Diary for George Lush Finlay, 1915-1918 - Part 13

to. Therefore when
he skied his hand
he received no mercy
Similar things happen
right through. Fritz
would use his gun
to the last moment
and then sky his
hands. But not much
mercy was shown
The men were like
children with new
toys. All overjoyed
at their success and
sick saying that
3 Fritzs are not equal
the 1 Aust. All objectives
were captured.
The second day
was not interesting
for all that remained
for us to do was
to hold the line
we had occupied

 Oct 20^th In the reserve trenches
at the rear of the firing
line opposite Bapaume.
Marched in here this morning
after an extremity trying
meander through mud
up to the knees and between
and in the very numerous
shell craters which are
to be found in this district
I left Etaples this day
week and after a very
fast trip to Albert - eight
hours - was sent to
spend the night at Div.
H.Qrs. From there we went
to Brigade & Bⁿ HQ^rs a
distance of about 7½ miles
in very heavy rain carrying
a pack which got heavier
at every step over the
road which were ankle deep
in slush and which were
paved with loose metal

But the shelling at
that time was nothing
to what was dealt
out to us later  Huge
stuff was bursting
all around our dugout -
a concrete pill
box - but none hit
us.
The German dead
were lying all over
the place. In the dugout
we occupied as HQs
three Germans lay
soaking in their own
blood. All with nasty
bayonet wounds through
the chest and stomach
One was wearing the
armband of the Red
Cross, but that did
not prevent him
using his a M.G. and
having a pistol strapped
 

Arriving at Bn H.Qrs, I found
a few of the old members
of the fifth and a great
number of new subalterns.
Major Walstat, Luxton Ca
Permezel Carter & Lillie.
Capt. Maltby was also
there and I was attached
to his company. I remember
him as O.C. 8/5 and
adjutant to Major Hart
in Seymour.
We were bivouacked in
a vile place where
the mud was awful
at times being as
deep as the knee and
never less than the ankle
My valise didn't turn
up, of course so I spent
a rather uncomfortable
night.
The following day A & B
Coys were sent to Albert

The barrage was
wonderful and the
keeness of the men
to get into the enemy
was beautiful. Prisoners
came in by the hundreds
and except at isolated
posts very little
resistance was
offered. I moved forward
with the CO ¾ hr after
the advance had
started through the
barrage that was
being put down by
Fritz but we happened
to strike a lane
between two lines
of shells and nothing
hurts us. I walked
with one eye looking
to the right and one
looking to the right
at the shells bursting
 

to be billeted and
had to march the
distance after waiting
about 4 hrs for lorries
which didn't turn up
However when we got
there we were much more
comfortable.
I was not to rest very
long however because the
next night Tolum & myself
and two sgts had to go
back to Bⁿ in order to
go up the line to have a
look round. This we did
and after marching
through the mud of the
roads and wandering
along trenches we
went back to Albert
for the night only
to receive orders to move
out again the following
morning to take over 

till fortunately they
arrived and were packed
away without noise
into the shell holes
in no mans land ready

to advance three hours
later. That three hours
were very anxious
hours because it only
meant that Fritz had
to suspect and we
would have been
shelled out of our
position suffering
many casualties.
Fortunately this didnt
happen and at Zero
hour our men went
forward. All objectives
were captured and
with only slight losses
many of which were
caused by shorts in
our own barrage.
 

a certain set of trenches.
from the an English regiment
We left the waggon lines at
17.30 and marched to a
certain wood where we
waited till about five oclock
then moving towards the
line.
We moved up with guides
and got lost and I wandered
round the landscape for
about four hours the other
officers having gone one - with
about 2/3 of A coy. We
picked up a guide and.
just managed to get in
to a trench as day
broke. Here we waited
until the guide found
out where we were and
then moved out again
and again on a wrong
track. At last we
got to the trenches at about

result that the ground
was extremely slippery
Progress was slow but
correct until we met
three tanks on their way
to the front, following
a broad white tape
As we were to follow
a tape too we got a
bit alarmed that
we might be on the
wrong track and
eventually it turned
that we (the CO &
HQrs) were on the wrong
tape. This particular
track led us to [[Sauley?]]
Castle and from
there we wandered across
to our assembly position
minus the Bⁿ I had
visions of every Bn
hopping one with the
exception of the 5^th

8.30 or about 14 hrs
after we had started.
We were absolutely done
and had mud up to our
waists all of us having
fallen over about a dozen
times. and no one was
sorry. We are in support
and in bad trenches
we will be here a couple
of days and will then
move on I suppose to
the firing line.
The amount of wheeled
traffic is wonderful
and it is no exaggeration
to say that there is a stream
of continuous traffic from
Albert to where we were camped
about 7-8 miles, each vehicle
touching the other, all day
long.
In a certain wood there
are as many as a 100

We will have to hold
for about seven days
or so it stands
at present. It will
therefore be xxx fairly
hard work.
I hope it is a
success though, above
everything else.
Sept. 24 It was a success!
And an unqualified
success too.
We moved from
Reninghelst on the 18^th 
to Zillebeke and in the
night of the 19^th went
forward to occupy our
position on the taped
lines which had been
laid in front of one
of our present position.
We had three miles
to go. It was raining
fairly steady all
the time with the
 

howitzers each almost touching
the other and these keep up
a steady fire all day. Further
on towards the line are
the 18prs and these do their
bit also. To all this fire
Fritz hardly deigns to reply
either because he is very
short or because he is
reserving it for something
bigger. Today we are
bombarding pretty heavily
and Fritz is replying
a little more than usual
We also have him badly
beaten in the air, as one
never sees a German
aeroplane nowadays.
Very rarely anhow and
when one does appear
he is - more likely than
not - brought down.
Saw Len Stillman
when we were marching
to Albert, looking very

Its going to be a
good stunt and
everybody is quite
confident that it
will be a success
The 3rd Bde are on our
left xxx and they
have a pretty stiff
first objective but
after that it seems
fairly easy.
We take the second
objective - the Blue
Line - and it is

to be the definite
line of resistance.
Portion of the roof of the
dug out fell in here
which we will have
to hold against all
counter attacks.
The 7^th & 9^th go through
us and capture
the third objective
 

well and wearing a star.
Also saw quite a
number the old 7/5
half of whom are now
wearing stripes.. A lot of
the original unit have
been wiped out but those
who are left seemed glad
to see me. Saw McIver
when calling on Len S.
he transferred to the 60^th
and is now acting as
batman to Major Cameron
who went through the same
school with me and with
whom I bunked in
Heliopolis. He has
done well.
Have seen Hourn,
Gilder & Lehinaire
The last two are
captains and Hourn
came over to France
with me

Sept 17^th Am now near
Reninghelse where we
are preparing for
an attack on the
Polygon wood Sector
moved from Doulien
to Birthen and
now Birthen here.
We hop over on the
20^th or there abouts.
and judging from
the preparations
that are being made
every thing should
go off excellently
We have had every
opportunity to
reconnoitre the
line, offices have
been sent up each
night to reconnoitre
the track and the
front line.
 

The havoc wrought by
the shells of both German
& British guns is terrible
Several villages through
which we passed & which
we are now near are
completely razed. Broken
timber crushed bricks and
torn up roads, are the and
trees which have been
stripped of their branches
and sometimes knocked
down are their evidence
of the effect of the modern
day weapon. Maumetz
Montauban and a dozen
other such villages are
now no more than a name
Several woods, which are
marked on the map and
which one would in
ordinary times expect to
be very thick, now lay
claim to the name of "wood"

went to the Folies
Birgere and spent
an amusing evening
French is coming on
no end. Will be chatting
like a native.
Wrote to Rob to the 
address as under:
c/o Makower & Co
40 Old Change
Cheapside
London E.6.

I hear that we are on
the move to Ypres
district very shortly.
I dont know whether
we "stunt" or not.
Bⁿ going excellently
and is recognised as
the best of the Bde if
not in the Div.
 

by a small collection
of stripped trees and
broken stumps, and
a huge collection of
shell holes, varying in
depth from 4 to 10 or
even 15 feet deep, with
edge of one crater almost
touching the edges
of three or four others
around it
The country in which
the trenches are dug
is comparatively level
and is so scarred and
cut up that it is
at times difficult to
find a patch of grass
bigger than 10ft. square
The mud in the trenches
is awful and for the
past three days I have
been walking and
sleeping in boots

Aug 19' Went for a night
march last night and
just after we started
a raid by the Fritz came
over and hit things up
a bit, dropping bombs
near Bde HQrs. The
planes didnt stay very
long and I doubt whether
they did any damage
There must have been
about 30 searchlights
going at a the same time

Aug 29^th See back w
which knocks London
into a cooked hat
Versailles is a dream
and the Boulevard
Champs Elysees etc are
glorious. Rode through
the Bois [[?Louvier]] and
admired the girls
 

which apparently have
an extra sole of mud
and water. My overcoat
is a present drying
in the very welcome
sunlight. It has been
all day outside and
one side of it only.
is nearly dry.
Sampson & myself
are occupying a dugout
in which there is just
about room for two
and even then our feet
stick out into the mud
The roof has fallen in
twice and last night
was spent with a sodden
floor and water are
up soaked through our
clothes. Consequently.
every hr or so we woke
up and cursed the cold
loud then tried to