General Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 18, 21 April - 8 May 1918, Part 15

Australian Corps.
Our Captures now reported to exceed 200

prisoners including 2 officers, also 1 Trench Mortar

5 M.Gs and other M.G's not yet counted aaa

Estimated 150 enemy killed in trench system

itself alone aaa operations of last two nights represent

an advance of average depth 850 yards on a 

frontage of 2500 yards aaa

Flank Divsns etc.

2 Div

10 H Bde

11 H Bde
C.H.J. 274
10.40 am
6/5/18                                     

15^th Aust. Inf. Bde
This Division and 9^th Brigade much

appreciate your kind congratulations aaa

General Monash
3^d Aust Div.                                   
ADC 95

6.42pm

6/5/18

Unofficial     6.5.18                   
H.Q. 10' Aust. Inf. Bde
Re Buffs alleged deserter
With reference to Lieut. Crispe's report in this

matter. I had called in the C.O. Buffs the

previous afternoon & arranged the amalgamation

of his R & our L posts as instructed by you

We had a long conversation on matters of

mutual interest but he did not mention

any such incident as is the subject of Lt.

Crispe's report.
On receipt of Lt. Crispe's report I sent

for Pte Riley whose statement accompanies

it. He is a very intelligent lad & said that

the rumour was evidently believed in the

Buff posts alongside ours but he was not

able to remember the exact circumstances

of first hearing it - I asked him specially

whether he had heard of or noticed anything

which would point to dissatisfaction on

the part of the Buff men. He said he

thought they had a genuine grievance

in the matter of rations which are

apparently inferior to ours both as to

quantity & quality & are not served

at such suitable hours. There is of

course also the question of pay

Yesterday morning I was up the

line & left the Buff part of it about

6 a.m. All of our men had "stood

down" - had had a good hot breakfast -

& with the exception of those on duty were

for the most part well asleep while the

Buffs were still standing to & had not

been fed - our cooking is done at

Framvillers, theirs I understand just around

the hill a short distance from Battalion

Headquarters. Times for meals i.e. must

usually be a matter for the particular

unit concerned but it is a question

whether there should not be a uniform

"stand down" time along the whole line

Such things may possibly give a

clue to the starting of remarks

about being better treated elsewhere -

(by the Tommies)

So far as our men are concerned I

am convinced that their experience

during the past few weeks have made

them more satisfied than ever that

they are being well looked after.
G Hurry Major
38 AIF 

PRIVATE

6.5.18

H.Q. 10 Aust Inf Bde

Herewith report by Lieut Crispe

re The Buff alleged desertion incident

G Hurry Major

a/co 38 AIF

G.O.C.

Forwarding result

of enquiries re alleged

deserter 

[[W Rincu?]]

7/5

A" Coy

38^th Bn.
To C.O. 38^th Bn.
Subject: "Reported that one of the 7^th Buffs

had gone over to the German lines."
On instructions received over the phone from

the Brigadier of the 10^th Infantry Brigade

I placed the information before you and

with your permission at once proceeded to

the H.Qrs. of the 7^th Buffs and interviewed

their C.O. who stated there was absolutely no

truth in the statement the whole of their

men being accounted for.

On the 5^th inst. when I paid my morning visit

to the H.Qrs of the 7^th Buffs - the special point

on which I was to gain information was whether

there was any truth in their received information

that four or five enemy tanks were grouped

in dead ground out on their front. When I

asked their intelligence officer whether any 

matters of special importance had occurred
- remarking that rumours had come through

from our front line in regard to certain

happenings among their front line troops - the

2.

conversation switched on to the tanks and he stated

that the information re the tanks was incorrect

as the map reference should have been C or D 13

and not C or D 3. due to an error by the typist. We

went on with the routine checking of

disposition etc. finally making an appointment

to meet at the 38^th Bn H.Qrs. at dusk when I would

personally conduct him over our left Coy's

dispositions. The interview did not again revert

to the "furphys" after my first remark.

In tracing the origin of these rumours

Capt Dench O.C. of the left coy had the rumours

mentioned to him by Lieut. O'Collins - he interviewed

Capt. TUPPER O.C. of the Buffs right Coy. who stated

that as far as this particular rumour was concerned

there was no truth in it. Capt. Dench remarked that

Bn. H.Qrs would have immediately been notified

had the rumour proved a truth. When the rumour

reached us you may recollect the matter was

- owing to want of substantiation -  treated as the 

usual "furphy".

On my first visit to the Buffs when

they "took over" from our 2^nd Division they told me

that they were unfortunate in moving up as a

3.

shell caught a group of their men killing two

wounding "five or six" with two missing. One of

the missing was picked up in their transport

lines - the other has not yet been located.

Evidently this event may have some bearing

on the origin of the rumour -though these men

did not reach their front line.

I may state that the Intelligence

Officer of the Buffs has afforded any

information about which information was our Battalion H^dQrs.

desired at all times and to the fullest extent.

This "furphy" was not reported

by me owing to the lack of first hand evidence

which would have been given by the Buffs

on my query on the morning of 5^th inst. had

such been the case.

Attached is a statement by

N^o 3474 P^TE RILEY M.E. whom I traced as

being practically the first of our lads to hear 

the rumour.
Chas. Crispe Lieut.

Lias Officer 38^th Bn.
RIBMONT

6.5.18

TIME 11.30 A.M.

N^o 3474 P^TE RILEY M.E.
States that on or about 10 a.m. on the 4th

instant I was passing along the front

line trench from N^o 10 POST to a latrine

in the trench occupied by the 7^th Buffs

on our left. I spoke to one of the Buffs

and asked whether there was any truth

in the statement - "that one of the Buffs

had gone over to the German trench leaving

a note stating that he would get better 

treatment there than that which he 

had received in his own army." This

member of the Buffs stated that he 

believed it was true as the statement 

was general along their front line.

I believe the first information re

the man going over to the German Line

was brought to our post by a Corporal a private

or L/Cpl. of the Buffs. When Lieut. O' Collins

came along I asked him whether there

was any truth in the statement and

he seemed at the time to place no

faith in its correctness.
3474 M. E. Riley