Item 06: Frank H. Molony diary, 25 March 1918-7 August 1918 - Page 169

[Page 169]

June 20
new growing suburbs as Maroubra. Must get hold of some details as to laws of property, and theory of loans and mortgage.

220.
All the day dull, and tonight rain: an hour's sun in the afternoon brought to the pool the usual engineers.

Frank D. up today for sketch: but it will have to wait over for the July "Ghutz". Copy 6 may be out tomorrow.

221.
Later. Back from a long walk in the wounderful colour of the evening with Ken, a walking to the outer fringe of Marie Cappel and there supper of chips, Golden brown chips, served by a girl full of the strange stolid beauty of the Flame, a fine small headed brown cat there – a cat of a pure Egyptian build and manner.

222.
When all Patrol Reports come to be collected and edited for publishing, there will be such a collection of such daring episodes that will almost appear as overdone satires of full blooded adventure yarns. These from "The Times" of June 18, each day's report from the Divisional front holds at least some such episode – as a 'Minor Operation'. Today's report from the Centre Bttn. adds – "—he is very nervous during the day, and on several occasions threw bombs into the crops by his post .." "At 12.30 a.m. Lieut. – of the 3rd Bttn. and 8 other ranks left our line to locate enemy forward positions, and to engage enemy patrols. An enemy post from which flares were being fired was located at about x.y.z. Our party rushed the post, but the garrison withdrew before they could be engaged. The post was occupied and consolidated. At 3 a.m. the enemy, supported by flanking fire, and M.G.s made a bombing attack with the object of regaining the post. The enemy was run off." These notes in reference to cutting of the over page.

The camouflage of the trenches of the locality is brilliant. Apparently the trenches wander aimlessly through crops of wheat, hay and clover, and to camouflage their naked earth the crops were planted over the parapets and trenches, now they are dead and yellow in the deep green. The Art of Camouflage! C. Smith.