France l0/8/1918

Dear Father

Just as I am writing this a lot of big heads with red ribbon tabs etc and Piccadilly ribbons all over their noble breasts have blown in to have a chat and hear the news of the push from the lips of their nobler lieutenants and I have a sneaking idea that this is the way they have of keeping touch with things up at the front as I am quite sure the majority of them have not been there. Well now – I will try to relate the news as I found it and according to my ideas.

For about 5 months, the Australian Corps has been nibbling, biting, harassing and punishing the Huns along the front of about l0 miles in front of Amiens and between Dernancourt and Hangard Wood. We have made innumerable little rushes since saving Amiens from the Hun onslaught of March last, all with the one big object . This object was to gain good positions for a final assault on the original Amiens defence system about 7 miles off. We raided the Hun 100 times or so in the day time and at night and nibbled forward here and there and any where and absolutely got the Hun bluffed in such a way that all night long he would have sudden fits of fright and would send his S.O.S. signals up to get artillery support thinking we were raiding him etc. Finally we attacked him in earnest on August 8th with our whole strength. We happened to be in the line slightly left of Villers Brettoneaux where we had been for about 6 weeks or so. We had been annoyed so much by the Hun “minnies” and grenades for so long that we were all quite pleased when the order came that we were going to bash him. The men all had their particular revenge to obtain so that I knew it would be alright from that point of view and that the men would fight well. Therefore I felt quite confident and spent the three days prior to the attack working up the revenge feeling amongst the company until we had them stabbing imaginary Huns and throwing imaginary bombs about in anticipation of what they meant to do when the time came. Well the order arrived and I was detailed to reconnoitre my company’s route to their “jumping off” place. I located all sorts of land marks, one of which was a dead horse and another an old reaping machine, so that I would be able to follow the track when the time came in the pitch dark. We were to move up at 9.30 p.m. and before doing so we all sat down in a dug out and fed on preserved peaches and condensed milk and stew etc. as we knew that a full stomach maketh a brave heart and all the men did the same. Well we moved up in a sort of deadly hush as neither Fritz nor our selves were doing much shooting and finally found our tape and lined out. We waited on the tape for 3 solid hours, talking and joking whilst the tanks came into position and Fritz never stirred. Just prior to starting, a dense mist came up and it was so thick that we could not see l0 paces in front which made things awkward. 10 minutes to zero and I went along the company front and gave the boys a final cheer up and a few final instructions and saw that every man was awake and I just had time to get into position when BANG! ! Down came our barrage like the crash of doom. Three minutes which seemed like three hours, and we officers all blew our whistles and over we went to do or bust. We went 400 yards without seeing anything and just following the creeping barrage which was splendid and did not leave much but broken wire and dead Huns. By this time we were all mixed up as it was impossible to keep anything like “touch” or direction owing to the smoke and mist and row, and I presently found myself with a miscellaneous party of the Brigade all following me, so we all hung together and kept going forward. About 700 yards forward we met a trench with about 20 Huns in it and killed the lot. Onward we went and struck another sunken road with dug outs in the sides, literally full of Huns. We got into these so quickly and with such effect that about 15 were dead before they knew where they were, then about 20 surrendered and the rest bolted. I was so excited by this time that I was literally bursting to kill Huns and yelled out for any other of the lads to follow on. All the line of my battalion who were on the spot did follow, plus a few stray ones who had no particular “wild animal” to lead them so that I found myself presently about 1200 yards on with 10 men and a sergeant or a Lewis gun. Then a shell came and blew out 3 of them but the rest still went forward following the barrage until we came to a wide dry trench which I knew by my map to be 200 yards in front of the objective. Well, with 6 men and myself we hopped in at one end of it and began to bomb it out. We went about 150 yards and stoushed another 15 Huns, yours truly leading with a rifle and bayonet at the ‘on guard’. This is where I was almost mad with lust to kill and kill. I did. I blew a poor old Hun’s head right off with one shot and remembered it falling on the duck board and saying to myself “God, what a mess”. Then we put a Lewis gun down a dugout with 6 Huns in it and the yells that came out of that dug out I will remember for ever. Then going round a traverse I suddenly met a Hun going to “pink” me off so I ran my bayonet through him and he just said “Hock” or something and collapsed. I remember pulling the bayonet out as if I had stabbed a bag of wind or something and said to myself “that’s funny”, I thought it was hard to get out when once it was plunged in and which was different to what they taught in bayonet schools. Then my ammunition gave out so I heaved the rifle away and got the revolver out and went on again with the 3 lads behind me. You see, I was leading and got all the fight and shot 3 more Huns in the next 100 yards.

Then I met my Waterloo. I made a mistake. I could hear shots just ahead and thought I heard someone calling out in English so I yelled out “don’t shoot, we are Australians.” Then the “somebodies” ahead said something in German which sounded like “take this” and over the traverse came 6 potato masher bombs and 2 fell just behind me and burst and I felt a hell of a shock down the right leg and a lot of tingling sensations all over the body and at the back of the head. Well we put the Lewis gun on this crowd and fixed them up and waited for a minute then we heard “real” Australian language nearby so we knew that we had joined forces and everything was alright. By now I was feeling pretty bad from the shock of the bombs exploding so close and was bleeding in about 20 places so I decided to “beat it” to the Dressing Station while my luck was in. The mist was so thick that I could not find my way out and blundered here and there and everywhere dodging wire and shells etc and finally found the sunken road where we had been fighting earlier in the show. Here I sat down and began to lick my wounds and calmed myself down a bit. I had been there for about 5 minutes when suddenly I observed a Hun with a rifle and bayonet wandering about so decided to shoot him before he shot me, which I did with my revolver.

Well Father, I finally did get to the Dressing Station, where I found men in all stages of destruction and misery. Here they put me on a field ambulance and I went to the rear and got bound up again then I went to Amiens in a motor ambulance and from there to a casualty clearing station in a motor ambulance. I stayed about 3 hours and was put on a hospital train and finally arrived here within 15 hours of being in the thick of the fight. All the way I heard all sorts of most glowing reports from other casualties about the way the objectives had all been reached etc. Now I am reaping the reward of the valiant (I don’t think) and am lying peacefully between sheets with a nice nurse stroking my brow etc. I am getting nice food too and altogether in 2 days I have improved wonderfully and hope to be out in a fortnight as my cuts and bruises will heal very quickly. I hope you will not be shocked at my “going mad” in the fight, but I am sure I did as every one really does, for I am sure a man could not do what we do in cold blood, at any rate I am certain I could never blow the top off a man’s head in cold blood. I will write again soon and I hope you will excuse certain slang phrases and words in this letter.

With best wishes from your all affectionate son,

Walter.