Diary of Lindsay Robert Turner, 1918 (Vol. 3) - Part 9

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21/4/18 The move was set down for
today so at 9 precisely  we moved
out on our journey. Irs not such
a difficult matter as one would imagine
all the troops marched with their Kit
on their backs and two motor lorries
Arrived to remove office furniture
and records. The road we took
led thro'  Donart and Beaman Court
and at the Former place we were
able to see a Labor Corps Consisting
of Indo Chinese and housed in
countless motor lorries parked. It
hereby shows the huge undertaking
we are engaged in. We fed on
the way and Arrived here at
2.30 marching into a large
orchard and finding tents all
ready to be erected.  I would prefer
that to billets as its very much
easiests control a body of men
and will have a mess somewhere
in the Village. Meanwhile we busied
ourselves getting used to the new
 

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order of things.. I met a Staff Officer
I knew in earlier days as a budding
law student and he hold me that
in a few days we would be moved
onto our Brigade H.Q's for which
Im truly thankful.
22/4/18 The day has almost disappeared 
and still no sign of
moving tho' I was able to find out
during the day where our Brigades
are and its about 14 miles or so
I hope we can raise A Conveyance
of some sort. It's been a great
day and most of it we spent
walking about in the sun
and censoring letters. Our
Camp is a very cosy one the
tents being erected around
the orchard and under cover
of the boundary hedge in the
event of a hostile aeroplane
Visitation. We mess in a
very Comfortable farmhouse
nearby.
 

81

23/4/18. Im writing just at the
close of a very thrilling half hour
The day itself was uneventful except
for a visit by two hostile aeroplanes
at midday possibly making observations
of some sort. We went for a route
march in the afternoon Out past
a Casualty clearing Station Commonly
Known as a "C.C.S." It was a good
day for a walk quite a treat to
be in the sun. We all were very
Suspicious about the Hun Aeroplanes
and sure enough just at 9. 30
the noise of their peculiar engine
could be heard in the distance
coming toward us. One encampment
was plainly visible in the moonlight
but he was evidently after
bigger game and he flew onwards
Suddenly in the direction of our
last resting place - Beucamps - where
there is a night bombing Aerodrome
the sky was illuminated by tow
brilliant flashes followed by a 
 

82
deafening roar then followed
succession of bombs along the 
outskirts of the village the last a
huge one apparently only about 1000
yds away. It's very thrilling while
it lasts and I fully expected one
or more to fill the close proximity
to us but apparently there were
none to spare.

24/4/8 In my youthful days this
would have been a very solemn
holiday but tho' we had little to do
it wasn't one of merry making exactly
We did expect to be "padding the
hoof on our way to Divisional
HQ's but the order was Cancelled
late last night the early morning
however provided us with interest
of an entered novel kind to me
at least. I was awakened a
few seconds after 4 AM. by a
continued roar punctuated by
a deafening crash every few
minutes. I listened spell bound
 

83 

by what I concluded to be my
past experience of an Allied Barrage
Every piece of Carnage on the immediate
front must have been poring
out its welcome to an Impending
enemy attack several days ago we
heard that one was imminent in
this particular Sector and this was
our way of announcing if one
never heard such a din before
and as if is we are 14 miles
away. I lasted fully two hours.
4 oclock must have been Zero
time - and the louder crashes
were evidently ammunition dumps
going up in smoke. Later in
the day motor ambulances
Commenced to arrive at the "CCS"
and from the wounded we learnt
the true facts. It appears both sides
were pouring out shells and our
own 5th Division had suffered
rather severely especially the wagon
lines. An attack was launched
 

84 

happily was repulsed and judging
on the roar of the guns further attacks
must have been made during the
day. We received orders tonight
to the ready by 9 A.M. to move on
to our Corps Base at Villers Bocape
some 8 miles on and went to
bed in search of a rest in
Anticipation of the march.
25/4/18. We are at Villers Bocape
and judging by the traffic and
presence of "Staff" men we
cant be very far from the line
We left at 10 this morning
with a draft of 75 all 5th
Division details and it was
a great day for a march
tho with a pack up trifle
warm. We arrived at Vignacourt
a rather large Centre at 12.30
and had lunch on Bully
Beet and biscuits in the Centre
of a large field. Where a mile
from Heselles our next village
 

85
We hailed a number of ambulances
and were carried on here it
was very much more acceptable
than walking. The traffic thro
here is enormous every  conceivable
vechicle dashes thro' on one
long procession on there way
to the line or away from it
It's rather an important Centre
too for the Australian Divisions
being the nearest point to the
Sector they are holding. It is
said to be much frequented
by planes-enemy of course
but we've been immune
26/4/18 We were up at 7.30 ready.
for breakfast and our continued
tramp at 9 We had about
miles to go to reach our Divl
HQs and knew there would be
some trouble about billets and
perhaps we might have had to
go right out to a Battery. It was
very pleasant walking tho by

 

86

The roar of the guns we knew 
we hadn't so very far to go. We passed
thro the villages of Ralslonville
and Gardonette and lunched at
Allonville just across the main
Amiens Road Here are the HQs of
Major General Maclagan as was
evidenced by the no of "Red Tats"
about. It was here that we leant
the true facts about the downfall of
the Notorious Richthofen. It appears
that 2 gunners in the 53^rd Bty brought
him down with a machine Gun
Nevertheless An English Airman
Claimed the honor. We arrived
at our destination Villers-les-Dacours
at 3.30 and after interviewing
a rather langued staff man were
sent on to the H.Qs of the B.A.C.
housed in rather a pretensions Villa
on the outskirts. There we learnt
our immediate fate we were to be
attached to the 5th B.a.c. for the time
being. After getting safely housed
 

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in an old flour mill which
acts as the living quarters of the
Second Section under Capt Law
we walked out to see the Guns in
action and also a huge ammunition
dump nearby from which all
the batteries in the vicinity draw their
supplies. We are several miles
behind the line but our 60 Pdrs
and 6" Guns are just on the
hill near-by and the ear splitting
noise they made on first acquaintance
almost made me scared but one
soon gets used to it. We stood
on the hill and watched Gun
after gun scattered all over
the intervening woods pour forth
its deadly acessage and over on
our right just beyond Davurs
We could hear the enemy shells
bursting in reply and only a
few hundred yards away right in
the centre of the village we saw
ample evidence of his deadly work
 

88

in the shape of gaping holes back
in the ground and thro' the roofs
of houses. Our lines have not been
immence tho' only 3 shells have
landed near them so fer. Its a
curious experience my first night
within range of the guns tho' Im
quite used to it now. Our duty
will be to take ammunition of to
the Brigade Wagon lines whenever
it's required night or day and I
expect we'll come under shell fire
fairly often.
27/4/18. This is Saturday and we
arrived in a typical rest camp
but in it in deadly earnest Most
of the night there was more or less
intermittent firing and in spite
of my attempt to be quite at ease
found I couldn't sleep to well
I was allotted to a section this
morning but missed a trip up to
the Batteries with ammunition
That will probably come tomorrow