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[Page 65]
6 No 5
5 No 7
14 No 6
25
Sgt Little
Belt & Side
[Then upside down is written]
H Finley
17 Batt
France
[On the right hand side of the page is a diagram, probably of the locations of the stores, with the heading:]
RQM No 1
Transport " "
AMC " 3
[Transcriber's notes
Albert page 25 – is due east of Warloy Baillon.
Argoeuves page 24 – is about 5 miles NW of the centre of Amiens.
Armontieres page 12 – is Armentieres which is on the French Belgian border about 3 kms north of Bois-Grenier.
Beauval is about 9 miles ENE of Herissart.
Bethune page 6 – is about 20kms south of Hazebrouck and is in an area heavily involved in the war.
Gen. Birdwood page 40 – Field Marshall William Riddell Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, (13 September 1865 – 17 May 1951) was a WW1 British general who is best known as the commander of the ANZACs during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915, where 'Birdie's' serene courage won the admiration of all. His concern for the soldiers and his fighting spirit became important factors in Anzac morale.
Bois Grenier page 10 – is a village about 10 kms SE of Steenweerck and about 4 miles west of Armentieres.
Bolton page 6 - is about 20 kms NW of Manchester.
Caestres page 20 – is Caestre about 12 miles NW of Croix-du-bac.
Calis page 21 – is Calais.
Cardinette page 23 – is Cardonette. It is about 7 miles ENE of Argoeuves and about 5 miles NNE of Amiens.
Contalmason page 29 – is Contalmaison about 4 miles NE of Albert and about a mile south of Pozieres.
Contay page 46 – is about 3 miles SSE of Harponville and 2 miles W of Warloy-Baillon.
Croix-du-bac page 18 – is as written, about six miles NW of Bois-Grenier and is about 4 miles west of Armentieres. It is a very small village.
Doulins page 56 – looks like MacDonald meant "Loading Party for trains in Doullens". Doullens is a town about 6kms north of Beauval.
Eastleigh page 5 – is about three miles north of Southampton.
Ebblingham page 21 – is Ebblinghem about 3 kms east of Renescure.
Enfilade page 60 – this means the Germans can fire at the Allied troop positions from the side. More technically a formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapons fire can be directed along its longest axis. For instance, a trench is enfiladed if the opponent can fire down the length of the trench.
Erquinghem page 20 – is Erquinghem-Lys is about 1 km SE of Croix-du-bac.
Folkestone page 5 – is on the south coast of Kent.
Halloy page 42 - is about 8 miles NNE of La Vicogne.
Harponville page 45 – is 10-12 miles due east of La Vicogne. It is also about 2 miles N of Warloy-Baillon where they started from on 6th August.
Herresart page 53 – is Herissart about 4 miles NW of Contay.Hill 60 page 59 – Hill 60 was a low rise on the south of Ypres and was named after the 60 metre contour which marked its bounds. It was a strategically significant area of high ground coveted by both sides for the duration of the war and had been captured by the Germans in 1914. In April 1915 The Royal Engineers built six mines (tunnels) which were filled with around 10,000 pounds of explosives. The resulting explosions flung debris almost 300 feet into the air and scattered it for a further 300 yards in all directions.
La Vicogne page 42 – is about 10 miles WNW of Warloy-Baillon.
Millencourt page 46 – is about 6 miles E of Contay and is about 3 miles W of Albert.
Poperinghe page 57 – is Poperinge which is now in Belgium about 10kms from the French border and about 12 kms west of Ieper or Ypres.
Pozieres page 25 – is about 5 miles NE of Albert.
Poziers Road page 48 – is Pozieres Road which runs from Fricourt (about 3 miles east of Albert) north to Pozieres
Renescure page 21 – is about 12 miles WSW of Caestre and about 6 miles due west of Hazebrouck.
Reubempre page 23 – is Rubempre about 6 miles north of Cardonette.
Salient page 59 – A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable.
Sap page 30 – Sap / Sapping: In trench warfare, small 'sap' trenches were dug at roughly ninety degrees out from existing lines. Then a new trench line was dug at the front of the saps. This was a slow, but relatively safe, way of moving forward.
St Omer page 21 – west of Rensecure as is Arques, (not spelled Arquis).
Sausage Gully page 34 – This was a valley about 400 yards wide and about half a mile long, on the rise at the head of which ran the Contalmaison road (between Contalmaison and Pozieres). The gully, in addition to being the main avenue for traffic to and from the battle zone at this part of the front, was packed with artillery of every calibre, which kept up a continuous fire on the enemy. It was to this busy spot that the wounded were borne from the front line by stretcher bearers and transferred to horse and motor ambulances. The movement of men and transport gave the gully a scene of indescribable activity and the German artillery fire made it as unhealthy as it was busy. (Extract from the 24th Battalion History)
Steenwerk page 4 – is Steenwerck about 5 kms west of Armentieres which is on the France Belgium border.
Streaky Bacon farm page 18 – in a diary written by a Welsh medical office Travis Hampson MC, he mentions it was the 19th Brigade headquarters and so called from the layers of light and dark bricks of which it was built.
Surbiton page 7 - is a suburb of London about 18lkms SW of the city and about 5kms south of Richmond.
Talma page 42 – This is not written clearly but is probably Talmas (pronounced Talma) which is about 2 miles south of La Vicogne.
Tara Hill page 51 – Tara Hill is not a local place name but one given by certain battalions of the Northumberland Fusiliers, known as the 'Tyneside Irish', to the hill which rises just east of Albert. (Tara is the famous hill in County Meath where the High Kings of Ireland reigned in ancient times.).
Taubes page 47 – a Taube was a German warplane with very distinctive wings. They were shaped like birds' wings. The tail was also flared like a bird's.
Warloy page 24 – is Warloy Baillon about 6 miles east of Rubempre.
Winchester page 5 – is about 5kms north of Eastleigh.
Wizbang page 59 – or Whiz-bag was a German shell that made that sort of noise
Ypres page 57 – is about 12 kms east of Poperinge. It has the Cloth Hall and Tower which has been rebuilt.]
[Transcribed by Miles Harvey, Adrian Bicknell for the State Library of New South Wales]