Thomas James Richards, Diaries, Transcript Vol. 4, 9 November 1916 - 31 May 1918 - Part 13
No. 20
1917
April 3rd
to
May 24th.
Happlincourt Hermes
Doignies Boursies
Demicourt Moevres
Velu Peronne
Beaulencourt Vaulx
Noreuil Lagnicourt
Riencourt Bullecourt
Beaumetz
Rouen Hospital.
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in the Y.M.C.A. at 10 p.m. waiting for the 12.15 p.m. train back
to School. I regret not returning to the Battalion to-day as
they are moving back into the trenches at moment and I want to
move with them and get my mail as well. I have had no mail for
4 weeks now.
April 3rd. Tuesday.
I am starting this new book to-day as it marks another phase
in my career. To-day I leave to pick up the Battalion, which is
supposed to have gone forward to the line, after having spent 4
weeks at School on the Somme River at Tirancourt. It is also
exactly one year to the day since the Australian Forces came to
France; How well I remember sailing into Marseilles and the train
journey up into Flanders, and the weather experienced there. The
weather is just the same at the present time. In Amiens yesterday
there was quite a heavy snow storm with sun light both before and
after. To-day the sun shines warm and strongly; and the air is
that of a rich Spring. My experiences in Amiens yesterday were
strikingly queer but of such a nature that I cannot disclose
them herein; yet there is nothing to be ashamed of. Women you
might guess!! Well, yes! and the officer that can wander
around Amiens without seeing hundreds/of street girls is a man of
poor observation. Now that the stores of all kinds are closed
from 2 until 6 p.m. there is nothing to do. Even the tea shops
are closed, so as there are houses of, more or less, evil reputation
where from coffee to whiskey, but cheifly champagne can be
obtained as well as a good rest; naturally a fellow is almost
compelled to go there for an hour in the afternoon, at any rate.
As a common soldier I could plode about and poke myself into all
manner of places along the Somme River frontage and thereby gather
up a whole lot of information as well as keeping myself interested
and employed, now it is so very different. I cannot go looking
around, the Frenchmen stand away from their work and want to know
what they can do for you and seem to think that I have called on
an official visit. It is also not considered proper or gentlemanly
to mix with common folk so I have to fill up the time in
some other way.
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We said good-bye to Tirancourt by 6.30 p.m. and journeyed
by motor bus through Amiens back to Albert and on to Montauban
Camp. It was a cold trip and we did not arrive at our "Bow Huts"
and get to bed by 12.30.
In a high motor waggon our party rejoined their unit. It
was about 2.o'clock when I got to the Bow Hut with D Coy. at
Montauban.
April 4th. Wednesday. Happlincourt village.
Up at 6 a.m. blankets packed up and by 8.30 a.m. we were
marching out to the firing line midst snow and slush.
At the moment, I am sitting in an old blown out and battered
outhouse with the roof all fallen in. It is situated in what
was once a decent little village, not the usual narrow dirty
streets with mud walled houses going to some stage or other
of decay. No, it was the possessor of some fine buildings but
not one of them is now to be recognisied, they are blown down
and completely demolished. The Church is merely a hugh pile
of bricks. It looks as though the walls were first undermined
from the inside and then dynamited: Never could one imagine
such complete destruction. I am sleeping to-night with
Howell Price in a small chamber which was once the window set
off from the attic roof. It is on the ground standing upright
and looks like a large dog kennel. There is dry grass on the
floor and a small stove in the front so I reckon it will be
very comfortable to-night. The men are scattered about in
queer places all about the place. There is a lovely mansion
100 yards away but it has been blown up a set alight. I took
some pictures of the Church ruins and my abode.
I have charge of No. 3 platoon in A. Company under good
Capt. Edgely, and should get a whole lot of excitement out of
it this trip.
April 5th. Thursday.
I slept splendidly last night and were bustled away from
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the village by 3 p.m. but we did not set off for the front
line until dusk, about 7 p.m. The platoon broke out into
artillery formation and later into single file with distances
between sections. In passing through Beaumetz the ruins were
just as complete as back behind. At the cross road there was
a deep crater 20 yds. across and 18 ft. deep.
In coming up to our position we were under fairly heavy
shell fire but H.E. is not very distructive in the open. I
saw the bed of a railway line but the rails and sleepers had
been taken away. Trees were cut down and fallen across the
road making awkward obstacles.
April 6th. Friday. Good Friday.
We got our men placed in the positions by 11 o'clock last
night having taken over from the 53rd. Battalion. I saw to
the placing of my Platoon. There were 7 posts allotted to me
but when I came to look around them I cut numbers 9. 11 and 12
out, thus giving the fellows time to dig a hole for themselves
on the side of the deeply sunken road, at Doignes. At stand
to, 4 o'clock, I was moving along the road when a shell landed
right on the road and kicking back killed 1 and wounded one
rather badly 2 others were hit. At stand too a shell landed
in the sunken road and killed one man wounding several. I had
just passed by to see that all was well.
I have seen a few Germans in the distance to-day but there
are very few anywhere nearby. They are blowing up and burning
villages just ahead. Cambrai looks a fine town from here 5
miles away there are four very prominent towers and several
chimney stacks one of which was smoking merrily. I saw several
trains puffing along. It has been miserable evening and night
rain sleet and snow all night long and we have had a very
busy time digging outposts.
March 7th.x Saturday.
There is nothing to do during daylight hours. I have just
x April?
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had breakfast 11.30 and will sleep again. In the mail I got
letters from Bert and Spenza both very nice ones.
4 p.m. It is remarkable to see our men sauntering along
this sunken road midst wizz-bangs and 5.9. The shelter I
slept in this morning got the end of it blown in just as I was
putting on my rubber boots to get away out of it. The spring
mattress I was sleeping on was covered with boards and dirt. I
got out from the smoke and dirt with a very slight scratch on
the cheek.
I am now tunnelled into the road side but the fear of
being buried herein worries me considerable. But I've had
about 5 hours sleep to day.
April 8th. Sunday.
I have just woken up after 4 hours sleep in the dismal
cold. Had a very rough shave indeed and I hope to get some
more sleep as there is some nasty work doing to-night. Last
night should have been the big night, but it was postponed and
I went out on a long patrol stunt with 3 men. We went a long
way and gathered some good information toward Hermies, but I
must not give particulars here just now as there is a big
chance of being shot and this book getting into enemy hands.
I was out for 2½ hours and on writing up a report and making
a sketch it was 3 a.m. Half an hour later a terrible bombardment
broke forth and what with rifle and machine gun fire away
to the left and Fritz knocking our position about we had a
jolly rough time until 4.30.
It was a Birthday greeting for me. Birthdays only remind
me that I am one year older nowaday. On returning from patrol
I got a letter from Bolton and read it there and then. It was
a well ment and pleasing letter. Just after reading Cis
Sponza and Berts letter yesterday my dugout was blown in. I
was jolly lucky there as the bed (one special spring mattress
taken from the village by the German) which I had that moment
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got up from was buried in broken wood and dirt. Some of my
souvenirs at buried now. I got a couple of scratches only
out of it.
April 9th. Monday. Attack on Demicourt and Hermies.
6 p.m. Great things have happened in my military career
since yesterday. At dawn this morning; not long before dawn
we set out to find a map reference number in the dark and up
against a heavy stream of machine gun fire. It was anxious work
right enough but we did it very well and before daylight broke
we were "dug in" 2,000 yards ahead of where we started from.
The village of Demicourt was not on our programe but at
the moment we are holding it good and well. The shelling today
has been awfully heavy indeed and as we have but little
artillery support it is a trying business. I am sitting is a
German shelter where the enemy went to sleep last night but
woke early and "beat it" leaving behind everything he possessed
so that our men have to-day eaten his bread which is a dirty
brown colour very sodden and sour like but with German jam on
the bread the boys barged into it. Hermies is in our hands.
The 2nd Bn. are strongly in touch with it. If I could only
write up to-days story it would be good reading but alas I
must trust to my memory to recount the day over to me at a
later date.
News to hand shows that the British are pushing the German
line back up North and have taken 8,000 prisoners and 100 guns.
April 10th. Tuesday.
It is nearly 7 o'clock I am officer on watch and been on
duty since 2 a.m. in bitterly cold weather. Every day we have
had frost snow or rain and its the devil with only our ordinary
cloths as neither blankets or overcoat were allowed to go
with us. All we have for protection is a ground sheet, this
serves to keep the shoulders dry but its an awfully cold thing
to sleep with in a damp hole dug down into the ground.
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But nevermind I have had the pleasure of eating German
bread and jam smoked German cigars and drank their coffee as
well as slept with one of the enemy overcoats in his own
sleeping shelter.
6 p.m. I have been into the village of Hermies and such
destruction one could never dream of. It would not shelter a
goat as there is not a portion of a roof or a corner of a
building left. It must have taken a whole lot of explosive to
complete such a job. I am back in the coy. Hdq. shelter and
while the wind is blowing a hurrican and the snow is beating
down the collar and filling up both eyes and ears, its in
awfully wind and bitterly cold but with the batman playing a
mouth organ and Blake and the other chaps singing. But the
men are laying coiled up in holes dug into the damp earth and
have neither coat or blanket. There is no shelling to-day
but it is a rotten time for the poor men. We expected to be
releived to-night but I fear it will not be so.
We hear that the 4th. Devision has broken through the
Hindenburg line and doing splendid work; but later it was
reported that they received a nasty set back.
April 11th. Wednesday.
There has been less shelling than usual to-day. Perhaps
because our men have been kept inside and not allowed to wander
about under the nose of Fritz observers.
At dusk last night Capt. Edgely came in and reported
having seen some 1,000 Germans marching along the road from
Graincourt to Havrincourt. I went out with glasses and watched
for 40 minutes. I saw no enemy in large bodies but there were
dozens of Germans in two and threes moving about in their line
of trenches some 2,000 yards away across the Valley.
We are being releived to-night and are thankful as it has
been a fairly anxious time with so long a front and so few men.
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We held for a three platoon frontage fully 900 yards. And held
it by Outposts maned by night only. Our machine and Lewis gun
strength is solid though.
It started raining in the afternoon and snowing followed
later so that by the time the 4th. Battalion had releived us
it was 9.20 p.m. In the deep snow we found our awful dugouts,
the men especially, had a rough wet time near Doignies.
April 12th. Thursday.
We have, done nothing but assist the men in making their
holes comfortable by drawing iron and timber from the village
Howell Price and I built a good shelter in the sunken road and
to-night have a stove in it and are very comfortable.
I have just read a Sydney Sun and cutting from Cis. Spenza.
But I cannot grasp what all the political trouble is about over
there I have lived so long in a different atmostphere that I am
not in a position to judge.
Everybody seems very pleased with the 1st. Bn. work and
more so the A. Coy.
In strolling through Doignies to-day getting timber etc.
to built a dugout I found 21 boxes of 79 shells each buried
near the Church. The Church is beyond recognition; but for the
cemetery by the side it might have passed unoticed. In one of
the houses we had quite an interesting time scratching around
amongst the debris picking up letters, cards tin boxes and a
whole lot of German military curios. What a wreckage? All
for what purpose? It is difficult to understand Germanys
idea in breaking the villages up so. Of cause it means that
troops are greatly hampered in having to sleep along sunken
roads or make trench systems to dig into and with the wet it is
an awful business. On the other hand, had the German left at
least, some or all, of the houses intact he would be able to
shell the buildings and do wholesale damage. On the other hand
the German in his distruction may be looking to the inconvenience
of the Army when he is driven back out of gun range.
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There is certainly a motive behind all this wreckage
although it seems sad and wanton at the moment.
In Demicourt Fritz left some 140 coils of barb wire behind;
but looking broardly at it; he has not left much behind him.
April 13th. Friday.
Breakfast at 11 a.m. and a walk across to Velu for the
fellows to get their shaving gear. And a "stand to" at 10 p.m.
Letters have been pleasingly received from Bolton, Spenza
Abercrombie E. J. Beard, Wally Hill Carroll during the past 6
days and midst such anxious times these letters are highly
valuable at any time but at the moment greatly treasured.
April 14th. Saturday.
I have had a party out filling in the hugh shell crater on
the Doignies Demicourt road. It would take weeks to fill the
thing in altogether so we just dug away around the mouth of the
cavity making a decent track for the transport to pass around.
April 15th. Sunday.
"Stand to." I am learning to fully realise what a "Stand
to" means. I used to think it a mere matter of form but this
morning about 4 o'clock Fritz put over a heavy barrage which
he evidently followed up by an attack. We "stood to" until
5.30 turned in and was almost at once called out and ordered up
to reinforce the 4th. Bn. We went out in open formation midst
heavy artillery fire and under the observation of a dozen enemy
baloons in good light. By the time we got up matters had
quitened down a whole lot and we were not required, but we made
a splendid strong post and are prepared for Fritz should he pop
up to night.
Rumour of the 2nd Div. been badly set back and losing all
of their guns come as a severe blow. I hope it is not right.
They are on our left and judging by the volume of big gun fire
I should say they have been fighting heavily for many days.
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At night fall after scouting under shell machine gun and
rifle fire for a position to take up in the event of the 4th
attacking we were with-drawn and sent over to the village of
Boursies in case of attack but were recalled again at 3 a.m.
April 16th. Monday
It is 3 p.m. I have had a good sleep in a wet dugout. My
boots and socks are wet but to my surprise and delight a packet
with a pair of socks and and Ruskins "Sesame and lilies" which
I am reading and enjoying immensely.
Things are exceeding quite to-day. So far at any rate.
I had a good sleep in a low dirty dugout to-day. At night fall
with Blake I went to see the front we were reinforcing. It was
a long way and when it rained and got as dark as pitch we had
trouble in getting back; wet and dejected though we were.
April 17th. Tuesday
Stand to this morning in the wet and cold. Ive had a bad
day making Bn. Headquarters and being driven by shells out of it.
April 18th. Wednesday
We took over from D. Coy. last night. It was a bad night
wet and cold.
To day has been wet. The men lying outside in the shallow
trenches have had a rough time right enough.
April 19th. Thursday
It is just daylight. I have returned to sleep after being
out in the intense darkness since 8 o'clock. I fear my sight
is not improving as I missed my bearing several times in my
various rounds of the outpost lines. It rained yesterday and
other than being cold and dark to-night was alright, though I
would like to see the men betterly fed.
April 20th. Friday.
We were releived last night by"C." Coy. This will be a
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