Diary of Lindsay Robert Turner, 1918 (Vol. 5) - Part 8

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with the view to occupying a new
position. It was just as I expected
we never can have a few days
rest under pleasing conditions
of course it will mean another attack
somewhere. I anticipate the Chaulnes
Front but we'll see tomorrow.
26/8/18 The first weekday of a new
week and I wondered all day just
where we'll come into action. We
commenced to get everything in
readiness for a sudden move out
I had to come of course and
at 12 an orderly returned with
orders from the Major to reoccupy 

our old wagon Lines between
Morcourt and Cerisy which meant
that we were going back to our
old front. The position temporarily
selected was just beyond Proyart
as it was then uncertain exactly  
what the Huns' intentions were. So
we pulled the Guns in and settled 
down for the night. Quite expecting
to go on again in the morning. I have
been predicting that the enemy will
fall back beyond the [[Somme]] and 
it will merely be a case of following
closely on his heels.
 

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27/8/18 We Quite expected to ascertain 
some definite views of the enemy's
dispositions this morning but B.H.Q. 

knew very little so I decided to go
forward with one of our telephonists
as far as possible to find out from
the Front Line Coy's exactly where the
Hun was and so enable our Bty. to
keep in touch with the Infantry at
least. On the way I passed Arcy
wood and there saw perhaps one
of the most wonderful pieces of
mechanism I've seen a huge 15"
gun used by the Hun apparently 
to shell Amiens. The piece must
have been quite 70 feet long and
there was perhaps a month's work
in getting it into position so
huge an undertaking of must have
been. There was an immense platform 
large constuctive staging to carry
the mechanical decive operating the
traverse and breech mechanism
Evidently the Hun didn't anticipate
being forced back otherwise he would
never have erected such a gigantic
structure. Unfortunately whether by
accident or design the gun has 
 

72

been wrecked beyond repair and the
explosion was so terrific that a huge
piece of the breech weighing easily a ton
was to be seen 500 yards away. Had
I been told of such a gun I could
scarce have believed it without
seeing it was but there it was and I

daresay will be preserved as
one of the Wonders of the War and
made a tourist's resort just as 
Stonehenge is. It would be impossible 
to move it almost. I continued my
travels thro' the outskirts of Chingues
which was being shelled rather consistantly
and reached one of the Support Corps
HQs about 1000 yds behind where
the front line has known to have
been an hour before. The information
gleaned by me was important. viz
that the Hun was gradually retiring
and our infantry by a passive
offensive was just as gradually

pushing forward and were then
near Assevillers so I came back
to find out if we were to move also.
 

73
We were evidently not out of range

at Proyart late in the afternoon
8" and 11" commenced to fall in

our vicinity one only 10 yards
from the dugout occupied by the

telephonists but it was likely
a case of getting rid of ammunition
and the shells might have fallen
anywhere. We were still in the dark
as to a move perhaps the morning
will reveal something.
28/8/18 Immediately we turned out 

we rang up Bde. but they had as

late information on the Huns

retirement so the Major and I
decided to walk forward again
and immediately select a Bty position

if the necessity arose to move

during the day. We passed the 

post I reached yesterday to find

it deserted. We pushed on as

far as Fontaine les Cappy and
there ascertained from Battn

H.Q. that the infantry were being

held up on a line running thro'
 

74
Belloy but were in the main retiring.
It was rather historic because now
we are approaching the old French
Line of 1916 and the battle fields of
the Somme. Only yesterday we heard
that the 3^rd Army had broken thro
the Hindenburg Line at Mouchy so
soon we'll have him back on
that line the whole way. Its been
a glorious offensive and has
increased the morale of our
troops a hundred fold. so great is
their enthusiasm that they would
quite readily endure any amount
of fatigue as long as the Hun retreats.
We decided to return now that we
had some idea of the situation and
push on to a temporary position
near Fontaine. The Major rode
forward on a reconnaissance and
when the [[?]]s arrived we followed
thro Chiugnes and on past Fontaine
to a position on the edge of a small
wood overrun with blackberry bushes
 

75

so needless to say we didn't neglect the

opportunity to eat well. We were in a

dugout only vacated by the Hun last

night and he apparently lost little

time in getting out as there was a
German newspaper dated only two
days before and other evidence
to show recent occupation and a
hurried departure.
29/8/18. On getting up this morning
we were uncertain what was on
the Cards we had to find out just
how far the Infantry advanced for
if they had reached the Somme we
would be out of range. It was quite
early when the news came thro that
during the night the troops had reached
about 1000 yds this side so the 13th
Bge were detailed to follow closely
while we were to remain in readiness
for an defensive move. It was easily
the Greatest day I had spent for
some weeks and I spent it mostly
getting rid of letters long since neglected
Our 13th Bge had had some trouble
 

76 

moving forward is at one stage its
necessary to come under direct observation 

still reports still continued to
come thro that our infantry were pushing
forward and then at 6.30 just as we
had finished dinner we received
warning to harness up and go somewhere. 

Then just as suddenly those
orders were cancelled and we weren't
to move out until 2 A.m. to be in
action by dawn somewhere near
Barleux some 4000 yards from the
River. These Contra orders are quite.
frequent but generally the circumstances
are to blame and not the staff still
the fellows are in such Good heart they
put up with almost anything We
turned in at least lay down for
a few hours sleep. It was a very
dark night and predicted a still
worse morning unless the moon
gets an opportunity of Coming up.
30/8/18. Normally one would have objected
strongly to being turned out at the
ridiculous hour of 2 A.m. with a
drizzling rain falling still under the
conditions existing one seems to take
everything as it comes and just do it
 

77 

a different location for our Bty position
had been issued during the night and
instead of Barleux Estree on the main
Warfusee Road was to be our scene of
operations we had no sooner booked
in when we were ordered to stand
by for half an hour and at the end of
that time the old order was restored
We moved out in absolute darkness
managed to negotiate the shell holes
about safely and Got well on the way
to Barleux. The Major proposed to ride
ahead and select his position in
the breaking dawn difficult enough
in broad daylight but we had to be
in position by dawn so there was
nothing else left to do We passed
thro' Fay and Assevillers the latter
now merely a heap of bricks and
reached Barleux which we found
to be in practically the same condition
It was quite light by the time the
trains were away and then we
noticed the Country we had come
to make still another advance
 

78

It was the old Front line of the
French where they wintered in 1915
and barely a yard exists which
hasn't a shell hole of some sort and
the hillside in front and stretching
away to the Somme near Peronne is
one maze of trenches and barbwire
entanglements showing much evidence
of decay and over which since we
have crossed and recrossed. Our
5thDivn. is to take Peronne and
the high ground on the Eastern bank
of the Somme and we are to support
the attack which should have come off this
morning but the 2nd Divn had not
made sufficient on the Northern bank
we are living in trenches in rear of
the Guns but I'm very dubious whether
we can hang on as direct observation
can be had from the high ground on
the East and as soon as we open
fire down will come the Huns Shells.
We have 3 shoots brought so I'm
rather living in trepidation of our
safety should we be seen.
 

79

318/18. It was after all rather a 
disapiccable night. No sooner did we
open up than over came a dozen
or so 5.9's but thanks to a Cn

Bty on our left flank they received
the credit for it all but it was quite
close enough. Later on in the
morning another start was made
on wiping them out we had found
but that they had pulled in in
day light and had been shelled
then so no wonder. Two of their
Guns were knocked out an
ammunition dump set on fire
and our Cook obliged to evacuate
his position as a Result of the
visitation from 5.9s and 8". A
poor lookout for us when we
commence firing for the attack in
the morning. The position of our
Battery was untenable while the
shelling lasted as pieces of M.G
were flying hundreds of yards. We
are fairly safe in our trenches
unless the Hun Guns lengthen
then we will probably have to search

for new quarters. We decided to