Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 15, 10 June - 31 July 1917, Part 11

13/7/17
Report of Lambden, after reconnaissance

Lambden.
(1) Lack of material for front line (Morshead) 
Sandbags
revetting material.
at dump there is plenty
[C.R.E directed to maintain supplies of these materials
at forward dump near 34 & 4a.]
(2) Mule Track - worn white - striped
[C.R.E. to tape and alternative route for Southern Tramways]
(3) Three Batteries of Heavies; at or near U.1.b which draw fire on our
main road Wulverghem Messines - [G.1 to see arty re this]
(4) Bosch puts over 2000 shells; we put over 100. -
[men want retaliation]
5. S.O.S signal - lack of them.
[Jobson - shake him up re touch with B^ns re this
& other matters]
(6) Jobson received my message - has sent out to make ready - &
will write me to say what steps taken. -
Dispositions 
A Bⁿ    33^d
B   "      34^th
C    "     35^th
D    "     36^th
 

13/7/17
THIRD AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
DIVERSION SCHEME.
Signal Arrangements.
G.O.C
The O.C., No. 2 Section, 3rd Australian Divisional
Signal Company, attached to 9th Infantry Brigade, will be
responsible for the supervision of all Signal arrangements
for the scheme in so much as they affect the area forward
of his Brigade Headquarters.
He will arrange the necessary lines required from
Brigade to Advanced Battalions, both forward and laterally
on buried routes in conjunction with O.C. Lines.
He will also arrange for the lines from Advanced
Battalion Headquarters to be tfed in at A and B Battalions
respectively and a special telephone placed in circuit so
that Battalion Commanders of A and D Battalions can listen
in to all conversations passing through on such lines.
 

CABLE.

Buried Routes.
Cable buried routes 7' deep will be
completed to Advanced Battn, H.Q. and in working order by
evening of 25th inst. Northern route 36 pairs from B
Battalion to 0.34.d.90.55. Southern route from A
Battalion to U.4.a.80.90 - forty-two pairs. These are
connected by lateral-bury between A end B Battns, and back
to Brigade at GU 1.
Surface. 
Two surface lines from each Advanced Battn.
H.Q. one to each Company H.Q. in line, will be run under
supervision of Brigade Section officer attached to 9th
Infantry Brigade.
These will be laid via trench routes where
possible asx late as possible before Zero hour, as it is
doubtful if they will hold long in the fire-swept zone.
11th Infantry Brigade will assist to run these lines by
furnishing linemen from Brigade Section, or Battalion
Signallers.
AMPLIFIERS & POWER BUZZERS.
The power buzzers at present working at
xxxxx A and B Battns, will be moved to Advanced Battn. H.Q.
prior to Zero hour. The Northern office will be fitted
with an amplifier and power buzzer and will be manned by
Div. Sig. Coy. Wireless personnel. The Southern office
will be fitted with power buzzer and worked by 11th Brigade
Section Power Buzzer personnel.
Two power buzzers will be issued 11th
Brigade for use of Companies in line and will be worked by
Battalion Signallers.
Power Buzzer Station calls will be
Brigade in line at GU 1     PB 25
Right Advd. Battalion.      PB 28
Left Advd. Battalion          PB 26
Southern Coy. station       PB 21
Northern Coy. Station       PB 27
On account of enemy's listening sets
power buzzer messages should be coded unless the urgency,
of the messages renders it imperative that the message be
written in clear.
The Amplifier and Power Buzzer Station
at GU 1 will also listen in and receive any messages they
hear and have same repeated to their destination irrespective
of whether the message is addressed to them or not.
PIGEONS   
Corps Mobile Lofts             Westhof Farm.
Divisional Refilling point.  WULVERGHEM.
Capacity 50 birds.
Units will arrange to draw from Refilling
Point.
Assault baskets containing two birds will be
available at Refilling Point for detachments and posts going
forward.
Infantry pattern four-bird baskets will be
furnished and used wherever possible by other Units from their
own equipment.
It is particularly requested that assault
baskets be handed over to Brigade Signals after birds
liberated at first opportunity as supply is very limited.
Pigeon messages are to be treated as PRIORITY
messages and will be 'phoned from Westhof Farm to Divnl. H.Q.
and from thence telegraphed to Bde. Hdqrs. A copy of all
pigeon messages will be furnished to "G" Staff, Divn. Hdqrs.
 

-2-
PIGEONS   (cont'd.)
Particular attention should be paid to the
"Address to" and "From".
VISUAL.  Arrangements will be made for Visual from
Companies to Battn, H.Q. using Venetian Flapper or
Lucas Daylight Signalling Lamp. Messages will be
sent from front to rear positions only, the DD, DD,
system being used exclusively.
RUNNERS.  A good runner service should be arranged
for but discretion should be exercised in the employment
of same when other means are available and messages are
not vitally important, in order to conserve personnel
for really urgent messages for which several alternative
means should be employed.
L Wilson

Major OC
3^rd Aus Div Sigls.
23/7/17
Distribution
1  GOC
2  G Staff
3. 9^t Inf Bde
4. 11^t Inf Bde
5. OC Sigs
6. Signals a21
7         .         A2K
8  War Diary
 

Brig-Gen. McNicoll
I forward enclosed papers for your perusal and remarks.
Please treat the matter as urgent, as I shall have to deal
with the case in my capacity as Actg-Corps Commander. -
I rather fancy the enquiry is purely academic, and
that even though the finding the Court may be allowed to 
 stand, nothing will eventuate. -
The points that strike me are - (assuming that the evidence
of the N.Z. people is accepted as true)
(1) The gun was admittedly on our territory
(2) The capture was report by you to me, & by me to
Corps - & not by the N.Z. Div
(3) The gun was handed out & salved by 3^rd Division
John Monash
M.G.
17/7/17

14/7/17
Contemplated Operations.
(1) Attack by 5^th Army on the ridge - Zillebecke - Passchendaele.
(2) Action, in Sympathy, by 2^nd Army - on Zero Day.
(3) Subsequent action:-
(a) Wheel by 2^nd Army.
1st stage - Left Corps -        Zandvoorde -  Gheluvelt
                     Centre  -            Houthem - Zandvoorde 
                     Right     -           Warneton - Houthem
2^nd stage - Sigs Corps     -  Tenbrieleu-Koelberg
                     Centre Corps -  Houthem - Tenbineler
                     Right Corps           nil
3^rd stage     Sign Corps          Werrieg - Menin
                      Centre Corps      Comines - Werrieg
                      Right Corps        Warneton - Comines
(c) Advance Eastward
II Anzac in right flank forward
moving Warneton to Werrieg to Menin.
during move of Northern forces to line  Routers- Courtrain

Artillery Allotment - for Division
For 2^nd Anzac Corps:-

18 pr.         63,000
4.5 How    21,000
60 pr.           7980
6" How       27520
6" Gun             -
8" How         4200
9.2   "             2800
12"    "              1720
15"    "                 124
                 ________
                  128,344  
                 _________
from Noon on 16^th
to Noon on 28^th 
i.e 10700 rounds per day on 
Corps Front.

16/7/17
SECRET
G.1.
On Tuesday, the 37^th Division will probably do Their
advance at Zero hour + 4 hours; - Zero hour being the
the Zero hour of the main operation further north.
B.G.G.S asked me to say whether I preferred to do
our advance at Zero hour or at Zero + 4 hrs. -
I said I preferred to go forward at Zero hour for the 
following reasons:-
(a) Zero hour is likely to be in dimmer light than Z + 4 hrs &
therefore more desirable for Australian troops
(b) To wait 4 hrs in our assembly trenches in broad daylight
would subject our troops to all the back lash of the
northern operations.
(c) By synchronizing our advance with that of troops to the north &
not with the 37^th Division we gain the advantages
(i) of more fully carrying out the idea of a threat on the
Warneton line, i.e a true diversion
(ii) of being able to use the 37^th Div. Arty. to extend our
barrage northwards
(ii) of being able to use our Arty. 4 hrs later to extend
the barrage of the 37^th Div.  Southwards.
______
Note this, & if Army decides in this sense, arrange with
C.R.A. to fix up for Artillery cooperation in above lines between
the two divisions. -
JM
16/7/17
[*Return this memo to me*]

SECRET
16/7/17

Scheme tentatively arranged with B.G.G.S.
(entirely subject to developments, & to approval of Corps Commander)
1. Army directs that "soon after Z Day", II Anzac will extend its front Northward so
as to include the front now held by 37^th Div. - But II Anzac must also
arrange, "very shortly after", to have a Division in Reserve. -

2. I am of opinion, & B.G.G.S concurs, that above task does not warrant the complexity
of putting the present Reserve Division into the line, & very soon pulling it or another
Division out again, with the double alteration of frontages thereby involved. - It
will be better to keep the Reserve Division in Reserve, & to make any adjustments 
of front with the Divisions in th in the  line on Z day. -
3. After operation on Z Day, 37^th Division will be on the line:-
Road Intersection at 0.23.b.20.40 to
Blaupoortbeck at about 0.29.c.90.20
Similarly At same time 4^th N.Z. Bde should, by putting in a third Battalion,
be able to look after the Lys river line as far north as, say, Sugar Refinery . -
Thus the N.Z Division should be able to extend its front northwards,
across the Douve.
4. The proposal therefore is that "soon after Z day" (say 24 or 48 hrs) N.Z
Division will take over from 3^d Division, the front from The Douve
to the E & W. Avenue, S. of Steignast Farm. -
24 hrs after, 3^d Division will extend its front Northwards, by taking
over the ^whole front of the 37^th Division, as far North as Road Intersection
at 0.23.b.20.40. - To do this 3^rd Div. will have to put in
another Brigade; i.e. 2 Brigades in line, & 1 in Reserve. -
5. The new front of 3^rd Div. would be 2950^x; say 3000^x , but the probability is