Diary for George Lush Finlay, 1915-1918 - Part 7

April 3^rd went for a long
motor drive yesterday.
About 100 miles in all
Went to Amiens and
found the place almost
deserted all the shops
being shut. The bombs
have done some damage
but not so much as
one would have been
led to believe. From
Amiens we went to
Quevauvillers and
then over all the
ground which we
had covered on the
march. It was a
glorious day and the
country looked great.
Rumour has it that
both Gough & Byng have
been sent home in
xxxxxxxx but there is
no verification of the
rumour yet.
 

Mar 12^th  Packing
Disembark tomorrow.

Apr 3^rd 
Had three weeks
leave two of which have
been spent at St Fillan 
with Eric & Muriel.
Report tomorrow for
duty & hope to get into
the 10^th Bde now forming.
Wrote to Len J & Len R
last week.
Phil's Aust. address
St Arnaud
Coomandook
Adelaide
S.A.

Villers aux Erables,
Moreuil, Morisel, mon
Laci, Ailly sur Noye
Jumel, Oresmaux,
St Sauflieu, Nampty,
Neuville, Taisnil, Quevauvillers,
Bouganville
Molliens Vidame.
Camps in Amiens,
Araines Wanel.
Hallencourt, X
Limeux, Gaumont X
Limercourt Les Croisettes
Moyinneville, Cambron
Guuy & Calon.
The total distance
must be about 100 kilos
 

Apr 12^th

Wrote to Phil
       "      "  Lt. W. E. M. Thompson
       "      " Fred (re pipe)
Am spending a rather
uninteresting time at
Seymour, temporarily
attached to the 37^th Bⁿ
C.O. Lt Col F.G. Woods.
In D Coy under a certain
Capt Chapman who reminds
me very much of Lt Ross
although he is not nearly
as nervous as that gentleman
Personally he is xxxx very
nice but as an officer
is a little bit weak
relying very strongly
upon his actg. sec. in com.
Arthur an ex sgt. mjr.
I am a dog without
a home having apparently
no seniority or rather
my seniority is disregarded

I am naturally
very pleased about
the news re Albert
The Australians
seem to be quite
better than the
Germans for so far
they have never
thrashed us.
"Its soul des brave
guns" as a Frenchman
once said to me
even though at times
they may be a
bit rough
Since the 22^nd Mar
I have passed through
a terrible lot of
villages xxxx As far
as I remember they
are:-
Beaileu, Roye, Grugney,
Fresnoy, Goyincourt
Le Quesnell, Mezieres
 

Have heard nothing
further regarding
allotment to the 10^th
B^de. I am not extremely
keen on the 37^th Bⁿ but
it would be better
than taking more
reinfs away to join
up with a new Bn

Apr 16^th Wrote to F Read
acknowledging
pipe. wrote to Mick
               "       "  Mab
               "       "  Len R. 

be once more called
upon to show their
fighting qualities

Mar 30^th Marched from
Limercourt to Guuy
this afternoon and
are now on the
Somme 7 miles in
rear of Abbeville
Just before leaving
Limercourt we were
told by the C.O. XVIII
Corps schools that
the Australians had
retaken Albert and
that the French had
retaken Montdidier
Also that the
French were attacking
in Noyon.
The first two bits
of news are official
but the last is not
confirmed.
 

Apr 26^th Still at Seymour
& am not attached
to the 37^th Bⁿ permanently.
Saw Col. Courtney on
Thursday last re
promotion & he told me
to apply for it. I have
done so, but, of course
have not yet heard the
result. He also told
me that I was alloted
to June reinforcements
I wish they would get
a move on in giving
me my men.
Wrote to Len S.
Lt Symons V.C. is at present
my O.C. seems a decent
chap. He is taking over
D Coy from Capt. Chapman
Wrote to Lt Small re plan

prevented the Bosche
breaking through.
According to extracts
from the German papers
which are published
in the French papers
there is a certain
amount of anxiety
in Germany as to
what will be the
result when we
bring our reserve
army into play
Let us hope that
we have a decent
sized reserve army.
I hear that
Australians & Canadians
and many others
have been passing
through Amiens
in the last four
days so perhaps
the Australians will
 

May 4^th Am at Castlemaine
having been transferred
from Seymour to take
charge of the 19^th Rp 5^th Bn
My junior is Mackenzie
a law student & having
no N.C.O's it looks as
though things are going
to be in a bit of a mess
especially as they seem
to be going to push
us off in June.
May 8^th Wrote to Muriel M
                       "      "  Mrs. Bracey
                        "     "  Enid.

May 30.
Have rec^d orders
to pack up & go with
my unit to B'meadows. 
I am very sorry as
Castlemaine is a home
I have had a great

beginning to show
I am told that
both army and
XVIII corps are clapping
their hands and
chuckling with glee
and anticipation over
this business. They
tell everybody to
wait for a little and
see. Therefore we
all hope that they
have something up
their sleeve
It is quite certain
that up to the present
we have used no deep
reserves so hold
the Bosche but
the troops holding
the Battle zones
when the attack took
place have done
all the fighting and
 

time having met
several extremely
nice girls. Unit is coming
on nicely. Have no
time to do anything
nowadays so much
to do both at night
& by day. Going
to a dance given
by the officers tomorrow
& I suppose I it will
be the last time
I'll see the new good
friends I have made
while in Castlemaine
I must say I feel
very sorry to leave

Wrote to L Brewer
      "       " Mrs Daupleton

move later to the
Abbeville area and
rejoin the Division.
No papers came in
yesterday - Good
Friday - and I am
anxiously waiting to
see the news.
Certain it is that
Amiens has not be
taken up to 4 o'clock
yesterday afternoon
for a train bringing
a Corps school to
Limercourt came through
Amiens yesterday.
The country through
which we have been
passing lately is
delightfully pretty
portion of it has just
been ploughed and
on the remainder
the crops are just
 

June 2^nd Here I am in yet
another camp. Back to
the icy winds, the filthy
dust & the tenacious mud
of Broadmeadows, having
moved out of Castlemaine
on Wednesday last.
Felt very sorry to leave
there for I have not been
in a nicer place for
nearly two years. Two years
seems a hell of a long time
in fact when & in fact it
seems as though I had
never been anythings else
in my life but a
junior subaltern who
is continually being subjected
to the pinpricks of military
discipline which, although
necessary, are at times
rather galling.
In that two years or
18 months I should say

to us. In fact judging
by their names some
of them seem to be
of German descent.
I have the greatest
difficulty in getting
billets for everybody
and had to argue
for quite a long
time with them.
My French has improved
immensely as a
result of this three
days billeting trip.
I can give take part in
quite lengthy conversation now.
The surplus transport
moved on to Abbeville
this morning. I have
stopped with the
Bn baggage which
is remaining with
the train
I expect we will
 

I have certainly been
a bird of passage :-
First Broadmeadows as
a private, sergeant &
subaltern, then Seymour
Indian ocean, Suez
Cairo, Alexandria, Lemnos
Anzac Alexandria Heliopolis
Cairo, Suez Indian Ocean
Colombo. Fremantle
Seymour, Castlemaine
Broadmeadows. I have
certainly been working
in a circle & I wonder
whether my next trip
will be a circle or a
straight line
I have sometimes thought
that I would like to
travel but since being
a soldier & having travelled
I have come to the conclusion
that to be able to call
a place "home" is to

long before he is
stopped French
papers are wonderfully
optimistic and
all praise the resistance
offered by the British
They publish extracts
from German papers
which tell the Germans
to be prepared for
a long and hard
battle and promises
that when this battle
is over the war
will be finished.

Mar 30^th Marched from
Molliens Vidame to
Limercourt, a straggling
little village sitting
right down in a
valley. The people in
it are very poor
and rather antagonistic
 

is to be well on the
road of happiness.
It certainly gets one
down to be shifted
around from pillar to
post as though one were
a piece of unsaleable
machinery. It is not that
the shifting hurts so
much but the fact that
one makes good friends
& then has to leave them
- perhaps for good & all
that is trying.
notwithstanding the fact
that, by now, I have become
accustomed to make
friends & then drop them
I have still sufficient
feeling in me to
get a fit of the blues
when I have to start
all over again
I suppose it is all

POROt Dupetit 1.25 25 min
VILAIN 2.50 50 min
PETIT ALCEDE .75 15 min
MATHON 1.00 20
M. DEPREZ 2.50
———
Amiens. According
to their tales Amiens
is absolutely cleared
of all civilians owing
to bombs and
long range guns
I heard the bombs
when we at Mezitres
but I dont think
that the "gun" is
there. They have all
got the wind up
about the Bosche
advance and think
he's going to overrun
every thing but he's
not. It won't be
 

in a life time however
so I had better not
grumble
nowhere have I felt as sure
that I was liked, as
at Castlemaine. Whether
it was the glamour of
the khaki tunic with
the colours on the sleeve
or whether it was my
personality, I don't know
I like to think that
it was the latter.
now that I have got
into a camp which
is very regimental
& which is a du situated
in such a dull
uninteresting spot, I
feel that the sooner
I embark, the better
I am afraid that
it won't be for about
six weeks now yet