France 10/10/1918

Dear Father

I received a letter from you for on 5 Oct together with about 30 others from various people.

I could not read them all at that time as we were just on the point of moving into the front line prior to making an attack on the Beaurevou system near Esteem. I will now try to recount my adventures since arriving back in France on September 15th. I left Folkestone for Bologna at about midday and after a very stormy trip across the Channel arrived at Bologna at 5 PM and from thence went straight to the Staples. I remained one night there and then went to Le Have per troop train and reported to our base. There I stayed for three days and was re-equipped for the line and on the third night left in charge of a draft. We stay a full day in Rouen during which time I had a good look around and bought a few things which I needed.

We entrained again the same night and after about 12 hours jolting and shuffling about arrived at our reinforce camp about 20 kilos from the line on the scene of the battle for which our Btn is now famous and which I wrote to you about recently. We passed all the shattered villages captured guns and dumps trenches systems etc in which the Brits had taken during the advance and a more desolate scene is hard to imagine. For miles and miles there is nothing to be seen only the debris of battle and smashed country. When we disentranced at the spot my job of conducting was finished so I found out where my Btn was and wended my way there and arrived just as mess at regard. Everyone seemed pleased to see me back again with the brigade and I was real glad to be back again myself.

The Btn was camped on the banks of the Somme at a place which only sported one decent house which was alleged to be mined. However some of us chanced the mine and slept there for the remainder of the time we were in the one time village.

We played two games of football there also and had one cricket match with our Field Ambulance all which our Btn won. We also did a fair amount of training in anticipation of coming events and the men though few were very fit as they had a rather good spell in this village and the work though regular was not hard and there was any amount in the shape of a picture show and cricket and football and concerts.

We then moved up further and marched for two days or rather nights until we were in the vicinity of the Hindenburg line which had just been broken. I took the opportunity of examining the system of defence. Altogether it was a wonderful system and it was marvellous how it was ever broken and I think it was only due to our tanks and the great fighting qualities of the British that it was ever broken. The trenches are very deep and wide and studded with concrete machine gun emplacements and I doubt dugouts and are protected by belt after belt of prickly barbed wire. The whole system was on a slope of a ridge and takes in all the natural obstacles that are in the vicinity. One of these obstacles that is the Canal du Nord which first of all runs north to south for about 6 miles of through a deep ravine about 100 feet deep and then runs underground through a tunnel for about 2 miles. This tunnel concealed troops and the canal blocked the tanks altogether. With the villages wire and trenches and the high ground made it tremendously strong defence. But the Huns were not numerous or stouthearted enough to contest the ground against our tanks and our men and the Yanks and we won. I personally was not in the fight through the Hindenbugh line but came into action later on in this Beaurevou system which was his last system of defence.

In the big tunnel I mentioned there was supposed to be a corpse factory but when it was investigated it was found that the men had been killed by one of our delayed action shells which had gone through an air shaft and kill the Huns in the tunnel and as there happened to be some vats and machinery nearby it was assumed that the place was a corpse factory.

Well on Oct 3rd we moved into the line and Estrees and on a morning of the 5th we attacked after being shelled all night with gas and 5.9 shells as we were waiting for dawn to come. We were lined up in a sunken road at the time and just before we move forward into position we were able to give the men a hot meal of stew and team. The barrage came down at 6 AM and we move forward behind the Btn until we hit Fritzs line about a mile further on. It was quite light and the barrage made a hell of a noise and the Btn in front of us looked well giving going forward in 2 waves with our Btn following behind in echelon. Then as we approached the Huns wire the enemy machine guns opened out and numerous individual rifle shot could be heard. Then our tanks lumbering along rolled huge gaps in the wire which let our men through and the Huns very soon gave in and were beginning to throw up their hands and surrendered in hundreds. I walk along with about 10 of our lads and came across a hole scooped out amongst some trenches which was covered with some waterproof s. These I kicked aside and out came about a dozen Huns all ‘Kameradfing’ like mad. I could not shoot any of the blighters as they seemed so frightened and cowed that it seemed like murder so I sent them back with their rotten rations slung over their shoulders as pleased as Punch to be alive. We then worked forward up the hill in front and came to the crest where the machine gun fire was very hot and our own men began to fall like flies. Then a Hun anti-tank gun began to fire point-blank us so we got down into a trench after killing two Huns and waited for the people on our right to get forward a bit more. We then discovered that our right flank was in the air. So we all had to return into a ditch about 800 yds where we remained all day. To do this we had to retire clear a farm of about 50 Germans who were holding out to our right right now and there we remained all day until it got with Huns in front and on our right rear and then we were relieved and we came out to a place in rear of we started from and I was truly thankful that I was alive I can assure you as all together it was a very hard fight.

Next day we moved up again and were held in reserve for fear of a counter-attack which I have did not come off and that night I was sent to a place about 40 miles away in a motor lorry to billet the Btn which I did satisfactorily and now we are all enjoying good food good beds good rest after our strenuous fighting. I do not know how long we will be here but hope it will be for some time.

I am Mess Secretary also and believe me I am seeing that we have plenty to eat and drink. We also have a piano to supply plenty of the music and the French people are very hospitable so that everything seems to be looking well for a good time.

Will close now hoping you are all well and that Gert is duly married and settled. By the way you had better give her a �10 note or something from me as a wedding gift. That is if she is married. From your affect son

Walter 10/10/18