Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/252/1 - 1918 - 1935 - Part 15
SECRET TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION COPY NO 4
BATTALION ORDER NO 109.
Battalion Headquarters,
Reference Sheet No 9341. 1/10,000 30th July 1918.
-------
1. INTENTION To envelope the village of MERRIS by a simultaneous
movement from the N.E. & S.W.
2. BOUNDARIES OF ATTACK.
Northern boundary.............F.1.B.7.4.
Southern boundary........... E.12.B.8.8.
Inter-Company boundary....... F.1.D.5.1. to F.1.A.0.0.
3. DISPOSITIONS OF COMPANIES BEFORE ATTACK.
"C" Coy Line Right.
"D" Coy Line Left.
"A" Coy In old post behind No 1 post Line Right, with
Coy H.Qs at E.12.B.9.8.
"B" Coy In old trenches near Nos 8 & 9 posts, Line Left
with Coy H. Qs at F.1.A.5.4.
"B.H.Q." will remain as at present.
"R.A.P." will remain as at present, but forward dressing
stations will be established at H. Qs of both C & D Coys.
4. METHOD OF ATTCK.
"A" & "B" Coys will deliver the attack on a date
to be known as "B" day. "A" Coy on the Right; "B" Coy on the left.
Attacking Coys will be in position 15 minutes before ZERO, and will
notify Battn H.Qs when they are in position by wiring code word
"GOOD LUCK".
Under cover of a heavy artillery barrage the Coys will move in the
direction of F.1.D.5.1. from their respective flanks, - see attachd.
map - dropping platoons at the points selected, where they will
immediately dig in, having first put out L.M.G. covering posts both
to their front and rear. Immediately the Coys have gained con¬
tact a special signal will be fired, a grenade xxxxx RED
changing to WHITE changing to RED. GREEN.
During the whole of this part of the operation Howitzers will
engage the town of MERRIS with a steady rate of fire, four guns being
employed for the purpose.
The L.T.M.Bs will engage the Northern and Western outskirts of the
town at the following rate - two per minute from ZERO to ZERO plus
7 minutes: 5 per minute from ZERO plus 7 minutes to ZER0 plus
15 minutes; and two per minute thereafter.
Coys in the line will at the same time engage all known enemy posts
with a steady rate of Rifle Grenade fire. To facilitate this Coys
in the line will load their posts with grenades prior to "B" day.
The area in which both L.T.Ma and Rifle Grenadiers may fire is shown
in GREEN on attached map.
At ZERO plus 3 minutes the Right Line Coy will push out a strong
section with a Lewis Gun and establish a temporary post at F.7.A.20.85
to give covering support to the Right attacking Coys. This post
will be withdrawn at dawn.
5. MOPPING UP.
As soon as consolidation has sufficiently advanced a
special signal, a grenade GREEN changing to WHITE will be fired from
the Coys. Mopping up by line Coys and special platoon under
2nd Lieut EDWARDS will commence at Z ERO plus one hour and five mins.
The signal that ZERO plus one hour has been reached will be a series
of incendiary shells fired into MERRIS over a period of 5 minutes,
which will mean that Rifle Grenades, Stokes Mortars, and the
4.5. Hows. firing into MERRIS will cease fire.
Mopping up operations will commence immediately.
The specialplatoon will work rapidly through the town dealing with
collars by means of "P" bombs; particular attention being paid to
the cellars under the ASYLUM and the Crypt under the CHURCH.
A proportion of those men will be provided with electric torches to
assist in clearing the cellars. One hour is considered sufficient
for the mopping up.
At ZERO plus two hours a further series of incendiary shells over a
similar period of five minutes will be fired at ACKLOW HOUSE in
F.8.C.9.1. This will indicate mopping up parties to return to
our lines having first reported to the Operating Coys that mopping up
is complete. This platoon will then occupy a position near No 5
(Sheet No 2)
No 5 Post in "C" Coy Line, and will be prepared to re-inforce
either of the Operating Coys.
Throughout the whole operation, and following the cessation of
L.T.M. and Rifle Grenade fire (ZERO plus 65 minutes) the line
Coys will mop the areas to their immediate fronts until they
gain contact with the Operating Coys. Not more than six
men per platoon will be utilised for this work.
At ZERO plus 2 hours 15 minutes T.Ms, Rifle Grenades, & 4.5.Hows.
firing in GREEN and YELLOW Line will recommence a slow rate of
fire which will last until dawn.
The C.Os. Right and Left Battalions are arringing to give covering
support fire with M.Gs., Rifle Grenades, and T.Ms.
6. ACTION OF VICKERS M.Gs. The C.O. 1st Machine Gun Battn is arranging
to bring fire to bear in ord r to protect the flanks of the
attack, and to neutralise enemy M Gs on the flanks.
7. ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS. Os.C "C" & "D" Coys will arrange for
AA Lewis Guns mounted at Company H.Qs to be established with crews
in No 2 and No 9 posts respectively, to give covering fire to
new posts in case of counter-attack.
O.C."Hqrs" Coy will arrange for AA Lewis Gun mounted at Forward
Battn H.Qs to be established with crew in No 2 post.
8. CONSOLIDATION The Right Pla toon of the Right Line Coy, and the
Left Platoon of the Left Line Coy will commence wiring operations
as soon as possible after ZERO hour to assist in wiring from
their present posts across the front of the line taken up by
the attacking troops. French Concertina wire will be used
for this purpose as being the speediest method of wiring.
Every assistance must be given by these platoons to get forward
the contents of the dumps to the new posts. EVERY RUNNER
should take forward something from the dumps to posts.
Location of dumps and routes to be taken must be carefully
explained to every member of Attacking Force.
9. LOW FLYING ENEMY AIRCRAFT coming over in daylight must be dealt with from every post.
10. LIGHT SIGNALS. Lo al S.O.S. will be a grenade RED to WHITE toGREEN RED. Men carrying this signal must have no other signal.
Only a Rifleman attached to an Officer should carry this signal.
The men detailed to fire the signal indicating "contact gained'
should be from the Left Platoon of the Right Attacking Coy, and
the Right Platoon of the Left Attacking Coy.
11. COMMUNICATION. The Signal Officer will arrange for lines to be laid
to Attacking Coys. H.Qs, and to instal "loop sets" from both
flanks. Relay Runner Posts will be established at both Line
Coys. H.Os. A Buzzer and Amplifier will be installed at
Forward Battn H.Qs in order to maintain communication with Brigade
Irrespective of Light Signals, Telephones and Wireless will be
freely used so long as these are in action.
An Intelligence Observation post will be established at present
Artillery O.P. near Right Line Coy. H.Qs to watch for signals
and enemy movement. Reports from this observation post will
go to Right Line Coy H.Qs to be forwarded by URGENT runner to
Forward Battalion H.gs should communication be down.
The Intelligence Officer will establish a relay Light Signal Post
also at present Artillery O.P., and one at Forward Battn H.Qs to
watch for and repeat signals to rear.
12. PRISONERS will be taken to Line Coys. H.Qs where they will be handed
over to escorts to be provided by the Line Coys.
13. CARRYING PARTIES. Line Coys. will provide carrying parties to get
material from the dumps to the platoons while consolidating.
(SHEET NO 3)
14. MEDICAL ARRANGEMENTS. Relay posts will be established at :-
(1) Line Right Coy H.Qs.
(2) Line Left Coy H.Qs.
(3) Botha Farm
4) Road Junction at [[?]] E.6.A.3.8.
15. DRESS AND EQUIPMENT. Fighting Order with W.P.sheets. Full water
bottles. 34 hours rations. Two sandbags per man to be worn
on entrenching tools. One man per section will carry one RED
GROUND FLARE, for use only in the event of his section being
cut off. Each section will carry one bill hook and one pair
wire cutters. One S.O.S. per platoon. Three "contact gained
signals to be carried by the platoons who "link hands" at
F.1.D.5.1.
Riflemen [[330?]] rds S.A.A. and one No [[33?]] and one No 36 grenades.
Rifle Grenadiers 180 rds S.A.A. and eight No 36 grenades.
Lewis Gunners normal equipment. No 1's will carry six 1"
Very Flares. Moppers up will wear a white band 4" in width
round each upper arm.
16 DUMPS. Dumps will be established at E.1s.A.8.8. and F.1.B.7.4.
Each Dump will contain :-
| 30 | coils | French Wire. |
| 40 | " | Barbed Concertina |
| 3D | boxes | S.A.A. (ordinary) |
| 5 | " | Bundled packed S.A.A. |
| 50 | " | No 36 Grenades. |
| 30 | " | No 35 |
| 100 | Short Corkscrews | |
| 30 | tins water | |
| [[?]] | boxes | Very Lights |
| 5 | S.O.S. Signals | |
| 50 | Shovels | |
| 15 | Picks | |
| 35 | L.G. Magazines (FILLED) |
17. CONTACT. A Fighting plane will fly over new line at dawn.
18. SYNCHRONISATION. Watches will be synchronised with Battn H.Qs
at six, four, and two hours before ZERO.
19. "B" Day AND ZERO HOUR will be notified later.
20. DAWN will be taken as 4.15.a.n.
21. GENERAL. (a) It must be remembered that a number of prisoners are
absolutely necessary, as in most instances they can give valuable
information in regard to such matters as impending attacks.
(b) The greatest care must be taken not to get into fight-
ing contact with our own men during "mopping up" operations.
(c) officers will NOT carry maps showing dispositions
of our men.
All ranks will be warned against carrying letters or
documents which will supply information to the enemy if captured.
22. ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS ARE being issued separately.
23. ACKNOWLEDGE.
G[[?]] Campbell
Captain and Adjutant.
TENTH AUST. INF. BATTALION.
SECRET TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION.
"B" day will be night 29/30th July; ZERO HOUR 19.15.a.m. 30th JULY;
Pass-word "TENTH BATTALION".
Acknowledge
G.L. Campbell
Captain and Adjutant.
TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTN.
July 29th 1919.
Issued to all recipients of B.O.109.
[*[[aaj?]]*]
SECRET TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION COPY No...
ADDENDA TO BATTN ORDER 109
Battn Headquarters,
July 27th 1918.
-------------
[[1]]. Arrangements have been made for our Right Flank platoon to be
taken over by the STAFFORD REGIMENT on our Right, and for our
Left Flank Platoon to be taken over by the 19th Battalion on our
Left.
[[2]]. The Relief will take place immediately after dark on "B" day.
[[3]].These two platoons will then pass und r the orders of Os.C. "A" & "B"
Coys respectively for the purpose of the operation..
4. They may be used for wiring, carrying parties, or re-inforcements
as required. If used as re-inforcements they should take over
a complete post and not be split up amongst the Company. For
instance the Right Attacking Company would use this Platoon - if
required to re-inforce - to occupy the new post on the Right of
their attack.
5. This cancels instructions contained in B.0. 109 to Line Coy. Commdrs
to provide wiring or carrying parties.
6. It must be remembered by attacking Coys that these men have been for
some days in the line, and are no longer fresh troops.
7. Line Coy. Commanders will see that these platoons are thoroughly
instructed in the work that is expected from them
8. Light Signals have been amended as follows :-
(a) Local S.O.S.....RED changing WHITE changing RED
(b) Contact.........RED changing WHITE changing GREEN.
(c) Consolidation.. GREEN changing WHITE.
9. All Prisoners will be sent through to the BRICK FIELD (Main B.H.Q.)
10 Attacking Coys will thoroughly instruct their Subalterns as to the
whole nature of the operation in order that any Subaltern can carry
on should the Coy Commander have the misfortune to become a
casualty. Subalterns in their turn will thoroughly instruct their
N.C.Os for a like reason.
11. The suggested method for moving forward is in single file with
flank guards, thus
- - - - - -
→ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ etc.
- - - - - -
Platoon Platoon
Coy Commanders however, know the ground thoroughly and must use their
own discretion.
12. Line Coy Moppers Up will not actually enter the village of MERRIS.
This will be left to the SPECIAL PLATOON.
G.L Campbell
Captain and Adjutant
TENTH AUST. INF. BATTALION.
Iiithe
TH AUSTRALIAN IIRAWTG BATTALIM
COP No.
ADDETDA TO BATTI ORDER IO5
Battn Headnur ters,
July 37th 1918.
?
---------------
Arrangements have been made for our Right Flamk platoon to be
taken over by the STAFFORD REGILENT on our Right, and for our
Left Flank Platoon to be taken over by the isth Battalion on our
Left.
The Relief will take place immediately after dark on "B" day.
These two platoons will then pass und r the orders of Os.C. "A" a
"B"
Coys respectively for the purpose of the operation..
4. They may be used for wiring, carrying parties, or re-inforcements
as required.
If used as re-inforcemens they should take over
a complete post and not be split up amongst the Company.
For
instance the Right Attacking Company would use this Platoon - if
required to re-inforce - to occury the new post on the Right of
their attack.
6. This cancels instructions contained in B.o. 100 to Line Coy. Commdrs
to provide wiring or carrying parties.
6. It must be remembered by attacking Coys that these men have been for
some days in the line, and are no longer fresh troops.
7. Line Coy. Commanders will see that these platoons are thoroughly
instructed in the work that is expected from them
8. Light Signals have been amended as follows:-
(a) Local S.O.S.....RED changing WHITE changing RED
(b) Contact.........RED changing WHITE changing GREEI.
(c) Consolidation.. GREEN changing WHITE.
9. All Prisoners will be sent through to the BRICK FIELD (Main B.H.Q.)
10 Attacking Coys will thoroughly instruct their' Subalterns as to the
whole nature of the operation in order that any Subaltern can carry
on should the Coy Commander havo the misfortune to become a
casualty.
Subalterns in their turn will thoroughly instruct their
N.C.Os for a like reason.
ii The suggested method for moving forward is in single file with
flank guards, thus
----
e
etc.
Platoon
Platoon
Coy Commanders however, know the ground thoroughly and must use their
own discretion.
13. Line Coy Moppers Up will not actually enter the village of MERRIS.
This will be left to the SPECLAL PLATOON.
41. PBrgolet
Captain and Adjutant
TENTH AUST. INF. BATTALION.
TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTY BATTALION
Distribution of B.O. 109.
| Copy | 1 | 3rd A. I. Bde. | Copy | 13 | Hqrs Coy. | |
| 2 | do | 14 | 19th Battn AIF. | |||
| 3 | C.O. | 15 | Nth Staff. Rgt (Rt Flank Btn) | |||
| 4 | Adj. | 16 | 1st Machine Gun Battn | |||
| 5 | A/Adj. | 17 | 13th Art. Brigade. | |||
| 6 | Q.M. | 18 | 3rd A.L.T.M.B. | |||
| 7 | T.O. | 19 | War Diary | |||
| 8 | M.O. | 20 | ||||
| 9 | "A" Coy | 21 | ||||
| 10 | "B" " | 22 | Spare | |||
| 11 | "C" " | 23 | ||||
| 12 | "D" " | 24 |
Issued by Runner at 9 [[Open/Opur?]] 27.7.18
See Map.
TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION.
ADMINISTRATIVE MEMORANDUM IN CONNECTION WITH BATTN ORDER 109.
1. Line Coys will give special instructions to their "Mopping up"
sections that under no circumstances whatever are they to join
the Attacking Coys. On completion of "mopping up" they will
return to their own lines.
These parties will also be instructed they are NOT to enter the
village of MERRIS. This must be made quite clear to each man
as the SPECIAL MOPPING UP PLATOON have instructions that they
will meet none of our men in the village.
A map showing known enemy posts in the near vicinity of Line
These should be given special
Coys is being sent out. These should be given special
attention during Rifle Grenade and Trench Mortar shhoting,
A strong enemy post is at FARM in F.7.A.10.35. The Trench
Mortar's have been given instructions to pay particular attention
to this point.
BOTH hot meals will be sent forward to the Companies on the
first run to-night. They will be clearly labelled "FIRST"
and "SECOND" meal. This is done as it is recognised that the
delivery of second meal will be practically impossible owing to
enemy barrage.
With these meals for the Line Coys will be five hot food
containers for the Right Dump of Right Attacking Coy, and five
for the Left Dump of the Left Attacking Coy.
Guides will be held at respective Line Coys. H.Qs to take H.Qs.
and platoons of Attacking Coys to their respective Headquarters
and jumping off points. Five guides per Coy will be needed,
and will be used, if necessary, by the Attacking Coys.
These guides must be at Line Coys. H.Qs by 10.0.p.m. and are
not to be used for any other purpose.
All Coys will notify each man under their command that on
completion ofrelief (to-morrow night) they will return to the
"Tent" Camp occupied bybthe Battalion before moving to PRADELLES
where hot meals etc will be ready.
All Hot Food Containers at Present in forward area must be
returned to their respective Coy H.Qs by 9.0.p.m.TO-NICHT so
that they may be picked up by the limbers and taken to Wagon Lines.
Line Coys must increase quantities of No 36 grenades in posts.
For this purpose Line Coys will send carrying parties to CRATER
DUMP to-night. The supply of grenad s in posts will be
increased as much as possible in the time at our disposal.
G.C Cambpell
Captain and Adjutant
TENTH AUST. INFANTRY BATTN.
July 29th 1918
SECRET TENTH AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION COPY No. 4
ADMINISTRATIVE INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED IN CONNECTION WITH BATTN ORDER 109.
Battalion Headquarters,
26th July 1918
Reference Sheet No 93[[?]]10,000
-----------
- BLANKETS. Blankets of "A" & "B" Coys will be withdrawn, rolled in
bundles of 10, labelled, and returned to the Transport Lines on
night 29/30th July 1918. -
RATIONS.
"A" & "B" Coys. 24 hours rations will be carried.
On night of attack first hot meal will be delievered as at present,
and Coys. will have this hot meal before moving.
Second hot meal, comprising of fice Hot Food Co ntainers for each Coy
will be delivered at the present Line Coys. H.Qs.
"C" Coy will supply party and distribute this meal to "A" Coy in the new posts, and "D" Coy will do similarly to "B" Coy.
As soon as new posts are consolidated "A" & "B" Coys will send
guides for these rations parties to "C" & "D" Coys H.Qs respectively
On the night following attack, hot meals will be d livered in the
same way as the second meal on night of attack.
All water bottles will be filled before leaving present positions.
"C" & "D" Coys. Rations will be suppliedas usual.Q.H. will arrange to supply Tommy Cookers, refills, cocoa and milk,
and cigarettes to "A" & "B" Coys. in the ration of 1 cooker,
1 refill, and 1 tin cocoa and milk to every two men, and 1 packet
of cigarettes to every man.
G.[[L?]]. Campbell
TENTH AUST. INF. BATTALION.Issued to all recipients of B.O. 109.
[*Smiths Weekly
4/10/30*]
Don McLeod,
the One-armed
Hero
________
By Major Gen. Bennett
AMONG the 300,000
men who
served under
the Australian
flag in the
Great War,
there were
many thou-
sands who had
come from Bri-
tain in search
of furtune in
Australia.
Most of these possessed the same
pioneering instinct, the same pluck an
grit, as the early settlers, who toiled
through hardships and discomforts to
make Australia the country it is.
Such a man was Don McLeod, who
enlisted in the 12th Battalion on the
outbreak of war. He was a typical
Scot, strong and hardy, ever loyal to
his native land, a true patriot, and a
born leader of men.
When the battle of the Landing was
over, and the Turks had ceased bat-
tering themselves against the thin but
rigid Australian line, trenches were dug,
and the troops settled down to a spell
of stagnant trench warfare. Day after
day and night after night patrols went
forward towards the Turkish trenches
to ascertain what the enemy was doing,
and to prevent them patrolling too
freely in No Man's Land.
This patrolling was dangerous and
difficult. To crawl about under the
very eyes of an alert, well-armed and
well-entrenched
enemy required
cunning as well as
courage, and the
task was alloted to
men who volunteered for the work.
Don McLeod, who was particularly
clever at daylight scouting, was always
to the fore when volunteers were alled
for.
During the night he would climb out
of the trench and pick a plentiful sup-
ply of the holly-bush that covered the
peninsula. In the morning, with the
help of one or two comrades, he would
cover himself with the bush until only
his fae could be seen through the
twigs. Then, holding a small branch in
front of him, he would leave the trench.
Over and over again, week after
week, he went out on his torturous
journeys, always returning to our
lines with useful and valuable infor-
mation.
There were not many men who could
have undertaken such a task as this
It required cold-blooded courage, pat-
ience, and determination. To do it, a
man had to be a master scout. Don
McLeod was one.
Not only was he a keen scout, but he
was just as reliable in the heat and ex-
citement of battle.
On the afternoon of August 6, 1915,
the 1st Brigade attacled and captured
a complicated system of trenches occu-
pied by the enemy on a sector of the
front called Lone Pine. The attackers
left one of our forward tunnels at half-
past five in the afternoon, and charged
through a withering fire which came
from all directions.
On reaching the enemy trench sys-
tem, they found many of the trenches
almost completely covered with huge
pine logs. These they attempted to
pull away. Some men climbed through
the small openings thus made, and
dropped the trench, where they
attacked the Turkish garrison. Mean-
while, other men followed them through
the openings. The hand-to-hand fight-
ing in the dimlly-lighted trench was
terrible. The casualties on both sides
were very heavy.
Eventually the men of the 1st Brigade
overcame the enemy, but not until they
had lost over 1000 of their number. The
dead were lying in heaps where they
fell, blocking the trench and hindering
the progress of the fight.
The trench fighting at Lone
Pine was the fiercest the Aus-
tralians experienced throughout
the war.
Unfortunately our men were seriously
handicapped by not being supplied
with suitable bombs, those they had
having been manufactured on the beach
at Anzac by filling jam-tins with ex-
plosives to which a fuse was attached.
On the other hand the Turks had a
plentiful supply of factory-made
bombs. Frequently,
during the fight,
supplies of enemy
bombs had to be
salvaged and used.
The enemy attached over and over
again, each time bringing up fresh
troops. The losses on both sides were
heavy.
The line was then reinforced by the
12th and 7th Battalions, and the bomb
fighting continued.
Blocks in the trenches were made
with sandbags filled with earth, the
Turks holding one side and the Aus-
tralians the other. There were at one
time thirteen such bomb-stop separ-
ating the captured portion of the
trench from the portion still held by the
enemy.
As the Turks threw bombs over the
blocks our men endeavored to catch
them and throw them back before
they exploded. The fuses on the
bombs burned for from 5 to 7 sec-
onds from the teime they were lit to
the time they exploded. Consequently
the men catching the bombs had to
be smart. Quick as they were, many
were seriously wounded by the bombs
exploding in their hands.
Over and over again they were killed
or wounded at the work. But their places were quickly taken by others.
Hour after hour this work went on.
Sergent Don McLeod was one of
the many engaged on this dangerous
job. He did wonderful work while he
lasted. At last a bomb he was about
to return to the Turks exploded in
his hand, blowing it off at the wrist.
He stopped the flow of blood from
the artery by pressing his thumb on it,
while a comrade bandaged the stump.
When this was done he waited about
until the wounded and dead had been
cleared from the trench, and then
made his way to the beach whence
he was sent to a hospital in Malta.
McLeod was more upset at leaving
his battalion than at losing his arm.
Some weeks later he discovered that
his commanding officer was in the same
hospital, so he sent a message asking
to see him. The C.O. hastened to visit
his old friend and on arrival found him
swathed in bandages from head to foot.
McLeod said in his broad Scotch, "I
wanted to see you, sir, to know if you
will take me back into the old regi-
ment."
"Well," replied the Colonel, "you
know that nothing would please me
more, but you must face the facts,
old man. You have lost your right
arm. What could you do if you did
come back?"
Raising himself in his bed, and with
tears in his eyes, the wounded man
held out his bandaged left hand, and
said "I could throw bombs with that,
sir."
Nearly two years later---early in 1917
---the C.O. again met McLeod in Folke-
stone, in England, and found him still
upset at not having been returned to his
regiment. In the end, however, after
appealing to everyone in authority, he
was permitted to proceed to France, and
it was not long before he was with his
unit in the trenches opposite Bulle-
court, where he actually did throw
bombs with his left arm, to the annoy-
ance and discomfiture of the Germans.
It was during his first tour in the
line after his return that the enemy
launched an attack along the trench
occupied by his unit---with flame-
throwers. These fearful hideous
inventions of the devil forced our men
back, until the enemy occupied a con-
siderable length of four trench. A
counter-attack, however, involving
hours of hand-to-hand fighting, drove
the enemy back.
Throughout the time the Germans
were in occupation of this portion of
our trench, some of our signallers re-
mained in a dugout with a power-buzzer
signal set. They continued to send
messages through-
out the attack, in-
forming battalion
headquaters of
what was happen-
ing. The enemy glanced in the dugout,
but failed to observe the signallers
huddled up in the corner, and they were
rescued when the line was recaptured.
Just after this fight, McLeod (who
was now a lieutenant) and his men
occupied a sunken road in the rear
of the position. A German shell
landed among four of the company
officers, one of whom was McLeod,
and splinters pierced both his artifical
and his good arm. Again he was
evacuated to hospital.
When his wound was healed,
and his artifical arm replaced,
he commenced once more to
worry the authorities to allow
him to return to his battalion,
and made such a nuisance of
himslef that he was again al-
lowed to go back to his unit,
which was then in the line near
Strazeele. Soon he was pro-
moted to the rank of captain.
His company was then warned that
it would be required to carry out a
raid to obtain identification of the enemy
unit occupying the position opposite.
That night McLeod asked for per-
mission to go on a patrol to recon-
noitre the front His real intention, he
afterwards admitted, was to brin in
some prosioners, and thus save the
necessity of the raid. Raids were not
popular, as they were very difficult and
dangerous.
McLeod took three men with him,
and the patrol set out towards the
enemy along an old disused railway
line.
The quartet had crept forward well
over half a mile without meeting a
German post, and then one was un-
expectedly encountered. The men were
right on top of it
before they noticed
it, and the enemy
fired on them with
machine-guns,
rifles, and bombs, forcing them to
withdraw.
Unfortunately, all were hit. Two were
killed, while McLeod and the fourth
man managed to return to our lines,
though wounded. McLeod was badly
hit in the leg, while the other survivor
succumbed later.
This was the last McLeod saw of
the fighting in the Great War. He
was a brave man, a good leader, and
an efficient solder, who served his
country well.
He returned to his adoptive coun-
try, but, shattered as he was, found
---like many others---that the fight for
existence in civil life was difficult,
irksome, and tedious. After struggling
against great odds for 10 years, he
passed away, mourned by those who
knew him.
[*Note:- McLeod & W.J.Lynas (16Bn)
^both prospectors, where, after the war, partners in a
show in the Marble Bar district of W.Aust.
On 4 Dec. 1928 McLeod fell down a 100-foot
Shaft & was killed.Lyons had
to descend the shaft, fasten his
mate's body to a rope & haul it
to the surface.*]
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