Diary of Lindsay Robert Turner, 1918 (Vol. 5) - Part 5

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for the move out at 10.30 so that no
possible delay could occur. We
wondered as we moved out whether we
were leaving our Wagon lines for good.
It was a very dark night tho' there
were indications that it would clear
up and nothing would be more in
our favor than to have a few days
of good weather We may go even
as far as the Rhine as both flanks
are making a "push"
8/8/18 Needless to say we had us Sleep
after a good march thro' Daours.
Aubigny to Fouilloy we bivouaced
in an open field leaving a good
interval between the Teams in case of 
shell fire and set out to await Zero
hour which had been fixed for 4.20
tho’ we didn't have to be at the line
until 2 hours after. It was a dreary
wait and all the more unwholesome
on account of several shells falling
in and around the Bty tho’ we
suffered no Casualties. At 4.20 the
barrage which was the signal to our
Infantry to advance was put down

41
away over on our right the rumbling
could be heard and extending for
miles from which it was clear that
the French were joining in the
attack along the 20 mile front and 
extending from Morlancourt to
Montdidier. The din was terrific
especially as our teams were under
the fire of some of our guns of large
calibre in and around Corbie. but
not nearly so apparent where the
concentration was ever so much greater
as at the Hamel attack on July 4.
An hour later we moved slowly up
to the guns. We sent the teams forward
to a position just in rear of the guns
and while manoeuvring for position
I suddenly heard a loud crack only
20 yards behind and looked round to
see huge pieces of apparently a shell
flying all round me and noticed
that the horse my orderly was riding
had been wounded. I had hardly time
to realise what had happened when
I heard two more explosions in
quick succession near the lines
and saw horses and men go down

42
as with one blow. I galloped over
immediately and here was a ghastly
sight 3 men killed outright quite a
dozen horse dead and dying and
a number of our drivers and NCO's
badly wounded. We found out
afterwards that the damage had
been done by 3 bombs dropped from
a Hun plane tho at first I thought
it was a premature from a 60 Pdr
firing immediately in Rear Several
horses were so badly knocked that
I forthwith shot them and has happened 
to be officer's Charger's. We couldn’t
lose any time however so sent off
the guns and wagons as best we could
and then turned our attention to
clearing up the wreckage. In all we
had 4 men killed 11 wounded and
had killed or had to destroy 24 horses
A terrible toll as horses are so
very difficult to obtain. We established
a rest camp there and then for
the wounded horses and the rest
moved on in the wake of the advancing
Infantry. Reports were coming thro
that all along line we were
pushing on and hoped to reach the

43
objective by Midday and so it
happened and in addition the Cavalry
and armoured cars made excursions
far beyond capturing prisoners
and obtaining valuable reports. The
prisoners amounted to 7000 and
included in the booty which was
immense was a 12”Railway Guns
as well as some 300 of various
calibres. We established a Battery
position South of Harbounieres
some 7 miles in and our wagon lines
just on the outskirts of the village
It was a magnificent victory and
an advance of quite 5 miles. We
held on here and in the morning
it is proposed to advance again.
9/8/18 We  spent a very restless kind
of night. We have moved the horses
out in the open field leaving
them harnessed in case of emergency
and in view of anticipated bombing
raids. I slept first of all out
in the open but finding that
too uncomfortable curled up
behind the fodder. but shells
were flying everywhere and we

44

couldn't possibly sleep. The major
arrived at 8 and another advance
was projected at 11 so the Battery
moved forward again. Our F.O.O.
had been wounded as well as
several more drivers so we had
further difficulty with the teams.
Orders came thro that I was to
go forward with the Infantry as
Liaison officer and as I thought
here was a chance to see the
fighting and do something at least
as I anticipated I’d also do F.O.O.
I set off to the next village behind
which our Infantry were resting
ready for the advance and found
Brigade H.Qs in a Sunken Road
about 400 yards behind the
jumping-off line the vicinity
of which was being heavily
shelled but we managed to dodge
splinters. Precisely at 11 the Tanks
moved off followed by our Infantry 
to take Framerville and Vauxvillers
It wasn't a difficult matter as the
Hun was by this time. well scared
and soon reports came thro

45

that the new objective was reached.
The Canadians on our right and
americans on the left were keeping
up the advance thro' meeting with
slightly more opposition. We established
our H.Qs in a large farmhouse
and there General Wisdom and
his staff directed further operations
We were kept going most of the
night tho I managed to snatch
a bare hour's sleep.
10/8/18 It was a inspiring sight to
see the prisoners coming in
from a further advance we
made early this morning tho
most of the work was done by the
1^st Division which had passed
thro' us during the night. Soon
the new objective was reached
the extension of the line South
of Vauxvillers to bring it into
agreement with that the Canadians
but the Hun resistance was
obviously weakening Our Infantry 
the 7^th Bge were getting some

Machine gun fire from Romecourt

46

So a Conference was immediately 
held to make another advance
covering that village and establishing
Machine on a plateau beyond.
and link up with our 3^rd and
4^th Divisions on the immediate right.
I made a request to the General to
be allowed to see the country
ahead of us. but he insisted on
my remaining at HQs to be on
hand. so the opportunity of seeing
Framerville and picking up souvenirs
was lost. I collected a
Cavalry horse but it had been
shot thro the wind pipe so handed
it over to the Veterinary Section for
treatment. We had by this time gone
quite 7 miles and reports of the
success of the Canadians and French
were most reassuring. It was decided
to make the attack at 4.15 in the
morning. The enemy were getting
active and needed watching
so we had another sleepless
night. to took forward to but we
were expecting a short respite in
the morning after the next objective

47

and that was something.
11/8/18 Down came our barrage at
4.15 and within an hour we
learnt that the objective had been
gained all along the line and we
were consolidating. The Col. rang up
to tell me that I could return to
my Bty as we were moving off
for a two days spell at Fouilloy
and to give us an opportunity to
reorganise. I was glad to get the
news as I wanted a sleep badly
and set off on my horse which
I kept at HQs for the runner to
the Bty position. I found they
had left so there was nothing
left to do but ride back alone.
This time I had an opportunity
of viewing the country so recently
in the possession of the Hun and
seeing exactly what we had gazed
at afar with the telescope and
what a surprise one does get to
see this type of country it is. A
large number of guns had been
captured in the Warfusee Valley

48

where we were well aware they
were so I rode that way as I came
thro'. A long range gun followed me
along the main Road dropping its
last shell just as I left Warfusee.
I found the Bty had settled down
where we had selected reserve
lines the morning of the 8^th and
where there are some very comfortable
dugouts so we set out to have at
least one night's rest. as it was
hardly likely we’d be pulled into
the line so soon after coming out.
12/8/18 I had been fortunate in
netting a very Substantial Australian
Mail last night so read a
number of the letters in bed but
I had no sooner made up my
mind to sleep when off I went and
remembered nothing more until
I was awakened this morning
for breakfast. It was destined to
be a very quiet day nothing
doing except a little patching up
of the detachments and Teams as
the men are entitled to a well-

49
earned rest. We feel safe from
their planes at least for since we
commenced the offensive they have
carried out some bombing raids
of no mean order and it is their
opportunity with so many transports
on the roads. Altogether we
spend a very lazy day A friend
of mine from the 31^st Battn came
in after dinner to see me and
I was glad too because he had
been in the hop-over and I had
wondered how he fared.
13/8/18 At 2 A.M. an orderly dashed
into the Majors dugout and
presented an ultimatum from
BHQs which was only an order
to move out at 9 en route for
the front line again and this
time to support for further attack
on the Canadian front  with
Chaulnes as the objective. We set
out precisely to the hour. The 
Major having gone on to select