CHAPTER SVI CHIPILLY, AND ETINEHEM THE narrative now returns to General Monash’s plan for advancing on both sides of the -an operation which had important consequences. Shortly after midnight of August 9th General MacLagan of the had been ordered to take over by 8 a.m. the front north of the river as far as the Bray- r0ad.l The , which that night had relieved the 1st at CCrisy, was ordered to cross at Chipilly and take position behind the Americans, then holding that front. The 50th Battalion immediately did so, and the brigadier, General Her- ring, was summoned to MacLagan’s headquarters at Corbie to confer with Monash at 11.30 a.m. At the same time Monash asked Maj.-General Gellibrand of the which of his brigades was available for an attack south of the river, and having especial confidence in General McNicoll, was pleased when Gellibrand replied “McNicoll’s brigade,” and asked Gellibrand to bring the brigadier to the conference. At this meeting Monash explained an ingenious plan. “The German,” he said, “is in a condition of great confusion, and we have only to hit him without warning and roll him up.” This it was intended to do that night at two points, north of the Somme on the Bray-Corbie road and south of the river on the Roman road. He relied particularly upon the tanks. Although tanks had never previously been used at night (he says in his Ausfrolian Vicforzrs2) it was thought that the effect of the noise they made would lead to the speedy collapse of the defence. c ‘He was to take over with it command of the raist Regt US Infy. and also of parts of the 18th and 58th Divs. a mile behmd the 166. A hitch was caused by the I11 Corps ordering the 58th Div. to retain command of its troops, on the ground that they were reserves. Gen. MacLagan refused to complete the relief until the order given to him by Monash was complied with. which was done after reference to Fourth . ‘P. 139. Tanks, however, had been used at night at Roasignol Wood.

685 656 THE A.I.F. IN [roth Aug., 1918

Brig.-Genl. Herring gave instructions to the effect that the machines on the Bray-Corbie road were only to go up and down the road and make a noise and overawe the Germans-they could fire a few grape-shot down the road on the first trip 3 The artillery would not fire that night on the front of the attack except for intermittent bursts of the heavies shelling Froissy valley and roads and bridges farther east. When the tanks with infantry following had broken through at the two points, the infantry would turn inwards behind the German outpost-line and march at right angles, south or north, to the Somnie where each force would fire a green flare as signal to the other. The German line behitid them would then be mopped up. The task of the (3rd Divn.) forming the southern force, was much more extensive than that of the 13th. It was to march up the Roman road with three tanks at its head, then the 37th and 38th Battalions followed by three more tanks and the 40th and 39th. Part of the 10th Machine Gun Company and all the 10th L.T.M. Battery were attached. After hreak- ing through the German posts guarding the road, the column was to push on to Avenue Cross, three- quarters of a nile from the start, and then march northwards along the cross-road for 2,000 yards and thence another mile, mainly across country skirting valley, to the Sonime. When its head reached the Soninie the leading Battalion (gthj would halt and occupy the final mile of the line of route, the 38th halting on the sector south of it, the 40th reaching froin there to the Roman road, and the 39th hack along the Roman road to the old line. They would have enclosed an area of the German front 24 miles long and 13 miles deep, including

a Quoted from an unofficial record compiled soon afterwards. loth Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 687

Proyart; and the new line would face Froissy valley. Mean- while the 9th and 11th Brigades (3rd Divn.) would have relieved the 4th Division on the front held since August Stli, and they would now help in “mopping up” the enclosed area.“ The attention of the enemy would be diverted during these operations by several arnioured cars dashing eastward along the Roman road with headlights full on, in order to give the impression that the incursion was in that direction. The plan was Monash’s and he gave instructions direct to the brigadiers, thus relieving their iinniediate superiors, Gelli- brand and hlaclagan, of responsibility for interpreting it. Gellibrand thought it feasible, but the regimental and tank officers, to whom McNicoll verbally passed the orders at a hurried conference near CCrisy, held a different view. Lieut.- Col. Knox-Knight, whose battalion, 37th, was to lead the southern column, returned from the conference looking very grave. The battalion officers (says its historian) received the orders quietly but “with some amazement.” Later, as they trudged along the Roman road after the start, Knos-Knight said to the tank Commander: There’ll be a train load of V.C‘s waiting for us when we get back, if it’s a success, but we won’t want them if we get through with our lives. The tank officers “thought the job was 111ad.”~ The com- manders of the 9th and 11th Brigades, Generals Goddard and Cannan, who had been hurriedly informed and conferred at a headquarters in their front line, did not like the prospects. Officers of the 10th Brigade, differently from those of the 13tl1, did not understand that their leading tanks were to advertise their approach and scare the enemy. Only oiie was to go along the road, the two others advancing over the fields beside it. The leaders indeed were anxious lest the noise of the tanks on the cobbles might warn the enemy, and also feared they might be seen. The commander of the other brigade,

‘lhe 9th Ude., holding the southern half of the old front, was to clear all ground dhead of it UP lo the 10th Bde’s new line. The two last battalions of the 10th Bde., thus released, would then clean up the northern part of the area in front of the 11th Bde. The 11th would clear the MCricourt peninsula. ‘Accordiy to a contemporary Australian record. The history of the 37th Bn. says: Someone’s confidence had overreached itself after the overwhelming success of 8th August. . . . The opinion of the front line soldier was that the enterprise was ridiculous and stupid.” 688 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [Ioth Aug., 1918

Herring, asked by Monash when he would start, had chosen g 30 pm., intending his tanks to arrive while there was enough light for them to steer by? but Herring’s brigade was to start froni Gressaire IVood, which gave it a covered approach, whereas the 10th had to march across the open plateau to the Roman road. At 5.30. on going to his battle headquarters (at Hussar Farin on the Roman road), McNicoll noted a number of German balloons within sight, and was so impressed with the danger of warning the enemy that he delayed the march so that the head of the column would not reach the advanced posts at la Flaque till IO ~.m.~The leading battalions, already marching across the plateau, halted for a time in such shelter as they could find. When once on the main road they were hidden by its avenue of trees. The head of the column passed McNicoll’s headquarters on the Roman road at 9.15. The tanks, six from the 8th Tank Battalion, had joined it there. Behind them, through the trees of Morcourt valley and the roadside avenue, the sunset of a beautiful summer’s day was fading towards twilight. The tank officers now found that the ground beside the great road, covered with big dumps and criss-crossed by old trenches, was impossible for their machines ; they particularly dreaded the chance of the half-blind crews’ losing direction and firing on their infantry on the main road. Col. Knox-Knight there- fore necessarily agreed that all tanks should advance up the road. Lieut. hicNicol,8 intelligence officer of the 37th, would guide and point out Avenue Cross. By IO o’clock, when the head of the column passed the ruined factory at la Flaque, night had fallen, calm and clear. Lieut. McNicol with three scouts and Lieut. Jeffrie~,~com- mander of the leading tank, went first, having calculated the number of paces they must take before reaching the turning point and looking out for a clump of bushes known to mark

e Herring, whose brigade was tired, having spent the previous night marching up and relieving the Ist, wanted the attack postponed till the night of the rith, hut hlonash could not permit this. 7 hfcNicol1 notified Gen. Gellibrand of this change. As 9.30 was the hour fixed also foi the 13th Bde. and for the 20th Bn (2nd Div.), of which Capt Portman’s company was to connect with the 3rd Div., Gellibrand countermanded the change. His order, however, reached McNicoll too late to be acted on. 8 Lt. N. G. McNicol, M.C.; 37th Bn. School teacher; of Gordon and Caulfield, VIC.. b. Wannon, Vic., ar Apr ISQO. 9Lt S S Jeffries 8th Tank Bn Killed in action, IO Aug. 1918. 10th Aug , 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 689 the cross-roads. German fire was not met as soon as expected; in silence, except for the clangour of the tanks, the coluiiin nioved, scouts and three tanks in file ahead; then a gap of twenty-five yards in which walked Lieut.-Col. I

”JCapt. D. E. Hickey; The Suffolk Regt. and 8th Tank Bn. Student, of Hamp- stead, Eng.; b. Ardrogue, Buenos Aires, ZJ Mar. 1895. II Lt. R. J. Smith, M C ; 37th Bn. Farmer; of Epping, Vic.; b. Epping, PI May

1800.~~~ -See an account by Ca t. Hickey in the Royal Tank Cmgs Journal quoted in Rrvrcllr I Nov. 1933. 8apt. Hickey who with Knox-Knight was behind the third tank, thought this was hit by an’air domb. Cpl. J. C. A. Gornall (Essex. Eng. and Brighton Beach, Vic) 37th Bn who was-close behind thought xt had run over a road mine. Lt.’H. W. Hum’phrcys of the second tat& afterward8 told Hickey that his tank had been hit. 690 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [ 10th Aug., 1918 and the guides fired on them. Machine-gun bullets now rained in torrents, sparkling on the cobbles and outlining the tanks with a continuous glow. h4ost fire came, probably, from ahead but many machine-guns opened from the houses of Proyart, 1,030 yards to the north, and others presently from Rainecourt to the south, and others finally from the west.13 An anti-tank field-gun also fired down the road but, in the dark, inaccurately. For a considerable time the advance went on, the infantry crouching, and making rushes. Finally the guiding officer, McNicol, asked Lieut. Jeff ries to have the guns of his tank fired as it advanced. Jeffries ran round the machine to give the order. He did not return, but the guns began firing. Just then there reached RIcNicol Lieut. Ashmead,l4 a tine leader commanding the foremost platoon. “The battalion’s cut to pieces,” he said. “It’s no use going further.” McNicol dashed round the side of the leading tank and shouted to the men within: “Halt your tank, keep it where it is, and keep your guns going.” The other tanks which, on his suggestion, lay nearer the sides of the road, affording some shelter, also halted. A gust of machine-gun fire knocked down all the guides, but all but managed to plunge into the ditch. Ashmead presently found McNicol there, shot through the ankle, and carried him down the road on his back. The stoppage quickly communicated itself to the in- fantry in the ditches. As Col. Knox-I

Is hlany lives were saved by the fact that on the northern side the road was slightly embanked and German posts north of it had to elevate their fire, thus missing objects on the southern side. 14Lt. C. G. J. Ashmead hf C th Bn School teacher: of Benalla and Gundowring, Vic., b. Winto; North: $?e., IZ Aug. 1895. Killed in action, 30 Aug. 1018. IS Pte H. Tyres (No. 1298’ 37th Bn ) Farmer, of Numurkah. Vic.; b. Narng West, VIC., 1694. Killed in Hction, 10 Aug. 1918. 1eHe had led Cor 300 yards and then moved alter the first company. 10th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 691 was the reply. An order to advance was carried by Hickey to the tanks and by Lieut. Heseltine17 (adjutant to the 37th) to the infantry. Heseltine found the second and third tanks coming back,18 the foremost one waiting anxiously for instruc- tions. Hickey began to turn the rear tanks in order to advance again and narrowly escaped being squeezed between them in the process. Heseltine found that Lieut. Roadknightl9 of the leading company had been mortally wounded : Lieut. McNicol was gone; the troops were disorganised. He decided that all chance of success had disappeared, and on seeking the colonel found that he, too, had been killed.2o Maj. Robertson, the second in command, moved the troops into the open fields away from the road, and Hickey, learning that the infantry had been stopped, ordered the tanks to return. In the leading one only the driver and one gunner were unwounded; the other crews had many wounded or badly shaken. But as soon as the tanks moved, the tempest broke out again over all the troops. An Australian officer, revolver in hand, ordered the tank crews on pain of death not to move until further command. The rest of the column had not escaped injury-the aero- plane, almost brushing the avenue, had dropped bombs along it,21 one bursting on a waggon following the 40th Battalion with Stokes mortar shells.?' Animals and drivers were here strewn over the roadway. The infantry rushed to the road ditch but the drivers leading the mules, having orders not to leave them, stood to their aniinals on the road throughout. A German artillery barrage, high explosive and gas, at once fell upon the rear, but the road was quickly cleared, and the column was reformed and passed on. When the stoppage

1TLt -Col. S H. Heseltine. 3ith Bn Officer of Aust. Permanent Forces; of Hemingford Grey, Hunts, Eng. and Melbourne, b. Islington, Eng., 16 Mar, 1881. 1s While Hickey turned these eastwards again his runner Gnr. E. W. Stittle, went to the leading tank. The tanks had had order; to keep touch with the infantry. with whom they now had no contact. Indeed for the tank crews the whole affair was a nightmare-in their dark cabins they had no notion where the infantry was Lt. Humphreys twice got out to scan the position, but could see neither infantry nor German machine-guns. IDLt. W. Roadknight, 37111 Bn. Master mariner, of Melbourne and Sale, Vic.. b. Johnsonville, Vic., 13 Dec. 188s. Died of wounds, 11 Aug. 1918. By an anti-tank gun shell bursting against a tree nThe sky this night was full of German bombers, dropping parachute flares and bombing gullies P?Another wounded Lt. E. H. Fleiter (Albert Park, Vic.) and some of the 39th. 692 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [Id-11th Aug., 1918 occurred ahead the column telescoped and then took cover in a ditch while waiting. hlaj. Payne, commanding the 40th, finding the 37th returning in good order, halted them and took charge. The tank company commander, Maj. Gro~nds,’~ said to him: “We’ll do whatever you want. I can order the tanks forward, but look at the state of the crews.” Payne arranged with Maj. Maudsley of the 38th that his battalion should form a line astride of the road at the point reached, with flanks bent back; the 40th continued the flanks on either side of the road towards the old front line. Maj. Giblin was sent by Payne with Grounds to brigade headquarters to report this action and ask for orders. With the tanks ahead motionless, officers of the 38th and 40th got their troops into position. At 3 a.m., upon one tank’s flashing a signal down the road, the tempest broke out again. Immediately afterwards Giblin returned with confirmation of Payne’s dispositions. The 37th and 39th were to withdraw, tanks standing fast till the infantry was clear. At 3.30-0nly just in time if they were to escape before daybreak-the tanks were allowed to withdraw. They had lost severely, and the 37th, though its casualties were much overestimated at brigade headquarters, had lost a quarter of its men er1gaged.2~ The scantiness of German references to this fight indicates that the npid R.I.R. (1o;th Dibn.), which held the road, had little con- ception of the defeat it had inflicted. The regimental history, which otherwise would certainly have descr:bed the incident at length, merely says: “About midnight’s the enemy attacked on the Roman road. In the light of flares three tanks were detected, followed by infantry in close order. The 8th Coy. by machine-gun fire caused the enemy great losses and compelled him to retire.” Lt. Roth whose company (9th) was in a sunken road north of the highway writes: “On the n.ght of Aug. IO/II there was no chance of sleep. A tank again and again drove up the Roman road, to and fro. All shots of the anti- tank field gun effected nothing.” The 9th and 10th Brigades (3rd Divn.) were iiifornied in time to cancel their contemplated operations for “mopping up.” Of the operation astride of the Somnie, the more important southern drive had ended in a sharp, almost complete, repulse.

89 Lt -Col G. A. Grounds. D S 0, Eth Bn , Tank Corps. Bank manager; of Boston, Lincs, Eng.: b hIarch. Eng.. 19 Nov 1886. ”The tanks lost 3 officers and 19 men. the 37th 3 officers and 103 others. =Even the date given, the night of Aug 9-10, IS wrong. 10th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 693

The attack north of the Somme by the 13th Brigade was made over very different ground. Here for about ten miles as the crow flies, the northern riverside is The northern keyed into the southern by a succession of sally peninsulas, four on the north side, four on the south. Most of the northern ones are almost precipitous along the eastern side, into which the river eats, but slope gently on the western. It all cases the northern peninsulas overlook the southern, some of the latter being barely above the flats. The villages of Chipilly, Etinelieni, Bray and Suzanne lie succes- sively in the northern bends, each of the last three overlooked by the cliffs of the peninsula west of it. Northwards from Chipilly, from Bray and from Su7anne. deep gul!ies eat into the plateau, the Arrow skouis irrfrndPd ntfack. valley north of Chipilly being divided from the next bend only by a razor's edge on part of which lies Gressaire Wood. The next valley system, north of Bray, is very extensive and, together with the long Froissy valley south of the same river bend, formed an im- portant factor in later operations. This night the northern attack was to advance from north of Chipilly peninsula across the north of Etinelieni peninsula, and then line the steep eastern side of the latter, overlooking Bray and its valleys. Together with the southern advance it would cut off hIPricourt peninsula, south of the river. The 58th Division was uncertain of the precise position of the line on and north of Chipilly peninsula, but three Aus- tralian officers26 reconnoitring early on the loth found the forward edge of Cressaire and Tailles Woods firmly held by Americans of the 131st Regiment, behind whom the attack

hlaj. Roy Morell. formerly 13th Bde. then liaison officer with 58th Div.; Maj N hl. Loutit attach4 to illst U S. Infantry: and, separately, Capt. T. S. Louch. Intelligence Officer 13th Bde. 694 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE 18th-10th Aug., 1918 could safely assemble, although the Americans whom they visited appeared to have received no rations since August 8th. At 7 p.m. the 50th Battalion (S. Aust.) marched up the deep wooded gully to Gressaire Wood, halting at the quarry there just long enough for the company commanders to hurry to the razor neck and get a view of the forward edge of Gressaire Wood, and Etinehem on the Somme below, and the plateau north of it which they had to cross. They then led up their companies along the forward edge of the wood.27 The 49th Battalion [ Q.), which had crossed the Sonme that evening, went a mile farther along the winding gully than the 5oth, and then climbed to where the Bray-Corbie road passed through Tailles Wood on to the plateau. Each battalion had had a good meal. Each arrived just at 9.30 p.m. Gunners at the batteries behind the wood and Americans in the outposts waved them "good luck." The 49th (Lieut.-Col. Ar- re11") found two tanks waiting for it at a bend of the Bray-Corbie road be- hind the wood. This attack was plan- ned differently from that on the southern side. The left battalion (49th) was to break through along the Bray-Corbie road, and then throw out its leading company southwards on the sharp slope overlooking Bray and its river- bend, the other three companies forming a flank along the road back to the American front. But the 50th Battalion. which was to establish the main front along the eastern edge of Etinehein peninsula, was to advance by a roughly parallel road, 1,000 yards farther south, and, on reaching a certain cross-road, turn southwards and line the remaining edge of the slope. Behind the 50th went Lieut. fin la son'^^^ company

=This smelt of German gas with which it had been deluged. ~8 Lt.-Col W L Arrell. D S 0. Commanded 49th Bn. 1918 School teacher, of South Brisbane; b. ZI Jan. 1885 = Lt R. F. Finlason, &IC 5rst Bn Miner and station hand; of Boulder and Blackboy Hill, W.A.. b:' Castlenialne, VIC, rg Aug 1893. 10th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 695

of the 51st3’ to cut off the Germans in Etineheni village by first stationing itself east of it, and at dawn mopping it up. The whole 13th RIacliine Gun Company was distributed among this infantry, and Finlason also had four Stokes mortars to cover his morning attack. It had been hoped by blonash that four tanks (2nd Bat- talion) would be available, in which case the 50th would have had one. But the tank commander could not promise this- his machines had been in use for three days without repair, petrol was short, and they must keep to the roads. At 9.30 the two on the Bray-Corbie road moved the leader firing to front and to left, the other, 200 yards behind, doing the same so far as was safe. They quickly drew ahead and could be heard far down the road. The 49th followed- first the scouts in groups of three; then Capt. Tambling’~~~ company with Lieut. Strike’s33 platoon leading, all in sections in artillery formation, brushing the south of the road; next, biaj. Swain’s company in similar formation, and after it a third. When the tanks started, machine-guns in German posts 200-300 yards ahead opened fire, but wildly and high, and they fled before the 49th reached them. At 1,000 yards out, the tanks now being far beyond, flares were fired by Germans ahead, evidently posts along a sunken road; well aimed shots whizzed past. Tambling’s company deployed, but the flare light showed the Germans rising to retire. The company resumed artillery forination and pushed on. It was to be guided by a line of double telegraph posts along the Bray- Corbie road, but there were several such lines, and the one anxiety now was to know when the advance had reached its goal. Again scattered shots were fired from in front, and Tambling’s company deployed, but a scout, Pte. Hockey:’ worked round the post and captured it.35 The tanks which had

=The 13th Bde. was one of those wlth only three battalions. 8 A third was kept at headquarters of the 49th mCapt R Tambling. M C., 49th Bn. School teacher: of Pratten, Q’land, h. Warwick. Q’land, 2 June 1895. Lt. C. -Strike, 49th Bn. -Blacksmith; of Charters Towers. Q’land; b. Charters Towers, 27 May 1596. 81 Pte. A. V. Hockey 1l.M. (No . 49th Bn). Station manager; of Toowoomba. Q’land, b. Coulburn, N S.d~8~8g~ He killed two and captured five. The prisoners, all under 19, were terrified on hearing that their captors were Australians. 696 THE A.I.P. IN FRANCE [Ioth Aug., 1918 gone half a mile farther were now returning from the left front. Tambling posted his company astride of the road. Its southern platoon, going south, reached the head of a chine leading to the Somme. Here some German officer gathered a few men and a machine-gun behind a hedge and seemed to be trying to give the impression of a larger force. But the Australian scouts ahead at once attacked, shooting the brave leader, whose men then bolted. The left of the 50th was presently found near by. To the north the second and third companies of the 49th had formed their string of posts along the Bray-Corbie road back to the American line. The 50th Battalion (Lieut.-Col. Salisbury), through lack of men, had organised each of its companies in two platoons. It had attacked along the southern road with Lieut. Hodge’s36 company as advanced guard on a front of 150 yards astride of the road, Hodge and four scouts leadmg; the other companies followed successively, each with one platoon as flank guard north of the road, and the other together with company headquar- ters in artillery formation south of it. By starting close on each other’s heels the companies escaped the German shell-fire that answered the attacks7 The battalion had been warned that probably its tank would not arrive, and started punctually without it. A quarter of a mile out, at the first cross-road, a German machine-gun fired and then van- ished. At half a mile a flare went up, evidently from near the second cross-road, now cluse ahead, and five machine-gun posts 200 yards beyond the road opened with some dozen guns. Part of the leading company sheltered in the road, the rest lay down behind it. The 50th seemed to be faced by formidable opposi- tion. But the first German flare had passed right over the battalion and fallen behind it. In its light, says an eyewitness, the 5oth, only 400 strong, “looked like a brigade steadily mov-

mLt. E. G. Hodge, 50th and 5and Bns. Clerk; of Port Adelaide: h. Alherton, S.A.. a Sep. 1892. 67 The 50th could hear the 49th’~tanks before the advance Its own never came

10th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 697 ing.” From the north came sound of fighting and of tanks. The fusillade upon the 50th suddenly ceased. Hodge, who extended his company at the cross-road, advanced but could find no Germans. I.t looked as if panic had struck them. Their records show that this was so. The infantry facing the 13th Bde.’s attack included remnants of the 43rd Res. and 27th Divns. and of their original reinforcement, the 479th I.R. (zard Divn.), but belonged mainly to the latest reinforcement, the 119th R.I.R. (26th Res. Divn.) which, as already stated, had been sent back across the Somme on the n:ght of the gth, and placed in support on the MCaulte-Etinehem road. By dawn it found that most of the half-exhausted troops ahead of it had withdrawn. Its I1 Bn. was apparently astride of the Bray- Corbie road with the I11 farther north and the I near Etinehem, farther south. The companies near the Bray road had been ordered to retire, if strongly attacked, to a line north of Bray. The regimental history says that when the tanks approached, “the black monsters slowly rolled along the road towards us, spew.ng fire to front and flank. Out of the loophole and slits broke the bands of light from the electric lights inside. and gave the machine-guns good targets. The waggons were taken under fire with steel bullets by two heavy and several light macliine-guns of the I1 Bn. The impact of their bullets struck bright sparks from the armour, wh:ch was strong enough to resist them, but the crew was uncannily able to overcome this sinister drumming on the steel walls, and extinguished the lights to make the aim more difficult. As the tanks came eker nearer and did not allow themselves to be held up, a small part of the 7th Company was seized by tank- panic and rail back. Only one platoon maintained its valiant stand in common with the 8th Company . . , the troops crept away, as the mom sters approached their shelter pits, and let them drive by38 . . . the two tanks drove on to Bray, one right up to the eastern edge of the little town; but when they found no opposition anywhere and marked their separation from the infantry, they turned round and drove back.” The history of the 27th Divn. says that, when the tanks and infantry appeared, “in the dark our anti-tank gunners could not fire and a panic overcame the troops-for the sake of truth it must be plainly said-and the road through Bray lay open to the enemy while at the same time the 43rd [Reserve] Divn. east of Etinehem drew back to the east bank of the Somnie.” Presumably these were the elements that faced the 50th Bti. The I/IIgth at Etiiiehem found that the British had broken through to the north of It. Without opposition Hodge’s company reached the area 503 yards farther on, where he expected to find the cross-road at which he was to turn southwards. No cross-road appeared- only tracks in plenty-the main road curviiig gently north- ward to meet the Corbie road at a Crucifis close above Bray.

=These presumably were troops north of the road. E’ements of the 479th I.R., and even of the 247th R.I.R. there, seem to have withdrawn te the valley north of the road. 698 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [Ioth-IIth Aug., 1918

It was only after following it for some distance that Hodge realized that a inistake had been made. He sent back word; Maj. Fowler, Capt. Beresford and a number of other officers came up and, with their maps lighted by electric torches, tried to settle their position. Hodge went towards the Crucifix and Beresford towards a ravine close ahead, where he found Lieut. Fearnside30 and a flank post of the 49th. This settled the matter,‘1° and after half an hour’s wait Hodge led his com- pany southwards along the crest of the spur till this dipped suddenly southwards, and there set it to dig in, with right flank thrown back westwards.41 About midnight Maj. Fowler reported that the 50th was on its objective. Finlason’s company of the ~1stduly dug in across the roads leading north-east out of Etinehem. The Australian leaders espected to capture 300 Germans in Etinehem, but when at daybreak Finlason’s company entered the village it found only one. It turned out that the Germans had more than one avenue of escape. A half destroyed foot- bridge led to MCricourt spur ; and the dawn airman, calling for flares to locate the new front, found Hodge’s company half a mile farther north than had been believed, the southern half of the spur being left open.“? The history of the 26th Res. Dim, whose I/rrgth R.I.R. held Etinehem, says that its commander, finding that his cyclist patrols met fire wherever he sent them, had the choice “of playing a futile Leonidas stunt” or using the morning mist on the 11th to cross the river south of Bray on a plank bridge a foot wide. He chose the latter course and withdrew his 150 men to Froissy valley. Some Germans, however, still clung to the steep slope and the riverside strip Ixlow, iinder the nose of the 5otl1, and

~~ ~ *0Lt F Fearnside, 49th Bn. Orchardist, of Stanthorpe, Q’land; b. York, Eng., 30 June 185~. ‘“The cross-road on the maps was really a bend of the main road While it was digging on the edge of the valley a voice ahFad called, “Who are you ?” Soineone replied “AustLalians here dun’t shoot The stranger said “A11 right, come on , and fired’ 30 shots fruni a machine-gun ThiAking it nns an Englishman or Ameiican. who was out 111 his bearings, th,t men cursed him and shouted that they were the 50th Bn “Coine on, Australia, repeated the stranger and fired another burst, Lt A P. Bills (Laura, SA ) was killed and a dozen others hit. As soon as it was realised that the speaker was German, a bomb was thrown, but he escaped through the long grass, leaving his machine-gun. UFinlasnn himself. when cast of Etinehem trjing to get touch with the goth, had almost run into a nunilier of men On his calling, a voice shouted. in German. aiid (as an account of the incident says) “he dived west and they dived east.‘ 11th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLT, PROYART, ETINEHEM 699 fired from here at the Australian stretcher-bearers, hitting a dozen of them.43 Daylight found the 13th Brigade in a commanding but diffi- cult position. Most of its posts looked down through steep ravines, in front or flank, on the roofs and church tower of Bray and the many-folded valley north of it, or south-eastwards on the hairpin river bend and across to Froissy Beacon high on the southern bank. A red-nosed German aeroplane came over again and again, as if in doubt. The airman, waving his hand, was fired at by the posts. The little chalk trenches had been partly covered with cut grass, but were startlingly plain on the green, and presently German guns, some directly enfilading from Proyart way, others behind Neuville or Froissy, others far- ther east, shot straight into the posts; some guns sniped even at single men. In Hodge’s company eight were killed ; Beresford’s had two posts blown out; a shell burst in one of Fowler’s posts. Mainly at this stage Tanibling’s company had 49 out of 110 men hit. For four hours German troops, seemingly three bat- talions, moved from Suzanne way down the hill slopes east of Bray, and through Bray44 to dead ground close before the Australian posts. They also reappeared on the south-eastern quarter of Etinehein penii~sula.~~

0 Including sonif that went out and brought in the wounded German officer who had tried to bluff” the 49th At another post Lt. W. R Wills (Semaphore, S.A.), hearing a ran call, lumped from the trench and ran to bring him in. Wills’s batman, who followed, was shot through the head. “One post could see them ciossing the square, and sniped at long range. &They were maid the ridge south of Hodge but at 11 o’clock a brigade scout, L.-CpI 6. FEoulter (Gooburrum, Bundaberi, Q’land) saw a line of men dig ing in at Etineliein ceiiietery. 500 yards south ot the village. He was certain %ey were Germans, but for hours the infantry commanders felt sure they were Finlason’s compan As the news spread scores of eyewitnesses looked curiously down from &essaire heights on these dozen fiaures, each digging furiously his little iifle-pit fivc paces from his neighbour. The artillery begged leave to fire, but not till Lt -Col Christie of the 5ist in person and a patrol sent separately by Finlason. made sure they were Germans, was pirmission given Then several batteries lashed them with shrapnel. The Germans lay low in their pits but these were probably too shallow to give much protection and all movement there appeared to cease 700 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [Ioth-11th Aug., 1918

Everything seemed to foreshadow a counter-attack against the now protruding line. The artillery was asked to shell the valley ahead, and Bray, and the oppo5ite slopes; but no attack followed‘G and eventually niore than one Australian officer concluded that the signs of counter-attack had a different ol-igin-that the panic on the previous night must have been general, the German troops abandoning Bray; that their staff had not discovered this until the red aeroplane came over ; and that the troops were now creeping back, by order, to their positions. German accounts show that this was so. Panic had caused a . general retirement to the spur behind Bray. though at the time (as the h.story of the 27th Dim says) the Australians “had not the slightest suspicioii of what a result lay open to them.” Even at 27th Divn. H.Q. near , five miles to the east, hostile troops were expected every minute, and defence was hurriedly organised. South of the Somme the retiring I/Irgth found wild rumour flying every- where. When it was realised that their opponents were not even in Bray, the remnants of the 265th R.I.R. (ZOO strong under Capt. Meht) and of the 120th and 137th IR., were ordered up from Cappy to retake the cliff top west of Bray, half the I/ligth (then guarding the bridgehead below) bemg ordered to join them. Shelling wade the march difficult, but these troops took up their positions on Etinehem peninsula, though the 265th could not gain the top of the cliffs until two alert Australian- posts, which they had bainly tried to cut out. were destroyed (accordmg to the German account) by heavy machine-gun fire. A line was re-established “but,” says the history of th:, 119th R.I.R., “the night of terror at Bray was not so soon forgotten The history of the 27th Dim. says that “the anxious night” will never be forgotten by those who experienced it. Thus so far as concerned the nortliern attack, made against Germans who had been under great pressure for three days, Moiiasli’s conception of the Germans’ condition was fully justified. But if he intended the tanks in the southern attack similarly to scare the enemy, this plan was not made clear to either tank or infantry leaders, and was not carried out. Whether, if it had been, all the German posts there-reserves who had been almost undisturbed for two days and were attacked on a narrower front-would have fled may be doubted. The result hoped for justified

Except a sortie about I p m. by some German post, re-established half way along the northern flank near the Bray-Corbie road Lt. Fearnside and five of the 49th who were hobbling hack wounded were intercepted by men from the pmt. Company headquarters saw the incident and a party tried to rescue the prisoners, but after having several men killed or wounded gave UP the attempt. loth-12th Aug., 19381 CBIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 701 the taking of some risk. But the difference between conditions on the Roman road and elsewhere was iiisuficiently recog- nised.

However, the attack of the , launched ini- mediately after the 10th Brigade and its tanks had withdrawn aid the morning mist had spread, carried the Mgricourt, line south of the Roman road to the upper August 11-12 course of Froissy valley, and left the Germans north of the road to be swept up by other means. General Gellibrand ordered the 10th Brigade, which now took over the front north of the Roman road, to send patrols to Proyart and, if it was empty, beyond it. As the 2nd Division also dis- covered, Proyart was held with many machine-guns. But on the other flank, at hiericourt, the Germans were now most precariously placed with the 13th Brigade behind them i3 RFGW on the Etinehem bend. Gelli- 2 brand accordingly ordered that they should be cut off at sunset that night by the seizure of the old 4F$<. .,,& line behind them. thrust-I,mo yards deepThe on 9 a front of some 500 yards --would end on the Sonime : it would be made by the 3;- 41st (Q.) Battalion of the 11th Brigade. Behind a 8 creeping barrage three coni- . panies, one behind the other, gj. ~~, .~ b, would move like a piston down a cylinder, between two standing barrages, one close on each flank.” After going a third of the distance the third company would stop, and mop up and hold the area passed through, facing to each flank. At two-thirds of the way, after crossing a valley, half of the second company would do the

“The hcavy artillery was to homhard machme-gun nests beyond the flanks, and MCricourt wllage. Machine-guns wele to lay a barrage on each Rank, and heavy trench mortars to bombard the road ~unct~onsat the southern edge of MCricourt. Two Stokes mortars went with the attack. 702 THE A.I.F. IN FR.4NCE [8th-I?th Aug., 1918 same. The leading company and half the second would seize the final area on and beyond the high riverside ridge (known to the Germans as "Georgsberg"). The Germans cut off in and around MCricourt would be mopped up at dawn by the 43rd Battalion (S. Aust.). The 13th and IGth Battalions had, on the night of the gth, pushed to the full August 8th objective in the Amiens Line.4s The 4Ist now had to assemble there in daylight and did so by trickling a few inen at a time along the trenches. At 8.30 p.n~.~~still in bright daylight, the barrage fell, but so thin50 that it merely aroused the German posts in MCricourt and in Cateaus Woods to the left of the objective and St. Ger- main Woods to the right. A smoke barrage, however, screened the companies from such Germans as were actually behind them, at MCricourt. The barrage of the Vickers machine-guns kept down fire from the flanks, and Lieut. Brown51 of the 11th L.T.M. Battery, standing in the open, turned his two mortars on the nearer German machine-guns, and suppressed them until he was mortally wounded. By hard fighting with one machine-gun post after another the 4rst advanced along the systetn, tlie men dropping into the old trenches and clearing them as they went, this cover saving many lives. By the time the valley was crossed, and the road near the second hilltop reached, the artillery fire had ceased. Against one machine- gun holding up his platoon Lieut. Woodfords2 adopted the plan of sending his inen to attack from each side while he attacked from the front. He received tlie full stream of fire and was killed, but the gun was taken. On descending the Sonime slope as far as the scrubby bank where the trenches ended, the officers fired the success signal-a green flare. It was now dark, and later, while the Queenslanders were dig- ging, shovels were also heard on this slope below. Lieuts.

"That is to the hlCricourt-Proyart road A German machine-gun crew which crossed this'in the morning was rushed by Lt. L. hl. Player (Sydney) and some men, and the gun captured. 40 "Summer" time. The true time uras 7.30. WOne account says the 3rd Div's batteries were short of ammunition. 61 Lt. D Brown, hl C 11th LT 31 Bty Locomotive fireman: of Charters Towers, Q'land. h Charters Towers, zg Oct 1895 Died of wounds, 17 Aug. 1918. 'SLt J. E Woodfoid. jist Iln Linotype operator, of Charters Towers, Q'land; b. Grangetown, Yorks, Eng., ai Feb. 1885. Killed in action, IZ Aug. 1918. 11th-12th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 703

Hanley and MacGibbon53 (intelligence officer of the 4Ist) and a private went down, bombs in hand, to explore, when they heard someone cough on the slope above. MacGibboii threw his bomb which was answered by German bombs. After a sharp tussle those Germans who were left surrendered, and tha two officers marched tlieni up the hill to the outposts. At a cost of 74 casualties to itself54 the qrst had captured its objective and nearly 200 prisoners,55 and during the night 2 officers and 70 others cut off in Cateaux Woods surrendered in a body. At 4.20 the 43rd began to clear RiQicourt. and there and in Cateaus Woods captured 85 prisoners, 13 machine- guns, and many stores without losing a man. The exposure of the German forces in the MCricourt area and on the “Georgsberg” which had caused the Australian leaders to attack, had also induced the German leaders as early as 8 a.m. on Aug. II to order the withdrawal of their troops there. It was, however, too dangerous to move by day, and therefore the local commanders pre- pared for a withdrawal at dark. Before they moved the attack struck them.56 It reached the headquarters of the composite battalion of the g;th I.R. (108th Divn.) holding that front, and captured the battalion commander and one company. The party met by the two Australian oficers on the Somme bank was probably the forward zone garrison from MCricourt with a number of whom Lt. Hein managed to escape by that route. The attack also struck the northern flank of Dultz’s Regiment57 of whose two northern companies few escaped. Farther south Dultz’s machine-guns were turned round aiid fired into the Australians’ flank. The Germans formed a new line on Hill 81, west of Chuignolles. In the area still hemmed by the Australian advances on the Hanks-St. Gerniain Woods and the Proyart basin-a nibbling process began forthwith. It will be remem- The patrol bered that the 2nd Division noted a great battle at Proyart decrease iii the activity of German machine- guns at Propart late on August 11th. The 10th Brigade’s posts were impressed by the same change early “Capt F W hlacGi1)bon. RI C 4ist Rn. Sugar cane planter, of Prosergine, Q’land, b Brisbane, 17 Jan rSgr: He had seen from the old line the success signal and with a scout, Pte J. P Bell (Ch2rters Towers, Q’land) had come over the captured ground, taking some prisoners bur seeing nothing of the 4ist. who were 011 guard to right and left. G4 Including Capt P F Calow (Sandgate O’land. and Armidale. N S W ) and Lts I.. H Rogers (Fortitude Valley, Q’lana; died z Dec. 1930) and F. E Perrouv (MacCay. Q’land), badly wounclrd Of the 97th I R. and 33rd Pion. Bn. (108th DIV), and 13th I R (13th Div ). seThe German accounts, as usual describe it as made by “thick masses”-- actually, as then usual, it was mad; by a light force w I/rgth I R., II/iogrd R.1 R and fragments of sister units. 704 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [IIth-12th Aug., 1918 on the 12th. Lieut. Crosby (40th Bn.) north of the Roman road reported that his men had been walking in the open without being fired on. On the previous day Maj. Maudsley of the 3Sth, in his much shelled headquarters at la Flaque, had asked for leave to attempt clearing the valley-side behind Proyart.5s He had received no instructions, but next morning his two centre companies reported that the Germans seemed to have withdrawn. He ordered patrolling to begin, and Brig.- Genl. hilcNicol1, on hearing from the 40th also, directed his three forward battalions to try to gain by patrolling a line on the far side of Proyart valley. By arrangement with General Caiman, RIcNicoll estended his brigade's left 500 yards north- wards to include the whole front opposite Proyart. Cannan informed the battalion nest in line, the 42nd (Q.) that the Germans were withdrawing and ordered it to keep touch with and press them. The divisional artil- lery and machine-guns were asked not to fire this day west of the road from Avenue Cross to Chuig- I?Ol les. The first patrols to move were those of Capt. Fairweather's com- pany of the 3Stl1, north of the Roman road. They advanced north-east across the open, pass- ing the Proyart-Rainecourt road. But after going a quarter of a mile they were stopped by machine-guns nearly half a mile ahead, along the Chuignolles- Rainecourt road, particularly deadly being the fire from Avenue Cross. To clear this and let the patrols get on, Capt. DencI~,~~ whose company lay astride the Roman road, at IO a.m. ordered Lieut. BasterGo with the centre platoon to seize that post as

re He urged that no time be lost as the Germans' morale seemed to be failing. On the 11th two posts had heen brought in as prisoners One had been seen in the mist. 80 lards from Lt. 13 F. Poole's compaily As soon as the men rnuld he recngnised as German, L -cpl J C. Lewis (Port nfelhourne, Vic ) and Pte. E. A. G. Smith (Nemcnstle. N.S W) rushed them 6s Capt H Dench. 9th Bn Estate agent: of Camherwell, Vic.; b South Alelbourn'e, 29 Apr. IS& Killed in action, 24 Aug. 1918 0 Lt. F J Bauter. Af C , 38th Bn School teacher. of Miaiuia and Leichardt. Vir. b Bendigo. Vic, 17 July 1832. Died rg June I~ZI 12th Aug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 705 soon as possible, Lieut. McColl’sel platoon, in the wheatfield south of the road, assisting him. Meanwhile the foremost platoons of the 40th and 37th also had gone out as patrols, advancing “by bounds,” other platoons following several hundred yards in rear ready to come up and tackle any posts that the others located. The patrol of the right company of the 4oth, led by Lieut. Rock,e2 reached some old trenches near the Proyart-Rainecourt road, from which it could just look into the valley south-east of Proyart where the objective lay. But the whole area being open fields the platoon was seen and heavily shelled and machine-gunned-the enemy’s new line appeared to lie along the farther slope. Both of Rock’s Lewis guns and most of his men were hit, and he went back to bring up the next platoon; but the Germans shelled any movement here so heavily that the company was stopped all day in the precarious shelter of seme old British Nissen huts. The patrol of the 40th’~left company under Lieut. Parrye3 found meals left on the tables in Proyart, and one or two machine-guns hastily abandoned. Patrols of the 37th found similar conditions in the centre and north of the village,64 but on emerging into the open valley beyond, were sharply fired on from near the railwaye5 which, after crossing on an embankment the valley south-east of the village, passed northwards in a cutting along the far side of the valley. Sergt. Billingee of the 4otl1, scouting alone, saw beyond this railway, just north of the Proyart- road, a line of trenches full of Germans, who, with supports in the woods edging Froissy valley, made the railway there difficult to approach. Sergt. McCrohone7 (37th) also, with a patro1,Bs after surprising and capturing six Germans in a dugout, noted

ULt. H. McColl. .38th Bn Accountant: of Bendigo, Vic ; b. Bendigo, 14 Dec. 1888. Killed in action, IZ Aug. 1918. ea Lt. C. W. D. Rock 40th Bn. Bank clerk: of Launceston, Tas : b. Nymagee, N.S.W., 17 Dit. 1890. “Lt L. L. Parry, 40th Bn. School teacher; of Elliott, Tas.; b Lefroy, Tas., xa May 1Sg5. MLt. F. R. Kenley’s patrol captured one German there. (Kenley belonged to Elsternwick, Vic ). “Part of the old civilian narrow-gauge line from Rosieres to . mSgt. E. W. Billing. D.C.M. M.M., (No. 128; 40th Bn.). Labourer: of North West Coast, Tas ; b. St. Leonards, Tas.. 4 Aug 1886. mCpl. (T/Sgt ) W. C. McCrohon M M (No 2730‘ 37th Bn.). Borler- maker; of Chatswood, N.S.W.: b. Tingha, N.S.W. io SCD.’I~O~.. _. mOf Capt. W. L. Allen’s company, centre of the 37th. (Allen belonged to . N.S.W. and Toorak, VIC) 706 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [uth Aug., 1918 these posts. Through these reconnaissances both Parry's patrol and the nearest partae of the 37th under Lieut. Long70 were enabled to reach separate points on the railway south-east and east of the village respectively. Farther north, during the next four hours, working cautiously as there was no time limit, Lieut. Urquhart71 and parts of the left company of the 37th (Capt. TowP) reached the cemetery (known as Cross on Shrine) 200 yards west of it. But the two remaining platoons of the right company, trying to cross the open east of the village, were stopped by intense fire from the German posts. At 2.30 Lieut. Ker~haw'~with a patrol tried to find a way for them, but when near the railway he was killed, and Sergt. T00good~~and others wounded. Meanwhile the main obstacle to the 38th had been removed. At the Roman road Lieut. Baxter with four very small parties had worked forward quickly-one party along the road ditch, the others by alternate rushes past a derelict tank75 to an old trench IOO yards from Avenue Cross-and finally, after sharp preparatory fire by another platoon, had, on a prearranged signal, rushed the post from three sides. It was a long charge and two Lewis gunners were shot before the post was reached and surrendered. Including several small posts near by, 29 Germans with 3 machine-guns were captured. A few of McColl's platoon arrived to take over the posts-their leader was afterwards found dead in the wheatfield. German rein- forcements from the woods in Froissy valley filtered up an old trench near by and also to posts along the Chuignolles road. The 38th though pounded with shells clung to its objective lower on the slope.'6 The 38th'~attack came against the centre of the 232nd R.I.R.

~~ 'OOf the right company under Lt. P. L. Aitken (Toorak, Vic ) 7OLt. C. R. Long, 37th Bn. Law clerk; of Melbourne; b. South Yarra, Vic., 14 Mar. 1894. Lt. T. H. Urquhart 37th Bn.. Meatworks' manager; of Malvern, Vic, and Parramatta, N S.W ; b. i'endon, Vic., 7 Nov. 1881. 7* Capt. P. C. Towl, D S 0 37th Bn. Geologist; of Ballarat, Vic.; b. Ballarat, 28 Dec. 18;9 Died of 'kounds. 8 Sep. 1918 TaLt. J. Kershaw, 37th Bn. Farmer; of Carron Downs, VIC ; b. Belfast, Ireland, 1891. Killed in action. I? Aug. 1918 74 L -Sgt. E. G. Toogood (No 721, 37th Bn ). Orchardist, of Box Hill, Vic.; b. Camperdown. Vic., IO Sep. 1895. Died ol wounds, 13 Aug. 1918. '6One of the Mark V* that helped the 2nd Div. on Aug. g 7eIt lost 3 oficers and 84 others this day and I and 16 on Aug 10.11. 12th Aug., 19181 CfiIPlLLY, PROYAkT, BTINEHEhi 707

(107th Divn.). Most of the 10th Company of that regiment was lost and the 2nd suffered heavy casualties. The Germans seen were trying to retake the position. At noon the 4oth, then held up west of the valley, was ordered by the brigadier to push on. At 3 o'clock Lieut. McMillan of the left company worked his scouts, and after them his platoon, along the railway towards Parry's position. German outposts across the valley enfiladed the line, but in twos and threes, hugging bank and cutting and shelter- ing in old trenches, they got there. Finding the support platoon in the village, McMillan told its commander, Sergt. Statton,?? to dribble two Lewis gun teams to a bend of the embankment, and, while they suppressed a machine-gun and snipers under the trees on the Chuignes road, RlcMillan moved his platoon safely into the valley. His scouts found that the trenches above them, their objective, were empty78 and, despite machine-gun fire from the Chuignes road close on the left, the platoon was dribbled into them. At this stage about 6 p.m., a message arrived from the 37th, which after bringing up a fresh company on the right79 was going to try again to advance from the village. Mchfillan, in the valley, and Sergt. Statton, at the northern end of the captured trench, could see the machine-guns that were stop- ping the 37th-a line of four guns 150 yards east of the railway. Statton undertook to turn his two Lewis guns on these while the 37th attacked. An N.C.O. and a dozen of the 37th made the rush, but the German machine-guns could not be suppressed, and only two survivors of the attacking party were seen to get back. Then Statton, getting three men to follow him, left his position, worked along the bank of the Chuignes road to a point eighty yards south of the southernmost German machine-gun, and f roni there, revolver in hand, dashed over the open towards it. Its crew was in- tent on the 37th, and, reaching the post, he shot two gunners, his companionss0 shooting the others. Rushing on Statton shot Sgt. P. C. Statton. V.C., M hl. (No. 506; 40th Bn.). Farmer; of Tyenna, Tas.; b. Bcaconsfield, Tas., zi Oct. 1890. '8The scmts. Sgt. E. W. Billing and Pte. W. Cox (Deloraine. Tas.), pushed on. Detecting a post 300 yards away, Billlnq crept to a ruhlnsh heap, from which he hot at aoo yards three of the garrison. The remainder fled. "Lt. A. M. Murdocb's, to relieve Lt. P. L. Aitken's. "Cpl. W. J. W. Upchurch (Huonville. Tas.) and Ptes. L. Styles (Ringarooma, Tas.) and N. T. Beard (Melton Mowbray, Tas.). 708 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [IIth-12th Aug., 1918 down the second crewB1 and then headed for the third and fourth, but they fled, abandoning their guns. At this stage the machine-guns at Robert Wood again opened, hitting two of the Tasmanians.s2 But the main obstacle had been cleared and the right of the 1 37th under Lieut. Nariks3 reached the railway about dusk. The German posts retired leaving eight machine- guns. Farther south, as the right company of the 40th was still faced by heavy fire, most of it was tiioved round to McMillan's posi- tion and thence dribbled out towards the objective. At dark the posts of the 40th advanced 200 yardsa4 Because of the Australian thrusts north of the Somme and south of the Roman road, the 108th Divn., whose left regiment (122nd) had defended the south of Proyart, had been ordered on the evening of August 11th to withdraw to the spur east of Proyart valley. Its history says that after daylight its advanced posts on the eastern edge of the village were slowly thrust back. It was probably the northern posts of this regiment that Statton seized. The task given by Brig.-Genl. Cannan (11th Bde.) to the end Battalion, in the area north of the 37th, involved clearing all enemy posts from the strip-a mile or more wide-between the patrols of the 10th Brigade on the right and the ground now held by the 41st on the left. The right company of the end, first to receive the order, sent a patrol under Lieut. Pricea5 through the northern end of Proyart (which was left to the 10th Brigade) and thence north-eastwards along the road towards Chuignolles.- An hour later Lieut. McLeansG 81 After he had fired his reniaining cartridges at it a surviving German came at him with the bayonet, but Statton wrenched away the rifle and bayoneted him. Statton was awarded the Victoria Cross. 81 Styles was killed and Upchurch wounded. ea Lt. E. F. Narik, 37th Bn. Wcol-buyer; of Melbourne; b. Carlton, Vie. 8 Sep. 1888. 'In this day's operation the 40th had some 50 casualties. and the 37th 27. "Lt. J. H. N. Price, M.C, 4znd Bn. Farmer, of Brishane. b. Homerton. near Hamilton, VIC., I Apr. 1889. Ma]. J. hIcLean. D.S.O., bl C., 4znd Bn. Farmer; of Warwick, Q'land; b. Warwick, a8 Oct. 1896. . 12th Aug., rgr8] CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 709 with au extended platoon of the same compatiy advanced over the open in the same direction, dodging bursts of machine-gun fire by lying down. Next, working northwards along the road from Proyart towards the Sonime, McLean reached a point behind St. Germain Wood, actu- ally in rear of the Germans facing the other companies. When these companies started, the fire of German machine-guns and artillery increased to great intensity. The Australian bat- teries were restricted by their orders, and at some huts in St. Gerinaiii Wood, and at the quarry behind it, a large body of the enemy held out. Stokes nio r t a r s w o ul d h av e g rea t 1y helped, but here too their probable usefulness had been over- looked. Eventually the supporting artillery put fifty shells into the huts. The German artillery, misled by the appearance of Australians on the ridge to the east, vigorously shelled the huts also, heedless of the fares fired by the German infantry. The Queenslanders then advanced covered by their Lewis guns ; 100 prisoners were captured and many machine-guns, of which McLeati‘s patrol took seven. On the ridge south of the Somnie Germans could be seen streaming eastwards to escape encirclement. The 42nd, which entered the fight with little over 300 had to move over open slopes vehemently shelled, but, after the most difficult fighting so far experienced by it in the war, it advanced over the hill east of Proyart gully until well be- yond its objective and the flank of the 10th Brigade. Below, in a branch of Froissy valley, lay Chuignolles. German histories make it clear that the 42nd reached the village and the Ger- mans believed they had lost it. On the hill north of it German troops in old trenches ahead of a solitary platoon of the 42nd, made plain signs of surrender, though their officers tried to prevent them. But the Australian postss-seven men and a

sl The history of the German regiment attacked speaks of “strong masses.” uI Apparently near a ruined windmill beyond the cross-roads. 710 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE f12th Aug., 1918

Lewis gun under Lieut. Boormanaa-had no support nearer than 300 yards, and at this stage (about 6 p.m.) German reinforce- ments began to pour up the valley. Boorman’s Lewis gunner, lying at the cross-roads on the hill, fired alternately down the roads-now into the valley, now along the spur, where the Germans were thick in Luc and Long Woods. Up the valley came several hun- dreds with many machine-guns, and on this front the 42nd, now holding a 2,000 yards front with 250 men, fell back several hundred yards to behind the Proyart- Bray road.e0 Capt. Jack was killed and Lieuts. O’Connor@l and McLean, and many N.C.O’s were hit. At 4 p.m. a company of the 43rd (S. Aust.) was guided up through heavy shelling by Capt. Frenche2 and Lieut. MacGibbon along the Sotnme slope on the left, and extended the flank along the riverside ridge?3

The end had advanced farther than its own records admit. The remnants of the exhausted 13th, 15th and 97th I.R. were driven off the hill north of Chuignolles. The history of the 17th Hussar Regt. speaks of “a vehement fight to seize Chuignolles.” At 3.40 the 478th I.R., between Proyart and Chuignolles sent up its S.O.S. signal-the German artillery had already for ten minutes been laying down “annihilation fire.” The 478th was hard pressed ;94 but two companies of its reserve battalion,Dj together with two that had fallen back on the village, two of the 7th Pion. Bn., and remnants of the 13th and 43rd Res. Divns., counter-attacked up the valley. Hill 81 was recap- tured with a cheer. The 122nd concentrated its fire northwards, swung

88 Lt. A. C Boorman, M C.. 42nd En. Concert artist (under stage name Arthur Riscoe) of Brisbane, b. Yorks., Eng, 19 Nov. 1892 One platoon, in trenches west of Robert Wood, lay low and retired at dark. 91 Lt. W. L. O’Connor, M.C, M.M., 4md Bn. Engine cleaner; of Adelaide; b. Meningie, S.A., zo Jan. 1bg6. Maj. C. W. S. French, M C., 41st Bn. School teacher; of Charters Towers, Q’land; b. hlaryborough, Q’land, 3 June 1889. It had aq men hit. As soon as it arrived French and MacCibbon had to ride back and bring up part of the 17th British Div. which took over the line that nlght. The relieving battalion of the L~ncolnshircReg. also was strongly shelled as It arrived. It took over from a company of 56 men. “It was also shelled and bombed from the air by its own side. -It had two battalions in line and one in reserve. rzth-~jthAug., 19181 CHIPILLY, PROYART, ETINEHEM 711 round two heavy machine-guns, and was about to throw in its support battalion when “the enemy fled back over the bare hill.” In this day’s fighting seven or eight forward field-guns of the 26th F.AR. “had an opportunity to employ themselves splendidly.” The 42nd which, unassisted by artillery, had engaged at least twice its own number of infantry backed by artillery, held, not all its gains, but all the ground that Monash had intended to gain.06 Meanwhile north of the river Brig.-Genl. Herring, at a con- f erence with his battalion leaders, arranged to finish clearing Etinehem peninsula on the night of August Etinehem 12th. Harburn’s and McBurnie’sg7 compan- peninsula ies of the 51st formed ahead of Finlason’s, astride of the road leading round the foot of the peninsula, and at I a.m. attacked behind an excellent barrage laid by the 10th and 11th A.F.A. Brigades - (under Lieut.-Col. Williamsg8). ?hey were met with a splutter of fire but the ground was taken without real resistance, about 100 Germans sur- rendering.g9 The 50th Battalion was to join up with the left of the 51st by sending patrols down the two steep chines leading to the Somme south-west of Bray, with platoons to dig in behind them. But a Ger- man post half way down the cliff turned four machine-guns upon one platoon digging on the m During this afternoon. which was quiet on the rest of the Corps front, General Monash was knighted by the King on the steps of ChPteau Considerable ceremony was arranged, the broad drive being lined with Australian troops and captured guns “Ca t E D hIcBurnie M.C., gist Bn. Clerk; of South Melbourne; b. South kelbdurni, 19 June I’885. mCo1. T. I. C. Williams, D.S.O., V.D. Commanded 10th A FA. Bde.. 1917. 1918-19 12th A.F.A. Bde., rgr7-18. Dental Surgeon, of Sydney; b. Sldney, a3 JUI~)1880. -While the new line was being laid out in the moonlight, Sgt. W. Lehane scouting ahead of a post saw men and challenging them, was fired on. He rushed them and they bolted to a dugout’behiAd a hank. Lchane stood over its entrance, and at his call more than 60 came out as prisoners. Seeing two Australians above. he asked their help and marched the party in At dawn. the Intelligence Officer of the gist, Lt. S. E. Joyce (Burnie, Tas ), going round the froqt. found thee Australians throwing lumps of earth over a hank at some Germans in rifle-pits evidently missed in the attack. Another Australian arriving. the five rushed the pits and 30 Germans surrendered (Lehane who belonged to Mareeba land, was in charge of two guns of the 13th hi G. Coy. He died of wounds on 1’8%eep rgr8.) 712 THE A.I.F. IN FRANCE [gth-~qthAug., 1918 spur above, hitting many men including the leader,loO and then attacked from the rear Lieut. Livesey’sl patrol farther down the ravine, other Germans by the river attacking it at the same time. Corpl. Mengersen2 who had led the patrol down the northern gully tried to help Livesey by attacking these Germans from below, but his bombs could not reach them up the slope. Livesey managed to extricate his party, and captured I 5 prisoners and 2 n~achine-guns.~Mengersen held on below the slope till next morning when Major Fowler ordered his withdrawal. The slope to the Somme was there- fore not taken, but the German position there was precarious, and Livesey, attacking on the night of the 13th after Stokes mortar bombardment, found it abandoned. Posts were estab- lished at the foot of the cliff. On the night of the 14th the 131st American Regiment took over the front line.4 This attack fell on a provisional battalion of the 265th R.I.R. (Io8th Divn.) occupying with three heavy machine-guns an old enemy bivouac on the cliff side, and a similar remnant of the 137th I.R., south-east of Etinehem. The history of the 265th says that its two companies were attacked from above and from the road below and the front line driven back on the supports. From positions reached on the flank the Australians caused much loss to the supports which therefore retired to a trench ZOO yards west of Bray. On the Australian front the objective set on August 9th had thus everywhere been attained.

m Lt. J. D. L. Craven, 50th Bn. Draper; of Adelaide, b. N. Adelaide, 16 July I Sgr . 1Lt. G. M. Livesey, 50th Bn. Clerk; of Semaphore, SA, b. Broken Hill, N.S.W., o Aug. 1893. * Cpl. T/S .) I. 0. Mengersen. D.C.M. (No. 4560; soth Bn.). Farmer; of Palmer, 4 A. ~ . Palmer, zg Dec. 1898. ‘Of the nlatoons under Lts F. B hIcBryde (N Adelaide) and H. L. Billing (Mafvern, SA.), which were to dig posts down the gullies, McBryde’s captured a machine-gun and a trench-mortar. 4 The American company commander, an admirable officer though inexperienced, would not take over the post down the slope, consideiing it too isolated.