France?- 8/3/1918.

Dear Father,

Today I sent off a bit of a note to you telling you of some of my history, but forget where I left off. I will begin where I think I left off.

This is at Bapaume after coming back from my first English leave about 5 mths ago. We were encamped about a mile away from the smashed up town of Bapaume and were doing some hard training, getting up at 4 am and drilling until 12 midday with an hour and a half intermission for breakfast and practised all forms and kinds of attack and defence and were generally trying to get into good nick again for something in the front line to follow later on. After this had gone on about two weeks I was detailed for a School at Aveling about 15 miles away and was there for 5 weeks and received some good training. Visited Amiens sundry times and generally had a good time of which you know all about ere this.

While I was at the School the Battalion moved up north via Amiens, Abbeyville, Boulogne, Calais, St. Omer and Hazebrook to a place called Arques (where we remained for nearly 6 weeks doing more training.) I arrived back from the school after the battalion had been in Arques 3 weeks. I was then in charge of a platoon, as platoon sergeant and had a devil of a lot of work to do getting the men fixed up in equipment etc. ready for the impending big push which every one knew was to take place shortly. The battalion by this time was in great fettle and was drilling and marching beautifully, the discipline was good and the men were new reinforcements and for the most part Light Horsemen picked out from Menangle so that we all knew that they would make a name for themselves when the time came.

Well at last the inevitable time did come and the usual nucleus was picked out and sent to the rest camp and the remainder was marched via Steenvorde to Dickebush nearYpres. A nucleus is a few men and N.C.O,s left out of each big stunt so that the Battalion will have something to build on if it suffers heavy losses. I happened to be one of the nucleus so did not take part in the push at all. After arriving at Dickebush the Battalion rested for 2 days or so (Sept. 20th) and then 1st and 2nd Divisions went over the top and carried all before them and smashed the Hun up every where. This attack was well prepared before hand, the men knew exactly where they had to go and what resistance they were likely to meet since they were all shown a model of the battlefield of Arques. Our battalions casualties were not very heavy on this occasion, the battalion then came out of the line and rested at Abiele for a few days and there I rejoined them and was recommended for a Commission. Went before the C.O. and was approved and then went before Brig. Gen. Smith of the 5th Brigade.

The Battalion was then ordered up the line again and encamped at Windy Green near the Menin Gate of Ypres. Here we dug ourselves in to a bank. Being constantly shelled and bombed by Gothas until it gave us the impression that Windy Green was a good name for the place. We had to do 6 days of fatigue work in the vicinity of the firing line, laying cables and duckboard tracks etc. and my word we had a rotten time of it too. One morning our company went out and after going about 2 miles came to a place called Corduroy Road, up which guns, limbers and pack horses and men had to go to the firing line with a result that the place was like George Street on a Friday night. Then the Germans made a counter attack on Polygon Wood and sent over a barrage on this part of the road where we were trying to get past. Horses, drivers and men got all tangled up and the dead were lying all over the place. It was a rotten sight to see a limber with a mule standing and the other mule blown to bits and the drivers lying dead nearby and we had to pass a mile of this sort of things, bits of men all over the place, like a butchers shop and the place was just chaos, and to make matters worse with Germs suddenly put over some gas shells so everyone had to put on their gas respirator. This was about the limit. Everyone had his wind up. We have all mix up the shell smoke was like a Lond fog and t
one of us were too sure of the track to the place we were going.

Then lots of them then took advantage of the confusion and cleared out so that when we finally reached something Dump, we had to about half of our own, and consequently had to do twice as much work. I don’t think I will ever forget that morn and the marvel is that we did not lose more men killed and wounded than we did. I can vouch for they fact that the battle of Ypres is about the hottest proposition the Australians have had to tackle yet and I’m jolly glad I was not yet at all this time.

I only had about 9 days 8 of 40 well? at the doing 6 days of this sort of thing. I got my commission under the circumstances of which you know and the battalion moved up ostensibly to act as a reserve Battalion to the 3rd Division. The Tommies cleared out on our own flanks with the result that on October 9 every available man was shoved into the frontline to keep the Germans back and consequently the poor Australians got it in the neck as the Tommies say.

I am hanged if I know what the British Army would do without the Canadians, Australians and Scotch. The rest of the Tommies don’t seem to be up to much. Whilst this was going on I went down to Military school at Aveling again and learnt a bit about my job as an officer . I spent the usual 5 weeks having a good time and then rejoined the Battalion at a place called Wallen Cappel near Hazebrouk, where we spent 6 days and then did 2 days march to a place called Steenwerck near Armentieres. All the country about Armentieres very familiar to the Australians as they were when they first got to France and lots of the French people know many of our fellows. I was at Waterlands Camp near Erquinghem (near Steenwerck) for 3 days during which time I went with other officers and examine the defences of Armentieres in case of a German attack.

Then I got Blighty leave again and came over here via Calais but could not find anything interesting to look at except a Exposition of Belgium war photographs taken during 1914. I crossed over from Calais on the packet steamer escorted of course by destroyers. The day was fine and as I have a Belgium interpreter who is a very interesting chap. Before the war, he was an orchid fancier and made thousands according to him by travelling in Brazil and South America and bringing over the orchids and selling them to big buyers of Germany Russia France. He also had a nursery near Brussels but the Huns smashed it up.

He has 5 brothers ? and one a prisoner in Germany. He himself was captured in 1914 at Liege but escaped over the Dutch border and bribed his way to England. He then rejoined the Belgium Army and was wounded again so he says he earned a soft job and got a position as Brig interpreter which is almost like being at home.

While I landed at Folkestone and got onto a train that was waiting there. I entered a Pullman first-class dining car sat down at the table and order lunch and pay in 2 hours run to Victoria Station by looking after the inner man who was making a fuss. I arrived at Victoria at 1 o’clock then went to Horseferry Rd drew �20 to start off with and am now at Mr Hookhams place at Muswell Hill contemplating a trip to Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow. I intend to visit the 2 Aunts but NO ONE else this time.

Will close now hoping you will not become too bored to wade through all this lot.

From your affec son

Walter Bon Sont� (?) a vous