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[Page 19]
(13)
Battle of Broodsiende [Broodseinde] (Ypres) 4th – 6th October 1917
Our five weeks happy stay in the village of Remilly came abruptly to an end one night when the Sergeant came and awakened us at about three o'clock in the morning and told us to get up and be ready to move off in a couple of hours time. This news had the effect of a general stir and we were busy packing our packs and getting things in general ready.
After a hurried breakfast and having said "au revoir" to the hospitable proprietress – Madame – of our billets (who brought us wine, apples &c as parting gifts) at daylight we started on our memorable march of 42 Kilos, which occupied three days and taxed our endurance qualities to the utmost.
Popperinghe (Belgium) was now our location and we remained here five days, resting our bodies and feet in particular, which latter suffered most through the long march.
Whilst here "Fritz" came over regularly every night in his aeroplanes and bombed the town and camps. One night he dropped two bombs close to our tents (fragments coming through the canvas) and also dropped a bomb on the machine gunners' camp – which adjoined ours – causing the death of 36 Australians.
That night many bombs were also dropped on the town doing great damage and killing many civilians and soldiers. Every morning we could hear our guns bombarding the enemy's positions prior to our troops attacking.
One afternoon our procedure in the battle was explained to us and we were shewn an aeroplane photograph (also a model) of the country we were to attack and advance over, and also our objectives, - the little woods, swamps and ruined buildings (which we afterwards found out) being very plainly shewn on the photograph.
On 2nd October we were told that our attack was to take place two mornings after – that was 4th October. The various Chaplains came and gave us church services in the open on the parade ground. Then, after a good meal, we began packing up. After all our extra "tools" &c were given us (such as 150 rounds small ammunition, bag containing 8 Mills' Bombs, ten rods – I was a rifle grenadier – eight sandbags, shovel, two days rations &c) we marched to the Popperinghe Railway Station and entrained for Ypres.
An hour's journey brought us to the ruined Asylum near Ypres (that was as far as the train could go as the Ypres railway station had been blown to pieces) where we disentrained and marched single file (on account of the huge amount of traffic on the roads) through the ruined city to an open piece of ground at the back of the Madeline Cemetery and where we bivouaced for the night. Just in front of us were our eighteen pounder batteries which kept "barking" (firing) all night and on our right was a huge naval gun which fired at regular intervals.
German 'planes came over during the night dropping bombs and raining machine gun bullets on us but none took effect in our locality.
Daylight revealed that a great number of Australians were camped on either side of us, and w