Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 15, 10 May - 9 June 1917, Part 6

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Part of Quest:
Sir John Monash (General, b.1865 - d.1931)
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG0000620
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

SEORLE 22327 PRECIS OF DETAILS WITH REGARD TO TASKS, ASSEIBLY POSITIONS, AND APPROACH MARCH OF THIRD AUSTRALLAN DIVISION. 1. The cattached tracing, to be fitted over the 1:10,000 Map, shews. (a). The allotment of tasks to Battalions up to the BLACK line. (D). Assembly Areas for Battalions. (e). Lines on which to consolidate. (d). Lines of Approach. (e). Boundaries between Brigades. Timings of creeping barrage on the Divisional boundary, also (E). timings of this barrage on the enemy front and support lines. Other timings of creeping barrage have been omitted, in order not to confuse the diagram. The 2t barrage 50 yards in front of the enemy's front line South of the DOUUE is with a view to dealing with the many listening saps which run out from this portion of his line. on our Right the conditions are not the same, inasmuch as there are not so many listening saps, and the distance be- tween the opposing lines is less, thus a barrage in front of the enemy'’s front line on our Right would be inadvisable. As regards (a) - The task and assembly position of Mr Battalion, and the time at which it moves forward, is still Indefinite. - Other Battalions have clearly defined tasks and will issue from our front line immediately after Lero hour. It is estimated that all assaulting Battalions except Nr will be clear of our front line inmediately not later than plus 6 minutes, and probably by: plus 4 minutes. Cr Battalion, when it has fulfilled its mission, will assemble and be available for employment as carriers, working parties, etc. pr Battalion, having squeesed Ct out, will be res- ponsible for consolidation. This arrangement has been rendered necessary owing to the direction of the DOUUE River. As regards (D) - It was intended that Hr Battalion should assemble well forward, but now seeing that the BLACK line will not be left until plus 10 hours, it is thought more advisable to keep Hr Battalion in the Subsidiary line, as shewn on tracing. - This position had formerly been allotted to one of the Battalions of the Reserve Brigade. The Reserve Brigade will be located as follows:- One Battalion in the CATACOMBS. One Battalion BUNHILL ROW. One Battalion along the Subsidiary line from ST. ANDRENS DRIVE towards the ADVANCED ESTAMINET. The Battalion of the Reserve Brigade which holds the front line during the last 6 or 8 days, will be withdrawn to a billeting area to be selected, probably behind our defensive front, but not more than half an hour's march from the front line on our offensive front. The exact position of assembly of Mr Battalion has yet to be determined. As regards (e) - The more Eastern of the BLACK lines will be reached and consolidated as one distinct operation, but the Western BLACK line will also be dug as a support to the other. - Thus when the GREEN line is taken there will be snce never closer than 200 yards to two complete lines of degenge 000
121. each other. This will necessitate the enemy using two distinct lots of guns if he attempts to barrage both lines at one and the same time. The probable result will be that we shall have two lines throughout; the weak places in the one being covered by the strong places in the other. As regards (4) - Each pair of Battalions will have a separate line of appreach from its billeting area forward. The whole of the Reserve Brigade, except one Battalion, will be in position prior to the approach march of the other two Brigades. The Battalion of the Reserve Brigade for BUHHLLL ROW will follow the assaulting Brigades. The action of the Heavy Artillery, 4.Sr Hows. standing barrage and gas and smoke activities have not been referred to, but as regards the last named, it is proposed to issue gas from the Defensive frent if wind conditions are suitable, and to put up a smoke barrage on our Right flank by means of 4 Stokes Mortars in all conditions of weather except a wind blowing from due South.
Magnum Opin Awailable Artillary I For Comy 9.2 Hows. 8 384 Copr. 156 4.5 Hows- 342 18 po. 1026 217 Morta 15th Hors 2013 12 Hows. 8 C Guns 16 COpi Grins Heavy F.M. 21/51 For Coops 28 24 116 54 36 108 324 48 + under Army 12 order
FN Moaurs Chawn as awaiting abooption on A.1.F. Depats inU.R. fomenae roee of Officers daked 33rd April 1917 A Bor Tranning S Dw Artyf W. Weover 3 Bn H. J Moore A. Cooke-Russell H Bir Major 3 Bir F.P. Carr Sor 35 H. Smythe 1o Franng Bir Sir Maxwell aoe Allerr Bors Eeast Bor Reet Gerry 59 Fterter mc 11 Bir do for Smith Bor callar off in Armfield Major Ber H. W. Cooper grut Duarty H. Lanfman grut Fraining Brr 12 for Major Clampbell telit 42 Ber 1.H. A M.Donnell e Bn 26 West 415 fer 2115 Wills 12 Bir Peterson 413 Sr Redmond lase 430 Por 2 Rice Jerac 21 2715
22// Magnum Opus Foovemonat tome take Halt in Barrage 14 to 27 a 30 East of La Derive Farm At Schwitzil position 45 to 14-53 At Bethlehemposition 120 t 245 to 3410 At 3 he 10 Barrage ceeps toward to "Uncanny truch" & stays on these till A he. 10 then field guns come under Dis Contral, while all heave remain on the goeen line system, till Ler & 10 h At Qus & 10han, all gins go outs Greenham take care to see that a full proportion of heaves & of Div. Arty. N.B. are left to be employed on my Defensive hire, as the period between Less & 3ho to Leist 10hn is the most critical.
22/7 Magnum Opus Agenda. Laos Sep Axt ap sam rccunt Barrage Mapr timet Commander as Conduct fye tresst emd consoledate Faaty Farm Crate Consident H. 2 to cooperate in repelling Counterattact ecial pioes ont party through teansnovong all mpation dising light special officers to di Hew parition in enemy to te s Bom stop Ling Frd M2 oder letter to Kund n Minaie Ciano prprse Seue ldimio, Reconmunmace Stiffy epiites & offficer adustet Dio Renene Briate appreciation & orders for attenation ort my frud Staff Lake Brgadies through theis quaries to Br Connr My 2e129 chanks tim shet ct to die wt the beaubl meat Couptioe Intemr Arrangements tre worting continuous narrative £2320th lon Arange wster of Cass, diwer, clerk, onderlie tnt aso bio sipate latters bg Do extr trtwt 12 Be of Rronsaction Seters fnt re his ptory 5
AU5 Rec. t Brank 29/5/1 Follewing received from ist ANLAC and forwarded for Your Infermation. AE TO SEN AUSTRREAN DALSTON TTELLEEENO SIAEN, 221 8 asOOODHDDoe Ne 826s pte. H Parpons, n Company, Loth pattanion and No. 8814 Pts. Stewart, PB. Company 16th pattalion, prisoners in the Germans hands escaped into our lines in U.29.a. at 4.50. a.m. this morning. Pte. E.G.Smith B. Company 16th Battalion and Corporal Job PB) Company l6th Battalion escaped also with the above and are still out and may be expected in tonight. Mernen or CArTy, the men were captured on the 11th Aprtl 1817. in the KIDDENBURG LLNE, In v.30.a. There were 756 taken to VILLERs to Regimental Readquarters and All their belongings were taken except, their pay-books, and searched. their gas respirators were hastily taken away. From UILLERS they were entrained and taken, as far as can be judged from what the men say, to Bury, and put in cellars where they were again searched and about 100 were bicked but for infornation purposes. They were then entrained for LE ESNOY where they were bathed, their clothes fumigated, and they were Four days later they entrained for LLLLE. then put into detention. on detraining they arriving there about 6.0. p.m. on the 16th April. marched from the station to an old fort or barracks and put into rooms,, sh about 50. x 20! and accommodating 120 men in each.; Here, they re- indined for 5 days and 6 nights.; Rations were 1 loaf of bread for 7 man) per day, stewed turnips and 2 cups of coffee per day. They were teld they could write home and tell their people they were prisoners, and say: what they liked, and state that they were being starved as a punishment, for the British Government working German prisoners under shell, firg.pr The men-were kept inside the rooms most of the day, and marched for five. minutes each day outside in a yard or barrack square..Even the latrines were in the rooms and consisted of a barrel.;; The day before they, left. LILLE all their numbers and names were again taken, and they were spiit,, up into various parties, their party being 240 strong., From LILLE, they entrained at 1.0.p.m. for MARAUION, arriving there at 5.0. a.m. next morne ing.) After two days they were put on as a werking party, unloadips, trains of engineer naterial to a dump...The men enly had one slige of yes bread from the time they left LILLE, until, 10.p.m. the following, night.11e Some of the Australlans weye put on to digging dugouts, etc. some, the men state, were put on, to constructing mines under the buiidings in MAReUTON, and explosives were seen to be carried to mines..c The firet day at MAReUION, they saw about 200 French prisoners. They left about a eek later. sportly after they errired there, 200 Britich seidiers arrired. The French prisoners teld our men that they (the French) had been carrying rations up to the, frent line and also working on wire, there. Nost of the French prisoners had been in Garmany recently and said they had been three days without rations, slept out in the open without eever, and ordered to work. It is, said that the Frenchmen had told the Germans they could turn their machine guns on then before they would work any mere without rations. There was a vis ditch, wired, pound the busiding where our hen According to the men, the compound would be FAUCOURT were in detention. FME. W.10.a. and the dump they worked at would be at W.9.c.9.7. According to the ments statenents there would probably be an exunition dueg in the sunken road, W.9.b.8.8. MEeta our men, it appears, took a pair of wire-cutters from the dump, and cut the wire in rear of the detention building at 12 mid- night last sunday (night 20th (21st May), and took their direction by the t 3ll day Monday in wood, and from what they say wenld Flares. They. spe probably be BOIS DE-DOUCHE. the road between EO7S DE LOISON and the read in v2is. ts naring &it ir dusouts constructed in it. on Monday night they crossed the procounte tho QUEANT, support, in about 7.21.s.,, then the trenches in V.20.c.,, then DROCOURE-QUEANT LINE in v.19.c., and finally into our trencnes in y at 4.0.a.m. this morning.
-2- stood to in UNITS SEEN. on Saturday night, a large bedy of troops KAREUION when a heavy British bombardment was heard. The men say they caw Cerman treeps working on a dump in W.8.6.8.8. with No. 112 on their choulder-strap. At VILLERS the men were asked, as they describe it, by SSS a bis German Officer who spore English well, what the Australians had to de with ENGLALD, and said volunteers, toot, and wanted to know what EMGLAND had to do with FRANCE, and what ENCLAMD would de for FRANOE after the war. The following questions were asked, and the fellowing replies siven, 9.1. What they thought of the yeboat system. we good A02. 2.2. Wich way they came from AUSTRAETA, Found the cape, or viz sirk. A.2. The answer was the contrary to the route they actually took. 9.3. If y-boats bothered our troopeships. A.3. We take no notice of themt. The German officer said he thought all troopeships had stopped going through SurL. 9.4 How ENGLAND was off for food. Act. Plenty of everything. 205. He asked questions re the attack, A.5. PDEd not know.& 9. 6. How much food men have in the trenches. 4.6. They had plenty; and more than the Cermans sot. KISCELLANEOUS: They were then told that it was just like the mad English trying to get through the wire the Germans were putting up. This English-speaking German officer gave a lecture to our wounded, and said that Ponly for LLOYD GEORGEt the war would have been ever last year and we would not accept the good peace tenms offered us. Our officers who fell into the hands of the Germans were seen at DURY when the men All the Sergeant- arrived there, but they have not been seen since. Majors were taken to LE QUESNOY, where R.F.C. officers were also seen. The men got chatting with an A.K.C: German soldier who had been a walter in ENGLAND and could speak English. He told them that there was nothing doing In RUSSIA. The RUSSLANS were walking out of their trenches and all the guns and troops were being brought over to the WESTERN front. ITALY had also become tired of the war. our men learned that crews captured from our TAlKS were taken away quickly, and were not seen asain by our troops: owing to our men tearing up a lot of their letters and papers, they were warned that they would be severely dealt with if this occurred again. MI Civilians were seen at VILLERS; but none at DURY or MAR- AUION, Between DURY and LE QUESNOY, some civilians were seen. The men say that the conditions in LILLE are bad. The civilians are not allowed to talk to the prisoners, but the men say that the civilians are always trying to help our prisoners and run great riaks to do so. A woman once tried to get some food to the prisoners, but was caught by the police, and after being knocked over the head by a German was taken away. A priest also tried to give cisarettes to the men, and nearly got into trouble in doing so. The large number of factories round LILLE appeared to be closed out of the large number of chimney stacks, none appeared to be down. They saw a lot in use. Our men thought that the mines were working. of young Frenchmen working round LLLLE under the Germans. Electrie trans are running in LILIE.. the streets are full of Cerman treops. SOMTTTONS IN GERAT The German A.M.C. seldier told our men that Tubber was very scarce in Germany, and that owing to the scarcity of Tubber, they could not use it for their gas respirators, thus making our respirators far superior to theirs. A German transport driver had said that he was taking wheat out of the chaff and sending back some of his rations. in a German canteen our men saw sausages marked up at 6 marks per half-kile.
3- FIENN ENITY DE. REAIRD. The men say that they saw a trench system in rear of MARGUION with two belts of barbed wire staked and ironed in frent of it. They had also heard that the dump that they were working on had to be They saw small light railway engines being en- clear by the 5th June. rained. Telegraph poles and wires were being cut down in LE QUESNOY. All meter transport had iron tyres, and no rubber ones. These two men looked very thin; CEREANTREATLERT OF PRISONERS OF WAR. hollow, and must have had a bad tine. They say what a really badf time They were kept they have had in the way of treatment and food supply. hard at work with extremely little food, and were kept at it by brutality. Some of the RUSSLAN prisoners there have been knocked about and some hit with the butt of a rifle. The whole of the time these men have been in German hands they have had no blankets whatever - merely straw to lie on. Some of our unfortunate en are getting 1l1 and are being evacuated daily. a lot of them are getting swollen legs and swollen faces. DISTRIBUTION OF ENERY TROOPS. The men say that they only saw small costs and seniries actually in the trenches over which they passed. The sunken road in U.23.d. and V.24.c. appeared to be well garrisoned. C.M. Johnswoy 2SOF. (Brisade-Najor. 4th Aust. Inf. Brisade.
X Papers re M.O. For C.O.C. 23rd May 1927 1. Billeting prior to 2070 McO.Circular No. 15 (A2) -d0- No. 12 (6) 2. Destructive bombardment Target map. 3. Infantry Dispositions and tasks Statement and map regarding tasks assembly positions etc 1/258/326 4. Holding line prior to 2er0 As for 3. 5. Approach march. Approach march map. 6. BSO As for 3. 7. Nethod of issue. old map. G.O.C. has copy. EanskaExtaEigadit. 8. Details pn organization Brigadiers plans. Artillery dispositions. old ANEAC Scheme. Intermediate Scheme. Latest Scheme with plans 10. Barrages and Time tables. 18 Pr Creeping Barrage map -do- -do- Standing Machine Cun barrages 11. Map shewing action of Smoke also herewith. 23/5/27.

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