they were heavy at all.

Sunday July 30^th

Started firing last night at 10 PM and

kept on until 5 AM this morning. The attack

only a barrage to all our men to consolidate

The German guns were firing very little over

me last night.  Another gun out of action

springs gone just after having fired 1582

rounds in the last 10 days.  Sent her back to

Ordnance for overhauling.  The Germans

have been throwing over a lot of gas shells

while we have been here. Wrote a short letter

to Jim Reed yesterday.  Good news from

the Russian front today.  My battery

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doing absolutely splendid gunnery work.

I am afraid I will have to sack Bennett he

is worse than useless & have to drive him to

do anything. For the last two months I have

been trying to find another batman to take 

his place but so far but so far without success. Ford got 

hit on the collarbone yesterday by a piece of 

aeroplane shell but only bruised. Was 

asked by H.Q. yesterday if I add any man 

to recommend for honours, wrote back & 

said "No as although all the men had been 

doing their duty no one man had done 

more than another." But some of the

linesmen have been doing great work going

out & mending the line under very heavy

shell fire. I have a fine lot of men.

The English are making an attack on our 

right at about 6 o'clock this afternoon 

hope it will be successful as it will bring 

them up to us &  prevent us from getting 

crossfire. Gen.Hobbs was over at Bde Hd Qrs

this afternoon &  said that Gen. Birdwood and

Gen. Gough had both personally congratulated

him on the magnificent work done by the

Artillery of the 1^st Division &  that he wished to 

thank us all himself for what we had done.

Not bad for Hobbs. He was nice to me for once.

The 1^st and 2^nd Bde A.F.A. have gone out this 

afternoon &  I have taken over two guns from

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the 6^th Bty in place of my two which are still

at Ordnance. Found one of the range drums

150 yds too short &  both buffers only half full of

oil. Not much of an advertisement for Dodd.

Monday July 31^st

Started firing at  10-30 last night & kept it

up until 5 this morning, firing rapidly between

2-30 & 3 o'clock this morning just ordinary

barrage work. Hobbs said yesterday he was

sorry to have to leave the 3^rd & 21^st Bdes in for 

the next four or five days  but Birdwood is not

sure of the Artillery of the 2^nd Division yet & wished

us to remain in a little longer as a  support to 

them. The weather is turning out quite hot now.

Firing this afternoon on a road back behind

the crest. A feather in the cap of the 21^st Bde

is that the other night when the 2^nd Division

made their attack the only part of the German

line that they were able to penetrate was that part

which our Bde covers with then fire.

Ford who has been forward observing Officer

for the Bde for the past two days & has just returned

has reported one four of the telephonist - Bdr Young, Gen

Ibbotoon, Marsh & Hurley - as having done splendid

work under heavy shell fire. He reports to me 

also that the Germans are respecting our stretcher

bearers allowing them to go & bring in our

wounded. There is a road which the Germans

command with machine guns, well our stretcher

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bearers can go along it and are never shot at, but

every infantry private who moves along it is sniped.

Note that dear for it is something to the favour of the

German &  I always think we are being fed with a

lot of lies concerning his frightfulness.

Tuesday August 1^st

Began firing at about 10 o'clock last night &

continued until 4-30 this morning with two small

stints at 11 &  3 o'clock. Got to bed at 3-30 this 

morning &  slept until 11 o'clock. Bdr Botham

of H sub was hit on the arm last night while he

was asleep by a piece of shell from a 4.7 gun

that is just behind us &  had a premature. He

has been sent to hospital.

Had a compliment paid to the Battery this

afternoon. The 21^st Bde had to fire two salvoes

as a demonstration to the 2^nd Division what

Artillery can & should do. Well the F.O.C.

sent back a report that the salvo fired by the 

24^th Bty was absolutely perfect for range & 

corrector & I was asked for particulars as what

orders I had given to the gun so that they could

be promulgated  throughout the 2^ndDivision to

enable them to copy them. Not bad for a new

battery eh kiddie?

Wednesday August 2^nd

Started firing at 9 o'clock last night & 

continued until 4 o'clock this morning. One half

hour stint at 2A.M. At 9-30 last night a few

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4.2 came over our way &  the 22^nd Bty were

unlikely enough to get one in this gun. Two

Sergeants & one man were killed & three men

wounded. The 22^nd Bty are alongside me on my

right & the 23^rd are on my left. We are touching 

one another the guns are packed  so close here.

I see Bob Ramsay has got the Military Cross

more power to him, but it seems hard that we

who are up in the firing line should get nothing.

I will certainly feel very sore if I get no decoration

before the war is over. Started firing at 11 

o'clock making a barrage along a back road & 

are continuing with sudden bursts of fire at 

irregular intervals until 7 o'clock this evening.

Thursday August 3^rd

Began firing at 9-15 last night & continued 

at rate one shot a minute until 4 o'clock this 

morning. I am wondering when the 2^nd Div. will

make their attack. They are crying out for a relief but

Gen. Birdwood has told them that they get no relief

until they have cleared the Germans off the ridge.

But it is rotten for us & the 3^rd Arty Bde being

left in and our Division away up at Canarples as

we are far away from the Ordnance. Besides we

are losing the rest & most likely when we do come

out the 1^st Div will be going in again so we will

get no rest at all. We have got the Germans airmen

properly bluffed. Our planes are up all day &  when

a German rises or as they always come in parties

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of three or five, our war planes are after them hot

and in less than five minutes the German is going

as hard as he can for his own lines with our 

machines in pursuit. Sometimes when only one

of our machines is after them the German's wait 

& fight & we see a pretty battle which is most

interesting to watch, &  if we bring the German or

one of them down our men cheer themselves hoarse.

Saw a lovely go about a week ago. One of our

war planes took in five fokker's & while he was fighting

one of them ^and had just crippled it another came from above him & swooping

down hit him & he began to fall to the ground with

the fokker following him up firing hard when just

at that moment another one of our big black war planes

came with a terrific swoop down from no where &

right on top of the fokker firing as he came & the

fokker just crumpled up & fell like a stone to the 

ground, and our wounded plane recovered himself

just in time when he was only about one hundred

feet from the ground &  flew away very low over our

heads back to his hangar. Our men nearly went 

mad they cheered him so. The other war plane  then

turned on the remaining fokkers - three of them as

two had already gone home very sick - but they did

not wait for him & we saw them disappearing in the

distance with ours in pursuit.

Another thing we have got the German beaten in is 

with regard to his observation balloons he dare not

put his up as if he does they only just go half way

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up &  are then at once pulled down again, while

we always have from ten to twenty up. Started firing

at midday today & went on at a slow rate until

7 p.m. Have started firing again at 9 pm tonight

& will keep on until 4 a.m. tomorrow morning,

we have just had a rapid burst of fire on the

German front & back line & will have another go

at 3-30 tomorrow morning. Have just heard

from Lloyd who has been F.O.O. at the Cemetary

Poziers that our shells are bursting beautifully

on the top of the German trenches. Kiddie dear

the battery is doing splendid work they are equal

if not better than any battery I have ever seen at

gunnery. You may feel quite proud of your own 

battery sweetheart.

Received two letters from you June 18^th & 19^th today.

Friday August 4^th

The Germans sent over some big stuff at about

nine o'clock this morning looking for us & put one 

into the 22^nd Bty Cookhouse & Major McLaughlin has

been over to borrow some plates & cups as it broke

all his but hurt no one. Gr Woods of D oul has got

a piece in his cheek but the medical orderly has

fixed him up & I need not send him to hospital.

They got into the batteries behind me but I have not

heard yet what harm they did.

Later - the 22^nd Bty officers have been feeding with us

today also Sgt now Lieut Simson who received his 

commission. Began firing at about 11 o'clock

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this morning and finished at 9p.m. At 8-55

fired for five minutes on No Mans Land to catch

any Germans who had crept on to the crater holes

in front. At 9-15 p.m. to 9-45 p.m. fired

rapidly on O.G 1 & O.G. 2 searching land between

on the way back &  then raised by lifts of 50

to a Barrage line 150 yds behind O.G. 2 which

we will keep at slowly until midnight.

As you will guess from reading the above the

2^nd Div are making an attack to drive the Huns

out of their second line & off the ridge tonight.

Hope they have  done well, but I will not hear till

morning. Heard today we may be releived in

two days. Lieut Patterson of the 23^rd Bty on my right

was hit this evening on leaving Pozieres where he had

been F.O.O. by a piece of HE which hit his steel helmet

& went clean through it &  into his head. He is

reported as very bad. One lineman also hit.

Saturday August 5^th

Went to bed at 4 o'clock this morning when I 

called Morgan to relieve me. Telephone message

came through at 2 a.m. that the attack of the 2^nd 

Division had been entirely successful. Good luck

to them. It is now 3 p.m. &  I have been firing 

all the morning & am still carrying on putting

up a barrage to keep the German's quiet while the

2^nd Div consolidate. Told this morning that I

am not to be relieved tomorrow as I hoped but

have to remain in for some days longer.