Diary transcript of Reginald Harriman Heywood, 1917 -1918 - Part 11

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13.3.18.  Felt very off colour this morn: but as it was a lovely morn: 

I rode to Locre to see the 13th Bde. I tried a cross country

track to avoid Dranoutre and Bailleul but was close enough to the

latter to see the spire of the Hotel-de-Ville go, which is a great

pity, as it was of historic interest. The rest of Bailleul is

also rapidly following suit and there's hardly a soul there now.

Arriving at Locre I found that two shells had landed in the

13 M.G.Coy's lines, but the one that would have done the damage

was fortunately a dud.

Didn't feel up to riding along as far as Madam's but I must go

there shortly as I have some gaudy presents to make. I'm staying

in bed tomorrow.

14.3.18.  Just settled down nicely to the day in bed when we got a

movement order to leave in an hour and a half so up I crawled and we

got away bag and baggage well on time. Safely negotiating Steenwerck
and Estaires we pulled up at a decent camp on the canal during

the afternoon and I went to bed about 8 o'clock but we got orders

to move on again for an unknown destination and at 11.30 we were on 

the road again. I might mention that we were travelling down

parallel to the line and almost every town we passed thro' had been

shelled during the day or evening but we were lucky.

Marched all thro' the night and at 8 o'clock we pulled into a

big paddock with the 4th 12th and 13th Bdes - all looking pretty

tired too.

Of course we've heard all sorts of rumours about Fritz advancing

on a 60 mile front, capturing Peronne, Bapaume and Albert, and no

doubt he has made an enormous push. Wherever you look there are

troops moving down South and refugees moving in all directions. The

3rd Divn. New Zealanders and probably 2 Canadian Divisions are moving

down.

15.3.18.  Too cold to sleep and we had to get on the road again at 12 p.m.

after 3½ hours spell and on we went again thro' various towns -

including the big town of Bonay where there are numerous aerodromes

and a couple of Austn. squadrons. We skirted round Arras and about

9 o'clock pulled into a camp in a place called Marneville. Here we

got a feed and a bunk for the night -not before it was needed as we

came 22 miles in the afternoon. The rumours are gathering strength

and the Tommies seem to have the wind well up but so far there is

nothing definite. Marneville is the quietest of the quiet however.

16.3.18.  Pushed on again at 9 a.m. and at about midday we arrived at a

place called Barby where we were informed that the Boch had broken

thro' in a fresh place and that his armoured cars were scouring the

roads four miles ahead of us so we got out the rifles and ammunition

and went on very carefully. Eventually we pulled into a collection

of huts and stables at Bavincourt. To see the tommies beating it
down/ 

101

down the road you'd think it was the retreat from Mons over again.

Went to 4th Bde. hqrs. and found Tweedey in full and sole

possession of a chateau of some 100 odd rooms. He gave me the oil

to-date and the strength of the armoured cars incident. Col. Murray

V.C. got together a band and they ambushed themselves on the road,

but found on patrol that the cars were two tractor-ploughs being

withdrawn by inoffensive French farmers.

However the Boche had broken thro' North of Hamel and was occupying Hebuterne and the New Zealanders are going in to fill up the gap

whilst the 4th. Bde. are to mop up the Fritzes in the village. The

Brig. and all the heads were already at the assembling point. Everything
was very windy over at Saulty (everything bar Tweedey). Got

chased home to the Mobile with 'planes and on arrival had the pleasure

of hearing some cwts. of earth and debris land on the roof - the

result of a shell which landed in the 13th Bn. lines and relieved me

of the responsibility of some 20 odd horses.

During the evening we got word to be ready to move on at any time

so put in a restless night finally pulling out at 7.45 a.m.

17.3.18.  Moved off with the artillery, D.A.C. and A.S.C., the artillery are

going into action tonight on arrival at our destination.

During the morning we passed tommies in all stages of windiness

and the journey liable as it was to termination without further notice

was not altogether a pleasant one. Everything seemed a picture of

chaos and congestion, and the number of troops and guns on the roads

is inconceivable.

Arriving at Acheux we pulled on to the side of the road unhitched

and awaited further orders which were not forthcoming so in the evening
we went on towards Warloy just behind Albert.

In Acheux we encountered 5th Divnl.Hqrs. and found the 5th Div. are

on their way down tout suite. During the day we were close enough to

the war to see the 18 pdr. batteries in action and during our 5 hours

at Acheux some big naval guns of ours were firing over us all the

time.

Later on, on the far side of Acheux numerous batteries of heavies     

were pulling into positions along the main road so Jimmie deemed it

wise to halt for the night and see where we stood by daylight. Accordingly
we pulled into an orchard at Harponville and camped for the

night.

We heard that the Brig. marched into Hebuterne and found one

Fritz there, so billeted the men there after making a bit of a line

out in front.

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18.3.18.  Parted from Harponville about 7 a.m. and after threading our

way thro' endless guns and transport reached Bavelincourt, and pulled   

into a paddock there - and on inquiry Jimmie found it to be our

destination for a few days at least, as the artillery, 12th and 13th

Bdes. are in action. Needless to say the paddock is a wet one

devoid of all shelter and to make matters worse the Boche pasted us

with high shrapnel.

However we established ourselves and Jimmie found a loft for

some of the men, while he and I dug in with the 14th A.S.C. - where

I ran into Lt. Vasey who used to play for S. Yana.

News of a reliable nature is still not available and we haven't

seen a paper for days and days, not since the push started, and its

been going for eight days now. To add to our discomfort a padre who

should have been a field marshal is attached to the A.S.C. and a

piece of shell came thro' the roof during the night.

19.3.18.  Saw Bill at rear headqrs. Vadencourt and acquainted him with the

fact that I had left my 4th Bde. some twenty miles back along the

road, but as they seem to be attached to the 62nd Div. it didn't seem

to worry him much and as I wasn't looking too fit he advised me to

take a day's spell and then take over the 13th Bde.

Accordingly I spent the day in the A.S.C. only leaving to have

meals with Jimmie out in the paddock.

20.3.18.  Had a hurried look round the 13th Bde. horses and found them all

things considered looking wonderfully well. We must have come very

nearly 120 kilos on our trip and the first 70 of that was done in

under 36 hours. Some of the wagons were very heavy too.

The Mobile has been established here for two days now and

there only 10 or 12 casualties from our division, artillery D.A.C.

and all - nearly 4,000 animals.

We got fed up with the padre and other generals, so to-day took

over a farm-holus-bolus, even to the unfortunate pig which had been

left in the sty to his fate. Alan Kelly is O.C. pig and has given

him a royal blow-out. I can see a bit of fresh pork ahead if the

owner doesn't return very shortly. A change would be rather welcome

too after our rations of late.

21.3.18.  The farm is progressing most favourably in spite of the old

man coming for his pig this morn: but he has left us a couple of bags

of spuds - chips no end - and one of our fowls laid an egg.

It is very cruel tho' to see the poor French people all on the

trek with their cows and such belongings as they can take.

Found a good many horses feeling the effects of their long trip

and they are beginning to get toweled up taking up rations
and/ 

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and ammunition. We have to destroy anything that can't walk to the

mobile so casualties will be heavy.

Regarding the war-things seem to have settled down a bit and we

seem to be holding the Boch now. His casualties must have been

enormous, and tho' he has won an enormous amount of ground I think

he isn't too pleased with things in general. The one bright spot

is the command our 'planes have kept of the air - if Fritz had

enjoyed the same we certainly would not be where we are and life

would indeed be hardly worth living.

The 4th Bde. still appear to be in the line in front of Hebuterne

and in what they call a machine gunner's paradise. Fritz tried his

waves on them and left 600 dead on the wires while our own casualties

were trifling.

The 12th and 13th Bdes. are also doing well and are full of confidence

but there is no definite news of the artillery. The 3rd Div.

is on our right and the 5th are Army reserve.

It is reported that Fritz is withdrawing his heavies but he

still continues to send both high shrapnel and H.E. unpleasantly

close to here.

1.4.18.  Found my way to the 4th Fld.Amb. at Toutencourt and ruled out

a couple of cripples.

Things seem to be very much the same, and there is little or no

confusion on the roads now which seems to point to things having

settled down but for the first time for weeks there were a number of

Boche 'planes over during the day which may mean a fresh spasm.

Last night the Boch tried his waves on the 12th Bde. with disastrous

results to himself as he left 1,000 dead out in front of

their line.

To-day we hear that General Foch has been appointed Generalissimo

and that looks to me like good news.

2.4.18.  For divers reasons, including 5.9s, we abandoned our farm and

after lunch once more set out on the road, finally arriving at a

place called Molliens au Bois where we put up for the night. Jimmie

and I had quite a decent billet and the boys had a barn which was not

to be sneezed at - especially as the place was overflowing with

refugees.

On the way we passed rear D.H.Q. at Beaucourt which is well

within range of the 5.9s. and one had landed in the road just outside

Bill's office.

For the first time since we left Peronne the issue is a bit

light/ 

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light and we are right down to Bully and Anzac wafers - tho' the

versatile batmen did conjure up some chips from somewhere.

3.4.18.  I got a move on early as I had to go to Toutencourt to see the

4th Fld. Amb. again and when I left the section was in the throes of

moving again, as Jimmie reckons this place too far out of the way

altogether.

Returning about 1 p.m. found the Mobile situated in an open

paddock just off the main Amiens road outside Beaucourt. They had

called on area stores to the extent of 7 trench covers so we will be

leading the simple life with avengeance for a while.Sgt.Fawcett and

3 men returned to-day - they left us at La Cuche nearly a fortnight

ago to take horses down on the barge and have been ever since trying

to catch us up.

I think we must be winning alright - the issue to-day included

11 loaves. The last few days it has been 3 per day -that's 24 hours

for 30 odd men.

4.4.18.  Inter alia a steady and heavy rain has set in during the last

24 hours and life under a tarpaulin leaves much to be desired. The

mud and slush round about all the transport is appalling.

There is no news available but ugly rumours are current and in

spite of the rot and rubbish in these English papers we know things

are very very serious, and having to be ready to quit at a moment's

notice doesn't improve matters.

I was talking to a tommy staff bird to-day and he confessed to

being dam glad to see us down here and added some caustic remarks

about one or two of the English divisions.

The 2nd Aust.Div. has arrived and are going into the line to-night.

Our Corps take over from the VIIth Corps tomorrow.

5.4.18.  The position is extremely critical - wouldn't that cheer you? and

its great to go to bed - all standing - and wonder whether you'll

wake up a German prisoner -that's if you do wake.

Its enough to make anyone cry, we had to leave a Bde. behind

to stiffen up the tommies and our other two Bdes. are having a cruel

time and cruel losses hanging on. The bombardment they were subjected

to yesterday was terrific. It reached back to where we were too

and we were under dinkum shell fire for 3 hours - which is rather

inconvenient for a non-combatant show like ours. Once again we had to

move our camp.

6.4.18.  It appears that after an unprecedented bombardment Fritz

attacked with 3 Divisions yesterday and our two Bdes. bore the brunt

of it, and practically staved it off but our casualties were very
heavy/ 

105

heavy. I don't know how much longer we will have to hang on for

but we can't go for very much longer.

Quite a budget of mail to-day including a breath of home.

The 4th Bde. are moving into Molliens-au-Bois. Mrs.Larking

sent me a beautiful silk handkerchief with blessings and to be

used on Easter Sunday and I am shocked to say that I have only

just realised that Easter has come and gone.

7.4.18.  Another terrific bombardment during the small hours but we

still seem to be hanging on by the skin of our teeth. Hqrs. are

moving to Raineville tomorrow, as evidently the Div. is going to

have a few days respite. Either the 2nd or the 1st Div. will take

over from us, probably the former.

This is the 18th day of the spasm and the Boch hasn't made

much ground during the latter portion of that time. However he'll

have to keep at it, but if the tommies stand up to it like our

fellows do this will be the beginning of the end.

The rain still continues and the conditions under our

tarpaulin leave much to be desired.

8.4.18.  Have just received the sad news of poor old Ronnie's death -

the best pal a man could have. Fancy coming thro' Mons, La Bassee,

and all the rest of the piece from Aug.14.1914 on and then being

accidentally killed. The war and the rain both continue with grim

earnestness. The Div. has moved but at present the M.V.S. is

remaining in its little swamp. Hqrs. are at Raineville only a few

kilos away, and the Bdes. are in front of Hqrs. The artillery are

still in.

The papers to-day certainly tend to cheer one up but papers

are such rotten rags. Anyhow it seems that we have something up

our sleeve and the war may end sooner and more satisfactorily than

living here could lead one to suppose.

It amounts to this - tho' our losses are heavy, with

American reinforcements they can be to a certain extent discounted,

while every man Fritz loses counts.

9.4.18.  Bill must think I'm the human ferret, and I hope I may be

pardoned if I remark that I am somewhat of a Holmlock Shears the

way I find the units, and its no easy job these times. To-day I

found the 13th again way down towards Corbie, the poor beggars were

only out of the line one night and went in in a different sector

again last night. Old Alex Fraser was amongst the killed on

Friday morn:

Called at Div. this morn: they are at Allonville not
Raineville/

106

Raineville, Corps occupy the latter.

It was published in General Orders (thro' out the Army) that

2 Austn.Bdes.(12th & 13th) held up 3 German Divns. It is also said

that General Foch took over the show on condition that he had the

Colonial troops at his disposal.

10.4.18.  Wonder how far I've ridden on horseback since I came to

France - 8 calendar months ago yesterday. During the last 6 months

I must have averaged 45 miles a week - that makes well over 1,000

miles. Fancy, I might have been doing something useful like riding

from Melbourne to Brisbane or something like that.

The news to-day isn't inspiring - things are doing up North

and it appears that the Boch has pushed back the Port-&-cheese

towards Estaires. To my mind - the now conbatant mind - that is our

one danger, well that and the tommies. Our front up North must be

somewhat denuded of reserves and the weather which is still very

thick might enable Fritz to concentrate and push up there. If he

got us off the Messines and Passchendaele ridges then things would

begin to look blue. Still we'd be hard to push across the Pyrenees.

11.4.18.  The weather has cleared at last, and to-day was altogether a

beautiful day with the result that Jimmie and I both have badly

ricked necks from gazing at the 'planes which have been aloft in

hundreds - perhaps thousands. For the last hour, as it's now dark,

we have been watching Fritz bombing Amiens, Querrien, St.Gratien,

Molliens-au-Bois, and the villages around. This is a much more

interesting proceeding when viewed as we viewed it from the centre

of a large field.

If it weren't for the numerous side-issues this Somme country

with its numerous slices of more or less upright topography, its

gullies - or vallieys are they - its woods and mists and beautiful

colouring, the daffodils, primroses, violets and beautiful spring

blossoms would be very charming. Of course it isn't the Somme's

fault that we are living under a leaky tarpaulin, and it isn't on

purpose that it has so many of its miles churned into unutterable

mud. C'est la guerre, which is the other name for the Hohenzollerns.

To-day I found I haven't quite forgotten all Dr. Lewis tried

so hard to teach me in the surgical line, and under great difficulties

I managed to extract a piece of shell from under a horse's scapula -

too good a horse to lose, and I'll stake my professional reputation

that he'll never look back, tho' I did have to go in 7 inches for it.

There's no reliable news to hand to-day but the 1st Div: are

bound Northwards again, which looks rather ominous.

Sister Cave has come to France and is at No.74 General Hospital

which must be a tommy concern - poor old kiddie.

Still/ 

107

Still the 4th Bde. haven't arrived and from what we hear

are still in the line.

12.4.18.  Did a very full morning - by the way I've earned my oats

during the last few weeks. Found the 4th Pioneers after a lengthy

interval - the poor beggars have had a very rough spin and heavy

casualties in men and horses.

They are now camped alongside the main Albert-Amiens road,

and on the way back I began to realize what sort of a bombardment

we were subjected to on Friday last. Every road and village in

the district seems to have come in for a full issue.

Spent the afternoon with Jimmie in the glorious sun on our

backs watching the 'planes and our efforts were rewarded by seeing

3 come down. Unhappily 2 of them were ours.

The air business has a great fascination for me, but so far

since my unsuccessful offensive in Dec: it hasn't got past the

stage of straining my neck.

According to the paper Fritz has got back to the Messines

ridge and nearly to Estaires. Jimmie has got the blues properly

and says its pure murder of good Yanks putting them in alongside

the tommies.

13.4.18.  It never rains but it pours does it? Bill is being

evacuated and Jimmies has been sent for to carry on. Besides an

enterprising Fritz dropped 3 bombs alongside our camp just now in

broad daylight. Fortunately they landed on a rise and the pieces

whistled over us tho' poor old Geo.Gill stopped one behind the

knee and has gone away in an ambulance. Several chunks made havoc

in our tarpaulin but I was in a recumbent and devotional attitude

so they passed over thank goodness.

Fritz has made further progress up North and it looks to me

as tho' the Northern Army will have to go back. Bailleul and

Madam and Antoinette must be Fritz's now.

Some Frenchmen in Beaucourt said they were alongside a

battalion of Yanks and the latter fought magnificently which is

cheering and only to be expected but they are wanted horribly badly.

14.4.18.  Sunday, I think, so spent the day "resting" mostly in bed

which was the only place where it was possible to find any semblance

of  warmth, as the weather has again broken and we are back

into the depth of winter with torrents of rain and a strong cold

wind. The ventilators Fritz made in the tarpaulin don't improve

matters.

Jimmie has left and I am reduced to solitary confinement

again, being appointed temporarily O.C. 4th A.M.V.S. I expect it

won't be for long tho' as I am only the junior V.O of the
Division./ 

108

Division. I can see myself going to the artillery very shortly.

To cheer myself up, put in the afternoon doing up my few

valuables and personal effects, so that they'll be easy to dispose

of. Thought it just as well, while my luck's in - two days running

I've been spattered with mud and miscellaneous odds and ends

resulting from bombs.

No papers have been available for some days so don't know

quite how we stand, but there are now a large number of French

troops out behind us.

Lt. McMurtrie A.F.C. told Jimmie that his squadron brought

down 22 Boch on Friday without losing a machine - which is the

stuff to gi'e 'em.

15.4.18.  Wonder why they call this Sunny France, but suspect that it

was called such for the same reason as the Horsestinger was so

named. As you know, the latter is the only member of the insectivora

tribe who is known to bite nobody so one of those Mr. Bispectacled

Cutes promptly lays at his door the charge of stinging the horse,

which latter cannot dispute the fact. France mutely tho' strongly

in her case does dispute the false accusation. Received orders to-day

to evacuate all walking cases direct by road to Abbeville,

staging on the way at Vignacourt so pushed off the first contingent

of 13 by Cpl.Shaw and 2 men. It's 42 kilos to Abbeville so I hope

we don't get a rush on, otherwise men will be pretty scarce.

Capt. Fletcher M.C. O.C. 2nd Mobile called in this afternoon and

we had a conference in close caucus. After we'd discussed the

sublime idiocy of heads in general and of army heads in particular

he gave me some news.

The 1st Aust. Bde. pushed the Boch out of Merris and back a

couple of miles so that ought to keep him away from Hazebrouck, and  

an Austn. Engineer Coy. fought at Ploegstert as well as any Guards

ever fought. Nearly every man Jack of them had a machine gun

acquired from tommies but unfortunately the only ammunition they

could get was tracer stuff which drew the fire of every Boch gun

in the district.

The 5th Bde. were on the left of the French and when the

liaison officer told the French General the Bde. was being withdrawn

he had French hysterics and used language which I blush for.

When he came to be asked - who's relieving them and on being told

the 7th Aust. Bde. - gave his shoulders the characteristic French

shrug and remarked "Ca ne fait rien".

That will help to confirm the sentiments expressed in the

cutting opposite, and I can vouch for them. It was pathetic to

witness the confidence the French people have in our boys and we
heard/

109

heard similar incidents to that described opposite not once but  

dozens of time.

I've got a lot of time for the French, they're wonderful

people.

16.4.18.  The past few days have marked the anniversary of the entry

of two important personages into the struggle, Wilson and myself.  

The Stars and Stripes beat me by 10 days but I got up to the line

first. Yes, 12 months ago to-day I embarked on the troubled

waters of militarism, which reminds me that I am due for ₤5 kit

allowance. Fancy one's kit depreciating that much in value in 12

months, with breeches at ₤4.10 too.

The war continues unpleasantly adjacent and we are now

surrounded by new trenches and 9.2 gun pits while we have a regular

tank service past the end of our street. However, they appear to

be holding the Boch up North and what difference does a few miles

make so long as they don't cut us off from the sea and as long as

the tommies will attend to boosting the undertaking business like

our boys do. The weeks sinking of ships is again low, and that

of Boch 'planes high so why worry?

I hear our old friend Mac. otherwise "the Dook" has infested

Egypt for some time now - how many pestilences was it they had

there: 7 or 8, not counting Mac?

17.4.18.  This is the fourth day of my solitary confinement and for

pure loneliness I've got all the hermits looking like Robin Red-breasts

on the top-most bough. Thank goodness, I've got a couple 

more horses, I need them. Being shorthanded I've still got to do

the units. Dick is still my first call I wish I could take him

home for the girls to ride.

Encountered to-day two gentlemen of the Machine Gun Coy.

who were taken prisoner on the 4th inst. They were taken to Peronne

eventually but acquired a machine gun and managed to return to Hqrs.

safely. They say that they thought things were a bit ugly over our

side but after being behind the Boch lines have decided that everything

here is Jakes. They and all the other prisoners they saw were

all the time employed in burying German dead.

Bar shelling and bombing Paris commencing on the destruction

of the Amiens Cathedral and committing similar minor and mild

offences Fritz seems to have quietened down probably in preparation

for another spasm. Our people expect him to burst forth about the

20th. Last night he commenced to mass in front of the 5th Div. but

they got on to him well and truly with the artillery so that nothing

further happened.

18.4.18.  The wad party returned last night after safely delivering
their/