Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/253/1 - 1918 - 1939 - Part 7

7305.

23 February 1932.

 

Dear Major Treloar,

Many thanks for the press cuttings about

Lieutenant Rollings' exploit at Framerville. As they

contain a few incidental details which may not be

recorded elsewhere in our files, they will be useful when

Dr. Bean comes to write the story of the August 8

offensive. As Dr. Bean has a copy of the "Daily

Express" article with his own notes (I think Cusack

gave it to us), I am today sending back the cuttings to

you.

 

I hope that you will succeed in obtaining a

copy of the 17th Armoured Car Battalion's history. This

would be quite an important acquisition to the library

records.

Yours sincerely,

Major J.L. Treloar, O.B.E.,

Australian War Memorial,

Box 214D, G.P.O.,

Melbourne.

London 

Sunday Express

15/11/1931

 

THE MAN

NOW A POLICEMAN IN

SOUTH WALES.

HIS OWN STORY

OF THE RAID.

 

The man Who Ended The

War - the forgotten subaltern

who captured the Hindenburg

Line defence plans and so 

enabled the allied armies to

crash through and force an

Armistice - has been found.

He is Lieutenant E.J.Rollings,

M.C., of the 17th (Armoured Car)

Tank Battalion, and now Sergt.E.J.

Rollings, of the Neath police,

South Wales.

For thirteen years he has 

patrolled the streets of Neath unaware

of the great part he played

in the world's history.

Yet had he not, on August 8, 1918,

dashed in his armoured car into

enemy territory nine miles in advance

of our own front line and raided a

German Corps headquarters the war

might have lasted another two years.

The dramatic revelations in last

week's "Sunday Express" that it was

an unknown and unhonoured subaltern

who, by capturing these German

plans, had brought the war to an

abrupt end set all Britain talking.

SCORES OF LETTERS.

Scores of young officers sent in letters

in the belief that they were the men

concerned, but a careful and exhaustive

investigation has left little doubt

that Sergeant Rollings made the vital

raid and found the plans that gave

almost yard-by-yard details of the

Hindenburg Line.

He was the only man who did not

make the claim personally. The information

was sent by one of his colleagues

Lieut. J.T. Yeoman, who was

wounded in the battle.

A few days after the raid Colonel

E.J.Carter, who was in command of

the battalion, was personally congratulated

by the King on the achievements

of his men in the raid.

An account of this incident appears

in a souvenir history of the battalion's

work. It reads :-

"The King was motoring to Villers-

Bretonneux, and seeing the armoured

cars by the roadside, sent for an officer.

"Lieutenant Herd was the officer on

duty . . . . and he was able to give

the King full details of the raid.

"The King congratulated the section

on their achievement".

Later he saw Colonel Carter and had

a long talk with him.

A "Sunday Express" representative

yesterday took Sergeant Rollings to

see his old colonel who is still in the

Service. They shook hands on it.

"There is no doubt about it," said

the colonel, "he is your man".

The story of the raid is almost as

dramatic as its consequences. The plans

were actually captured at Framerville,

ten miles east of Amiens, in the battle

of August 8, 1918. Listen to Sergeant

Rollings' own version:-

"The 17th (Armoured Car) Tank Battalion,

in which I was a lieutenant, was

a movable unit, and on August 7, 1918,

we received sudden orders to attach ourselves

at once to the Australian Corps

at Villers-Bretonneux, a hundred miles

away.

"RACE THROUGH" ORDER.

"We arrived there the same night,

and our orders were short and to the

point.

"We were to wait behind the line

until the Australians had made a

break in it, then race through, search

for all German headquarters, raid

them for documents, and shoot every

German on sight.

"I received personal orders to concentrate

on German headquarters at

Framerville, which was nine miles in

advance of our front line.

"Before dawn the next morning we

were all at our posts waiting. I was in

charge of two armoured cars.

"Dawn -and hell broke loose. The

Australians went over like men

possessed, and fifteen minutes later

we received the signal-they were

through!

"Off we went, leaving the Australians

straining at the leash in the

German front line, eager for more

successes.

"The tanks towed us for two and

a half miles, and here we found the

roads free from shell-holes, and left

them behind.

GERMANS IN SIGHT.

"Framerville was now about seven

and a half miles away. In the distance

we could see the German rearguard

still retreating but fighting

desperately to make a stand.

"I knew that if the break in the line

was filled that would be the end of

us, but I decided to make a bid for

it, and we raced at top speed along

the Amiens-St.Quentin road.

"After a while, however, we found

we had to fight our way through the

retreating Germans, but they were completely

disorganised and we killed them

in scores. My chief worry was our

own shells, which were dropping dangerously

near.

"By noon we had fought our way

through to Framerville, with the German

rearguard behind us being dealt

with by the Australians.

"We found the German Corps headquarters

in an old farmhouse. I remember

there were three steps leading

to the door, because I mounted them

slowly, revolver in hand. 

"But German staff had fled

few minutes before, apparently, and

so complete was their panic that they

had not stopped to burn their papers.

"Some of the documents were torn

up, but I packed every scrap into sandbags.

I could not read German, and in

any case I had no time to read any

of the documents, so every little torn-

up scrap went into the sandbags.

"When I came out I found my

gunners in the car, holding up four

German staff officers. We took all

their papers and revolvers, but they

were killed by a sudden burst of

machine-gun fire.

"For three more hours we mopped up

villages within a radius of twelve to

fifteen miles, and when I got back I

handed over the sandbags to my

company commander, Major W.E.

Boucher, M.C,.

"They were sent on to General Head-

quarters for examination, and after that

I heard nothing, except that I got a bar

to my M.C.

"A few days later, on the 28th, I

was shot in the head, and my active

service came to an end.

"I never knew the part those papers

played in ending the war until now.

"THIS IS A SURPRISE"

"In 1920 I went back to the Glamorgan

County Police as a constable. Two

years later I was transferred to Neath,

and in 1926 was made a sergeant.

"But goodness this is a surprise!"

Sergeant Rollings is married, with

a daughter aged eleven and a son aged

four.

The "Sunday Express" is glad to

have made public this thirteen years'

secret. Even now there is an official

reluctance to confirm the facts, and the

name of Lieutenant Rollings remains

outside the official histories of the war.

19-6-36

HN 8 AUG 1918 

(x 10 Ap 1918)

55 Merton St

Albert Park

Victoria

 

C.E.W.Bean Esq }

Official Historian}

 

1. In reference to attached memo

I read as that you require some information regarding

work done by our battery.

 

2. At Villers Bretonneux on 8/8/18

my section of the battery was in the line there

& after firing the Trench Mortars from Zero hour 4.20 AM

until the prop over (having been trained in the use

of Artillery) followed up, the advance & took over

captured 5.9" Guns & turned them around & got

them into action immediately placing harrassing

fire on roads, railways, & other places at extreme

range, as the open warfare progressed the whole

battery was eventually equipped out with 5.9" Guns

with means of transport & attached to an Artillery 

Brigade 14th RGA. I have a few of the many orders

issued at the time & forward some herewith hoping

they may be of some use, on loan?

[[*On 19 Aug. V/Aust HTM Bty sw attd

to 14 Bde RGA being armed w

5.9" Hows. & took posn above.

See Aust Corps H A Daily Tactical report

4-5 Sept 1918. No 114. "Wk w captured guns."*]]

 

3. Prior to going into action at

Villers Bretonneux we were left behind up north near

Warneton & lost all our Mortars, our C.O. Captain

Darling MC & BAY lost a leg & was evacuated, we also had

a few men taken prisoners. Lieut Bond O/C Right Section

took over command & with what was left of the

battery he organised a post astride the Ave-Eglise

II

road as infantry until a relief came on the

following day, during the early part of the evening

we commandered 3 Lewis Guns from stragglers & I

overhauled them in a barn with the light of

candles, Bond obtained some boxes of Mills Bombs,

& we prepared a strong post on the road, during

the evening the enemy approached using flares a galore.

Bond restrained us from shooting until the flares

came close, when a few drums of ammunition

were expended the enemy fell back, as flares did not

appear again for some time & then a long way

back, early next morning an enemy plane flew

low along the road & turned along the trench

off the road to take observation & I was fortunate

in having the satisfaction of shooting him down

at close range (having for years fired at lots of

planes without any success) Bond was delighted

with all this good work as he organised this

post & done good work all night & day filling

up the trench with stragglers left & right of our

post, Bond asked some stragglers who they were

& the reply came Roylies which proved to be KOYLI

Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, Bond replied well

coil yourselves up, in this trench, a Captain Weiss

of that regiment had a bad attack of nerves &

was putting the wind up his men & Bond had to

III

hold him down in the trench when the flares

started to fall close to us during the night, he

would have it that we were surrounded. I am

sure Bond could give some good information of

all this, no one in authority ever knew of our

episode there, we were eventually relieved & 
re-equipped with Mortars & sent in at Villiers Bretonneux

as previously stated. I saw Bond about 2 years ago

& he was then a farmer. F Bond Mitiamo

Victoria, hoping this is something you were

asking for & let me have papers back.

Yours truly

H.L. Newland

 

Bty was comtd by BGHA gocRA

1 X Corps.

18 Ap 1918.

H/N

Letter written by Cpt E.T.Harnett

17 Bn

 

COPY.

 

France,

5th Nov.  1918.

 

My dear Dad,

I have previously refrained from giving you an

account of events leading up to my being wounded on 9th

August at Framerville. The reason for this is that, knowing

what is worth and what is not worth a decoration, I felt

confident that my actions on 8th August would not pass

unnoticed by those above. The reason for my confidence is

that I had practical proof of my action in handing over to

the battalion 3 guns of 5.9 calibre and 4 of 4.2, in addition

to an officer and 46 men from the 5.9, and about 30 to 40 from

the 4.2's and other small positions. The total captures by my

company, and for which I held receipts, was 196 Germans. I

have heard nothing after all this time; so all I did must pass

over to the long list of unnoticed happenings which have

occurred during this war.

 

I hopped off the tape a 4.20 a.m. on 8th August in what

was the densest fog I have experienced. I had with me

 

C.S.M. Delhunty      My C.S.M.

Cpl. Poole                  Gas NCO

Pte Rozin

       O'Brien                Runners

        Walsh

L/Cpl. Foy and three other signallers and

my batman, Pte. Irving. 10 men in all.

 

We got going at the appointed time, but could not get in touch

with either of our flanks. It was hard to keep direction, but

by the aid of my compass and by observing the fire of our

artillery I got a fair idea of my whereabouts. My men were in

single file, C.S.M. Delhunty being immediately behind me. It

will give you some idea of the density of the fog when I say

that I could only see my C.S.M. and could not see the man just

behind him.

 

After going about 1500 yards I ran into what had been our

outposts line and found 2 men of the 18th Battalion in a

dugout. These men came with me. In the next outpost to the

south I met Lieut. Richardson and Sgts. Ford and O'Keefe. I

yelled to them to come along with me, but they evidently did

not catch what I said, for on enquiring a few minutes later if

they were in rear I got the reply "No". The enemy's barrage

here was very heavy, and were most fortunate in escaping

casualties. Shell after shell burst almost on top of us, and

yet we escaped.

 

I oushed forward into the Hun outpost line and took 3

prisoners. They were utterly demoralised and did not offer

resistance. I moved to the south along the outpost and met a

tank, which had broken down, and gave the tank officer the 2

men of the 18th Battalion as escort whilst he effected repairs.

 

On referring to my compass I found I was moving due south

and knew I must eventually strike the main Warfusee road, which

runs due E and West. I eventually reached and crossed the

road, and pushed on with a tank which was moving due east.

I got into a trench with two 19th Bn officers - Lt.Lillie

and another - and collected about 20 prisoners. This trench

was on south of road and 200 yards from 19th Bn. objective.

The 19th Bn officers reckoned they were on their objective.

but I assured them this was not so.

 

We were getting pretty hot machine gun fire here, first

2.

from 2 m.guns on our immediate front, and secondly from a gun on

our left flank situated on N side of road, and thirdly from a gun

on our extreme right a fair distance off. I led a small party of

about 12 men against the gun on our left, and by putting rapid

fire into them from their right rear caused them to bolt, leaving

their gun. We returned to our trench, and I noticed a tank on

our front. I went forward and asked the tank commander to have a

go at the 2 M.Gs in front. He did so and as a result we took

the 2 M.Guns and about 20 prisoners. About this time Lieut.

Pettitt reported to me with 30 men, and Lieut. Willard with about

20. 4.2 and 5.9 shells were falling close to us here.

 

The mist was clearing and we could see there were no troops

on our front. We decided that we would push on. Pettitt and Willxx

Willard and 50 men to mop up Warfusee (the job of A & D Companies)

and I with my HQ to do the jobs of B & C Coys - that is, work

round the south of the 2 villages Warfusee and Lamotte, and establish

a line on the eastern end of Lamotte. I struck tank B21, and

he went forward with me for only about 3/4000 yards. I then pushed

on with my HQ and about 6 odd men.

 

In the sunken road we took four 4.2 guns and a few prisoners.

These were the guns which had been firing on us.

 

I saw two Lewis gun sections of 7th Brigade away to my right

rear and gathered them in and led the little party forward. I

noticed a party of over 100 Huns make a bolt for a bank at the top

of a valley, and it looked as if things were going to go badly for

us. I sent a 7th Bde officer, who joined me, out to my right

flank to look after things. I got my left flank forward and into

the valley, and with the L.G's and rifles enfiladed the Huns. They

bolted in two large batches, for our fire was telling. Our fire

played havoc with them as they bolted across the valley, and I feel

sure that not more than 15 escaped.

 

On nearing the SE end of Lamotte I noticed a battery of 5.9

in action, and decided to take it. Whilst my men were engaging a

machine gun at the SE corner of the village. CSM Delhunty and I

rushed the first gun pit of the 5.9 and captured an officer and

the crew working the gun. We got the second gun with a shell in

the breech, also its crew. In all we captured three 5.9 and their

crew of 1 officer and 46 men.

 

We took the Bn. objective at 6.50 a.m.- within a few minutes

of schedule time. At about 6.40 a.m. I was joined by Lt.Harris

and a few men of my company.

 

F.4151.

xxxxxxxxxxxx2812

6 January, 1928.

 

Dear Sir,

I have to thank you for your courteous offer

to lend me the maps taken from a German in front of Villers-

Bretonneux in 1918. I shall not be reaching that period of

my narrative for a considerable time, but I will make a note 

of your offer and, when the time comes, if the maps would be

of assistance, I will ask you to lend them to me.

Yours truly,

Official Historian.

 

R.E. RYAN, Esq.,

133, Booth Street,

Annandale,

N.S.W.

133 Booth St

Annandale

28/1/1928

 

Ex Captain C.E.W.Bean.

Shrough, Augus, and Rakerson, Sydney

looking through my bag of souvenir

that I brought home with me from the

last great war. I came across two maps that

I took off a german officer in the 20th

Battalion A.I.F. Advance in front of

Villers Bretonneux in August 1918

I will lend them to you for writing up

the official History if you will

give me your word they will be

returned to me. one map is of

Villers Bretonneux showing British

and Yeomans trenches By and M.G.

inplacements of both sides the other map

is a compleat map of  the -La-Somme

I am yours faithfully,

V.C.E.Ryan  H.O.B.O

[[*appears 'I understand they may be

useless to you if so there is no harm done*]]

Tel. Horsham 355D

Moorabinda,

Drung South,

Horsham

 

Dr.Bean Canberra

 

Dear Sir

I cam accross some old diaries which were very faint

and I have not at the time put down many dates and officers names.

I was told you were asking for material and I thought that some

of the enclosed may confirm and fill some gap that may exist in

what you have. It is a pleasure to read your books.

I am sincerely

68oi  CPL C.B.Gates

A coy 21st. battn A.I.F.

 

Acknowledged