Diary for George Lush Finlay, 1915-1918 - Part 20

won't be any glory
attached to our position
of the affair, except heavy
and unpleasant shelling
in trenches sited on the
forward slope of the
hill. However - c'est la guerre

Feb 26: Am not to go to Divisional
School till after we come
out and instead will have
to move forward tonight
to relieve certain advanced
posts at present held by
the 7^th. They are in a nasty
position and subjected
I think to a good deal
of shelling. It will be
a responsible & anxious
job although I do not
anticipate any trouble
beyond the usual shelling.
We may have to make
another move forward but
orders are not out for the

The thaw has commenced
with the result that
everything is frightfully
slippery & muddy
Fortunately we are
going out and not
going in.
Two years ago almost
to the day; I went to
Hunt St with Harold
Rodda, Seymour etc.
and I'll never forget
the first journey to
camp from Broadmeadow
station across the
broken stone track
Of that eight who went
out, one has been
killed, one discharged
one ill & back to Australia
& back here again
two others still going
strong. The other three,
I dont know what has
happened to them

intend to do so.
It is as a big game of
bluff similar to the evacuation
of the Peninsula, a few
men only being left
at the last to fire flares
and keep us quiet.
They beat us by 24hrs
and our well planned
attack on the maze was
not necessary as we simply
walked through two lines
of trenches.
We relieve the 7^th Bⁿ.
tomorrow night. I think
unfortunately and
will be all pretty
tired by the time things
are finished. However
I have been warned to
go to a school starting
on the 1^st Mar so
expect Ill miss the
majority of it I hope so
anyhow because there 

Two years is a long time
and I hope that I wont
have much longer
before I get back into
civilian clothes again.
I have certainly seen
a few things since
enlisting and wont
regret it if I get back
safely and can get to
work and make some
money.
I'm nearly 26 now
and I'll have be
thinking of marriage
in another four years
So I'll have to get 
some money together

untenable.
On the other hand it
is a good strategic
move for it places
a couple or more miles
of torn & ripped up
country between the
Germans and our field
guns which will have
great difficulty in
coming forward to the
new positions which they
must occupy. Also, to
a certain extent it
delays our push for
it has been an orderly
retirement on to a
well organised line
instead of - possibly -
a disorganised rout
with a good line only
weakly held. The point
is whether we intended
to push here very strongly
I think that we did not

Feb 22^nd At High Wood East
camp. Landed here
three days ago after being
relieved by the 7^th Bⁿ Tonight
we go back again to the
B^de Support line for
two days and then come
back here for another
two days afterwards
going back in rear
somewhere for an
indefinite period.
The night before last
was most "uninteresting"
I fell to the job of having
to march up to the
front line from here
and work on a trench
in No Mans Land about
60y from Fritz. in a trench
with about three feet
of water in it. We were
pestered with a machine
gun all night and he
nearly got me when

heavy barrage which Fritz
is at present putting
over.
Two prisoners were taken
by the 7^th and one of them
was quite communicative
He told us that the Germans
intended to fall back
to Cambrai which is close
on 20 Kilos from here.
This is certainly good news
for it shows that Fritz
wants to shorten his line
and build up his reserve
for the push.
The evacuation extends
over a front of nine miles
and I shouldn't be surprised
if it has gone on further
north in the salient Bapaume -
Arras which naturally
grows more dangerous
the further Fritz retires
and theref will soon become

was reconnoitring an old
trench that ran out
towards Fritz. Of course
I had left my revolver
behind me and so
didn't stay out too long.
Wrote to Eric

Feb 25 Two days were
spent in the Hers line after
having relieved B Coy
and were looking forward
to going out again for
a bath and a clean up
but unfortunately this
didnt happen for we
received a message at
about 9.30 on the last night
in the trench that we were
to be ready to move forward
at a moments notice.
Upon enquiry we ascertained
that information had been
received,- or rather it was thought

that Fritz was evacuating
Bayonet Trench and withdrawing
to his lines in rear. We heard
it only in reference to the 7^th Bⁿ
frontage but it afterwards
transpired that the evacuation
was taking place along
the whole front to a length
of about 8 miles. We were
all of the opinion that we
wouldn't move that night as
but at about 3a.m. we got
the word to move forward
On reaching 7^th Bⁿ HQrs we
find that they had moved
forward and had occupied
Bayonet Trench without opposition
moving on again to trenches
in front. The front line is
now about 1500 y in advance
of our old line and it 
has all been taken with
little or no opposition
with the exception of a

Rush Taylor
20 Endlesham R^d
Balham
London S.W.

80 Copperstone R^d
Leytonstone
London E.11.
——————

Jim
c/o G A Simmonds
union SS Coy of N.Z.
5 Fen Court
Fenchurch St
London E G 3
——————

Peggy
9 Portland Mansions
Addison Bridge
Kensington West

Jim Aust Corps Sig Co
HQ Sec A.I.F.

LRS
H Dawson & Co
74 Coleman St
London E.6

Eric 31/1. 26/2. 14/4 4/5 19/6. 17/7. 18/8. 20/9
16/10
Amelie 24/2. 31/3. 24/4 13/5 7/6. 3/7. 10/8 13/10
Rob 31/1. 3/4 25/4. 7/6. 4/7. 10/8  1/11
Dot 1/2 13/5. 1/11
Jessie 1/2. 22/2. 11/3 4/4 27/4 21/5. 7 3/7. 1/2/7 25/8
Phil 5/2. 5/4. 1/5 10/6. 20/7 25/8
Puggie 5/2. 28/2. 10/3. 3/2 15/4
Muriel.C. 3/2 6/5 17/7
Annie 15/4 27/5. 18/7.
Morris 5/2. 20/7. 4/11 1/12
M^rs Read 8/2. Frid 5/4 7/5 29/6 2/9. 11/11. 23/12.
Mollie 8/2. 5/5. 29/8.
Thelma 8/2. 8/4 26/8 16/10 7/12.
Mary 12/2 8/4
Len 24/2 4/5 10/6
CO 24/2  18/3.
Rigg 24/2. 24/4
Gordon 24/2. 5/5. 7/6. 16/7
Jim 25/2 15/4 8/5 29/7
Hazel & Co 25/2.
Gracie 25/2. 20/3. 12/5
Elise 24/2 1/12
Mac. 13/5. 31/5.
Kria 2/3.
Madge 8/3.
Muriel F 6/3. 21/5
Lin S 10/3 23/4 7/6. 19/7
Cnt
Nauda 8/5.

Miss Anderson 15/5.
Kath 11/5 31/8.
Enid 25/8.
Marge D 2/9
Marge F 2/9
Lin Roach 18/9
Eric. 11/11 6/12, 20/12
Jessie 11/11
Amelie 20/11 12/12
Annie 29/11.
(XXX)
30.00
I DRL 285

The Official War Historian of the Commonwealth
Government (Dr. C. E. W. Bean), after his study of the
collection of private war records preserved in the Australian
War Memorial Library, wrote :-

"The private diaries in this collection furnish some of its most
valuable historical records, but, like all private memoirs which were
not compiled with any historical purpose, they should not be
regarded as first-hand evidence except where it is certain that they
are so. The diarist is almost always sincere in his desire to record
accurately, but he is subject to no obligation or inducement. to
indicate whether he is recording his own observations or incidents
told him by friends or heard at third or fourth hand at the mess-table.
Thus, in some of the diaries in this collection, scenes described with
vivid detail, and without any warning that they are told at second
or third hand, have been found to be completely inaccurate in
important details. A certain number also have been written up
or revised long after the events, though doubtless usually from notes
made at the time. In most cases the student must rely on his
experience and on internal evidence to guide him in judging what is
and what is not likely to be historically accurate.”