ON August 1 the battalion was in billets in the eastern suburbs of deserted Amiens. A few days later it marched further east, and bivouaced [sic] in trenches not far below Corbie, but on the left side of the River Somme. Except that a great attack was impending, little was known. But further to the east of them lay the country around Hamel, where other Australian units had met with great success in the previous month, and where minor operations had since taken place to prepare for the subsequent development of that success. That the time had now arrived for its development was rightly guessed by all ranks whilst the preparations being made for it indicated that the attack was to take place on a large scale.
It is interesting to note the stores which the battalion was instructed to draw for that operation:- 45,000 rounds of small arms ammunition; 1,000 Mill's grenades, No. 36; 500 Mill's grenades No. 5; 250 Mill's grenades No. 27; an additional waterbottle and carrier for all ranks; 280 ground flares; 200 refills for Tommy-cookers, and the usual emergency rations; eight pack-saddles; eight water-tin carriers; 10 message rockets. Besides these there were allotted to the battalion two supply tanks, which were to make a double trip to it on the day of the engagement, carrying 50 petrol tins of water as well as ammunition. On the evening before the attack these supply tanks were set afire by enemy shells and their dangerous cargo completed their destruction, so that other arrangements had to be made.
The proposed advance, which was to be a simultaneous operation of units of the Fourth Army extended over a wide front, was to be made in three successive waves. In that part of the front of attack which most concerned the 48th Battalion troops of the 3rd Australian Division were holding the line. These were to attack from a jumping-off trench, but a short distance in front of the line they occupied, and advance to the first objective about three and a quarter miles distant. The 45th and 46th Battalions were to pass through these troops at a fixed time after zero hour, whilst the 48th Battalion was to follow over the occupied ground at a measured distance behind them and be ready to attack towards the final objective. Troops of the 5th Australian Division were to operate on their right with Canadian troops, whilst other Australian units were to be on their immediate left with English troops further north of them.
The attack was expected to take place at an early date, but only at 6 o'clock on the evening of the 7th was the battalion notified that zero hour would be 4.20 of the following morning. The brigade was then several miles behind the front line, and during the early morning moved forward to be within easy reach of the place where it was to begin its work.
At 4.20 a.m. the guns, many of them hitherto silent and concealed, opened fire, and as the morning was still rather dark the flashes of the batteries seemed to set the whole area ablaze. The enemy's retaliation was at first very light, and everything pointed to the attack having been a complete surprise.
An hour later the 48th Battalion started from its position about two miles behind the original front line. Keeping direction with difficulty in the heavy fog and smoke, it got to the other side of Accroche Wood, in front of which was its first assembly point. Nine fighting tanks were to co-operate with the battalion; but before this point was reached one of them had been ditched, whilst another was struck by a shell, which killed a Lewis gunner of the 48th who was riding on it, and wounded an officer and two of other ranks.
In this sector thick wooded spurs were numerous, Rat Wood, Hazel Wood, Jean Wood, Richmond Wood, with deep ravines adjoining or running through them that made the ground very difficult. The avoidance of these obstacles necessitated long detours for the tanks, and occasioned their subsequent failure to give effective co-operation.
The negotiation Of those same spurs and ravines made tedious work for the infantry, but fortunately the pace of the battalion required to be a slow one to allow of the preceding stages in the advance being accomplished. The journey forward therefore was not too strenuous, except on the high ground, when the scattered artillery-fire of the enemy made it prudent to hurry to the next ravine. In the shelter of one such ravine forward of Rat Wood the men had a prolonged halt, and as the early morning had put appetites on edge, all sat down to bully-beef and biscuits with much relish. Whilst so engaged a low-flying enemy aeroplane swooped over and fired its machine-gun on them, but did not inflict any casualties.
The journey over the newly-captured ground was an interesting one. Tanks were rumbling forward by many different routes. A battery of Royal Horse Artillery galloping into action, unlimbering, firing several rounds, and again galloping forward, presented a sight not often witnessed in what had hitherto been a campaign of almost continuous trench-war. Here on the low ground near Rat Wood lay several of the enemy's guns, the first fruits of the advance. Large batches of prisoners were passing to the rear, some carrying wounded Australians, others themselves wounded and being helped along painfully by their comrades.
As the battalion again advanced it was under direct observation from an observation-balloon, which the enemy had sent up immediately the fog cleared sufficiently to afford visibility. There was much relief when one of the aeroplanes darted towards it and set it afire. When the troops had got to the high ground beyond Jean Wood, they suddenly found themselves under the machine-gun fire of the enemy. The battalion commander received a bullet-wound in his arm, but the wound was not serious and all hurried towards the gully adjoining Richmond Wood. There more of the tanks that were following them were thrown out of action by the difficult ground.
It was now about 10.30 a.m. and the battalion was close to the second objective, where the preceding troops had made good their position. Final arrangements were made for the advance to the third objective, and the companies were disposed in the manner that had already been determined, "A" Company on the right, "C" on the centre, and "D" on the left, whilst "B" Company was to remain in reserve. Only three of the nine tanks allotted to the battalion had as yet reached the line from which the third attack was to take place, but it was decided to make no further delay, and at 11 o'clock the companies advanced towards the final objective.
The company on the right had rapid success, and after about an hour's fighting established its position. The troops in the centre and on the left met with much stronger resistance, and suffered rather heavy casualties from machine-gun fire. One of the tanks reached the opposing trenches in this part of the field, and was rendering good assistance when it suddenly went on fire. So the men had to fight their way as best they could, making use of old trenches or such cover as the nature of the ground afforded, in their endeavour to get to close quarters with enemy machine-pun positions. About 12.30, however, the battalion had gained its final objective, and was occupying a frontage of 2,300 yards.
Up to this time 109 prisoners had been taken, including five officers. The area also yielded some booty, 20 light and heavy machine-guns and two anti-tank guns being captured in it. The village of Proyart lay just ahead, where the enemy could be seen very active in its streets.
One rather pathetic picture, affording good evidence that it was not expected the attack should be pushed so far, was presented by a German waggon drawn up close to what must recently have been the headquarters of a unit. It was that source of interest and pleasure to all troops, the mail-cart just arrived that morning with the soldiers' letters and parcels. Its team of three horses fully harnessed and yoked lay on the ground with their driver beside them, having been caught by one of our shells even as they hastened away. Some hurried attempt must have been made to save the mails, for the contents of the mail-bags were strewn over the road. The soldier, be he digger or "Fritz," is a "sentimental bloke," and the rude scatterment of home news and affectionate trifles was a sorry sight.
There were other things in abundance at those headquarters. Cigarettes that were not the unpopular brand which the German soldier is wont to smoke, for they had come from English canteens. And matches, which were then almost unprocurable, but with which the same source had liberally supplied the recently advancing enemy. There was wine also, and cognac, and huge casks of beer, and other supplies which grew progressively as the news of them was carried back to the rear; until those troops who had taken the first objective, and the second objective, felt aggrieved that they had not also been allowed to take the third objective.
If such luxuries were in strong contrast to the rather spartan fare of an Australian headquarters in the field, equally so was the abominable filth of the place. The enemy had no elaborate dug-outs here, but had erected substantial shelters on the face of a ridge. It was evidently an artillery headquarters, and stables were everywhere. They adjoined the shelters, and their refuse was banked up against the living quarters, and was copiously used to camouflage them from aeroplane observation. Latrines were erected without any attempt at either privacy or sanitation. On that warm sunny day the flies swarmed over the dead, swarmed over clots of blood on the ground, over food, over everything. The whole scene told its own tale; either the enemy had been too rapid in his success to be organised, or he had become too disorganised to be any longer successful. It looked like the beginning of the end.
The enemy made no attempt to counter-attack and the night passed without incident. But by next morning some light guns were firing from the other side of Proyart, and a heavy battery also was ranging on the newly-occupied position. From this onward the enemy's shelling grew more intense, and added considerably to the small list of casualties sustained in the advance itself. The troops on the right of the battalion had pushed forward about 800 yards to secure a minor improvement of the position. So on the night of the 9th the 48th flung its right flank into line with them. Except for this change no further advance was attempted. Fighting patrols were sent out towards Proyart, but the village was found to be too strongly held to enter without artillery preparation and support.
On the following day the battalion could watch the advance on their more remote left, where English troops had had a hard task on the 8th over the extremely difficult ground. Australian and American troops were now attempting it, and everyone was much interested, for the Yanks were then little known to the battalion. But the heavy smoke barrage obscured everything, and little could be seen except the winding progress of the tanks and small groups of men on the high ridges.
Late that night the battalion was relieved amidst rather heavy shelling, which inflicted some half-dozen casualties, and the men made their way back over the captured ground. Enemy bombing planes were active, and were following the line of the main road which ran straight as an arrow between Amiens and St. Quentin. But the troops gave the road a wide berth and, keeping to the open country, continued back beyond the line which had marked the first objective of the advance. From there they crossed over the River Somme and came to a deep, winding gully, at dawn, when they threw themselves on the open ground to sleep the sleep that comes after a strenuous time in the trenches.
Where the battalion now rested was but another part of the battlefield of the 8th. Everyone was in good spirits, for the weather was warm and the Somme lay conveniently near for a swim. Moreover, the quartermaster came to light with "a clean change," something which provokes as much interest after a term in the line as does the arrival of the mail. So no one minded when the rest came to a sudden ending on the third day and the battalion again headed towards the battle-front.
Again the Somme was crossed and the men continued south and west, till about 1 a.m., when they bivouaced in trenches near Harbonnieres. This village lay some two miles south of the position they had occupied in the advance. In the morning it was known that arrangements were being made for another advance by Australian, Canadian and French troops, in which the battalion was to take part. Tanks were already coming up from the back area, and guns were getting into new positions. But that evening all arrangements were cancelled, and the 12th Brigade was ordered to relieve Australian troops which were then holding the line in front.
The line there lay near Lihons and looked over towards Chaulnes, and on the following night the 48th moved forward to a position in support of the brigade. Later on it relieved the troops holding the front trenches. But throughout its term in this area the battalion was very fortunate, and experienced a quiet time until its relief on the night of August 24. The brigade was relieved, however, by French troops, the tedious process "of "taking over" was not facilitated by the slight acquaintance of the two parties to the relief with the other's language, and some movement must have been observed by the enemy which apprised him of what was taking place. So the whole forward area of the sector was literally drenched with gas-shells, and one witnessed that pitiful spectacle, men in gas helmets blindly feeling their way through narrow communication saps whilst constantly hampered by their equipment.
The battalion got away safely, however, and continued towards Harbonnieres, which it reached about 3 a.m. There a column of motor lorries was awaiting it, and in these it was carried away to the rest area beyond Amiens, and arrived at its new billets in the village of St Vast on a sleepy Sunday morning.