Diary of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 18 August 1918 - 17 April 1919 - 1 of 2

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Part of Quest:
Apcar Leslie De Vine Diaries
Subject:
  • ANZAC
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
RCDIG0000334
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 7

Sgt 330 A.L. de rline A Con 4s Buttation A. J.F. 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 valaable 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. MORI tay bock No 203888 Cpl 33.16 Bn order 200 7St 248.16 319 Cpl 511216 342 Sfet 29. 7. 17 Bnoder 386AF621 pt 23 418 5223 274
16.8. 1. Bera ₤150 ot 9nd arry setoct if mistely himbres am 18/8/18 Sunday Lept 2 Mukily lched at Lusles fmey lasey which terk as to thting herm to Me 15 bays recegther camns remensl af Eblighen all dy. Caty tornce 19/0/15 left Ealuhem in the mori for hapri where we stega the night on a ded or the railing yar 20/8/18 feft Lonpee ot 830 an 2 ditrined at Fernay whee me fand te wiy reegtien can 24/15 Left ternan ot 600 ame morih to Hymcout wh we extrence on a naram gaye militoy lling detrained at Davirs manged to gunp a lary e gaied up the
resesse Su naulous Bn at Corbie, Carbie much procked obout e tololf dealid g therilions 22/8/18 Vey ven all do fore to remain here intill te Brcave and of the line or I am sent for over end of the town wes shilled dring the nigh 23/8/18 weather hes naw grawn beg hat we were stelled cyanduring the day 24/8/18 vey het agin tode sown heard bembed esheend at night no carualties to i 5 2578/18 Sunday Still vg worm all dy plet of surming in the somine several loge caneys of prsons tore bea comy thauh for ae hal ther days lase cary pssed de threugh 1 26/8718 under odee to mucch to the Bn tody fell in at Hen emde thisk beiin to Mrcust whee we find the Bn we ae villited in the rally which is by casiderolf kiccked eleut 4/8/8 In the rudge all dg nothy daiy everyihy viy quiet
1657 25/0/18 Ty mn day. Paid £70- £21. B nated and of the villae and corged in a fild jur betan the villege near a loge lake mrnted B.0 Sgt at 4an 29/8/18 B 0szt all day y just rothy dann 30/8/18 buo prills tedly 9 30-430 23 an otherwise coydey do 31/8718 do Church purn 9/18 Sumley in maring in the oftereer I wer to Prorart to see the 15th fin te 1sth Bryade captined a few dysgo it had been lvest on the bruck joned our the with fula (the peylin I nane coxeral mill in penl) e fend one bie tents arylars, raling eutin truck, thana itc retured to cam of 6 yu 2/9/18 bus jurodes tody 9 30- 1130 £2.3 Max reading do do 3/9/18 do swering fower 4/9/18 ot 2 pr sum gaad do 5/9/18 at 2 pr rg kt dy, swering in the same beg ongeble drvy hee tonern
6/4/18 Under orly to leave here terly fell in full marching order it 1 an neter busses were waity for us at Morecanet which took us thuugh Bray e snsae to blerg te live drepped us clant 2 While ctre so we marched cont Kilenctre to erone we occuped sone billet a a brick Kiln just on the left of Peronne, we are now seg close to the fien lin w areited here it ff The Sellage is Quncone 7/9/18 The whole be detented as 1 a burial yorty to very te ven of the 14th Peyadll (5t fiw) mery off whome are dtill Gizclent ie buried them in the canety the erce of our carg in te aftonc He whole be e ont elven petenled I by Ogt ine vrtes to male toware neard to the live which has now wated up seral mile 3/4/18 Sunday Left here at 1030 am e marchd through Rronne which be been see much kocked about, the whole place is a mors of auing during the mich it reised vey hanige we get wil through it is raiing hear all day. We conped in a came City exaerioted the fewar which he has near lent to the peound we are just in the left of Courcelles Acraglancs berbed all around in they tent the
night but the did not bomb the camp. Underorder to leve tomrrow e peried father up to the line 9/9/18 Tell in 8.30 an Paid 1 $40- 19.4 befoe we left marched themge Ancourt to Raisil we apeached the tawn from the autobrsts starking out over the county meety the tannot the lage duing on the railing dine, tt b been fired before the Carmen excuatid the duinng wes still lrveing we occupu dugant shetter scne little distace from the dumg which dry she efteroon was inde heorg catilly fire the firg lie i olcul 3 mile away the town of Roise hearil bembarded at intevale 10/9/18 Secrral shawers of raidueig te day the grannd is now getteng wer madd internittar shellg all dy of the railig sidinge the tawn I Roisel which is just bchad in inder ady during the da to leve here at 8pm fr te pent live lift here at 8 pme reliesed a por of the 40h t received orders later that we are to advance 1000 Ids edyir in the early hours of the next marnin the nytt was ser guet all shills jossing eytt over 11/9/18 started our advance under a by we artitly support we met no oppsition write we got to our objective which was on a rise just outsile the next
 

Sgt 330 A. L. de Vine
A Coy 
4th Battalion
A. I. F. 

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.”
  
Pay Book No 203888 
Cpl  3.3.16        Bn order 200
T/Sgt 24.8.16          “          319
Cpl     5.12.16            “         342
L/Sgt 29.7.17     Bn. order 386     AFB213 [*29/7/18*]
Sgt 23.4.18               “          5223       “ “        [*27/4/18*]

 

16.8.18. Paid ₣ 150 at 2nd Army School 
 of Musketry Lumbres
 
18/8/18  Sunday Left 2nd Army 
Musketry School at Lumbres by motor 
lorry which took us to Ebblinghem 
& the 15 Corps reception camp remained 
at Ebblinghem all dy. leaving tomorrow  

19/8/18   Left Ebblinghem in the mornig
for Longprē where we stayed the
night in a shed on the railway platform 

20/8/18 Left Longprē at 8.30 am &
detrained at Pernois where we
found the 1 Div wing reception camp 

21/8/18 Left Pernois at 6.45 am &
marched to Vignecourt where we entrained
on a narrow gauge military railway
detrained at Daours. managed to
jump a lorry & joined up the

 

18/8/18 Sunday
[[naulous??]] Bn at Corbie. Corbie much
knocked about & totally deserted by the civilians 
22/8/18 Vey warm all dy. have to
remain here untill the Bn come
out of the line or I am sent for
Our end of the town was shelled
during the night 

23/8/18 Weather has now grown
vy hot. we were shelled again during
the day 

24/8/18 Vey hot again today
Town heavily bombed & shelled at
night. no casualties to us
  
25/8/18 Sunday  Still vy warm all
day. plenty of swimming in the Somme
several large convoys of prisoners have
been comg through for the last
three days. large convoy passed
through tody

26/8/18 Under orders to march to
the Bn tody fell in at 11 am
& marched through Cerisy to
Morcourt where we joined the
Bn. we are billeted in the village
which is vy considerably knocked
about. 

27/8/18 In the village all day
nothg doig. everythg vey
quiet.

 

28/8/18 Vy warm day. Paid
₣70  = £2.11.4  Bn
moved out of the village and
camped in a field just below
the village near a large lake
mounted B 0 Sgt at 4 pm 

29/8/18 B 0 Sgt all day vy
quiet. nothg doing 

30/8/18 Two parades tody 9.30 - 11.30
& 2 - 3 pm otherwise easy day

31/8/18    do           do

1/9/18 Sunday  Church parade
in morning. in the afternoon I went
to [[Trozart?]] to see the 15" gun
the 1st Brigade captured a few 
  
days ago. it had been burst near 
the breech. passed over the battle 
field. (the firing line is now several 
miles in front) & found smashed terribly 
airplanes, railway [[sidings?]], trucks, transport 
etc. returned to camp at 6 pm  

2/9/18 Two parades today 9.30 - 11.30
& 2 - 3 Map reading
  
3/9/18     do       do 
  
4/9/18     do       swimming parade 
at 2 pm

5/9/18       do        swimming parade 
at 2 pm vy hot day, swimming in 
the Somme vy enjoyable leaving here 
tomorrow. 

 

6/9/18  Under orders to leave here
tody. fell in full marching order
at 12 am motor busses were waitig
for us at Morecourt which took us
through Bray & Sausame to Clerz
the busses dropped us about 2 miles 
outside so we marched about 5 - 6 
kilometres to Peronne we occupied 
some billets in a brick kiln yard 
on the left of Peronne, we are 
now very close to the firing line 
we arrived here at 7 pm 
The village is Quinconces 

7/9/18 The whole Coy detailed as
 a burial party to bury the men of 
the 14th Brigade (5th Div) many of 
whome are still lying about. we  
buried them in the cemety by 
  
the side of our camp. in the afternoon 
the whole Coy were out salvaging 
Detailed as Cy O Sgt. under 
orders to move tomorrow nearer to 
the line which has now moved up 
several miles
  
8/9/18 Sunday Left here at 10.30
am & marched through Peronne
which has be been vy much knocked
about, the whole place is a mess
of ruins, during the march it rained 
vry heavily & we got wet through 
it is raining heavily all day. we 
camped in a camp lately evacuated 
by the Germans which he has nearly 
burnt to the ground. we are just 
on the left of Courcelles. Aeroplanes 
bombed all around us throughout the 

 

night but they did not bomb the 
camp. Under orders to leave tomorrow 
& proceed further up to the line 

9/9/18 Fell in 8.30 am Paid
₣40 - 1.9.4 before we left
marched through Trecourt to Raisil
we approached the town from 
the outskirts, striking out over the 
county meeting the town at the 
large dump on the railway line, 
that had been fired before the Germans 
evacuated the dump was still burning 
we occupied dugouts & shelters some 
little distance from the dump, which 
durig the afternoon was under heavy 
artillery fire. the firing line is 
about 3 miles away. the town of  
Raisil heavily bombarded at intervals 

10/9/18 Several showers of rain during 
the day the ground is now getting 
vy mudy. intermittant shelling all 
dy of the railway siding & the town 
of Raisil which is just behind us 
under orders during the day to leave 
here at 8 pm for the front line 
left here at 8 pm & relieved a Coy of  
the 40th Bn, received orders later 
that we are to advance 1000 yds 
& dig in, in the early hours of the 
next morning. the night was vey 
quiet all shells passing right over 
  
11/9/18 Started our advance under
a vy weak artillery support
we met no opposition untill we
got to our objective which was
on a rise just outside the next

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Jacqueline KennedyJacqueline Kennedy
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