Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 14, 1 December 1916 - 10 February 1917, Part 2

CIRCULAR MEMORANDUM NO. 5 - Page 4. 

Standard Divisional Pack Train (Cont.)

FOUR TIMES DAILY. 

Pork and Beans - as shown above. 

Onions - 2,500 - SUNDAY - TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY. 

WEEKLY

Rice - 3,000 lbs - WEDNESDAY

Candles Siege - 2 cases on SATURDAY. 

Dried Fruits - in lieu of Jam - SATURDAYS. 

Tobacco - 1,250 lbs - SATURDAY. 

Cigarettes - 1,200 lbs - SATURDAY.

Flour - 2,240 lbs - SATURDAY. 

Clarifying Powders - 30 lbs - MONDAY. 

Bleaching Powders - 50 lbs - MONDAY. 

Horse Rations.

Oats - 65,000 lbs.          )

Hay -   54,000 lbs.         )

Bran - 1000 lbs per       )   Daily.

             Oat truck           )

Linseed - 1 sack             )

Rock or Coarse Salt      ) Thrice Weekly - MONDAY - THURSDAY - SATURDAY.

Fuel, Petrol, Oils Disinfectants.

@ Coke - 15,000 lbs daily. 

@ Charcoal - 12,500 lbs TUESDAY & FRIDAYS. 

@ These supplies are only included in the Pack for Divisions in 

the trenches. 

DAILY.

Petrol - 500 gallons. 

Lubricating Oil - 30 gallons (10 gallons to be thing oil such as 
                                                      Wakefields Castrol A for use with Daimler

                                                      Cars and Lorries.)

Paraffin - 100 gallons.

Grosoli - 50 Gallons. 

Grease - 20 lbs. 

Carbide 130 lbs - including 5 - 1 lb tins. 

Candles Stearine - 480 lbs. 

Latrine Paper - 1 Bale. 

Chloride of Lime - 780 lbs. 

Whale Oil - 20 galls. 

Cycle Oil - 5 gallons - MONDAY - THURSDAY. 

Signal Oil - 5 gallons - MONDAY. 

ECA Proke
Captain. 

D.A.Q.M.G., 3rd Australian Division.
Headquarters,                          

1st December, 1916.         

1/12/16

QUESTIONS TO BE NOTED WHEN GOING ROUND TRENCHES.

1. Dug-out accommodation. 25% of Battalion in front line,
and dug-outs for 150 men per 1,000 yards of front. 

2. Wire. 

3. Parapet. 

4. Log books. 

5. Gas gongs. 

6. General system. 

7. Dangerous points. 

8. Action if heavily shelled. 

9. Ruses. 

10. Work in area. 

11. Positions of trench mortars, machine guns, stores, &c. 

12. Positions of Headquarters. 

13. Means of communication and rules as to use of telephones. 

14. No Man's Land. 

15. Snipers and observation posts. 

16. Cooking and feeding of the men. 

17. Supply of material. 

18. Vemoral sprayers. 

19. Where to raid. 

20. Position of hostile Minnies and mine shafts. 

21. Where firing at night is done from our gaps. 

22. What line "D" Battalions, &e., would reinforce by, and 

system of guides and emergency roads. 

23. Periscopes

24. Periscopic Rifles

 

Dec 2/16    55

A few notes upon the organisation & working of Divisional Head Quarters

may be of interest. - Each staff officer is the head of a Department or 

Branch, & has his own staff of clerks, orderlies &c.- Apart from the Headquarters 
of the Division, there is also a Headquarters of Divisional Artillery xxx

which looks after all the 18prs & Howitzer Batteries, the Ammunition Columns &

supply & the French Mortar Batteries, & also the Headquarters of the Divisional

Engineers, which looks after all Engineering matters including road & tramway

construction, surveying, drainage & all kinds of constructions. The heads of both

these departments take their orders direct from the Directional Commander. They 

are called C.R.A & C.R.E. respectively. -

The Divisional Commander is primarily responsible for the efficiency for 

war & for the fighting operations of the whole Division. He lays down the 

policy, and formulates the plans for all action affirmative & defensive,

the details being worked out by the Staff. He gives decisions on all

questions submitted by the various Departments, & supervises the working
of the whole Division. - He holds periodical conferences with all subordinate 
Commanders, & personally conducts all correspondence with the 

Army Corps authorities. - 

The Chief of Staff, as the name implies, is head of the staff & is responsible 
for Coordinating the work of all Departments. He is also head of the

"General" staff, which is divided into three branches, respectively 'Operations',

'Training' & 'Intelligence'. He himself takes the Operations branch, and

works out & issues all orders for Operations of War, attack or defence, 

including movement by sea, rail & road, & for all dispositions of

troops.- He is the Confidant of the Commander, who communications

to & through him all decisions on important questions in all departments.

He also supervises the execution of all Operations orders by all Army of the forces.

 

56

The G.S.O.2 looks after training, Schools of Instructions, provisions

of instructors, distribution of maps, corrections of same, and generally

assists the G.S.O.1 in connections with operations. 

The G.S.O.3 is responsible for Intelligence, organisation of censorship, 
interrogation of prisoners of war, examination of captured determents
&c, & is head of the Intelligence service of the Divisions. 

The A.A & Q.M.G. is the head of the Administration & deals with all 

questions relating to the Maintenance & upkeep of the Division, whether

in personnel, stores, animals, weapons, vehicles or ammunition. He

is chief of all the various administrative services, who works the head

of each branch working under him. -

The D.H.A.G is chiefly responsible for disciplinary & personnel function

such as promotions, appointments, seniority, courts martial, housing

& quartering, crimes & punishment, casualties, matters of religion & 

burial, disposal of effects of deceased soldiers, pay, Honors & Rewards.

The D.A.Q.M.G. organises & supervises land & sea transport (other than in the 

actual area of fighting) and is responsible for supplies of all kinds, food

clothing, weapons, vehicles, horses, mules &c. The railway staff are also

under him. -

The A.D.M.S. controls the Medical & Sanitary services, from the fighting

front back to the Divisional Casualty clearing stations, i.e. Regimental

Aidposts, Field Ambulances & Hospitals. He is responsible for the health of

the Division & for its hygienic administration throughout, & also for the 
supplies of medical stores & equipment. 

The D.A.D.M.S. is the chief sanitary officer, & has charge of all

Divisional baths, laundries, disinfecting & sanitary depots, and the

direction of the sanitary section inspectorial staff.

The A.D.V.S is chief of the Veterinary Services & is responsible for

the health, feeding, clipping, shoeing & care of all animals & the control 
of all animal hospitals. He has a large staff of Veterinary Officers

 

57

N.C.O's, farriers &c under him.-

The Assistant Provost Marshall is Chief of the police, comprising the

mounted military police of the Division, the regimental police, the

detention barracks & punishment enclosure wardens &c. - He also carries

out the whole of the road traffic control of the Divisional area, & the

control of civil population as regards sale of liquor, lights & all questions

affecting the troops. He disposes of prisoners of war (after interrogation) &

of all civilian & soldier prisoners. - He also deals with all Contre-espionage
questions.

The D.A.D.O.S. procures & distributes stores of all kinds (except

ammunition and food) He has to keep the Division supplied with

clothing, equipment, weapons, tools, harness, saddlery, stationery

bridging material &c &c. - He is in fact a glorified storekeeper, supplying

a very large population.

The Senior A.D.C. commands the Headquarters Unit i.e. all clerks,

telephonists, drivers, grooms, batmen, motor drivers, postal clerks, &c with

their horses, cars, vehicles, baggage & paraphernalia. He organises the

officers messes, & moves the unit as required, & attends the Commander 
whenever required. 

The junior A.D.C. attends to the personal requirements of the 

Commander, act as his official & private secretary, arranges his

appointments & looks after his mess, quarters, horses, stables &c. He

accompanies him on all occasions when on duty.

The Field Cashier is Chief Accountant & paymaster, & handles

all money, funds, pay & expenditures authorised by the Commander, 
& keep all records as to fines, stoppages &c & settles accounts

relating to claims for damage by the civil population.

The Station Staff Officer deals only with questions affecting The

actual locality in which the Division happens to be living - such as

58

special guards or picquets, local fatigues & working parties, & the

control of other bodies of troops who happen to be billeted within the 

Divisional area. 

The Commandant Divisional School commands & organises the schools

of Musketry, sniping, bombing, scouting, bayonet fighting &c &c which

are constantly going on behind the line. - 

_____________________
In addition to the above there are a number of subordinate officers 

doing staff duty at Headquarters, such as The

Claims officer

Liaison officer (French) who commands all Interpreters

Divisional Gas Officer

Divisional Bombing Officer

Divisional Signal Officer (commands also the Div. Sig. Co)
___________________________________

JM

2/12/16

G 36/7

THIRD AUSTRALIAN DIVISION

Divisional Headquarters, 4/12/16.

REPORT ON TRAM LINES IN THE LEFT DIVISIONAL SECTOR OF THE CORPS

FRONT.

Existing lines are shewn on the tracing attached to this report.

They are all above ground and run along old roadways. The portions

over which stores and supplies are carried are marked on the attached

tracing by a 'cross' at either end. Dumps exist at points marked

thus: - (x)  The rails are partly iron and partly wood. As a

general rule, at the western end of each line the rails are iron, 

at the eastern end wood in order to avoid noise. The tramline from

C.28.b.7.4 to C.28.d.8.7. is out of repair and unfit for use.

Allowing for "a", "b" and half of "c" Battalions being east of a 

line through CHAPELLE D'ARMENTIERES - HOUPLINES. the carrying

capacity of the tramlines in this sector per day should be roughly

as follows. - 

        For supplies                              16,000 lbs.

        For Ammunition & Bombs.   27,000 lbs. 

        For Engineer Material.           50,000 lbs.

Rolling stock at present available consists of 85 trolleys,

partly flat measuring 6' by 4' for carrying engineer material and

partly boxes for carrying rations &c; the latter measure 5' by

3' by 1 1/2'. A better shaped trolley might be introduced more nearly

co-inciding with the shape of communication trenches.

Two schemes of tramlines seem to be possible. - 

No. 1  An extension of the present line over-ground.

No. 2  Conversion of to a trench system.

Little work would be required to make the present overground 
system useful, but the disadvantages of this system are

that the enemy, by keeping fixed rifles and machine guns on the 

various tracks, could completely prevent supplies being xxxxxxxxx

brought up; thus, carrying parties might have to be constantly 

resorted to at short notice. If, however, this system is to

be adhered to, it is recommended that a branch should be run

along the road from I.9.b.2.9. to C.28.a.4.1. with radiating

lines to GRANDE PORT EGAL FARM and to point I.5.c.2.1. This

circular traffic to PORT EGAL FARM and trenches in the vicinity. 

L'EPINETTE trenches would be supplied by terminal traffic and

PORT BALLOT trenches could be supplied by circular traffic if

the section of the line about PORT BALLOT is repaired.

EDMEADS FARM section and LA RUAGE section might remain as at

present. With overland trams, mule haulage could be used; 

with Trench Tramways it could not. If the latter system is

adopted, petrol engines or man power are the only available

means of propulsion. If it is decided to improve the tramline

system in the left sector of the Corps front, the question of

using the town trams from refilling point to forward dumps at

HOUPLINES might be considered. If used, these lines would largely

reduce the amount of animal haulage necessary. But the system

would necessitate adherence to special roads through ARMENTIERES,

which, in the event of heavy shelling could not be avoided by 

making detours as at present. 

If a system of trench tramways is to be adopted, it is

recommended that a complete transverse line shall be run along

the existing traffic trench at the back of the Subsidiary line.

This trench is sufficiently broad to carry a tramline, and the

establishment of such a line would not necessitate a vast amount 

of work. As regards trenches suitable for joining up with this

line, rails could be laid in DURHAM AVENUE without much difficult

and then could be continued along SUSSEX AVENUE, LUNATIC AVENUE

could also be adapted for a tram line. EDMEADS AVENUE is too

narrow, WESSEX, GLOUCESTER, SPAIN, BUTERNE, CENTRAL, and LOTHIAN

thus, a large amount of work would be necessary to develop a

thorough system of trench tram lines.

G. H. Jackson

Lieut-Colonel,

General Staff. 

7/12/16

Sergeant Theophilus Hengist

Lieut. Colonel Royal Fusiliers
 

Born Ballarat Victoria. Australia August 1871

Lieutenant Vict. M^td Rifles.                       1894

Captain.        "         "       "                   Jany  1900

S A War       2^nd Vict Contingent

Reserve of Officer's Commonwealth  N.F.  1906

Posted Royal Fusiliers                       Oct 1914

Adjutant 15th Battⁿ  R.F.                    Nov 1914

Major         "        "          "                       Dec 1914

Major 2 "in" Command  15^th R.F.      March 1916

Lieut. Col.                            "        "          July 1916

Attached 11^th Bn Suffolk Regt

                                            B.E.F.           Oct 1916

 

Harry Cathies Grave      7-12-16

N^o 27 Row D

Wye Farm Cemetery

Near Bois Grenier & Near Fleurbaix

From Armentieres to Erquinghem

Lys - Hence by Rue du Biez

xxxx

From Armentieres ^thro villages of xx Rue Marle

A L'Arméé along to

Rue Delettréc to corner of

this & xx

Rue de la Guenneric - down

which is Southerly direction

for xxxyds  ^1200yds - Farm is on

 southern corner, on rt hand.