Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 15, 10 June - 31 July 1917, Part 3

16/6/17 

Divisional Conference 10.30 a.m. on 17/6/17

Programme & Policies

No further advance - desired lines held

Established strong & commercial line overlooking hqs.

Read from Corps Notes - (where marked in blue)

3rd Div. allocated to Right Sector - Douve to hqs. - to relieve.

We will have 7 to 10 days rest.

I shall put 2 Brigades into line, 11th on right, 9th on left - frontages later

10th Bgde for work. [[under?]] C.E. & Corp Q.

Reorganization

Personnel

Officers - 50% Correct Statistics - prompt demands.

Everything will depend on [[driving?]] power of the Brigadiers. √

Officers - 50% direct Commissions √

N.C.O.'s - promotions. √

Reappointments of Specialists - bombing - gas - Lewis Guns etc.

Reinforcement Officer & N.C.O.'s.

Other ranks - Division of Reinfets.

Gather up all loose personnel

Restoration of M.G. Co's & extra personnel in them.

Equipment.

Frequent platoon inspections.

Clothing - economy - mending

new issues

shorts

Color patches

Wearing of hats

Badges

Weapons - Lewis Guns, Vickers, Spare parts, Mortars

Restorating M

Munitions  - S.A.A., Bombs

Tools

Yinkon packs

Cookers

Wire Cutters & breakers

Very pistols

Transport - inspections

Discipline Influence of other troops

Saluting

Slouching

Dress off parade

Cleanliness of Clothing - Collars

Training - Corps School - 3 courses

20 aspirants for Month

Bayonet fighting

Musketting

New Officers re S.O. & Rep for Inf. Bns.

"Notes on Tactical Schemes" - Brigade Majors

Training of Specialists - Bombers- Lewis Guns. -

Honors & Awards - [[?one]] - Not by excessive use of superlative language - but more specific detail. -

Training Bns. - Mc Coy's letter.

Tired Officers

Any questions

Lessons from Battle

Aeroplane flying low

Flare & disclosure

Communications - Officer at Telephone

Reconnaissance  & Establishing posts.

Patrol & Advanced posts - in relation to S.O.S. line.

 

Early reconnaissance - forward initiative

THIRD AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.

INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY

June 16th, 1917

NARRATIVE OF BATTLE OF MESSINES

Operation of Battalions of Third Australian Division

night of June 6th/7th to night of June 12th /13th, in the Battle for

MESSINES RIDGE.

The following account has been obtained from Battalions

of their Operations, and Reference is to Map Sheet 28 S.W.
PLOEGSTEERT, 1/10,000.

(Sgd) F.M. [[Cutlack?]]

Lieut.-I.C.

for Lieut.-Colonel.-G.S.

T.C.

1

20

9th Brigade

All the Battalions of the 9th Brigade on their way

up to the assembly trenches suffered severely through enemy

gas shelling. Only on Battalion reached its assembly trenches

with good time to spare before the attack - the 35th. This

Battalion, which wore its gas masks throughout, got through

the approach march without any casualties at all, and attribute

this to the valuable reconnaissance work done on the practice

approach march on "I" night. when all four Companies marched

up through an enemy gas shell bombardment, but only one Company

succeeded in reaching the assembly trenches.

2

14.

33RD BATTALION.

The 33rd Battalion assembled between ST. YVES and 

North of LONE HOUSE AVENUE. Two Companies were in position by

2.50 a.m. (20 minutes prior to ZERO hour); but one Company did

not get into the assembly trenches until just as the mines went 

up, and another Company, which arrived just in time to join the

assault, was never in the assembly trenches at all. The delay

on the march up was due to Gas-Shelling by the enemy and the bad

state of the trenches, particularly HAYMARKET. The assault

went over in some confusion but the Companies quickly righted

themselves on reaching the enemy front line. The order of the

reserve. Ten minutes after ZERO the right Company was digging in

on the BLACK LINE, and a little later the whole of the BLACK 

LINE was established. By noon the trench was about 4 ft. deep

in localities. The Battalion had some opportunity of bayonet

work in the enemy front and support lines but the enemy general

surrendered readily. The only disturbance on the right

flank was from one machine gun a little to the south-east of

ULTIMO LANE, but this was put out of action by bombing. There

was no enemy shelling on the BLACK LINE until about 4 hours

after ZERO. An enemy aeroplane at about 6 a.m. flying at 500 ft

up evidently detected the Battalion's location.

Enemy shell fire during the day of June 7th was

limited almost entirely to a 15 cm. Battery firing from near

DEBULEMONT. A heavy bombardment, however, began at about 7 p.m.

and lasted with intervals throughout the ensuing 48 hours. By

the end of the second day the trench here was dug 6 ft. deep

linked up, and fire-stepped. A support line was dug to connect

LONE HOUSE AVENUE from a point in the old enemy support trench

about U,15.b.65.60.At 2 p.m. on June 9th a post was established of 25

men in THATCHED COT. at 11 p.m. on the same night another post 15 strong 

was installed on ASH AVENUE, U.10.c.5.3. A field

gun was captured in the ASH AVENUE house.

At 11 p.m. under Artillery barrage an organised

attack was made on the trenches south of POTTERIE FARM in conformity 
with the operations of the 36th Battalion on POTTERIE FARM,

North trenches. The attack on the front of the 33rd Battalion

met with little opposition, and posts were established in

UNCERTAIN Support at U.10.d.1.6. and at FUZE COTTAGE. The latter

post was afterwards withdrawn about 150 yards in rear.

T.C.

3

18

34TH BATTALION.

The 34th Battalion had 40 casualties on the

approach march owing to gas and the last Company reached the

assembly trenches just in time to take part in the assault. The 

order of the assault was from right to left, C Coy. B Coy.

A Coy. - with A Coy. on ANTON'S FARM. Half of D Coy. was on the

right of C, and half was kept in reserve for the assault on

the GREEN LINE. The Battalion got over NO MAN'S LAND ahead of

the enemy barrage and met with very little resistance in the

enemy front line system. All enemy dugouts were bombed and

their occupants killed or wounded. During the advance towards

GREY FARM system there was some distant machine gun fire from

the front, probably from GREY FARM, but damage caused was slight.

The BLACK LINE was reached by 4.15 a.m. There was practically

no resistance in GREY FARM and ULSTER RESERVE, as our men got

into the works there smartly behind our barrage. Four machine

guns were captured in this position.

The BLACK LINE was consolidated without interference 
by enemy shell fire, which seemed to be directed mainly

on GREY FARM, the BLACK DOTTED LINE, and on carrying parties

in the rear.

By 7.20 a.m. the BLACK LINE was about two-thirds

complete, and by the morning of June 8th was a continuous trench

sandbagged, and fire-stepped. At 7.45 a.m. June 7th the enemy

could be seen assembling in POTTERIE FARM and also just east

of the MESSINES Road in U10.a. Stokes Mortars, however, dis-

persed them, They looked like new troops as their uniforms were

bright and clean.

The attack on the GREEN LINE by D Coy. was

timed originally for 1.10 p.m. The order depaying the new ZERO

did not reach these troops until late. The Officer in charge of

the operation waited until 1.30 p.m. and then failing our

Artillery barrage which he expected, he moved out without it

to the site of the GREEN LINE and commenced digging in along it.

The Company continued organising this line while the delayed

attack for the GREEN LINE on their left continued shortly after-

wards.

During the night of June 7th/8th an enemy party

attempted to advance towards GREY FARM from POTTERIE direction

but were dispersed by rifle and machine gun fire.

Shelling on the BLACK LINE was not heavy until

the afternoon of June 8th. During the morning of June 8th an

enemy aeroplane reconnoitred the line flying very low. Enemy

bombardment of the BLACK LINE was very heavy throughout the day

of June 9th.

At intervals on June 7th/8th some of our 6"

howitzers were firing short and caused a number of casualties.

one gun that was particularly short seemed to be directing

its fire on TILLEUL FARM.

The Battalion was relieved on night of June

9th/10th by the 36th Battalion.

4

11.

35TH BATTALION.

The 35th Battalion assembled between ONTARIO and 

TORONTO Avenues, and were drawn up for the assault in the order

B Coy. C Coy. D Coy. from right to left. A Coy. was carrying.

During the approach march they had considerable difficulty

under enemy fire from [[DELENNELLE?]] Farm onwards. They had 
assembled, however, at 2 a.m. without casualties. The Battalion was

intended to go over in two waves but assaulted actually in only

one. The men were rather over-eager and some of them ran into

our own barrage. D Coy. on the left went over NO MAN'S LAND

in gas masks. The enemy barrage was on our old front line and

did not come down until the Battalion was well across.  The

enemy did not put up any severe resistance in his front line

system, and heavy casualties were caused to him by the bombing

of dugouts found there.

The Battalion reached its objective on the site of

the BLACK DOTTED LINE and dug in on it. They also dug communication trench from ULSTER AVENUE hack towards the enemy old 

front line at about U.5.a.7.7.

The Battalion remained on the BLACK DOTTED LINE

digging until relieved on the night of June 9th/10th by the 36th

Battalion. From the afternoon of June 7th onwards enemy shell

fire was especially heavy along the BLACK DOTTED LINE and in

rear of it, and the Battalion suffered rather heavy casualties. 

By 4 a.m. on the morning of June 10th the Battalion

was back in BUNHILL ROW and at 2.30 a.m. on June 10th/11th it

relieved the 33rd Battalion in the sector immediately south. At 

daybreak on June 11th the Battalion had established a post at

FUZE COTTAGE, but later the post was withdrawn from this point

to about 200 yards further back along the same road at U.10.d.15.30

a post at U.16.b.7.9. The enemy were in occupation of KNOLL 30

with machine guns.

The Battalion was relieved by New Zealand Division 
during the night of June 12th/13th.

P.T O.

5

13.

36TH BATTALION.

The 36th Battalion relieved the 34th and 35th

Battalions in the sector immediately South of the DOUVE on the

night of June 9th/10th. The Battalion took over the line with C,

D, and A Companies from Right to Left,  and B Coy.  in reserve.

During the same night forward posts were established on the

MESSINES road at U.10.a.3.1,  and U.10.c.4.7.

At 11 p.m. on the night of June 10th/11th 

under a heavy 18-pdr barrage 200 men left the GREEN LINE to the

assault of POTTERIE FARM Trenches. Their objective was the line

from the DOUVE down to about U.10.c.9.9. Just prior to the hour

when our men left the trenches a heavy enemy barrage came down on

our parapet in response to red light signals which began at a point

on the DOUVE and followed along the whole POTTERIE System. The

assaulting party was disorganised for a moment, but quickly

recovered and got forward up to our barrage. The POTTERIE LINE, 

North of POTTERIE FARM, was held by Bavarians (elements of the
9th Bavarian I.R. principally), but POTTERIE FARM itself was held
by a Company of the 1st Guard R.I.R. The Bavarians put up a poor
fight, and what was left of them, fled after the first encounter
back towards CROIX FARM. The Garrison of POTTERIE FARM itself came
out from the North evidently to offer resistance but were caught
under our Lewis Gun fire from the parapet of UNCERTAIN Trench and
practically annihilated. The Battalion established four strong
posts forward of UNCERTAIN Support at U.10.a.85.78,U.10.a.90.50.
U.10.b.05.10.,U.10.d.15.90. The Officer in charge reconnoitred
UNCERTAIN Support as far down as U.10.d.0.7., where, not finding
connection with assaulting troops from the right, he put in a
block.
A half-hearted counter-attack was attempted
on these POTTERIE FARM posts by the enemy shortly before dawn, but
was dispersed by Lewis Gun Fire. Enemy shelling on POTTERIE FARM
was heavy throughout the day of June 11th. On the afternoon
enemy aeroplanes flew over POTTERIE FARM and the BLACK LINE at a 
height of about 1,000 ft. The men had orders for this emergency
to conceal themselves, and it is considered that owing to this
precaution the enemy aeroplanes did not detect the location of
our advanced posts, which afterwards remained practically immune
from bombardment. During June 12th enemy shelling was severe
especially in the afternoon, but enemy Batteries did not appear to
have the range of the Farm.
Prior to the attack on POTTERIE FARM at
about 6 p.m. June 10th, while our Heavy Artillery was bombarding
the Farm, one gun appeared to be shooting very short, and shell
began falling on our own trenches in the BLACK LINE. The Heavy Artillery
lengthened on request but one gun was still short and a shell
from it completely knocked out a Lewis Gun Team in the Northern post
on the MESSINES Road.
P.T.O
The Battalion was relieved on the night of
June 12th/13th.
P.T.O.

6

2
10th BRIGADE

37TH BATTALION.
The 37th Battalion assembled between LA ROSSIGNOL

and ADVANCE ESTAMINET with Battalion Headquarters at the latter

place. At ZERO plus 7 hours the Battalion moved forward in

Artillery formation with A Coy. and D Coy. in the first wave. C

Coy. and D Coy. of the 48th Battalion in the second wave, and B

Coy. in reserve behind the second wave. There was heavy enemy

barrage on the Subsidiary line. Two Platoons of 40th Battalion

were carrying behind B Coy. After the Battalion had moved off

an order was received saying that new Zero was delayed two hours

and instructions were sent out to the Battalion to halt for that

period in any available cover in the vicinity of the BLACK LINE.

The Battalion moved up to SCHNITZEL FARM across country and then

advance in extended order to the BLACK LINE. By the time they

arrived at the BLACK LINE they had lost about 10% of their effec-

tives. They lay down in open order about 150 yards behind the

BLACK LINE for a little over 2 hours.

At 3.10 p.m. the waves having been reformed
passed through the BLACK LINE behind our barrage and advances

towards the GREEN LINE. The Left Flank reached UNCANNY SUPPORT

without difficulty, and joined up at HUN'S WALK with the 47th

Battalion. There was some fighting with 3 machine guns and their

crews in the 2 houses immediately North of WHITE SPOT COTTAGE Road by UNCANNY SUPPORT, but these were put out of action. The small wood

 the angle of UNDULATING Trench and UNDULATING Support hid a nest 

of Snipers and Machine Guns which could not be overcome, and the line

was bent back around that angle. The second wave on the Right

entered and consolidated UNCANNY Trench. The leading wave arrived

in UNCANNY Support with 48 other ranks, of whom 5 or 6 were N.C.O.s.

Their last Officer was wounded after bombing the machine guns in

the houses already referred to. Along the whole of this GREEN LINE,

which including the bend at UNDULATING CORNER was about 1200 yards

long, the Battalion had only about 230 men. The 4th Division on

their left seem to have fallen back at some time towards the end

of the day on to the BLACK LINE; that is what the 37th Battalion

understood, and in the evening they too fell back to the BLACK LINE.

About 3.30 a.m. (June 8th) the 44th Battalion came up to their

relief, found them not established on the GREEN LINE, and on

completing the  relief had no difficulty in making an advanced line

which ran from SEPTIEME BARN south-west to the MESSINES Road about

200 yards North of the DOUVE Bridge

On the following night (June 8th/9th) the 37th

Battalion again came up to relieve the 44th  Battalion, and did in

fact relieve it for about 10 minutes. The order for this relief

was cancelled and the 44th Battalion took over again.
 

Headquarters of Battalion June 8th were triangular 

wood on the DOUVE in U.8.d. On the night of the 8th/9th it was

established in a shell hole on ULCER RESERVE near ULNA AVENUE

Junction.

There were no communication trenches at all during 

this period and enemy shell fire on the southern MESSINES Slope was

heavy and consistent from DEULLMONT and WARNETON. There was a

telephone from Cable head at SEAFORTH FARM to Advance Brigade H.Q.

on ULCER RESERVE, and the Battalion made a connection up to BETLHEEM 

Farm. Nearly all Battalion Runners were put out of action.

A and C Companies had most of the fighting. D Coy.

to the South had no trouble. Four of our M.Gs. were put out of action.

The Battalion T.M. was blown up with its crew before it got to

UNCANNY SUPPORT. Battalion had about 8 Lewis Guns between UNCANNY and

the River, but only one on the left flank where fighting was

heaviest. Rations were got up on the evening of the 8th by mules as

far as SEAFORTH, thence by hand. Water was scarce and men got some

out of shell holes.

7

1.

38th BATTALION.

The Battalion assembled between ASH Trench and the 

left of SEAFORTH FARM,  with centre of MESSINES ROAD. About SEAFORTH

FARM there was some crowding with the 40th Battalion.

     The three waves were -

      1st wave  D Coy., and ½ of B Coy.

      2nd wave  A Coy., and  ½ of B Coy.
      3rd wave   C Coy.

At ZERO plus 3 minutes the waves went over and the

40th Battalion having disposed of PETIT DOUVE resistance, the first

wave reached ULCER RESERVE without difficulty. There was no Machine

Gun fire from the Left Flank. At ULCER RESERVE the second wave went

on, leapfrogging the first wave, and later were joined by half of

D and half of B from the first wave, which left half of D in ULCER

RESERVE. From UNGODLY Trench the second and the third waves went on

together and the BLACK LINE was reached with 12 Platoons and 12

Lewis Guns. Casualties were very small.

During the halts for about 10 minutes east of

SCHNITZEL Farm, and about 1 hour 8 minutes before UNGODLY Trench,

there was very little enemy shell fire. The enemy barrage, such as

it was, remained on his old front line and NO MAN'S LAND until well

on into the forenoon. At about 10.30 a.m. near UNGODLY Trench one 

of our aeroplanes flew over the Battalion's lines and called for

flares. Shortly after these had been given the enemy Batteries

shortened their range, and from that time onwards they never lifted

off the UNGODLY and BLACK LINE vicinity. 
Battalion established the BLACK LINE and put in a

block on UNGODLY AVENUE just east of the POTTERIES-MESSINES Road in

U.3.d. By the morning of the 9th the BLACK LINE had been dug 7 ft.

deep and fire-stepped in places. A strong point had also been estab-

lished at U.3.d.8.9. with a good field of fire north, east and

south (1 machine gun and 2 Lewis guns), and another strong point

just North of the DOUVE behind the BLACK LINE with 2 Lewis Guns.

Connection on right and left flanks was very good throughout.

On morning of June 8th 4 enemy aeroplanes flew low 

over the BLACK LINE and enemy barrage again came down heavily.

Mules came up as far as the old front line on the

MESSINES Road. Hot food was brought up on the afternoon of June 8th.

Battalion Headquarters were on our old front line

on MESSINES Road, with Forward Report Station on ULCER Trench just

north of ULNA Avenue.

Battalion was relieved early on the morning of 

June 9th by 42nd Battalion.