Diary of Percy Lay, 1914-1918 - Part 10

18^th  Moved out of Camp

about ten and marched to

Dickebush. and we [[bixy?]] out

also got issued with a lot
of war Material. 19^th Gas
Bombs, Iron Rations, Sand Bags
Shovels.and a lot of other
stuff issued and also got
a map of the ground we
were to go over.and same night
night we moved up to
Zillebeck.Lake were we stayed
for three or four hours. L 20^th
left the lake and marched
to our Assembley post which
was a jolly long way and
also a very slow march
as there was so many
troops moving forward.
and just as we got to
our Assembley post or rather
a little before.Fritz's choose
to take a strong post off
the third Brigade and we
got caught in the Barrage
our Captain got fatally
wounded but we managed
to get clear with few Casualties
but we lost the best Captain
in the A.I.F. About "in fact"
it was twenty minutes to
six our Artillery opened
out and you would have
thought the word was
coming to a end the row
it made it was Hell's own
Barrage and you would not
think a sparrow could live
under it and it was
no wonder that when we
 

advanced we got hundreds of
prisoners who never attemped
to fight. Our Battn had to
Advance about seventeen
Hundred yards and capture
the third and furtherest
Objective which we did
very easily. the Strong posts
offered little opposition and
we got about twenty five
Machine guns. One Brigadier
and all his staff.and
hundreds of prisoners not
to mention the one's we
killed which far exceeded
the prisoner's and if we
could have Kept Communica
we would have got near
Berlin.but we gained
all we were asked to and
a little more.it was very
amusing to see the way
our Chaps went into the
Battle it look more like
a race meeting than a Battle
A good few got caught in
our own Barrage through
been to eager to go
forward at any ratte we
Consilidated our position
and prepared for the Counter
Attack that we Knew was
sure to Come.and we
caught him massing for
the Attack.and cut him
up before any of them
reached our lines. Our
Casualties were very light
for the day. Our Company
lost most of their Officer's
 

Captain Evans. Lieut Fulton
Lieut Wicks and Brimsmead
got wounded leaving only
one officer unwounded but
Lieut Brimsmead would
not go away and he took
charge of Company until
we were relieved. We lost
a few Slashing good N.C.O's
amongst the gamest and

best was Cpl. Hayes who

died like a true Briton
also Sgts Brown and Arnott
21^st Both our planes and
Fritzy's were very busy
and we saw some very
interesting fights and also
noticed a lot of movement
behind Fritzys line. About
six oclock Fritzys started
to Counter Attack and then
our Gun's opened out on

the S.O.S. Rocket been

sent up and his Attack
never reached our line
About ten we got relieved
b y the third Brigade and
we went back to the
Horse lines at Dickebush where
we arrived at three oclock
on the morning of the 22^nd.
and had a good hot meal.
Slept in till about ten
and had the Brigadier around
giving us praise for the
Splendid work we did
and about four we moved

out and got buses to
[[Steerenvolk?]]. where we arrived
late in the evening
 

23^rd had a good Sleep and
Breakfast was late next
morning so we awoke feeling
very refreshed. Got Congratulation
from all the big Heads on
the Brillant Success of the
recent operations. Had
Church Parade. 24^th Had
a Parade in Loose Dress and
the Colonel gave us a lot
of praise and also told
us that all the Heads
were very well pleased
with our work. 25^th.
Had a very easy day and
we got paid and spent
night in Steenvoorde.did
not get home till twelve.
that night. 26^th Check
Parade.also washing and
mending and we played
Football in afternoon -down

to lecture in evening by
Captain Bles. 27^th Parade
in morning and in Afternoon

five of us had to

go down and see the
Brigadier about getting our
Com's 28^th Down to a lecture
on Stratagey by Captain Bles and
it was very interesting 29^th
Down to a lecure on Aeroplane
PHoto's and also heard that
my Commission had come through
The Colonel Had us up and I
was sent to D.Coy. 30^th Got
word to say that we were
to move off on the following
morning but we did not
shift until half past one and
 

caught the Buses at five and
went as far as Dickebush
and just after we arrived a
plane came over and dropped

Bombs quite close to us and
it wounded seven of our

lads. Oct 1^st. Spent day in
getting Maps and plans of
the operation and I was
told that I was a reserve
officer. Oct 2^nd Got Bombs and
other stuff issued to us and
in evening we moved up to
Anzac Ridge and it was very
wet and Cold we relieved
the Eleventh Batn Oct 3^rd

Had to keep low all day as
Fritz had pretty good
observation on us and in
evening we moved up to
our Assembley post Lieut Macguire
got killed Oct 4^th As we lay
out in Shell Holes at the
Assembley post waiting for
Fritz our Barrage opened-
Fritz put down a heavy
barrage on us and we lost
a good few of our men
and we were all pleased
when the moment came for

us to go over and we met
Fritz coming over but we
just piped him by a few
minutes and when he
saw us coming he turned
and got and then we had
some fun.we got a large
number of prisoners and
close on fifty machine Guns

and also gained our objective

which was a lovely ridge.
commanding all the ground
for miles around. About
six of us had some.fun.we
got well out in front and
first we got thirty five
prisoners ^ out of three Strong post
then we had a good chase
after a Head Quarter's Staff.
but they beat us but I got
all their papers and sent
them back and heard they
were most important papers
we then went for a Machine
Gun post and shot the Crews
of the two guns and then
made a Hun mount one
of his gun's to turn on
his own men when our
Barrage made us go back
our own people turned the
guns on us but we managed
to get back alright with the
two Machine gun's  After that
we had a great fight for
a field gun.but after three
quarters of an hour's fight
we beat them. We then Consolidated
our position and the six
went over and got the second
objective. We lost a good lot
of officer's and men some of the
best in the division. Captain Kirsch
Lieut Davidson.Lieut Macguire.Lieut.Ersey.
Lieut Goodwin.Lieut Johansen.Lieut.Ross.
Lieut Glandville. A Coy suffered
the heaviest.they.lost five officer's
and six Sgt. and another officer
went to take charge and he
also got Killed.Then I had to 

go and take charge and I
managed to get through with
them. We got shelled pretty
heavy all day.and prepared
for a Counter Attack. Oct 5^th
things were veru quiet and
both sides very busy getting
away their wounded and
that evening we got relieved
by the ninth Battn.and we
had just got about relieved
when our S.O.S went up
but we managed to get
through the-Barrage safely
and went back to China
Wall. Oct 6^th Had a good
day sleep and got our Coys
together.and.heard that
we were to go back on the
next day.it started to rain
very heavily Oct 7^th Rained very
heavily all the morning and we
moved out of Camp.at one
oclock.and relieved the sixth
Batn on Westhoek ridge.
Oct 8^th Had to supply.a
large fatigue party and things
were very lively the men
were very wet but they
managed to get their clothes
dried a little during the 
Day. Oct 9^th Had to supply
the same Fatigue party.as the
day before.and that night we
got relieved by the fifty eight
Batn and had a very nasty
trip back to Dickebush cross
Road.where we got buses
back to Reninghelst.and arrived
back to a good hot.tea at about

ten.Oclock 10.^th Had a check
parade and spent day in
cleaning up also got paid.
11^th Very wet and after a 
little check parade the men
had the rest of the day off.
12^th Parade in morning
Reorganisation but our platoon
were very small.. All sorts
of rumors flying about.
13^th Captain Johnston rejoined
Battn and was posted to A Coy
to Command 14^th Did a
little drill in morning and
had Afternoon off. 15. Church Parade
in Morning I was ord officer
16. Went into Reninghelst
and I was callled up
before the Col and he told
me that I had.been.awarded
the D.C.M. 17^th Moved up into
Halifax Camp near Dickebush
and had fine Quarters 18^th
out doing Parade and some
of our officers went forward
to look over Forward Area.
19^th Did more Parade work
and it was the Anniversary
of our leaving Australia.
three years ago.20^th
Lieut Mummery one of the
finest officers in the AIF
got Killed while in the
Forward Area. His death
cast a gloom over the
whole.Battn.21^st Church
Parade in Morning and
in Afternoon we had
to go before General Walker
to get our ribbons presented
to us !

22nd Moved up into Inf Barracks

at Ypres and Captain Trail and

myself had to go up and [[?]]

the forward Area. 23 Left Barracks

at nine and moved up on

Westhock Ridge where we had

a hot Meal and in evening

we moved up and relieved

the fourteenth Battn in front

lines and support. 24th Had to

do duty with D. Coy as Lieut

Mair got wounded and did

12 hrs with them and then

was recalled to A - Coy

25th Fritz put down a

heavy Barrage on front line

in answer to our practice

Barrage and got a few

of C. Coy men. Front line

in a very rotten state.

26th Canadians were doing a

move on our left and a Coy of

the six had to go out and

put in a post between Decline

corpse and Decoy Wood they

did that alright and for some

unknown reason the Canadians

withdraw to their old outpost

line and left our Flanks [[?]]

in the air and the six had to

withdraw to our line just

as I was taking my platoon

out to relieve them 27th

and [[28th?]] Started back to report

Situation to the Colonel 

and he got me to take a

Patrol out to find if

post was occupied and 

found it very heavily

occupied by the Bosh