Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/244/1 - 1916 - 1933 - Part 11

4  97
Extract from letter from Lt. H.J Wright.
7^th Battalion

"Some few letters back you asked me to try &
get any information I could concerning Cpl RC Shutler 
I knew him, of course and he was very popular in
the battalion & with his section. A few days before
we went up to Pozieres we was made a Sergeant but
this would probably be after the last mail was
written (July 19^th 1916 - I think) On the
night of the 24^th July & during the morning of the
25^th July A & B Companies (I was then in C. Coy)
were heavily engaged in an attack on a German
strong post just to the right of Pozieres. The
first charge took place at 2 a.m. 25/7/16 &
A Company succeeded in taking the trenches
but were driven out a few hours later by a
German counter attack after a furious bombardment
A great number were reported missing after
this action and as everyone who had been taken
prisoner would have been reported by now
I regret to say it unfortunately looks as if
Corp Shutler was buried in the fallen trenches
or xx badly damaged by shell fire. Every
effort was made to collect the dead or the pay
 

5     98
books & identification discs & of course if these
were not recovered the body was never found.
I only regret that I am not able to give
more definite or more hopeful news.
Application to the Base Records office may
bring forth some information
[[?]] "D'Altera (Lieut) was Sergeant
Shutler's platoon officer. I am sorry but
I do not think he can get any more xxx evidence
Lieutenant. H. L. Wright
7^th Batt.
1^st Aus Division

99
Copy
Pozieres

Cpl L.F Rimoldi 28 Bn.
Asst. Secretary, Childrens Hospital, Perth W.A.
& a Lieutenant of the Senior Cadets.
Killed in action at Pozieres
29 July 1916

France.
Aug. 10^th 16. 

Dear Madam
You will no doubt be
surprised to receive a letter from me, a stranger,
and I greatly regret the circumstances which
prompt me to take the liberty of writing to
you.
 

Since Corporal Rimoldi joined
up with the 28^th Battalion, he & I have
been close friends and previous to going
into action he left your address with
me and asked me to communicate with
you should anything happen to him
and should I be alive

On he night of Friday 29^th July we went
into action attacking the enemy lines on
the heights of Pozieres, poor "Rim" was in
charge of a squad & when the order to
attack came along he led his men to the
attack as coolly as tough they had been on
the parade ground. He was indeed a
brave fellow and went ahead cheering &
encourageing his men as only a soldier
 

100

can until when right against the
enemy first line he was hit through
the heart with a Machine Gun Bullet

Rim was respected and esteemed by
every man in the Company & I can
assure you his death is a sad loss
to the Battalion & we few who were
fortunate enough to get through miss
him greatly.

This is the first opportunity I have
had of writing since that date as we have
been kept at it pretty constantly until a
couple of days ago, when we came out for a rest
& reorganisation otherwise I would have written to
you earlier

In conclusion I can only say that if it
should be Gods Will that I must go under
I pray that I shall die as gloriously as
did my friend

I am
Yours Sincerely
Geo. E. Powell
268. B. Coy 28^th Battalion
A.I.F. 

101

H/N Pozieres.
In the Field, 
24th November 1916.
Sgt P.G. Browne
9BN.

Dear Mr.Browne,
My own people have urged me repeatedly to write to you
if I had not already done so, but unfortunately we have been continually
on the move in and out of the firing line for some months and have had
little or no opportunity of writing at all. Unfortunately I was not
close to Phil when he met his death but those who were with him were
able to give me the exact circumstances.

On the night of the 19th of July our Battalion had
occupied the front line opposite Pozieres Village, which was exception-

ally strongly fortified by means of "strong points" or redoubts.  Phil
was in charge of a platoon in the section of trench exactly opposite
a very strong redoubt at the junction of two German trenches.  On the
night of 20th - 21st July a party of bombers were sent out to take this
position, but after driving the enemy out they were unable to hold the
position. A steady supply of bombs was the only thing that would save
the situation. Meanwhile the enemy had made this practically impossible
by developing a wall of machine gun fire in the space between our trench
and the redoubt. To attempt to cross this space was almost suicide,
but it had to be attempted as only the capture of the redoubt would
make the taking of the village itself possible. Volunteers were called
for. Phil immediately handed over his platoon to a Corporal and
volunteered to make the attempt. There was a break in the trench where
it had been struck by a high explosive shell. He attempted to get
through this and dash across but had no sooner started to go forward
than he was struck in the head by a machine gun bullet and killed
instantly. A braver thing could not have been done and of all the deeds
that have won distinction during the offensive none was more
praiseworthy than his.
Deeply as we all regretted his loss there is not one of
us but envies him so glorious a death in his country's service, and I
cannot say how proud I am to have been his friend. May we all do our
duty as well and honourably.

Yours sincerely,
(Sgd) Fred Barbour.

[*Geological Student
aged 21 at death*]

102

F.4151.
xxxxxx
1436.
28th September, 1926.

Major J.R.O. Harris,
"Tinwherry"
Blue Street,
North Sydney.

Dear Harris,
In an account of the Battle of Pozieres
which is with the war records, you mention a man of your
battalion (I think) who, on July 24th, collected a number
of wounded in a shell hole and looked after them, saving
many lives, but who was afterwards killed himself. Have
you any recollection of this man's name? If so, I would be
very grateful if you would let me know.

I am afraid it is many years since I saw you - I think
the first time was on the boat, going to Hobart, the last
at Pozieres.

Yours sincerely.
C.E.W. BEAN

103
TELEPHONE
NORTH 209.
SYDNEY CHURCH OF ENGLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
NORTH SYDNEY,   Oct. 1, 1926

Dear Bean
The man I mentioned was named JENKINS & I think his initial
was H. but would not be quite certain. That however should be 
obtainable from the III Battalion records. He was in D Co.& was a 
Gallipoli veteran, I fancy an original. In additionxx he distinguished
himself during that action by his cheery demeanour, which did much
to keep up the spirits of the men, which were cowed by the
tremendous bombardment.
My recollections of you at Posieres are very
vague & shadowy as I was so sleepy that I could hardly keep awake,
in fact owing to shellshock from which I suffered after that
engagement I lost my memory in regard to numerous things which
happened, of which I was informed afterwards by others.
1 am very glad to hear of you again &
hope that you are flourishing. Yours truly
 

J.R.O. Harris

104
Extract of letter sent me by.
Lieut R. G. Norris 2^nd Battalion
D. company.
re Segt. W. V. Hobson.
It was on the night of the 18^th August
1916, your son was placed in
command of a small party, to cover
the attack on a trench near Mouquet
Farm, the attack was entirely
successful although the enemy
counter attacked continuously
through the night 

When daylight broke your son
was in charge of a flank that
was disconnected, but throughout
the day he maintained
communication with the troops
on his left although harassed by
snipers all day. He was successful
in killing 3 enemy snipers
with his own rifle.
These Mrs Hobson are the facts,
over.

[*[[W Hobson?]]*]

104
they sound bald, but you
can accept my assurance that
it required some doing.
It was at Pozieres. He did his
work so well, that I
recommended him for the
Distinguished Conduct
Medal.
Florence E. Hobson

[*Sgt. Hobson was

killed at Ypres

on 30 Sept 1916*]

105
F.4151

xxxxxx
1569.
25 November 1926.

Captain C.D. Monteath, M.C.,
Reserve of Officers,
3rd District Base,
Victoria Barracks,
Melbourne.

Dear Captain Monteath,

In describing the first Battle of Pozieres for the
Official History I have been much hampered by the absence of
practically all record of the attack carried out by the 9th
Battalion in the early morning of July 23, 1916. Indeed, the
only description existing of the nature of this fighting is
that contained in the recommendation for Private Leak's
Victoria Cross. Even as to this, I am uncertain whether
Leak's action occurred on July 23 or 25, since some of the
battalion records say one date, some the other. There are
much fuller accounts of the operations of other battalions.

Secondly, there is with the records a note of an
attack on the morning of July 24, though whether this was
made by the 9th or 10th is not clear.

I should be most grateful if you could let me have a
few notes containing your recollection of the fighting in O.G.
1 and O.G.2 during those days - in fact, until the 25th.
Could you also tell me whether Leak's V.C. was earned on the
23rd or 25th?

Yours faithfully,
C.E.W. BEAN