Diary for George Lush Finlay, 1915-1918 - Part 19

forward to Tick Trench
with the Brigadier. He
got his commission with
the 5^th just after I joined
up with the battalion at
Lemnos and his captaincy
just before I got my
second star.
The men are all
searching for souvenirs
and I have just got
hold of a Fritz helment
from one of the men
which I hope I can
get home.
Poor old Stock was is
well settled and 
I feel no better than
him. There is a great
strain attached to the
whole proceeding.
 

Except for the fact that
it has a roof which does
not fall in but is very
little better than the one
Samson & myself I occupied
in Pioneer Trench. Although
this position (generally),
is not a good one it is
miles better than Grease
trench. Unfortunately
it is beginning to thaw
so I expect that the next
time we come in here we
will up to our eyes
again in mud.
Our raid of three nights
ago was a failure as
three rows of barbed wire
held us up. Nothing
was known of this when
the men were sent out
so it looks as though
the patrols didn't do their
job.
Two of the new men

sleep tonight with
the thought that my
work was satisfactory.
The move is apparently
going on for tonight
at dusk he opened up
properly on Le Barque
and the trenches to our
left presn either because
he was afraid of an
attack or to cover his
retirement most likely 
the latter. The usual
accompaniment of reds
& greens, & whites went
up in quick succession
and these together with
the vivid orange - red
flashes of the shells
made a fine fireworks
display.
Capt. O'Loughlin was
killed today by a 
sniper when going
 

Johnston & Bolden were
killed both were very
fine fellows
Bolton, another of my
men did very good work
Am going up again
to night to relieve Andy
who will relieve me again
tomorrow night. Another
cold night to be followed
by a cramped day.
However it will be the
last bad one for some
time.

Feb 16^th 2am Advanced
Company HQ's opposite
Bayonet Trench
Although we should have
been relieved last night
we had to carry on for
another day as C
company who went
away 6 weeks ago to do 

and I should not be
surprised if we went
forward tomorrow night
and occupied his trench
I don't know when
we will be relieved but
we are all pretty tired
out and they can hardly
expect us to do much more.
Last night I was absolutely
exhausted for in 4 days
I had had no more
than 9 hours sleep, poor
& little food, a good
deal of walking through
heavy mud and for the
last today two days
the strain of responsibility
& the heavy rush of work
I was almost unable
to leave the telephone
for the whole of the last 
48 hours. However I am
going to have a good xr
 

Army fatigues at Meaulte
have not yet been relieved
owing to some mistake
Consequently the other
three companyes have
come a "gutser".
Its a easy position
here however as the
ground is still frozen
hard. This enables us
to walk from post
to post along an old
and shallow trench
without coming in
covered in mud. Instead
we come in with chapped
hands and a few
bruises through slipping
& sliding on the
ice and frozen
duckboards
Andy was asked
last night whether he
would like to go to D

Feb 28 Shell in the Barley
Trench. Last night was
a night of movement for
the third Bde (11^th Bn) moved
forward from our left, cleared
Le Barque, Ligny Thilloy
& Thilloy, digging in on
the Fritz side of the last
village. We sent forward
last night two parties.
of 1 Off & 25 OR ea to dig
strong points at certain
points & this, together
with the movement through
the villages was
accomplished successfully
Patrols sent out reported
that the trench in front
was held strongly
but this is doubtful
and judging by movements
seen in the enemy's
trench today he intends
to make no very
determined resistance
 

and I think he will
go If he does it will leave
me as second in command
of A company which
I would be very glad
of as a pⁿ commander.
doesnt have as much
freedom as a 2^nd in com.
It would only be till
Maltby comes back of
course but I dont
think he will leave the
school until it finishes
altogether.
I am very tired &
wish I could turn
in for a sleep but
this is impossible as
I am on duty all
night sitting on
the telephone connecting
me to Coy H.Qrs.
When I visit the
posts I am away

It is certainly a great
moral victory for us for
it is an admission by 
Fritz that he is at least
frightened that his original
was not strong enough to
hold up a determined
attack and therefore
decided to withdraw
to his stronger line
But this sort of warfare
would be quite good
fun provided it weren't 
for the fact that sleep
is out of mind altogether
& rations are not too
good owing to the difficulty
of transport.
I notice today that
our 18 prs are not slow
in coming forward. There 
is a battery barking
away a short distance
behind us
 

for about an hour
owing to the distance
between them ges the
difficult ground over
which I have to walk
& the multitude of flares
with which Fritz kindly
illuminates No Mans
Land. When one goes
up it is necessary
to stand still in
order that any sniper
or patrol outside
our wire will think
you a lump of earth
or a tree stump
They are beautiful things
and if one were to
fire them occasionally
at home the light would
be met with "How
pretty" but here
men are not sentimental
but are intensly practical

time for we all wanted
to be able to report
to the rear that the
establishment of the
front was finished. It
was humorous but 
very exasperating.
Another man got stuck
in the mud too & had
to be dug out leaving
his boots behind him.
I expect that we may have
to move forward tonight
& dig in somewhere
Tomorrow night we will
be relieved by C & D
or we hope so.
Fritz is at least
1500 yards from us
with the exception of
a few concerning
machine guns & snipers.
And it looks as though
he were going further.
 

with the result that a
flare is greeted with
B — those b — flares
which - as well as the
language of our men &
the Tommies brings to
mind a phrase in the
seven ages- "Full of
strange oaths" etc!
Ones language doesnt
improve much ones morals
likewise, and it amuses
me very much sometimes
to hear [[?Pirnul]] at work
with his choicest vocabulary
Three years ago damn
would be about the
limit now the limit
is the sky. However,
one puts up with a
good deal, and
perhaps strong
language is excusable
A raid took place

of C Company has been
sent up. I am still
in charge here and
am rather enjoying
the novelty of quick
movement of troops for
although I get my
orders from higher up
I have the job of executing
them. Quite simple of
course and very absorbing.
Fritz put up a vicious
show on our line this
morning for about five
or ten minutes.
There is humour in
most things! When
Stock was coming
down from the left 
to me this morning
he got stuck in the
mud. Of course he 
couldnt have chosen
a more inopportune
 

on our right last
night but resulted in
nothing except costly
information. They raided
a strong point which
had nobody in it
& had five casualties
Tomorrow night there
is to be a stunt on
our right I believe
& we are hoping that
it will allow us to
get out all right, for
I expect Fritz will
ship some stuff over
Fortunately the scene
of operation is about
600y from us so perhaps
we wont get much especially
as we are - in our
particular sector -
about 400y away
from Fritz

morning. Stock took it out
and got out safely
without opposition.
Glanville was detailed
to go out and reconnoitre
Tick trench an old 
German artillery trench
and also some gun
pits. He got out alright
but coming back
was sniped at by
a couple of Huns.
He had to go forward
later with a stronger
force and establish
himself there. This was
accomplished successfully
despite machine gun 
& rifle fire. We have
therefore now only
two platoons in this
line and tonight
send forward another 
15 men to Glanville
& to replace these a pⁿ 
 

I have just discovered
that Stivey my present
servant comes from
the same district as
McIver the jewel I
had when I joined
the Fifth. He knows
McIver quite well
and intends writing
about it. It is certainly
a rather strange
coincidence.

Feb 19^th Last night we were
relieved by B Coy
There was considerable
delay and I did not get
to our dug out in support
till about 11.30.
While waiting for them
Fritz bombarded our
left three times with
about 100 "fish tails" and
when these things reach

ago was not exaggerated.

Feb 27^th Relieved the seventh Bn. in
their posts in Barley Trench
last night with three platoons 
of A Coy. I was in charge of
the whole line and had
a busy time in consequence.
We were not able to take over
till 12 o'clock that night
and of course there was no
organisation at all.
The trench is frightfully
muddy in parts and
in others comparatively
good, having duckboard
floors. Le Barque Ligny-Thilloy
& Thilloy are in front of us
and this morning the
3 Bde on our left took
both the first named and
we sent forward a standing
patrol 400y in front.
At about daybreak this
 

the culminating point
they paused, with the
result that we could 
see the red glow.
They looked quite pretty
going through the air
their paths xxx making
a sort of red waterfall
There must have been
quite a dozen in
the air at a time which
shows that Fritz can
put up quite a nice 
little barrage with
trench mortars alone.
We are at present
staying at a farm
or rather in the cellar 
of an old sugar 
refinery which has 
been properly smashed
up so that nothing is
left except a pile
of broken timber

more yet.
Fritz is shelling all
the positions we have
walked in to heavily
and although we have
had no casualties so far
one company of the seventh
has had a good few.
But casualties have been
very light considering
the exposure and the
hostile shelling.
Although I feel as though
I rather be back in
billets, there is always
a certain pride to be
gained from the fact
that one is semi responsible
for the semi safety of a
front.
Fritz seems to be
retiring still further
and it looks as though
the statement of the prisoner
taken a couple of days
 

Fritz strafes this
corner a good deal
but so far today
he has put nothing
near us. We go 
back further in
two days time, possibly
right out of the shelled
area to come in
again in about 24
days.
Although I thought
that Australians would
not stand the cold
and exposure well
we are apparently
more healthy than the
rest of the English troops
on the West Front. The
Australians have evacuated
fewer cases of illness
than any other regiment
and I believe the 2^nd Bde.
is about the best of them