Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 28]
the duty being to prevent men from getting off the train when ever it may stop, & these duties were welcome for it meant I was able to stretch my legs when the train stopped anywhere. The train journey lasted about seven hours proving a very monotonous ride for the train was continually stopping & all the boys were pleased when we received the order to disentrain at Fienvillers. When the troops had all lined up in the railway yard the battalion was marched to an adjoining field where breakfast was partaken of also a very necessary rest. The spell lasted about an hour, at the end of which time the battalion was lined up starting off on the march. That day we marched fifteen miles passing through several small villages finally reaching the billets allotted to us at St Ouens about dusk. St Ouens proved a very fine town, being a big mining centre & that night the troops had a very good time for we were the first Australians in that town & naturally the French people were very curious being very nice to all the boys. It was late that night when the boys made their way to bed for in most cases they were overtired with the day experiences. The stay in this town was only short for just after dinner the next day the battalion moved off again going to Vignacourt about four miles distant. All the houses & troop billets in this village were fitted out with electric Light but the place was practically deserted of inhabitants but it was used as a big army rail head for stores & gun parks. By this time the troops knew that they were in the Somme District & making for the front line area where the big offensive was in full swing. The battalion left Vignacourt next morning the 13th July marching as far as Allonville where we were put into tents it being the first time in tents since leaving Egypt. The ground on which we were encamped belonged to the big brandy distillers of Hennesseys but at that time the distillery was not working & the grounds & buildings had been taken over by the Military authorities. The whole of the 1st Brigade was billetted in & around Allonville, three battalions being encamped in the same grounds as us. The distillery grounds was also a big concentration ground for packs belonging to soldiers who had been killed or wounded in the big offensive & at the time we were there, there were some thousands of these packs which we were told were to be inspected & all private gear separated from military issue. The stay at Allonville lasted three days during which time the Brigade was trained in wood fighting for our turn in the big offensive which we knew was not far distant. Close by where we were camped was a big aerodrome & the troops spent their spare time of a day in watching the manoeuvres of the planes in ascending & descending. After parade of a day the troops would congregate in the village square & it was here that I saw the largest "two up" schools in my life for hundreds of pounds were at stake each time the pennies were spun, the troops taking their wins, with their losses in a real sporting way. The battalion left Allonville on the 16th July passing through several small village to the town of Warloy where we were billetted. Warloy is a fair size town & at that time had a fair population also several military hospitals & big ammunition & store dumps. Whilst there the battalion was reorganized the platoons being made complete fighting units comprising of four sections as follows, Riflemen, Wire Cutters, Bombers Machine Gunners & each section was issued with colored armlets to represent their section so as they could be identified on sight. I was detailed with the wire cutters being issued with a navy blue armlet two inches wide which had to be worn on both arms above the elbow. A piece of pink material four inches square was also issued to each man having to be sewn on the back of the tunic just below the neck band.