The 20th battalion was relieved from the Ypres Salient by a battalion of the 7th Brigade, on the night of October 3rd, after a very quiet tour of duty in the line, lasting just a month, during which time we had suffered very few casualties but had performed plenty of hard work in reorganizing the defences. That night, the battalion moved back to Sunny Siding on the outskirts of Ypres and here we stealthily entrained in a troop train and went back over the Belgian border into France to a town called Godwoesveldte, a distance of about twenty kilometres, passing through Popperinche on the way. Here we disentrained, and marched all the remainder of the night to the country town of Steenvoorde, where we arrived at dawn. Our company, however, had to march a further three kilometres to our billets in a farm house owned by a Flemish farmer with a large family of small children. There we remained for three days. In the mornings we filled in the time cleaning ourselves up and were given rifle exercises and a little drill to regain some of our lost efficiency.
On the afternoon of the first day, we played an inter-platoon football match, No. 10 platoon scoring an easy victory. During the following two afternoons, Harold Mitchell and I visited Steenvoorde and found an estaminet where we obtained a good feed of steak and chips and drank numerous bottles of “Vin rouge” which only cost us 1½ francs per bottle, and filling in the remainder of the time ogling the ladies and in purchasing little articles we required from the various shops.
On the morning of the fourth day out of the line, the Battalion moved by road a distance of 14 kilometres through beautiful country, covered with crops of beet, chicory, hops, potatoes etc. which were tended for the most part by the womenfolk, old and young, until at last we arrived at Popperinche again, where we were rebilleted in the warehouse which we had occupied on the previous occasion, five weeks before. We stayed at Popperinche for another two days, and took the opportunity to visit the picture show in the Square on two occasions.
Then we packed up our marching order again, and marched in column of route a further eight kilometres to Peningbelst which was only about ten kilometres from the firing line, so was within sound of the guns and in sight of the flares which illuminated the horizon at night. Here, we were billeted in bell tents and remained for another two days and part of the battalion recorded their votes on the conscription question.
Not knowing how long we would be out of the line, we all took advantage of our spell to get as much amusement as possible. In the village of Peningbelst near by, there was a fine Y.M.C.A. hut, also a stadium, and there we put in our period of respite in watching the 4th Divisional boxing tournament, which was in progress and in reading and writing in the Y.M,C.A. hut. Next morning, we were on the march again, and I am blessed if we didn’t march straight back to the town of Steenvoorde, to the same billets as we had previously occupied. However, we only stayed there the night and in the morning we continued our tour of the country and marched another 18 kilometres, past Cassel to the farming village of Noordpeene, where we went into the usual billets in barns, for three more days.
During the three days at this village, the battalion finished the recording of votes on the conscription question, using the local estaminet at a polling booth. As we were not required to do any drill, we mostly filled in our time in sleeping and drinking or in picking the luscious blackberries which grew in all the hedges around about the villages.
It being the month of October, the weather was now becoming much colder and frosts were of frequent occurrence, but as we had been issued with extra underclothing, and had two blankets apiece at night, we did not mind the cold morning snaps. After spending three days here, we formed up again in column of route and marched on through Watau and over the most beautiful country until we reached the village of Zoufkes, another 18 kilometres nearer the coast from Noordpeene. We were now 25 kilos from Calais and the same distance from St. Omer, but as we were not likely to remain long, we were not allowed into either town, but just filled in the following three days in the usual drill in the mornings, and recreation in the afternoons.
The country we had passed through during the past fortnight was very prosperous looking, and was covered in growing crops of all descriptions, such as beet, chicory, swedes, carrots, turnips, beans and other vegetables which all appeared to do well. Most of the men folk being in the army serving their countries’ needs, the crops were mostly grown and tended by the old men and boys and gold women and girls, who might be seen all day long, hoeing and grubbing from early morning until late at night, and there is no doubt that the peasants showed great capacity for work. Every farm house was surrounded by barns and stables in the form of a hollow square, the barns adjoining the roads. In the middle of the square and just in front of the kitchen door was a cesspit into which was thrown all the stable manure and kitchen refuse, etc. which was then allowed to remain there and rot until ploughing time, when it was carted to the fields and ploughed in to nourish the crops, This cesspit was usually the home of a big white sow, which seemed to regard it as its own particular wallowing ground. This cesspit was always a cause of annoyance to the troops who had to occupy the adjoining billets in the barns, as it stank dreadfully, and more often than not acted as a sort of trap for the drunks when they came home to bed late, loaded with liquor and who frequently fell into the slimy morass. The troop’s definition of a French farm house was that it was “four walls and a stink”, a very good definition indeed.
This arrangement of a manure pit just outside the front door, I am afraid, would not suit in a hot country, as it would most certainly cause all kinds of diseases, but the French seemed to thrive on the smell and took no notice of the foetid atmosphere. What is even more horrible, most of the wells which supplied the household with water, were sunk below the level of these same cesspits and frequently were only a few yards from them. However, we always used the same water for cooking purposes but never came to any harm by so doing, so that it must have been pure.
By this time, we had also become authorities on the roads of the country. These are of three distinct classes, i.e. 1st class, 2nd class, and 3rd class.
The first class roads are the main highways, and are cobbled in the centre, with paving stones of blue metal or granite and are very hard on the feet, both of men and animals. They are mostly grown with trees at intervals of a few metres, the trees including poplars, yews, and beeches and give a fine appearance to the country besides being a valuable addition to the timber supply. They connect most of the big towns, and generally run directly north and south or east and west, taking the shortest route.
The second class roads are ordinary metalled roads, like we have in Australia, only much better kept of course, and are about 10 metres wide, with a nice curved surface.
The third class roads are more narrow and rougher and mostly connect the 1st and 2nd class ones. None of the roads are ever fenced off as fences are at a discount in France, hedges being used in preference where necessary.
But I must cease discoursing on such subjects and get back to my narrative. Well, after remaining three days at the pleasant village of Zoufkes, which was very uninteresting, C company was detailed as a loading fatigue and forthwith we marched to the town of Audruisq and there for 24 solid hours, we worked in the pouring rain, loading the vehicles of the transport of the 5th Brigade onto the open trucks of the troop trains. Each train as it was loaded steaming out bearing the men of the battalion and the transport belonging to it.
After the duty was finished and having a few hours to spare most of the loading party made their way to a British Engineers camp near by and there found a Y.M.C.A. tent where we were supplied with hot coffee and cakes, after which we returned to the railway siding and boarded our troop train, which bore the Brigade details and transport.
At 10 am we steamed out of Audruisq and proceeded via Calais, Boulogne, Etaples and Abbeville to a small town near Abbeville called Pont Remy taking 24 hours over the journey which was miserable to the extreme, as we were cold, wet, crowded and generally felt miserable and were truly thankful when the journey ended. To make matters worse, it was still raining when we disentrained and being half famished with hunger, we were heartily pleased when we reached our billets and could get our meal of hot stew and tea.
Next morning, we formed up in column of route and marched to the main road six kilometres from Pont Remy, in the pouring rain, and there waited for a convoy of motor lorries to arrive, which was to bear us for the remainder of the journey to wherever we were going, whither none of us knew. There we waited on the side of the road in the rain, which penetrated through our clothing and wet us to the skin, the Colonel, Col. Ralston parading up and down the road, nagging at us all the while, until at last, after a three hours wait, the convoy finally arrived and drew up on the other side of the road.
An officer and 25 men were then embussed on each lorry until the whole of the Brigade was loaded and as each lorry received its complement of men it moved off and followed the one in front of it. In this fashion, the whole convoy of over 150 motor lorries moved along the high road for about 45 kilometres, passing several towns and villages en route. Although we were all wet through, it did not prevent us from being cheerful and on every occasion on which we went through a town or village we yelled out our greetings and chaff to the mademoiselles, who lined the roads to watch us pass, which they returned with interest.
After passing through the towns of Flixecourt, Picquigny and Amiens, we arrived at Pibemont near Albert, after a six hour journey, at 8 pm when it was quite dark. Here we alighted on the slushy roads, and were formed up under our platoon officers and marching about half a kilometre through mud and slush up to our ankles, came to a collection of tarpaulin shelters standing in a sea of mud and slime. Each of these shelters contained a platoon of 30 men and into them we were put. The mud under the shelters was not quite as deep as it was outside, so we just dumped our gear and spread our waterproof sheets on the mud and settled ourselves down to make the best of our circumstances.
After a meal of stew and tea, which was issued to us at about 11 o’clock at night, we were given a nip of rum, after which we lay down between our blankets and slept all night with the rain beating like fury on our canvas shelters, and with streams of water dripping from the roof to the earth floor.
The firing line was about 14 kilometres further on, but we could plainly hear the distant roar of the guns and could distinctly see the incessant flashes as they were reflected by the low clouds just like summer lightning during droughty weather in Australia. For four days, we remained under the canvas shelters at Pibemont during which the weather cleared and the ground dried up considerably, sufficiently at any rate to enable us to do a little company drill, which we performed none too well, as the sticky mud adhered and gathered on our boots at every step, until about a pound or two had accumulated on each boot, making our marching rather irregular. Col. Ralston was always a stickler for drill and gave it us on every possible opportunity, but I think that on this occasion it was given us more for the benefit of some new N.C.O.’s and officers who had just arrived, than for any other reason.
At this camp also, we received some more pay and also an issue of sheepskin vests which were very acceptable as the weather was now becoming rather cold and wet. The fourth day being a Sunday, we assembled on a vacant piece of ground in the drizzling rain and held a church parade, after which we were dismissed and sauntered round the crowded village to do as we pleased.