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[Page 19]
During our stay at Moolonacker the training chiefly consisted of small route marches & on one occasion the battalion was inspected by General Walker the Divisional Commander which took place during some very heavy rain. Whilst here the battalion was issued with steel helmets or commonly called "Tin Hats" by the troops which added a few more pounds in weight to our equipment. There were no sizes to these hats which had a broad chin strap & very heavy rubber lining for comfort also to take the force of the shock should it be hit. Close by the billet was a divisional bath which consisted of a number of hot showers which were heated by a stationary steam engine. The troops were able to get a clean change of under clothing providing they handed in a dirty article when it would be exchanged for a clean, the dirty clothes would then be washed by Frenchwomen who were employed by the military for such duties, then be reissued as clean. The battalion was timed to leave Moolonacker on the 16th April but did not get away till four days later owing to practically everyone of us becoming infested with body lice we were occupied that time in getting rid of the vermin. During the afternoon parade on the 19th our company was warned to be ready to move off next morning also being told we were going up close behind the front line. Reveille was at 4.15 AM on the 20th & all the company gear & blankets had to be rolled up & placed on the battalion transport waggons & at 6.30AM we fell in & started to march. The route lay mostly through back roads which were very narrow, lined on either side by a green hedge. We also passed through several small villages & after marching for several hours a halt was called temporary billets being occupied on the western outskirts of the town of Sailly. it was during this march that the troops realized that they were going into action most of us for the first time & the feelings were a mixture of curiosity & serious meditation. Our stay in this billet lasted five hours for at dusk the company was fallen in, & set off on the march passing through the town of Sailly which at a much earlier date had been shelled by the Huns & the ruins were very numerous. Before starting the march our felt hats had to be rolled up & put into our packs for steel helmets were to be worn on account of going into the forward area this being the first time we wore the helmets which proved to be very heavy & hot to the head for they lacked ventilation. After crossing a railway line about a mile beyond Sailly the company was order to advance in artillery formation, which meant small parties in single file at intervals, as we were then approaching the very forward area precautions being necessary although it was dark. The reasons for small parties at intervals was to prevent more men than necessary being killed by one shell should the enemy open out with artillery. Finally we reached our billet in reserves which was occupied by "C" Company of the 9th Battalion who we relieved then shown to our place in the billet. The building was two story high my platoon being allotted to the top floor where we found several shell holes in the roof for it transpired that Fritz had made an artillery target of the place. That night we found to our surprise that the lice which we had been infested with at Moolonacker had proved very fortunate for our company, but terribly unlucky for "C" Company 9th Battalion for on account of our delay they had been sent up to this position in our place. When we arrived up at the billet to relieve them we found that during that day Fritz had been shelling the place obtaining two or three direct hits on the billet causing seventy five casualties to the company. When we turned in to bunk that night our felling was far from the best for taking over the billet in the dark none of us knew exactly where we were & guns were firing all round us.