Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 15, 10 May - 9 June 1917, Part 18

"A" Form                           Army Form C. 2121
MESSAGES AND SIGNALS.  G  No. of Message...
ARMY

AY 8 VI 17.
TELEGRAPHS
 

Prefix ...................Code ......... m. 
Office of Origin and Service Instructions.

Priority
to W Ramen
Words     Charge
Sent                            

At...... 44th   m.
To.........................
By.... 9 pm SC  44th
This message is on a/c of:

......................................Service.
..........................................
(Signature of "Franking Officer")

Recd.at .........................m.
Date.......................
From......................
By ..............................

TO      [[  A I C  G? ]]

Sender's Number.    MC 300
Day of Month    8/6
In reply to Number
AAA

Col  SMITH  and  Col
MANSBRIDGE  will
proceed  to  vicinity  of
BLACK  LINE  immediately  to
[[ command  their  respective ? ]]
Battalion  [[ but?  are?   ? ]]
the GREEN  LINE  AAA     xxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tactical  responsibility  for  defence
of  GREEN  LINE  rests  upon
Col  MANSBRIDGE  and  Col
SMITH  [[ ? ]]  will  act  upon  [[this/his ? ]]
orders  [[ ?  ]]  Report  action  [[ ?  ? ]]

(*EJH*)    (* 8.2pm*)

From         GE 37
Place                            
Time          8 pm
(Z)   W Ramen
Signature of Addressor or person authorised to telegraph in his name.
 

"A"  Form.                           Army Form C. 2121
MESSAGES AND SIGNALS. H No. of Message...
 Prefix....................Code.............m.
Office of Origin and Service Instructions.
Words        Charge.
Sent
At ...................m.
To......................
By......................
This message is on a/c of:
...................................Service.
....................................................
(Signature of "Franking Officer")
Recd. at ......................,.m.
Date ................................
From ...............................
By .......................................

TO     [[  A I C G ? ]]      A I D D

Sender's Number.    MC 301
Day of Month    8
In reply to Number
AAA

Reported that small isolated parties
of 44^th are falling back from
GREEN  LINE on account of
heavy shelling  AAA  They will
be sent forward again as
soon as possible   AAA  All
37^th  and   44^th  are detailed
for  GREEN  LINE.   AAA
C O's phoned keep in close
touch with Bde. Forward
station and keep me closely
informed of the situation  AAA
An effort should be made to
improve the GREEN  LINE  trench
during the night.

(* EJH *)   (* 8.18^pm *)

From              GE 37
Place
Time              8. ^x/18
  
(Z)   W Ramen
Signature of Addressor or person authorised to telegraph in his name.
 

"A"  Form                             Army Form C. 2121
MESSAGES AND SIGNALS. I No. of Message...
ARMY
AY 8 VI 17
TELEGRAPHS
PrefIx              Code              m.
Office of Origin and Service Instructions.
Words         Charge
Sent
At....................,m.
To ....................
By ....................
This message is on a/c of:

.....................................Service
........................................
(Signature of "Franking Officer")
Recd. at ......................m.
Date ..............................
From .............................
By ...................................

TO                  37^th  and  44^th

Sender's Number.    MC 302
Day of Month    8
In reply to Number
AAA

Reported that the supports of
44^th Bn are in vicinity of
V8 b   AAA   They must
be collected and taken
forward.   AAA   I expect
a report showing the dispositions
of these two Battalions along
the  GREEN  LINE   AAA
the location of  VICKERS,
LEWIS  and  STOKES  guns
and the location of supports
and Commanding Officers.   AAA

(* EJH )    (8.30p*)

From            GE 37
Place
Time              8.30 p
(Z)        W Ramen
Signature of Addressor or person authorised to telegraph in his name.
 

E

14074,    44^TH
Cannot  Hold  Mulch
longer  More  Strength
Wanted to  Pick up
Casualties  Heavy
Col Mansbridge
 

587       E2

Cannot  Hold
Position
C.O.  44^th

 

9-6-17.
NOTES.

1.  Distribution of 11th Brigade at 6.0 a.m. 44th Bn.
GREEN LINE, 42nd Bn., BLACK LINE, 43rd Bn., ST. ANDREW'S DRIVE,
4lst Bn., CATACOMBS.
2.  2" Trench Mortar activity required on  ) FACTORY FARM                                             ) (*CRA*)
Crater whence the German annoys us.   )
3.  10th Brigade took in their own Stokes Mortars and
Machine Guns, but they changed over ammunition.
4.  The DOUVE Brigades  ^∧ Bridges require strengthening in order to
carry Mule Traffic which goes up the Valley of the DOUVE during
the night practically to BETLHEEM FARM.
5.   Rumour says 39th Bn. were not collected quickly enough
and so lost some 500 men.  (*G^enl  Cannan*)
6.  There are no communication trenches in the 10th
Brigade Area, though there is one partially across NO MAN'S LAND.
This northern communication trench is being dug by Pioneers, helped
by 2 Companies of the 43rd Battalion.  
(* G^enl  Cannan*)
7.   General CANNAN reguires photographs ) showing positions                                           ) [[3? ]]
of our troops.                                                          )
8.   40th Bn. did not come out of the line as early as
they should this morning because they expected to be relieved.
General CANNAN on the other hand had no intention of putting 3
Battalions into the Area.
9.   General CANNAN made it quite clear to the Brigade
Major of the 10th. Bde., according to his own statement, but the
Brigade Major states 40th. were waiting to be relieved - as there
was no Bn. to relieve them delay ensued.
10.   G.S.0. I found 37th. Bn. somewhat crowded on the road
near LA HUTTE, and so gave instructions that they should continue
the movement West by small parties, (* instead
of hanging about-*)
11.   38th. Bn. were all out of the line at 6.15 a.m.
       39th. Bn. mostly out.
        37th. Bn. just moving,   and
        40th. Bn. awaiting orders.   (See above).
12.   10th. Bde. complained about the work of Lieut- FERGUSON
of the Divisional Signal Company.  They say
work that he failed in
was finally put through by Lieut. TUCKETT. -
NOTE. -   TUCKETT is their own man. -
13.   General JOBSONS intentions with regard to internal
reliefs -
33rd. Bn. to remain in the line until the night of 10th/llth.
then to be relieved by the 35th.

36th. Bn. relieve the 34th. on night 9th/10th.

35th. Bn. now have two Companies in the BLACK dotted line -
balance still in our own lines.

General JOBSON'S idea is to put the 34th. back into the
line after being out 60 hours.
14. The following are General JOBSON'S proposals with regard
to rest places for his Battalions not actually in the line -
1 Battalion BUNHLLL ROW.

Other Battalion,   1 Coy. near ST. YVES,
1 Coy. near DEAD HORSE CORNER.
1 Coy. ONTARIO TUNNELS near PROWSE POINT.
1 Coy. near PROWSE POINT in Breastworks.
P.T.O.
 

(2).

In addition to this the LE TOUQUET BERTHE area that
General CANNAN formerly occupied with a Battalion, is available.

15.  The plans I told WELLS of were explained verbally to the
G.O.C.

16.  9th. Brigade complained about the  )
Divisional Burying                                          )
Officer.  There are still a considerable        ) 
number of our dead left                                )  A  Q
unburied, and men now have to wear       )
their gas helmets while burying.                 )
"A.Q" Staff might perhaps go round and fix this up.
17. Trench tramways and mule tracks     )  AQ
required in order to save                             )
man power at present used in carrying.  )  CRA
18. 9th. Bde. complain of the R.E. work      )
with regard to the                                            )
ANTON'S FARM communication trench.   )
They say that the R.E. insisted                       )
on starting this trench from our front         )
line, but the barrage                                         )
was such that this was impossible and so  )
they did not start at all,                                     )
for a very long time. - The G.O.C. that Bde.  ) 
says they might quite                                        )
well have started work further along.            )
9th. Bde. carriers were able to get across     ) 
with their loads                                                   ) CRE
through the barrage, though the                    )
Engineer personnel, or Pioneer                        )
personnel, detailed to dig the trench              )
appeared to have been unable                          )
to do so.                                                                     )
19.   The following C. Os were seen :-
MILNE.  MORSHEAD.  BLACKLOW,. MARTIN.
43rd. Bn. Hqrs. were also visited, but the C.O. was away
at Brigade Headquarters.
Captain FREEMAN, O.C. "A" Coy. was seen  )
and found to be                                                  )
quite happy about everything, except,         )
that a shell this morning                                   )
had blown up all his cooks and deschies,     )   X
the result being that                                           )
he urgently requires 22 more deschies,         )
some big and some small.                                  )
20.   33rd. Bn. casualties -
Killed   61  O.R.
Wounded   6 Officers,   155 O.R.
Missing, unaccounted for,    21 O.R.
Gassed & shell Shocked    12 O.R.
21.  33rd. Bn. suffer from shell fire from  )
the direction of                                              ) (*CRA*)
FRELINGHIEN and DEULEMONT.             )
22.  Generally understood TORONTO   ) 
and ONTARIO AVENUES urgently         ) [[CRA?]]
require R.E. and Pioneer attention.        )
23.  Battalions require rope for YUKON     ) 
packs. I noticed many                                     )  A R
with no rope, and some with bits of wire.  )
24.  Corps Commander emphatic on necessity of keeping plenty of
Lewis Guns, Vickers and amnunition forward owing to our Reserve
Brigade (10th) being so far back.
-
9-6-17.                     ---------------

(* EM*)
 

2nd  ANZAC  CORPS

Corps Front from 9 a.m.  9/6/17.

--------------------------------------------------------------

3rd  AUSTRALIAN  DIVISION

Right   (           From River LYS
              (                      to                         7,000 yards Sector  (           U.4.b.0.7.            
 

--------------------------------------------------------------
4th  AUSTRALIAN  DIVISION
Centre  (             From U.4.b.0. 7
               (                         to                      1,000 yards
Sector   (              O.34.b.3.6.

-------------------------------------------------------------
 25th  DIVISION
Left        (             From O.34.b.3.6.
                 (                          to                      800 yards.
Sector     (             O. 28.b.4.2.
--------------------------------------------------------------
(* [[JEcb?]]
9/6/17  *)