Soldier's Diary 1917...Your flaming torch aloft we bear, With burning heart and oath we swear To...

A Soldier's Diary 1917

Leslie Milne Yule 8/427 Otago Regiment 1914-15

11789 Wellington/Auckland Regiments 1916 -18

Lesley Milne Yule - Soldier's Diary

A Soldier's Diary

Compiled by Prue Breckon Leslie Milne Yule's Granddaughter January 2008

A cameo of Family History dedicated to my Aunt, Valerie Crosby, Lesley Milne Yule's younger daughter.


IN FLANDERS' FIELDS

In Flanders' fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved: and now we lie In Flanders fields.' Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch, be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Penned by: Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae and published on 8th December 1915.

The red or Flanders poppy has been linked with battlefield deaths since the time of the Great War (1914–18). The plant was one of the first to grow and bloom in the mud and soil of Flanders. The connection was made, most famously, by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in his poem 'In Flanders fields'


REPLY TO IN FLANDERS’ FIELDS

In Flanders’ fields the cannons boom, And fitful flashes light the gloom; While up above, like eagles, fly The fierce destroyers of the sky; With stains the earth wherein you lie Is redder than the poppy bloom, In Flanders’ fields. Sleep on, ye brave! The shrieking shell, The quaking trench, the startling yell, The fury of the battle hell Shall wake you not, for all is well; Sleep peacefully, for all is well. Your flaming torch aloft we bear, With burning heart and oath we swear To keep the faith, to fight it through, To crush the foe, or sleep with you, In Flanders’ fields.

J. A. Armstrong


Contents

1. The Great War 1914 - 1918 1 2. The Journey 3 3. 1916 7 4. 1917 Fleurbaix 11 5. Messines 19 6. La Basse Ville 33 7. Ypres 45 8. Time Line 55

Lesley Milne Yule - Soldier's Diary Page 1

Soldier's Diary Leslie Milne Yule

1. The Great War 1914 - 1918

The assassination of the Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand in Sarajevo in July 1914 was the catalyst that marked the beginning of a series of events in Europe that led to the declaration of War between Britain and Germany. 'In the first three days of August 1914, people were filled with hope, fear and doubt, but there was an ever-increasing undercurrent of certainty that war would come.' The Germans crossed the Belgian Frontier on 4th August 1914, and war between Britain and Germany was declared. In those days New Zealand still considered itself 'a child of Mother England' and when the Motherland called for support from the colonies of New Zealand, Australia and Canada, 'there was an instant and magnificent response from the young men of New Zealand. World freedom was threatened, their Country needed them, National Honour was at stake and a spirit of adventure attracted them.' New Zealand offered an Expeditionary Force consisting of one Infantry Brigade. This was to be made up of one Infantry Battalion from each of the Provinces, Otago, Canterbury, Wellington and Auckland. Eager volunteers thronged to the Territorial Unit Headquarters to add their names to lists which were soon full to overflowing. Three fifths of the men enlisting had no previous military training but 'there was nothing lacking in their physique, spirit and bearing.' One of those eager young men, Leslie Milne Yule, answered the call to arms and enlisted on 17th August 1914 at Palmerston North. He was only nineteen years old, but was so keen enlist that he claimed his date of birth was 10th October 1893 instead of 1894. He had had some previous military training as a member of the Territorials at Pohangina. (C Company, 7th Regiment) It was compulsory at this time to register for military training under the Defence Act of 1909. He was placed in the Otago Infantry Battalion with the rank of Lance Corporal and his Regimental Number was 8/427 – the '8' standing for 'Otago' and the '427' being his order of enlistment. The Otago Regiment had a total of 1,076 men and 34 officers. A description of Milne in August 1914 indicated he was 5 foot 11 inches (1.80 m) tall, which was considered very tall in those days, and that he weighed 11 stone 4 pounds (72 kg). He was noted to have a dark complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. His eyesight, colour vision, hearing, joint range and heart and lungs were all considered to be normal. His teeth were in poor condition and he was waiting for the provision of an upper denture which indicated that all or some of his upper teeth had been extracted. He listed his religion as Presbyterian. He was considered fit for Military Service.


All recruits passed as medically and psychologically fit for service were drafted into camps. Once in camp the men 'shed their civilian clothes and received the weird and wonderful collection of odds and ends that were so essential for the making of the perfect soldier.' Each infantry battalion was composed of four infantry regiments and each regiment provided a company. Each company consisted of four platoons and each platoon was divided into four sections and all were presided over by Battalion Headquarters. There was little time to train the recruits before the projected departure date of 28th August 1914. Training consisted of the most elementary instruction in 'the exercise and discipline of a soldier – the clicking of heels at stated times, the casting of eyes to the right or left and the saluting at all times of passing Authority'. Shining brass buttons were almost as important. The men learnt 'to form fours, march reasonably and to make the proper connection between the rifle and bayonet.' There was little in the way of equipment available initially – only that belonging to the Territorial Forces.

Expectation and excitement was running high and there was considerable concern among the troops that the war in Europe would be won and that they would arrive too late for the fun. This concern increased when the date of embarkation was delayed for a month until 25th September. The waiting period was used for training. Meanwhile the Government had taken over ten ships which were being converted into troop ships; of these ships the 'Ruapehu' and the 'Hawkes Bay' were allotted to the Otago Regiment. We don't know which ship Milne sailed on. On 22nd September 1914 the men of the Otago Regiment travelled by train to Port Chalmers and embarked for Wellington where the whole Expeditionary Force was to assemble prior to their departure from New Zealand. We don't know if Milne had travelled down to Otago after enlisting in order to join his regiment - he used to tell us a story about his shovelling coal on an inter-island ferry when he was young - but it is probable that he joined the Otago Regiment once it arrived in Wellington.

On schedule, on the morning of 25th September 1914, the troopships carrying the cream of New Zealand's young men sailed out of Wellington Harbour on the start of their great adventure. They had barely passed Wellington Heads when the ships were unexpectedly ordered back into port by the NZ Government who had apparently received warning of German cruiser activity in the Pacific. To ensure the safety of the convoy it was decided to wait until the arrival of a naval escort comprised of the 'Minotaur', the 'Philomel', the 'Psyche' and a Japanese ship, the 'Ibuki'.

Aboard the Troopship During the further three week delay, the men of the Infantry slept on the ships but went ashore during the day for more much needed military training – physical jerks and route marches to increase fitness, drills to promote the cohesion of the Unit, tactical operations in the hills of Wellington and musketry practice at Trentham.


2. The Journey

On 15th October the troops gathered at Newtown Park in Wellington for a final farewell by the Governor General, the Prime Minister, Members of Parliament and other Dignitaries and a large number of people including friends and family. Next morning at 6 am the whole convoy weighed anchor and sailed once again out of Wellington Harbour. As a precaution against being seen by the enemy the ships had been painted grey and the portholes had been blacked out and screwed down. No visible light was allowed to show at night which included a ban on smoking up on deck. Below decks became very hot and stuffy, especially in the tropics. This stuffiness Farewell to the Troops compounded by the many horses being transported on each ship. Horses were not very pleasant shipmates as their quarters were hard to keep clean and the odour of the stables permeated throughout the ship, apparently even to tainting the food. Early in the voyage many men were affected by sea sickness, but this settled once they established their sea legs. The troops were provided with plentiful rations and passed their days doing ship cleaning duties, general fatigues, and elementary military training on deck. Many hours were also spent yarning. The convoy arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, on 21st October where the men, in full marching kit, participated in a parade through the town instead of being given individual shore leave. This parade developed into a very fine affair with the locals thronging around the marching men, breaking into the ranks and handing out gifts of apples, cigarettes and bunches of flowers. The convoy arrived in King George Sound, Albany, on 28th October 1914 where the New Zealanders received an enthusiastic welcome by the Australian Imperial Force. (A.I.F).The sight of all the troopships anchored out in the stream was impressive. Once again no individual shore leave was allowed but the men were sent ashore on route marches to help maintain their fitness. At 7 am on 11th November the combined Australian and New Zealand Convoy with its columns of ships in formation and stretching for many miles, sailed out of King George Sound creating a magnificent sight for those on shore. The 'Ruapehu', carrying the men of the Otago Regiment, was second to last in the line. The weather in the Indian Ocean became unbearably hot. There was little for the men to do but swelter, lounge about on the decks, eat, sleep, smoke and yarn with their mates. The sea was glassy calm and a lovely deep blue in colour. The destination of the fleet was a question of perennial interest amongst the men and rumours abounded. Was it to be England, India, South Africa, Egypt or France? On this sector of the voyage the men, with their consent, were given a


typhoid inoculation. Most complied without question - those who refused ultimately found themselves sent back to New Zealand. At 6.30 on the morning of 9th November the convoy passed fifty miles east of the Cocos Islands where it was threatened by the German cruiser, the 'Emden'. The Australian escort ship, H.M.A.S. 'Sydney', pursued and beached the 'Emden' and captured the crew; the prisoners subsequently being distributed throughout all the ships in the convoy. The rituals of crossing the Equator, complete with Father Neptune, were played out on 13th November prior to arriving in Colombo, Ceylon, (Sri Lanka) on 15th November. Because of the unaccustomed and oppressive heat many of the men now chose to sleep up on deck and the shore leave, granted in Colombo, was a welcome respite from the confines of the ship. The men were pleased to have a few hours to stretch their legs and to explore the exotic sights and sounds of the city. Their thick woollen clothing, issued for a European winter, did not dampen the men's enjoyment of wandering through the splendid club houses, fine parks, Buddhist temples and bizarre native quarters of Colombo. Many sought the luxury of a civilised dinner in one of the hotels. It was the last opportunity for the men to purchase Christmas gifts for family back home - exotic silks, embroidery, beads and curios were popular choices. They were generally not sorry to leave Colombo two days later, however, as it was considered to be an unhealthy place despite its indescribable charm. A rather dull nine days followed with the convoy reaching the barren, sun scorched rock of Aden on the 25th November. Here the temperatures were hotter still. The novelty of seeing their first camel train captured the men's interest and made up for not being allowed to go ashore. The next day the convoy sailed through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Sinai to Suez. It was here that they discovered their destination was to be Alexandria and from there to a camp in Egypt where their training would be completed. News was also received that Turkey had entered the War on the side of Germany and that skirmishes with the Turks could be expected along the banks of the Canal. As a precaution each ship was issued with spotlights, the bridge fortified with flour bags and machineguns mounted along the starboard side. However the convoy passed through the canal without incident. It was of great interest to the young men from 'Down-Under' to see for the first time the gleaming yellow desert sands stretching away as far as the eye could see, the blue waters of Lake Timsah and the military posts of the Indian troops who were guarding the canal. The convoy reached Port Said on 1st December and here the troops were thrilled and moved by a passionate rendition of the Marseillaise by French sailors lining the decks of their Man-o-War. Once again the men had to remain on board during their overnight stay and next day the convoy sailed on to Alexandria arriving there on the evening of 3rd December. The weather on their arrival in Egypt in December was hot by day and very cold at night. All the troops disembarked to enjoy a night of leisure and pleasure in Alexandria. Tales were told late into the night of veiled women, Aladdin's caves, exotic black skinned people and of the sensuous and riotous beauty of this strange land. Next morning the troops enjoyed a long but interesting train journey through the Nile Delta, arriving in the late afternoon at Zeitoun Station four miles beyond Cairo. Carrying full kit, the men marched the mile and a half from the station to the bare campsite on the edge of the desert that had been chosen for the New Zealanders. For a few

days all energy was spent setting up the camp – pitching tents and sorting out baggage and stores. Once the camp had been established training began in earnest and hard training it was too with 'platoon, company and battalion drills, musketry, extended order work, attack, defence, trench digging, tactical schemes, night bivouacs, physical jerks before breakfast, parades and heavy going, dusty route marches in full marching order (carrying full kit) across the sands. The men thrived and hardened into a magnificent regiment, perfectly trained for war.'

Zeitoun Camp, Cairo


A Smallpox vaccination trial was introduced while the men were in Egypt - resulting in sore and painfully swollen arms to the point where light duties were necessary for several days. There were other similar vaccination trials using the troops both in Egypt and in Gallipoli.

Area Map, Cairo Milne at Pyramids Once training for the day was over the men were free to do as they pleased and the many attractions and distractions of Cairo were popular and just a short train ride away. The men also enjoyed visiting the pyramids and other ancient sites. On 23rd December the Australian and New Zealand troops marched through Cairo to impress upon the populace the might and power of British Rule. Over the Christmas and New Year period extra rations and leave were granted and training was reduced. On 30th December the troops were formally welcomed and reviewed by the NZ High Commissioner who was in Cairo from London. Early in January 1915, the New Zealand and Australian Forces were amalgamated to become the NZ and Australian Division of the Australian and NZ Army Corps with Major General Sir A J Godley in Command. Field training continued through January 1915. By now there was an undercurrent of restlessness developing amongst the troops who felt they should be doing more to help win the war – they were spoiling for a fight. On 19th January Milne developed a local infection and was admitted to hospital for four days. On the evening of 25th January the men learned they were to finally see some action. They were to be moved to the Suez Canal area the next morning in order to support the Indian troops who were


holding the line against an expected attack by the Turks. The Line was on the east bank of the canal and ran north for fifteen miles (24 km) from Suez to Little Bitter Lake. The NZ Infantry Brigade went by train to Khubri, twelve miles (19 km) north of Suez. On their arrival the men bivouacked for the night, and experienced some excitement when the enemy fired shots overhead.

The troops took over the canal bank and worked to improve the trenches and other defences. Life was interesting and pleasant here despite the intense heat and the many insect pests. The main diversion for the men was swimming in Lake Timsah or in the canal itself. It was the ambition of many to swim across the canal from Africa to Asia. When liners passed through there was a mad scramble for the packages containing milk, butter and cigarettes that were thrown down to the men by the passengers.

Suez Canal On 2nd February the Otago Battalion moved back from the front line into reserve so did not participate in a skirmish the next day when the Turks tried unsuccessfully to cross the canal. A short time later the Battalion returned to Zeitoun Camp in Cairo. On 22nd February 1915 Milne attended sick parade at Zeitoun Camp complaining of neck pain and swelling which was diagnosed as ex-opthalmic goitre. He had apparently suffered with this prior to enlisting but had not mentioned it during his enlistment medical. He went before the Medical Board in Zeitoun on 4th March with the recommendation that he be discharged as unfit for service due to 'his disease being aggravated by military services'. He returned to New Zealand where, on the 2nd June 1915, despite his wanting to return to the front as his condition had settled, he was considered medically unfit and was 'discharged forthwith' by the Medical Board in Wellington.


3. 1916

Six months later on 11th January 1916, Milne enlisted for the second time at Trentham in Wellington. He joined the B Company of the Wellington Infantry Battalion and was part of 12th Reinforcements. His new Regimental Number was 11789. It had been decided after Gallipoli that the most convenient system to replace fallen soldiers was to train the reinforcements in New Zealand and then forward them to the Expeditionary Force rather than to a particular unit. After the 9th Reinforcements, Regimental Numbers became straight numbers instead of the original 'bar' system. This was to avoid confusion when men were swapped between regiments. Fifteen months after Milne's original enlistment he had grown half an inch (1.3 cm), his complexion was considered medium and his eyes brown rather than hazel. He was noted to have tattoo marks on both forearms and a small scar on the little finger of his right hand. Milne embarked on the 'Ulimaroa' from Wellington on 1st May 1916 and disembarked in Suez on the 9th June. He spent six weeks in Egypt, presumably in training, before embarking on 26th July 1916 from Alexandria on the H.M.T 'Ivemia' bound for Southampton, England, arriving there on 7th August 1916. The next three months were spent in England, again presumably in training. His daughter Valerie (Crosby) remembers him talking about spending time on the Salisbury Plains. He was promoted to Corporal on 11th November prior to leaving for France on 15th November 1916. He was attached to strength at Etaples, France, on 16th November which was probably when he joined the 2/Auckland Infantry Battalion. He joined his Unit in the field three weeks later at La Gorgue in the Laventie sector on 7th December 1916. (6th Hauraki - 2/AIR, div 996/14). Here the men were billeted on French farms which they commonly described as 'a number of buildings with a rectangular smell in the middle.' The New Zealanders had left the Somme a month before Milne arrived in France and their sector, in Armentieres had remained relatively quiet during November with no major incidents, the only complaints being the wet and cold conditions in the trenches. In late November the Division moved to billets at La Gorgue close to Laventie in the Sailly-Fleuxbaix sector. The line remained quiet - it was almost as though the war had stopped. It was possible for the men to sit up on the parapet and even walk about in No-Man's-Land during the daytime. Teams of work parties were sent into No-Man's-Land for wiring and scouting purposes and some gas shells were sent over the enemy but with little in the way of retaliation.


The old sweltering, slimy, evil smelling PH Helmet gas mask was replaced at this time by the Box Respirator (SBR). The latter was much preferred by the men as it was smaller and simply protected the eyes and mouth rather than the whole head. In the early stages of the war gas was rather ineffective. Lachrymatory gas was a nuisance as it temporarily irritated the eyes but was fairly effectively controlled by wearing goggles. Cloud gas was not very successful as the cylinders containing it were difficult to

Gunners using Box Respirator carry and were in themselves dangerous. The gas cloud that was discharged was often blown back over the men who discharged it which rather defeated its purpose. The evolution of the gas shell containing poisonous mustard gas changed everything as it could be concentrated on a certain spot or spread over a wide area without being dangerous to the operator. Through November 1916 the weather became increasingly windy and miserable with sleety showers and raw, cold temperatures. Towards the end of the month came the frost and snow and by early December winter had set in properly. The French winter of 1916-1917 was the hardest, coldest most terrible winter known in Europe for half a century. There was thick snow and the imperfect drainage systems in the trenches meant that the melting snow created mud and slush which sopped through boots, freezing feet and hands - torture for the men. The men had daily foot inspections and had to massage their feet with whale Shell Holes and Mud oil in order to prevent frostbite. 'Although the winter scenery was magnificent with the wide expanse of fields broken only by the occasional dark line of a road or hedge, the roofs of the cottages white and the branches of the trees delicately lined with white, the troops would have willingly exchanged the dismal and cheerless nights shivering in their trenches and billets for a New Zealand fireside and a warm bed.' Fatigue parties worked on repairing the deteriorating trenches. Entertainment for the troops included sports competitions, listening to the 1st Battalion Band, playing cards, writing letters, reading, sleeping, 'yarning', debating competitions and shooting hares with the added excitement of bullets ricocheting off the frozen ground. The NZ YMCA, with its main hut in Sailly, was popular and always crowded.


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4. 1917 Fleurbaix

On the 1st January 1917 the First and Second NZ Infantry Brigades were reorganised. The First and Second Battalions of the Wellington and Auckland Regiments became the First Brigade, with Colonel Brown D.S.O. in command, and the First and Second Battalions of the Otago and Canterbury Regiments became the Second Brigade. Immediately after this reorganisation the 1st Brigade, to which Milne belonged as a member of the 2/Auckland Battalion, took over the Fleurbaix sector in northern France. What follows is Milne's diary for 1917. His text is written in bold exactly as it is written in his diary including his frequent misspelled words. Additional historical background has been added. 1st Jan. Mon. Releived in Levantie Sector (Laventie) by Canterbury Battalion, Fritz strafed Main Road on way out, Marched to Estaires, good place to be billetted in. 'So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag And smile, boys, smile. What's the use of worrying? It never was worth while. So as long as you've a Lucifer to light your fag Smile, boys, that's the style!' 2nd Jan. Tues. Stopping in Estaires for Eight days. Fine place. 3rd Jan. Wed. Drill and Route March. 4th Jan. Thurs. Same as previous Day. 5th Jan. Fri. Same as Thursday 6th Jan Sat. Football Match. 7th Jan. Sun. Church Parade Met Dave Dilks from P N (Palmerston North) - had just joined up with the 17ths.


8th Jan. Mon. Met Roy and Verney Liddle. (Roy Inkpen, future Brother-in-law) We had a royal time. Roy looks very well. 9th Jan. Tues. Marched to Bac-St-Maur, a long way. We are taking over a new Sector. 10 Jan. Wed Marched to Fleurbaix. Billetted in an old House. Not bad, could be worse. 11th Jan. Thurs. to 8th Feb. Thurs No entry During this time the weather was fine but cold with snow lying on the ground. Working parties were endeavouring to repair the trenches on the front and in the support lines with the frozen ground making this a difficult task. The enemy was lively night and day sending over 'pineapples' (small mortar bombs), 'minenwerfers' and 'five-nines'. On 28th January, 2/Auckland, who had the honour of being chosen from the NZ Division to carry out a battalion raid, were withdrawn to the little village of Bac-St-Maur for training for the raid. 9th Feb. Fri. At Bac-St-Maur, Training for a big raid on German lines at Fleur-Baix. The training for the raid was very thorough down to the most minute detail. A plan of the enemy trench system was laid out and over this the men practised the assault. Aerial photographs of the actual area were shown to the troops on a screen at the Divisional picture show on the Sunday before the raid. 10th Feb. Sat. to 19 Feb. Mon No entry From 11th February the weather became milder and a gradual thaw set in followed by drizzling rain. Trench foot became a problem so gumboots and a daily change of dry socks were issued to the men and everyone was required to massage their feet each day with oil. Immediately prior to the raid patrols searched every yard of the ground ahead including every drain and creek. The duck-walks of the front line and the communication saps - trenches that extended out towards the enemy line - were covered with straw so that the sound of the men moving into position was deadened. The men were given pine lozenges to suck to prevent them from coughing. Stretchers and bearers were strategically placed to carry out the wounded 20th Feb. Tues. Fleurbaix Raid 1st wave 6th & 16 2nd wave 3 & 15 500 men 600 yard front 60 guns (Artillery) 164 Casualtys (67 men missing) Gain 44 Prisoners incl. 1 officer Going up the Line 21st Feb. Wed. 2nd Auckland Battalion raided German trenches at Fleurbaix. I went over with them, reached German second line, had exciting time with German Bomber, returned safely, met Sandy


Burt (cousin) on way back to Billetts at Bac-St Maur, Sandy very pleased to see me back safely. Sixteen officers and five hundred men formed the raiding party. Milne, in 6th Hauraki, was in the first wave under the Command of Lieutenant 'Jock' McKenzie. By day-break, Jock was dead. The men were awakened at 2 am and after a hot meal they marched off toward the line. They were lightly equipped carrying only a rifle and bayonet, a bandolier and bombs. Pioneer parties had gone ahead to cut gaps in the wire. The raiding parties were all in place half an hour before zero hour where they waited, with bayonets fixed, for the flash of the signal gun. Immediately after the signal the first wave of men were away with the protective barrage behind them creating a circle of flame. They were in the wire by the time the roar of the discharge of the barrage guns was heard and were half way across No-Man's-Land before the enemy counter-fire burst into a line of light. The thaw had started to weaken the ice over the pools of water and shell holes and most of the surface snow on the battlefield had melted softening the frozen ground. The men floundered through the sloppy mud towards their goal. When the waves of men from either side of the front line merged there was wild, confused fighting with bayonet duels, shooting and bombing of the dugouts. On the sounding of whistles, which signalled the end of the raid, the survivors made their way back to the shelter of their trenches, a difficult journey hampered by heavy German shelling causing many more casualties. Some of the men assisted their wounded companions and others guarded the prisoners they had taken but because it was still dark many of the wounded were left behind. As day broke these wounded could be seen lying out in No-Man's-Land but, because the German snipers had reoccupied their front line only 150 yards (137 m) away, it was too dangerous to venture out to rescue them. Then a very remarkable thing happened. One or two brave men gambled on the chance the Germans would be chivalrous and allow the wounded to be brought in. The gamble paid off when the Germans stood up on their parapet and waved them on. Guns ceased and stretcher bearers came out from both sides. In ten minutes every dead and wounded man in No-Mans-Land was taken in after which both sides took cover again and the war resumed. The men from 2/Auckland trudged back to their billets leaving 2/Wellington to man the front line. Very lucky to have made it through safely. Personally I don't want another experience like it. 22nd Feb. Thurs. Marched to Estaires from Bac-St-Maur, Pay Day, good feed that night of eggs, finished on Champagne at 5 Francs a Bottle, very pleasant evening. We went over on the raid yesterday 450 strong and had 160 casualties, 59 of our chaps are missing. 23rd Feb. Fri. Marched from Estaires to Nieppe, did it hard, stayed two days, - 2/Auckland followed the remainder of the Brigade going into billets at Nieppe - went and found Roy at Romarin – near Ploysteert - with Sandy, had a good time. (Ploegsteert – Hill 63) 24th Feb. Sat. Still at Nieppe. Was with Sandy most of the time. Met several pals, all anxious to hear about Raid on 21st. All congratulated me on getting through safely. 25th Feb. Sun. Marched to Pont Nieppe 2 miles, billetted in huts. visited Armentiores (Armentieres) that night, sight seeing, quiet evening. The new sector was in front of Le Bizet, a small, uninhabited village that had been badly damaged by shell fire. Le Bizet was connected to the town of Armentieres by a bridge.


26th Feb. Mon. Drill and filling in time, going into trenches at Ploysteert (Ploegsteert) on March 1st. 27th Feb. Tues. Still filling in time. 28th Feb. Wed. Same as before Had job of sniper offered me, jumped at it. 1st Mar. Thurs. Relieved 1st Auckland Battalion at Ploysteert, (Ploegsteert) saw Roy, he was pleased to hear that I was a sniper, spent 3 hours in front Line looking for Fritzes, nothing doing. 2nd Mar. Fri. Went on Duty in Front Line at 12 o'clock, saw Germans through telescope to far away to shoot at, quiet afternoon. Left at 6 pm and went back to billett, sleeping in cellar of old farmhouse, good Possie. 3rd Mar. Sat Went on duty at 6 am. Had a few shots at German front line just to let him know we were alive and doing. Fritz very quiet, finished Duty at 12 noon. Had a nice quiet sleep in the afternoon. The weather was now fine with a bright moon at night but it was very cold and there was still some snow about. 4th Mar. Sun. Start duty again at 12, noon, rather lively, Fritz doing some Shelling, our guns replied & Fritz shut up, quietness, sometimes wonder if a War is on. Nothing doing so came back to billett at 5.30 pm. 5th Mar. Mon. Pay Day Drew 40 Francs Back on Duty again in Front Line at 6 am. Weather very bad snowing all the time, exceedingly cold, very quiet. Knocked off at 12 noon. The weather became variable with snow, rain, hail and sleet then miserable warm drizzle in between times which made conditions wet and slushy and possibly more uncomfortable than the intense dry cold had been. The occasional warm, sunny day brought a promise of spring. Afternoon, went for a walk to La Bugiet to div-Canteen, & Bought some Cigarettes. Met Capt. R. D Hardie of Palm Nth. 6th Mar. Tues. 12. Noon, same old thing, look for hours but Fritz to cunning, he wont show himself, nothing to shoot at, our French mortars strafe German Front Line, Fritz replies with artillery fire, Whiz Bangs (shells that arrive with little or no warning) & Pineapples getting rather close, so shift to safer Position, finish at 6 pm & go home for Tea. 7th Mar. Wed. 6 am. back again in Front Line, very misty, German puts up Periscope to have a look at us, took careful aim & hit it, Fritz immediately Pulled it down, Trenches only 120 yards (110 metres) apart so impossible to miss. Finished at 12 noon. Afternoon, went to sleep. 8th Mar. Thurs. 1st Auckland Battalion came in & releived us, Saw Roy, & had a yarn.


Have an abcess in Jaw went to Doctor, sent to Hospital, first place No 1 NZ Field. afternoon, taken in ambulance to 2nd Australian C.C.S. at Steemwierck, (Steenwerck) stayed the night, Good Hospital. 9th Mar. Fri. Left 2nd Australian C.C.S. at 9.30 am by Red Cross train for Boulogne. felt very ill, rotten trip. Very nice Sister on train, looked after everyone in her carriage, (Tres Bon) 10th Mar. Sat. Arrived Boulogne at 1.30am. Admitted No 13 Stationary Hospital at 2 am. done up. Face very saw, can't see out of right eye. 10 am. Still in Bed. Doctors inspection, sends me to Dentist. Next few minutes very painful, had a tooth drawn, The Pain goes away that Night, & swelling starts to go down. Night Sister in Ward, very nice. 11 Mar. Sun. Got up for breakfast, feeling much better. Lent a hand in the Ward, Australian Sister releiving in Ward for the Day, got on well with her. Night Sister came on duty at 8 pm, am afraid my case is hopeless, She is very attentive & good looking, have already lost my heart about 20 times. 12 Mar. Mon. Doing fine, Australian Sister left the Ward, am now making up to little Irish Girl, result, extras for dinner? Think I will stay here for the Duration. 8 pm. Night Sister going to get me to Blighty if Doctor comes into Ward, very decent, quite excited, Pulse very Rapid, Temperature High. (Doctor doesn't come in) 10 pm. Pulse and Temperature Normal. 13th Mar. Tues. Getting better to fast, tell Doctor am feeling very unwell, orders me to have treatment every hour, new Sister in Ward, knows all about NZ through being a great friend of Mr Riley the Rlwy Manager. Tell her some great yarns. getting quite expert at making Beds Am afraid I will be discharged soon. 14th Mar. Wed. Terrible catastrophe, Doctor came round at 10 am. Marked 3 men for England. Marked me for Convalescent Camp, Left Hospital 1.30. pm. Arrived No 1 Con Camp 3 pm. (No 1 Convalescent Depot) very nice place, can get leave for Boulogne, go to Town & have a good time, visit NZ Pay Office, Clerk won't give me any money until discharged from Con. Camp. Tell Clerk politely what I think of him, he doesn't like it. 15th Mar. Thurs. Like being at Con. Camp, go before Doctor & tell him that I can't Eat. Tells me to come back to him on Sunday. Have to go and do Physical Drill under Tommy Instructor with a lot of other chaps, too much like hard work so resolve not to go again. Have met nice girl helping in C.W.L, (Catholic Women's League) often go in for a Cup of Tea instead of going on Parade. 16th Mar. Fri Still having a nice quiet time in Con Camp, visit C.W.L & have some jelly. Padre tells me that giving jelly to me is like giving a Bun to an Elephant. He (the Padre) is watching me while I talk to young Lady at Counter. Get Disgusted so go into Boulogne for evening, very quiet. 17th Mar. Sat. Go to Football Match, all Tommies playing, game very slow, players seem to be afraid of Ball, tell a Tommy that they aught to play Rugby, he seemed rather indignant, Left Match & went back to my little Girl at the Club, she was out, so went into Boulogne again.


18th Mar. Sun. Went before Doctor & told him a yarn, as I don't want to go back to the Line so soon, got marked out of Con. Camp as unfit, & sent to Base Details for Medical Board. B. D. no Bon, in a tent with 9 tommies, food very rough, sleeping on hard Boards, don't like it. Go into Boulogne with an Australian, have a quiet time. 19th Mar. Mon. Slice of Bread & roasted Cheese for Breakfast, no good to us. Do nothing all day, very cold, Snow, Hail & Rain, rotten weather, rotten Country. Will be glad when I leave this place. 20th Mar. Tues. Go before Medical Board, 3 Doctors, they can't find anything wrong with me, so mark me out to NZ Base at Etaples for further examination there. Can't swing the lead any longer, once our Doctors see me I will be sent up the Line quick, Look to Healthy, trouble is I feel very well too. "Gracie's Birthday" (Milne's youngest sister) 21st Mar. Wed. Go on a Route March. See the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance & the Boats going across, feel like crying, but like a good Soldier desist, tell the chap with me what I think of things, he thoroughly agrees, this is a hard War, & a cruel World. 22nd Mar. Thurs. Leave Boulogne at 1.30 pm for Etaples 20 miles away. Arrive at NZ Base Etaples at 8 pm. Record trip, the trains do travel here. Saw a lot of 19ths and 20ths at Etaples, all Strangers. Mumps very prevalent, I wonder if I will get them. By 1917 the troops had endured three years of terrible battles with huge losses. There was no hope of the war ending and morale was low. Soldiers in the camp were treated very badly by the instructors who had never themselves spent a day on the front. Etaples Base trained raw recruits as well as retraining servicemen with lesser injuries in combat drills such as trench digging, gas and bayonet drills plus exhausting marches across the sand dunes. The training ground was known as the dreaded 'Bull Ring' 23rd Mar. Fri. Went before our Doctors & got marked fit before I could say Boo, intend having a good time before I go back to the Trenches. Very Cold. 24th Mar. Sat. Dodged Parade & had a quiet day. Nothing to Report. 25th Mar. Sun. Went for a walk in the morning. Another quiet day. 26th Mar. Mon. Had to go on Parade. Very strenuous day. Made to Jump trenches & do all sorts of silly things, quite a miniature battle, only there was no opposition from Fritz. Bags of straw got up to represent Germans, enjoyed sticking them with Bayonet, much safer way of doing things here than what it is up the line. Bayoneting Bags of Straw 27th Mar. Tues. Felt tired so had a holiday, very quiet day, only one row all day, and that was with a Sargeant. I won & peace and quietness reigned supreme


28th Mar. Wed. Something in the Wind, a lot of us medically re-examined, and issued with new Identity Discs, am afraid it is too late to get heart failure. (5.30 pm) Breakfast ordered for next morning at a quarter to Six, leave Camp for Station at a quarter Past, Holiday over & I'm glad to be going back amongst Men.

29th Mar. Thurs. Left the Camp at 6.15 am and the Train pulled out of the Station at 10.30 am, a long train ride to Steemwierch, the Rail Head. (Steenwerck) Midnight, arrived at Steemwierch, away in the distance the Flares are going up and the flashes from the Guns light up the sky, stayed at Rest Camp. 30th Mar. Fri. Put the day in at the Rest Camp, Battalion billeted only about 600 yards (90 metres) away, so take a walk up to where my Coy is billetted & get two letters from Home & this Diary. Staying the night in the Rest Camp & join up with my Coy tomorrow. "Trenches on Sunday"


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5. Messines

The situation of the Allies on the Western Front prior to the Battle of Messines and the relation which the Battle of Messines was to bear on the general scheme for the

Western Front

A series of offensives were to be launched on all fronts, so timed as to assist each other by depriving the enemy of the power of drawing upon any one of his fronts in order to reinforce others. The positions held by the Allies in the Ypres Salient since May 1915 were under the direct observation of the enemy and at the mercy of his well placed artillery. Defending these positions under such unequal conditions was very difficult. It was maintained that by capturing the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge – between the towns of Armentieres and Ypres -and the high ground extending north east for several miles through Broodsiende and Passchendaele, the Allied position would be vastly improved. The first half of the plan, the Spring Offensive, the Arras Offensive, took place in April with the British and French Armies advancing the line four miles. The second half of the plan, the Summer Offensive, was the one the NZ Division, as part of the Second Army, was involved in. This stage was the capture of the Messines-Wytschaete Ridge itself. This would be in preparation for the later attack planned north of Ypres. The villages of Messines and Wytschaete were the main centres of resistance. Preliminary work involved a big programme of construction of both road and railway, the assembling of the artillery, the establishment of forward ammunition dumps, the erecting of dressing stations, and sorting out the problem of water supply. Mines were also laid underground, nineteen mines with over one million pounds of explosive. The German defences were an intricate network of trenches and strong points. The many farms and woods in the area contained machine gun emplacements with concrete dugouts designed to protect the troops from the Allied Artillery fire. All these defences, as well as the enemy billets, headquarters and villages, had been systematically and intensely bombarded by the Allies since 21st May. This led to determined retaliation by the enemy during which many Allied guns and ammunition dumps were destroyed. The arrangements for the attack included intricate plans for barrages, both creeping and standing for the actual attack, counter battery work and shelling of back areas and communication lines. Once the objectives were won, guns had to be pushed forward and new lines reopened with fresh targets. The New Zealand Division was to be supported by one hundred and fourteen 18-pounder guns, thirty six howitzers and fifty six machine guns. They also had eight Stokes mortars which were weapons for battering down any strongholds of resistance. Prior to the attack there was to be no increase in the bombardment activity to ensure the enemy had no indication of an imminent attack.


At Messines gas casualties were numerous. During training for the attack many hours were spent learning to care for the gas helmets and in the correct and rapid fitting and operation of them. The small box respirator, issued after the Somme, was a safe protection against any of the gases used at this time. It consisted of a rubberised mask with eye pieces, a nose clip and an expiratory valve which fitted over the face. A rubber tube led from the mouth piece to a tin canister which contained chemicals to neutralise the harmful gas in the atmosphere leaving only pure air to pass through. In action the brown canvas haversack was slung across the chest. The box respirator was looked upon by the men as rather a mixed blessing as it offered an extra sense of security, but was another piece of equipment to carry. It made an excellent pillow but the down side to this was that the valves became choked with dust and dirt and the eyepieces grimy, effectively blinding the user. 31st Mar. Sat. Got up at 8.30 am had 4 hrs gas drill with new Box respirator, joined up with Coy at 5.30 pm, (at Ploegsteert Wood) received 4 letters from home, 2 from Mother & 1 from Con & Grace. Very pleased to get Letters, people at home don't like the idea of me being in France. Can't say that I love it myself now. 1st Apr. Sun. Marched 6 miles to Trenches, releived 3rd Battalion Dinks at 1.30, (they fancy themselves) on duty in Trench line until 4.pm, very quiet. Trenches right opposite village Messines, we are on one hill, (Hill 63) Fritz on another 400 yards (365 metres) between Front lines, good dugout to sleep in well back from front line. 2nd Apr. Mon. Went on duty in Front line at 9 am. Very quiet for awhile, after dinner Fritz livened up & gave us a strafe, started to go back to Dug-out at 2 pm. Fritz shelling communication Sap, had narrow escape, have a small piece of shell that just missed right eye as souvenir. Snowing very heavy. The billets were shelled causing many casualties. 3rd Apr. Tues. Went on Duty at 11.30 am. Snowing Heavy, very quiet, afternoon, weather cleared up & Fritz sent over a few shells, releived at 2 pm, & went back to dug-out for Dinner. After Dinner which consisted of 2 slices of Bread & Jam & Cheese also some Sardines, read, Smoked cigarettes & had a sleep. 4th Apr. Wed. Went on Duty at 2 pm. Our Artillery opened very heavy fire on German lines, left of Messines, magnificent sight, firing along top of ridge for some time, appeared to us as though German Troop Train was blown up. Fritz opened up on our right with schrapnel, finished at 7 pm. Very quiet. 'Plum-duff' ammunition dump near Battalion Headquarters was blown up at this time shaking everyone up in the vicinity but fortunately causing few casualties. 5th Apr. Thurs. Went on Duty at 9 am. - in support in the Red Lodge area. Red Lodge was a ruined but picturesque former hunting lodge - very Quiet until 1 o'clock when Fritz shelled our position, we very soon shifted to a quieter spot. This evening a heavy bombardment is on by our people, the Tommies on our left are raiding the German lines, & our Guns are covering their advance, poor Devils, I don't envy them. (Hell is let loose) The weather continued to be bitterly cold with frequent heavy falls of snow.


Red Lodge

6th Apr. Fri. Went on Duty again at 7 am, - on Hill 63. The trenches were exposed to the enemy but there was little sniper activity. However, whizz bangs came across at odd times - releived at 10.30 am by 1st Auckland. - 2/Auckland went back into support. Met Willie Jackson in Front line, he was up on Fatigue. Got paid, drew 50 Francs. Have heard that America has declared War on Germany. Good thing. Wonder if Swiss Navy is coming out. 7th Apr. Sat. Resting in Dug-out all day, having quiet time. Saw one of our aeroplanes brought down in Flames in rear of our lines by German Aeroplane. Heavy Bombardment at rear of Messines by our people, using Liquid Fire, etc. Grand sight. Have very saw heel. Small parcel of Chocolate and Cigarettes. 8th Apr. Sun. Saw Roy this morning & went and paid him a visit this afternoon. Had a great yarn on "Old Times". Had a letter from Con. This morning Fritz strafed round about our Dug-out, some narrow escapes but luckily no-one was hurt. Had a quiet day, apart from Strafe. Going into the line again in a day or two. 9th Apr. Mon 3 years ago today was Best man at Wedding in English Church P.N. Went out this morning & had practice at shooting. Afternoon very quiet, Dug-out fell in on Cook, but was extricated quickly and unhurt. Very quiet day. 10th Apr. Tues. Stayed in Dug-out all day, very quiet. 11th Apr. Wed. Went for a Bath to Pont Nieppe, had a good dinner of Eggs, Chips and Steak. Snowed very heavy in evening, very pretty. 12 Apr. Thurs. Very quiet. Nothing doing.


13 Apr. Fri. Did Nothing all day, went out on Working Party at 8.15 pm until midnight on communication Trench, Fritz put Searchlight on but did not see us. Front very quiet. This communication trench was a new trench, approx 1,100 yards (1,000 m) long, between the Wulverghem-Messines road on the left and the Steenbeek River on the right. Digging this trench was a daring undertaking as it was in No-Man's-Land right under the nose of the enemy. It was designed to give the troops a jumping off place that was correctly aligned parallel to the German trenches. It was of great importance that the assaulting troops did not have to change direction during an attack and that they all had approximately the same distance to travel. Digging the trench was a tricky business. First the engineers, under cover of darkness, had to peg out the site of the trench then, on the evening of the actual digging, they had to tape it out. Four hundred men made up the working party and the digging had to be carried out in just one night with the very real danger of being discovered while work was in progress due to the proximity of the new trench to the German lines. The men were protected by outposts. Incredibly the work was completed by 2.30 am without incurring a single casualty and the enemy remained oblivious to what was happening. 14 Apr. Sat. Stayed in Dug-out all day, Raining, miserably cold. Very quiet. Got 2 Weeklies. We are living on what is called Hill 63, this place will be very Historical for NZ soon as it is from this Hill that we are going to advance from when we attack Messines. 15th Apr. Sun. Releived 1st Auckland at Wulverghem, Ploysteert, (Ploegsteert) 9 am. Saw Roy. Did not go on Duty today. Dugouts on Hill 63 Billetted in a deserted Farmhouse called Plus-La- Doueve. (Plus Douve Farm) 16th Apr. Mon. Went on Duty at 5.30 am Very quiet. Nothing doing. Releived at 9 am. Saw one Hun on Hun's walk, was in a Hurry. 17th Apr. Tues. Went on Duty again at 3.30 pm. quiet afternoon, came home at 7.15. Got Weekly Press from some kind Friend, also letter from Mattie Walker of England. Saw Jack Elcock. 18th Apr. Wed. On Duty again at 9am. Fritz sent over G shells shook the bivvy, but did no damage, releived at 2 pm. Fritz shelling communication Trench on way home, our turn to Hurry. Some shells come very close to billett, quite exciting. More Snow this morning. Roy called on me, Had a yarn. 19th Apr. Thurs. Went on Duty at 2 pm. very quiet afternoon, came back to billett at 6 pm, very misty. Received Letter from Mater also one from Ashley, Eon, father of a Boy, Great. 20th Apr. Fri. On Duty again at 9 am. Very Heavy artillery Fire on Both sides all day. Releived at 2 pm. received Letter from Mater & 2 Weeklys, also a Letter from Aunty Dick.


21st Apr. Sat. Was on Duty at 6 am. Releived at 9 am. Nothing doing. Wrote home, also to Fthston (Featherston) & to Somerset. very quiet day. '22nd Apr. Sun. On Duty again at 2 pm. Very quiet until 6.30, when our trench mortars strafed Fritz's front line, Fritz replied with a lot of shrapnel, 3 men wounded, came home 7.30. 23rd Apr. Mon. On Duty again at 2 pm, very quiet. Our artillery were going to Bombard enemy front line at 6 pm, all of us ordered to our support line for shelter. Strafe a washout so came home at 7 pm Roy came round to see me. Parcel from Con. 24th Apr. Tues. Releived by 1st Auckland at 9 am. Came back to old dug-out on Hill. Got paid & drew 50 Francs. Saw Miss Walters young man, he is a Corporal in 2nd Wgtn. Ruahine. Quiet day. Hill 63 25th Apr. Wed. On fatigue at Red Lodge Digging Trench Hole, Put in 6 hours, quiet day. The men were digging and wiring an assembly trench - later known as 'Hanbury Support'. 26th Apr. Thurs. Went on Fatigue in WGton support line, taking corners off communication trench. In afternoon went for Bath to Pont Nieppe. Fritz shelling near Baths so didn't get one, Fritz also shelled road on way home, very exciting time. 27th Apr. Fri Came back to De Soule Camp near Bailleul, (a hutment camp) going to Saint Omer (the training ground) very soon. 28th Apr. Sat. Went into Pont Nieppe for Bath, got one this time, much appreciated. had half holiday. 29th Apr. Sun. Was on Sick Parade, nothing serious. Had a drill in the afternoon for 2 hours Given job as scout, we are going to advance at Messines very soon. "No Bon" 30th Apr. Mon. Came back an hour's march to Neuve Eglise, near Wulverghem, Billetted in an old house much knocked about by enemy shell fire, instead of having a rest as intended we are going into the line again The battalions had had no real spell from trench life for four long months since Christmas, and were looking forward to enjoying three weeks of spring away from the mud and the sound of guns. Fritz raided Australians this morning. 1st May. Tues. Went on Fatigue, digging new support line, Fritz strafed our left very heavily, came home at 1.30 pm. The vertical walls of the trenches relatively protected the infantry fighters from the direct hits of the light artillery. Very quickly, the enemy had to find a new means of killing and reintroduced the principle of the old slow-moving but deadly mortars. These shells, 'Minenwerfers', with their


massive explosive loads, rained down from a nearly vertical direction on the unfortunate soldiers crawling in the mud. Went and saw Roy in the evening & had a yarn. 2 Hun aeroplanes brought down & also one of his Balloons, Lovely weather. Got Permission to wear my two stripes. 2nd May Wed. Had Day off. Went and Saw Roy in the Evening. Very Quiet. 3rd May Thurs. On Fatigue at Red Lodge, came home at 2.30. Quiet day Saw Roy in the Evening. 4th May Fri. Went on Fatigue again to Red Lodge, met Billy Inkpen. He looks very thin. Came back again at 2.30 pm. Still billetted at Neuve Eglise. The weather had taken a turn for the better with fields turning green and trees breaking into leaf. 5th May Sat. Did nothing all day, Fritz shelled our Billetts at 8.30 pm & cleared us out, went on Fatigue Party at 10 pm to Subsidiary Lines, wasn't required, & got home at 12.30, just got into bed when Fritz shelled Billett again, so went up and slept behind a hedge till morning. When the shelling began the priority was to move the transport horses out of harm's way. Neuvre Eglise was formerly a huge convent whose tranquillity was a distant memory with shells raining down amongst the buildings. Got 4 letters from Home & Parcel from England. 6th May Sun Slept all day, Fritz shelled our Billett again at 8.30, went on Fatigue again at 11 pm. Came home at Daylight on Monday morning. Front getting very Lively. 7th May Mon. Slept all day again, about 7.30 pm Fritz put over Gas at La Toke between us & Armienteres. (Armentieres) Our Artillery Bombarded him Heavily. 11 pm Fritz shelled our Billetts again, so all our Artillery opened up on him and shut him up, Some Strafe. At 8.45 that evening every heavy gun on the 2nd army front line bombarded the enemy's rear lines for five minutes in retaliation for the shelling of the billets. This was repeated at 11 pm. Because the enemy had retaliated, the 'Heavies' repeated the fire for another five minutes at 11 pm the following night. Still at Neuve Eglise. 8th May Tues. Did nothing all day, except write home & to England. All this day there was intermittent shell fire with occasional bursts of fury. 9th May Wed. Went on Fatigue to Souvenir (ammunition) Dump near Wulverghem, Fritz put over Gas Shells, very close but not dangerous, came home at 12 Noon. Had a good time in the afternoon. Starting for St Omer tomorrow. – for twelve days of valuable training. 10th May Thurs. Went on Fatigue to Romarin, laying a Cable for the Stunt, when we attack Messines. Had a great surprise today, met Reg Munt, Came back to Billetts at 4 pm. & Left by Motor Lorries


for Stragelle, (Strazeele-Caestre area) 10 miles from Neuve Eglise & away from the Guns. Billetted at a farm - on the outskirts of Strazeele. (Tres Bon) 11 May Fri. Did squad Drill & general Training, we are right in the Country, & everything is very much like the NZ Summer - with delightful weather. Got parcel from Home. 12 May Sat. Training for advance when we attack Messines. Lecture by C.O. Colonel Allen, their new commander, was intensely proud of his 2/Auckland Battalion and this pride flowed through to the men who became increasingly proud of their badge with its Red Diamond. In his lecture he traced the history of the Battalion as he felt this would help build the 'esprit-de-corps' or 'fighting spirit' among the men. This was important because the life of an individual in a combatant unit was usually very short. At this time The NZ Division was looked upon as one of the finest Divisions in France, and the realisation that one's own Battalion was perhaps the best in this elite Division was a source of great pride to the men of 2/Auckland.

13 May Sun. Church Parade & inspection by General Brown. Half Holiday, Beautiful Weather. 14th May Mon. More Squad Drill & Slope Arms, trying to teach us discipline. 15th May Tues. Had to come off Drill today, was very crook in the Little Mary. Still at Stragelle.

Inspection of Troops 16th May Wed. Had more Drill this morning, 1st Brigade Horse Show this afternoon (at Strazeele), went round to it & met Roy & Sandy, all the 1st Brigade is now out of the Trenches for Training in attack, we are going over the top soon. Horses and mules were very important with regards to 'war transport'. In the strict military sense the life of a horse or mule was more important than that of a mere man. Men could always be replaced but horses and mules, only with difficulty. 17th May Thurs. Civilian Holiday in France, to wet for us to Drill so we had a day off also, going to St Omer tomorrow by Train. 18th May Fri. Left Stragelle at 12.30, & marched to Bailleul, then entrained to St Omer, arriving 6 pm. had tea & marched right out into the Country to the village of Esquerdes, (eight miles from Bailleul) very pretty place in a Valley, nice village, good stream here for Swimming. Every morning the men marched away to the training ground where they each practised their particular part of the scheme of the planned attack on Messines. It was vital that each man had an accurate knowledge of his own particular task, that he was physically fit and was an expert in the use of his weapons. The manoeuvre grounds had been requisitioned from the peasants, and a full size model of the Messines fortifications had been laid out so that the attacking troops could rehearse as nearly as possible under the actual conditions they would meet on the day of the battle.


19th May Sat. Went on Long route march, very tired. Had a swim in river when we came home. Very cold water. 'After a hard day's work they marched back again, hot and dusty, to plunge into the river that so conveniently flowed through the middle of the village. It was a somewhat novel sight to see hundreds of men without the superfluity of bathing costumes swimming in the midst of a civilian population'. Life in the village was much more normal for the men as they were well outside the danger zones of Armentieres, Estaires and Bailleul. 20th May Sun. Went on another long march to Range, (Commette Rifle Range) did some shooting, came home & had another swim. A Sergt. Pal of mine & myself have scored a lovely Bed off the French people we are Billetted with, it is alright getting in the sheets again. Got paid & drew 70 Francs. 21st May Mon Was Orderly Corporal, had a very easy day, stayed in Billett all the afternoon & talked to Madamoselle, got 3 letters from Home & one from Aunty Dick, 5/- postal note, "Tres Bon" Sleeping between sheets again tonight. 22nd May Tues. Wet Day. No Drill. Went into Saint Omer in the afternoon for a Bath, did not get one, 1 hours leave in the Town and marched Home again, 9 kilo-m each way. very tired. plenty of German Prisoners in Saint Omer. Apart from swims in the river the men went in to St Omer for bathing parade. They found that the inside of the baths had been damaged and were unusable so they were allowed a look round the historic city instead. St Omer was an important centre for Army organisation and had a huge aerodrome just outside the town. Hundreds of German POW's were employed there on various kinds of work. 'Much had been made in the newspapers of the degenerate Hun with his miserable appearance and physique but the men found the German soldiers to compare very favourably with themselves.' They were hard men to beat and it took heavy fighting to win victories against them. 23rd May Wed. Was on Parade all day, very warm. Went for a swim tonight, got Auckland Weekly from Hinemoa dated Feb 8. Saw same Paper a Month ago. Going over the Top soon in the advance. Out again on manoeveures, came home very tired, still it is much nicer here than what it is in the Trenches. 25th May Fri. Was Orderly Corporal again today, having an easy time personally, rest of Coy out training for the Stunt. 26th May Sat. Still Ord Copl, Lovely day, went for a Swim this afternoon. Still sleeping in the old Bed, will be very sorry to leave it. 27th May Sun Still Ord Copl. Had easy day.


28th May Mon. In charge of Guard Battallion .?.linik, our Platoon Officer, told me tonight that I was in charge of a Section when we hop the parapet. We are starting the advance on June 3rd. 29th May Tues. Was out with the Coy today, still training for the attack on Messines. Our Platoon Commander told me today that I was third in Command of the Platoon when we go over, if the Sergt gets smacked I take his place, & if both the officer and Sergt get smacked then I will be in charge of the Platoon, this is my opportunity and I am jumping at it. Still at Esquerdes. - just SW of St Omer - (Wrote home) 30th May Wed. Out on a Training Stunt again today. We are leaving here tomorrow morning on a 3 days march back to the Trenches, this is the last night between the sheets, hope it won't be long now before I am over in Blighty & on my way back to NZ. 31st May Thurs. Marched 10 miles - via Wizernes and Arques to the Wallon-Cappel area - on our way back to the line. Billetted in a Barn. 1st June Fri. Still plodding our weary way back - through Hazebrock and Foret de Nieppe to the La Motte area. 2nd June Sat. The men marched twelve miles through to the Bailleul road then along the road under an avenue of trees to De Seule and Canteen Corner – arrived in Camp at De Soule Marching back to the Trenches (Seule) at 6 pm. – The tents were pitched in a little wood beyond Canteen Corner and shelter trenches were dug in case the enemy should shell the camp. Going into the Trenches tomorrow morning. 3rd June Sun. Arrived in subsidiary lines at 9 am. living in big bivvy.- at Red Lodge. 2/Auckland took over the whole of the Divisional Front. Everything was ready for the assault. Heavy railway tracks had been laid down as far forward as possible and from these light lines diverged running up to the guns and to the many ammunition dumps. Massed guns, ranged in rows, were everywhere, clustered into little valleys, sheltered behind crest lines and often standing out in the open and protected only by camouflage netting. The route to the assembly trench had been pegged out for the infantry moving up to the front line and other routes were marked out for the return journey of the walking wounded and prisoners of war. Red Lodge, which had been fitted out as an advanced dressing station, was heavily protected with sand bags and reinforced concrete. 4th June Mon. Fritz shelled very heavy all day, things are getting very close The men of 2/Auckland, endured a very disturbed and uncomfortable night being bombarded by the enemy with lethal and lachrymatory gas shells, whiz bangs and five-nines. Dugouts were blown in and the men had to protect themselves by crouching up against sandbags and squeezing into corners to avoid flying metal splinters, debris, dust, smoke - and the infernal noise.


5th June Tues. Under a scorching sun 2/Auckland marched to Midland Support, their concentration camp at De Seule. We are going over in a few days in the real thing. Got 5 letters from Home. 6th June Wed. Had a quiet day. In the afternoon the men were issued with their equipment for the coming battle. The amount of extra equipment issued was so great that perhaps, in no other battle of the war, did the private soldier carry quite so much. His fighting kit included a steel helmet, rifle, bayonet, Webb equipment, a full pouch of ammunition with an extra hundred rounds carried in a bandolier, a haversack and water bottle plus his small box respirator slung across his chest. In addition every

man carried two Mills bombs in his breast pockets and extra rations in his haversack and also a pick or shovel. Distributed amongst the members of each platoon were wire cutters, extra buckets of bombs, carriers full of rifle-grenades, spare Lewis gun panniers and ground flares, with which to signal their position to contact aeroplanes. All officers and section commanders were issued with small scale maps showing in detail the enemy trench system that was to be assailed by the troops of the 2nd NZ Infantry Brigade. The men paraded in full attack order before marching to the assembly trenches.

In the Trench Went into our assembly trench at 6 pm - in the forward zone. The enemy harassed the troops with gas shells which necessitated the wearing of gas helmets on the march into the assembly trenches. Fortunately gas shells explode with little force so were not a great danger. The NZ Division had been given the task of storming the village of Messines itself and then continuing through for some 500 yards to the reverse side of the hill. 2/Aucklands goal, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Allen, was the hill behind Messines and they set out to achieve this goal with a fighting strength of 20 officers and 660 men. Milne's Company, 6th Hauraki, was captained by Capt. W Watson. Going over the top at 10 to 4 in the morning. Fritz shelled us with Gas shells all night. Once in the assembly trench the men endeavoured to get some rest but with the gas shells coming over constantly the men had to decide whether to sit up all night with their gas masks on or take the risk of going to sleep and hoping for the best. Most of the men chose to pass the night in their respirators. To pass the time some of the men speculated on the probable impact point of approaching shells and then, from the explosion, the calibre of the enemy gun that had fired it. The hours preceding the attack were comparatively quiet. 'The men sat quietly, nerves and muscles tensed up, braced for a shock. On the whole the men were pensive, their minds clouded with fear and with each shriek of a shell they felt the agony of potential wounds and the bitterness of death. Some men coped by making a jest of the whole business and some felt a lifting up of spirits and a nearness to God. Knowing that tomorrow or the next day they must leave the shelter of the trench, move up over the parapet and go out into a storm of steel had many wondering just what their chances would be.'


7th June Thurs. The fun started at 3 am. & we hopped over soon after. It was an easy win taking Messines, had some very exciting times 'The morning dawned dark and misty. At 3.10 am, zero hour, there was a muffled roar and a great, awe inspiring flash as the sky lit up with leaping flames which were quickly obscured by smoke and debris. A great series of nineteen underground mines had been fired accompanied by a shake that rocked the very earth. After a brief pause there was the sudden rattle of thousands of machine-guns then a flash on the horizon followed by a thunder blast of sound as the great barrage fell on the German lines. All this, plus the long roll of the heavy guns and the quick bang-snap-bang of the eighteen-pounders, blended into one tremendous volume of sound.' The Auckland Battalions remained in the assembly trenches until 3.55 am, by which time dawn had broken. They then moved in small columns over the open ground, and picked their way up the hill towards Messines with 2/Auckland skirting the village to the right. Shrapnel burst over head and the men met phosgene-chlorine gas in the valley which required the use of gas masks on their ascent. Once the enemy realised the ridge had been lost, he began to shell the whole area resulting in many casualties. In spite of strong opposition the New Zealanders met with complete success and at 5.20 am the final objective was reached and captured and all set to work to dig in. 2/Auckland was concentrated around the Moulin de l'Hospice and once there the troops took shelter in shallow ditches, shell holes and hastily dug trenches where they endured hour after hour of concentrated enemy fire. It was not possible for them to dig deep, narrow trenches because the high water levels caused the sides of the trenches to slip. They then moved further forward and occupied Ungodly Trench and soon afterwards, at 6.40, moved forward again to a position in the rear of the Black Line where they established four new posts. Meanwhile the Germans quickly recovered and counter-attacked by opening furious fire over the lost ground but were effectively stopped by the artillery barrage. Most of the losses at Messines were not during the advance itself but during the consolidation of the new line. The rest of the day was spent watching, waiting and enduring. The day was hot, and the exertion, plus the battle smoke and acrid fumes from the explosives, led to intense thirst. Tiny springs, uncovered by the digging, supplied the most urgent need. During the evening hours the German machine gunners and snipers continued to be active and it was only under the cover of darkness that re organisation could be carried out, all the time with the constant expectation of counter attack by the enemy. Time was spent improving and extending the trench line and by daybreak the next morning the position was considered secure. 8th June Fri. Dug in 2 and a ¼ miles (3.5 kilometres) from our old front Line, a good advance, Digging in' involved digging a trench of sufficient depth to give the men comparatively good cover.

Positions were strongly fortified against possible counter attack. During the morning Brigadier-General C H J Brown, Commander of the 1st Brigade, was killed and Colonel S.S. Allen took over his command - Fritz shelling very heavy. - All day shelling was exceptionally heavy and very little movement was possible. got a piece of shrapnel in the (left) hand and went back to the Red Cross. - possibly the Regimental Aid Post at Boyles Farm from where Milne was admitted to No 10 Field Ambulance. was sent to Rest Camp at Estrada.

First Aid Post


By the end of the battle of Messines 2/Auckland had lost 3 officers and 57 men with 8 officers and 290 men wounded and 23 missing. A total of 7,000 prisoners, 67 guns, 94 trench mortars and 290 machine guns were taken by the Second Army 9th June Sat. Having a real good Rest. Knocked up very tired. 10th June Sun. Still at Rest Camp. 11th June Mon. Am much better. Going back to unit soon. 12th June Tues. Still at Rest Camp. 13th June Wed. Left Rest Camp for Reinf. Camp at De Soule. – Discharged to Unit and detached to 1st Field Coy. (N.Z.E)


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6. La Basse Ville

14th June Thurs. Rejoined Unit at Regina Camp at 7.30 pm. (Pont Nieppe) 15th June Fri. Went & Saw Roy at Romarin. 16th June Sat. Was with Roy again today. 17th June Sun. Church Parade. 18th June Mon. Left Regina Camp for Catacombs Ploegsteert, Living in big Dugout. Electric Light. The Catacombs were a series of tunnels constructed under Hill 63 before the Battle of Messines and were designed to hold two battalions of men. They contained double tiers of bunks throughout and also cubicles for officers and storage rooms. The 18th June was a hot day during which there was a heavy thunderstorm. 2/Auckland was in support in the La Basse-Ville-Warneton sector which stretched from Hyde Park corner to Ploegsteert Wood. The newly won ground was ill defined and only very roughly organised. Enemy posts were only 400 yards (366 metres) away. An old railway line ran diagonally across the NZ front and a decision was made to raid the whole area. 19th June Tues. Went on Fatigue to our new Support Lines, Fritz shelled very heavy. The whole area near Hyde Park Corner was being heavily shelled at this time with gas shells and 'High Explosives' falling on the hillside, in the woods and around the entrances to the dugouts. The atmosphere in the long stuffy galleries of the dugouts reeked with the pungent odour of the gas. Fatigue parties from 2/Auckland were out digging trenches, putting down duckboards, building A frames, burying cables and making roads and they faced the prospect of being blown up at any moment as they ran the gauntlet of the shelling all night long. A bombardment on the hike home to breakfast and a sleep was almost intolerable.


Fatigue parties laying down the duckboards 20th June Wed. Did nothing but Sleep all day. 21st June Thurs. Same as Yesterday. 22nd June Fri. Going into Trenches tomorrow night. 23rd June Sat. Left Catacombs at 9 pm. For Trenches. Had to go across open Country. Sleeping in a bit of a Trench.

The newly dug line ahead of the Potteries at La Basse Ville was the main line of defence. In front of this was a line of posts connected by a shallow trench and a couple of hundred yards ahead of this was a newly occupied position sheltering a few observers. A few hundred yards beyond this were the buildings of Warneton and between the two were a tangle of hedges and clumps of trees behind which were the enemy posts. Their artillery was very active firing at any sign of movement. 24th June Sun. Had quiet day 25th June Mon. Went out on Fatigue all night. - To clear the ground to the immediate front of the enemy posts. Night operations such as this were extremely difficult and apt to miscarry. Fritz strafed something awful.

A typical trench

26th June Tues. Slept all day, never went out at night. Fritz sent over Gas shells, a lot of chaps gassed. 27th June Wed. Same as yesterday only instead of just using gas shells Fritz sent over H E (heavy explosive) & shrapnel with it. It is getting terrible with this Gas. - lachrymal, phosgene and the new mustard gas. 28th June Thurs. Visited Doctor, slightly gassed, feel very crook, get fixed up but sleep at Red Cross all night. Being releived in the morning by the 4th Australians.


29th June Fri. Got up at 4 am. Walked about 7 miles to Q M's Store. Got a bike & went through to Bailleul a fair distance behind the line, to get Billetts for my Coy. Had a nice Hot Bath in Bailleul. 30th June Sat. Coy marched from De Soule to Steent-Je (Steentge) near Bailleul where I met them and showed them to their Billetts. very wet. (with thunder) The men were in Steentge for a fortnight of rest and training. 1st July Sun. 20 of our chaps awaiting Court martial, have got job of looking after them. do me, no drill or work, just nice rest. 2nd July Mon. Had to go back to Dr. lungs very sore, got more dope. Quiet day. (wrote Home) Fritz came over and dropped bombs on Bailleul, great excitement Night bombing was becoming more common after Messines. The men had been feeling unusually secure miles behind the line and were even taking off boots and clothes to sleep. It was unusual to expect a whole night of uninterrupted rest. 3rd July Tues. Visited Dr. again this morning. Lovely day. The weather by now was delightful, the billets were good and the training was easy. The afternoons were given up to recreation with athletic and swimming sports, cricket matches and a gymkhana between company teams. Scores of men walked into Bailleul in the evenings to visit the shops, bars and restaurants and to inspect the war trophies that had been collected in the town square. Many also made pilgrimages to the military cemetery on the outskirts of the town to visit the graves of fallen comrades. Wrote another letter Home. 4th July Wed. Still at Steent-Je. Resting here for some time. 5th July Thurs. Ditto as Before. 6th July Fri. Still having a rest. 7th July Sat. Resting. 8th July Sun. Still resting. 9th July Mon. Tres Bon 10th July Tues. Still Tres Bon 11th July Wed. My first day on Parade


12th July Thurs. Doing 3 hours drill a day. 13th July Fri. Shooting in the morning. 1 hours Drill in the afternoon. Fritz dropped more Bombs on Bailleul. 14th July Sat. Wet Day. 15th July Sun. Church Parade. 16th July Mon. Went to Ortisteene for Baths. 17th July Tues. Parade as Usual. Still at Steent-Je. 18th July Wed. Wet day. Leaving for Romarin tomorrow morning, which means more Trench Work. "No Bon" 19th July Thurs. Marched from Steent-Je to Kortepup Camp (Kortypyp) near Neuve Eglise. Met Gordon Kinny, he has just come back from England with a Commission. 20th July Fri. Did not do anything. 21st July Sat. Got Paid Went out on Fatigue to Messines at night. Shelling was heavy and continuous and the Huns were making liberal use of poisonous gas. Ploegsteert Wood was literally drenched with the stuff and Hyde Park Corner was beginning to look as brown and as torn apart as the battlefield. 22nd July Sun. Had a spell all day after our Fatigue the previous night. 23rd July Mon. Drilling 24th July Tues. Ditto as before. 25th July Wed. Same as usual. 26th July Thurs. Just the same. 27th July Fri. Ditto

Morning tea in the trenches


28th July Sat. Left Kortepup Camp and went up to Red Lodge on Hill 63. Going into the Trenches Sunday night. 29th July Sun. Left Red Lodge at 9 pm for Front Line, arrived there 11 pm. A very hot corner. The third battle of Ypres was the bloodiest and most terrible fight of the war so far. It commenced on 31st July 1917 when the British and the French attacked from Dixmude to La Basse-Ville. The NZ Divisions, 2/Auckland and 2/Wellington, were on their extreme flank and had the task of storming La Basse-Ville and establishing a new outpost line. 1/Auckland was to make the raid, 2/Auckland was to establish a new line, consisting of three posts - in line with Stewart's Post fifty yards from the Hun front and 250 yards from their own front line - and 2/Wellington was to seize the village of La Basse-Ville and defend it against counter attack as well as taking the hedgerow system as far as the railway line. 30th July Mon. Enemy shelling our position very Heavily, nowhere to sleep. bad Trench. - The men were lying around in the shell holes and shallow trenches and suffered severely. going over the top in the morning to advance our outposts another 100 yards.(90 metres) 31st July Tues. – (Battle of La Basse Ville) Big offensive started from Warneton to the Coast at 10 minutes past 4 am. 1st Auckland went over first and we (2/Auckland) followed and dug in just in front of Warneton Village. Enemy put up a big fight with Machine Guns & Bombs. Reached our objective. Raining something awful, up to our knees in mud. Conditions for the forward troops were miserable in the extreme with heavy shell fire causing numerous casualties. Rain had turned the whole battlefield into a quagmire. The posts were filled with water and mud and the men were chilled to the bone and unable to rest or sleep. 1st August Wed. Enemy shelling our Position something awful. No sleep since coming in Sunday night. Rain & Mud terrible. Terrible lot of casualties, our food supply cut off, Headquarters going to try & releive us tonight

Food supply posts

The supply post had been destroyed by shell fire. Some hot food was carried up through the smashed trenches where the duckboards were either floating on three feet of water or sunk out of sight under the mud. Most of the food was wasted because the 'dixies' were lost in the slime or so coated with filth as to render them utterly useless. The men stood for hours in deadly danger in narrow ditches, and waited among the heavy shelling, with no food and their feet buried deep in the slush. Many suffered the first symptoms of trench foot - numbness followed by heat and a burning sensation. Their clothes were wet through and stiff with clay, their fingers were frozen and useless and their rifles were choked with mud. Releived at midnight.


2nd August Thurs. Left Front Line at midnight Wednesday night, wet through, no sleep and nothing to Eat for 36 hours. Got back to Red Lodge at about 3 am. We are to go right back from the Trenches immediately to Steemwicrch, (Steenwerck) arrived there 12 noon. 12 hours to go about 7 miles, completely knocked up. 3rd August Fri. Washed my clothes & put them to dry, went to Bed & slept until Saturday morning. This recent experience is the worst that ever the New Zealanders have been in. G.H.Q. (General Head Quarters) congratulates 2nd A.I.B. on good work done. Loss of Life fearful. Our Battalion got it properly. 4th August Sat. Australians took over the Camp we were in and we went Back to Romarin. (Parcel from England) 5th August Sun. - Detached to 1st Field Coy. N.Z.E. 25 of us from Battalion sent back to Ploegstreet Wood, to work under the Engineers digging a new support Line. 6th August Mon. Was out all previous night owing to heavy shelling of Position by the Enemy. We could not do anything. Had a few casualties. owing to recent rough time we are all done up. 7th August Tues. Out previous night at same place, more casualties, this is getting beyond a joke, everyone is half dead with exhaustion. Feel very bad in the morning so go & see Dr. He sends me to Hospital. Trench Fever? Go to 3rd Field Ambulance at Pont De Shiels. 8th August Wed. Kept here all day. See Billy Inkpen. 9th August Thurs. Still feel pretty crook. Dr sends me on to D.R.S. (Divisional Rest Station) Arrive there at 3 pm and go straight to Bed. 10th August Fri. In Bed all day 11th August Sat. Stopping here for 10 days rest. D.R.S. means Divisional Rest Station. 12th August Sun. Still at D.R.S. feel a bit better. 13th August Mon. Got up and went for a walk. 14th August Tues. Having a good time here, nice & quiet. 15th August Wed. Still at D.R.S.


16th August Thurs. Ditto. 17th August Fri. Ditto 2/Auckland sent to the line in front of La Basse-Ville. The shell holes there were full of water and mud and were breeding grounds for enormous mosquitoes with voracious appetites. 18th August Sat. Still in the same old spot, my time is up on Monday, feeling pretty right again. 19th August Sun. Nothing Day 20th August Mon - Discharged to Unit. Returned to De Soule 21st August Tues. Still at De Soule 22nd August Wed. Ditto 2/Auckland relieved and went back to Regina Camp. 23rd August Thurs. Ditto 24th August Fri – Milne returned to his battalion in the field. Returned to my Unit at Catacombs on Hill 63. 25th August Sat. Left Catacombs for more training. The troops travelled to the Caestre area in convoys of motor lorries and then by train to Wizernes. 26th August Sun. At Hodpinhem, - Hondeghem in the Caestre Area - on our way towards St Omer to train for another stunt The fine weather broke and there was torrential rain. 27th August Mon. – 2nd September Sun. Nothing in Diary On 29th August 2/Auckland marched to Caestres railway station where, after a long wait, they entrained for Wizernes. At Wizernes the YMCA gave each man a welcome cup of hot tea or cocoa and a packet of biscuits. The troops then proceeded to the Lumbres area by motor bus arriving at midnight. The billets there were a bit disappointing but much better than being in the trenches. 3rd September Mon Billetted at a place called Fromontelle near Boulogne. Training for another advance Fromontelles was a pleasant hamlet although apparently somewhat deficient in drinking establishments. Here training was of a practical nature with stress on tactics and also on the 'taking of pillboxes', wood fighting and counter attack. There were strong rumours at this time that the men of the Main Body were to be given an extended furlough home in NZ which raised the men's spirits. Some men, however, refused point blank to consider the proposition of going home until such time as the war was won. During this period the NZ Division had the honour of being reviewed by Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig. This


review was held just outside Fromontelles and was a brilliant spectacle 'with steel and brass glittering in the sunshine as platoon by platoon the Brigades marched past the saluting point.' The YMCA became a feature of life in the Division. The agency was expert at souveniring anything that might be useful to the 'Diggers' and became the social, intellectual and spiritual centre of the Division. Y.M.C.A. activities at Fromontelles took place in a large marquee. 4th and 5th September Tues, Wed. Nothing in Diary 6th September Thurs. Out for a spell 7th – 17th September Nothing in Diary 18th September Tues. Still out of the Trenches 19th – 25th September Nothing in Diary On leaving Fromontelles on 25th September, the 1st Brigade marched from Lumbres to Renuscure, and then by way of Wallon-Capel and Wardrecques to the Watou area. The march was exhausting as it was hot and the men were marching on cobbled roads in full marching order, ie, carrying their full kit. 26th September Wed. Billetted at a place called Watteau St Jean (Watou) in Belgium 27th – 30th September Nothing in Diary


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7. Ypres

The Situation at Ypres prior to the Battles of Broodseinde and Passchendaele

The three Auckland Battalions marched from Poperinghe to Vlamertinghe, and then on through the town of Ypres, 'with its famous 'Cloth Hall' and Cathedral now naked ruins with only enough structure left for the eye to see how beautiful they had once been.' The military population lived in cellars and dugouts and under the ramparts behind the town. The only sounds in the town were at night when the troops marched through the cobbled streets on their way to and from the front line.

Marching through Ypres

The countryside was typical Flanders countryside, flat and featureless. It had been completely devastated right back to Poperinghe by weeks and months of bombing and shelling leaving the villages in ruins. 'All the beautiful woods and avenues of tall poplar trees in the area were mere stumps and not a trace of vegetation remained leaving the landscape a wide dreary brown expanse of torn earth. No birdsong was to be heard. The streams were horrible bogs and for mile after mile there were shell holes, brimming over with water turning the surrounding ground to mud, and great gaping craters left from mine explosions. Line after line of squat concrete pillboxes, occupied by the enemy, crowned the ridges. The debris of battle lay strewn about – tangled heaps of rusty wire, broken rifles, smashed field guns, filthy and torn bits of clothing, empty shell cases, old tins, riven helmets, upturned wagons, carcasses of fallen horses and mules, and derelict tanks.'

The Destruction in Flanders


'It was a place of desolation and destruction, the graves of the dead of all nations, marked with rudely shaped crosses, rifles or broken helmets leaving visible signs of death and decay.' The succession of low hills stretching from Ypres to Passchendaele formed the buttress of the German line and if this line was captured the enemy would be turned and driven from the Flanders coast losing their submarine bases at Ostend and Zeebrugge. So far the German army had been protected

Death and Destruction by the bad weather during August and September and by the impregnable Pill box system. Before every advance these forts, literally thousands of them, had to be destroyed by the artillery. Roads had to be built to get the guns, mainly heavy howitzers, into position and railways built to transport the ammunition. Divisional Headquarters and the big camps for the Infantry were sited a mile (1.6 km) or so out of Ypres. The New Zealanders, along with the Australians, took their places in the line against the enemy with 2/Auckland bivouacked on the old British line. Captain Thomas was the Commander of 6th Hauraki Company which was made up of 20 officers and 660 men. The ground was so waterlogged it was impossible to build good dugouts unless they were properly engineered, timbered and drained. They were damp and evil-smelling and required constant pumping. Communication forwards was by way of plank roads, a target for planes as they were easily seen from the air, and by duckboard tracks. The duckboards wound over the slopes and traversed the bogs formed from the choked and overflowing streams that had once trickled along the bottom of the valleys. A Waterlogged and Ruined Landscape

Pill-boxes The Butte de Polygone, an earthen mound that was intensely targeted by the enemy, was the most striking landmark in the area under which there was a honeycomb of passages and dugouts. Tracks radiated out from here in all directions. The forward zone, foul and waterlogged and constantly under shell fire, was beyond this. The heavily burdened men of the Infantry had to struggle across this bog on their way up to the front and to their support lines, their only protection


from the enemy being ditches. Up on the line the men had to hold their ground against the enemy through the long months of another dreadful winter. On October 4th 1917 the 1st and 4th Brigades had the objective of capturing the Gravenstafel-Abraham Heights section of the Broodseinde Ridge which had a frontage of about 2,000 yards (1.8 km). The enemy's defences were to be penetrated to about a 1,000 yards (900 metres) using a system of leapfrogging. On the summit of Gravenstafel Ridge was the heavily defended enemy stronghold of Korek. By securing Korek and the ridge the way would be clear for the final assault by the 3rd and 4th Brigades on Belle Vue Spur and Passchendaele village. The plan of attack was that the first wave of men was to cross Hannebeek Stream and take the enemy system of trenches, pill-boxes and strong-points as far as the Red Line which was along the crest of the ridge. The second wave, including 2/Auckland, were to leapfrog the leading battalions and go forward to the Blue line at the foot of Belle Vue Spur. 1st October Mon. Our holiday over? We are up in the Ypres Sector now and going to hop over and go for a place called Gravenstafel, 1,500 yards (1.4 kilometres) away through mud and Swamp. Captured Calgary Grange in front of Passenchendale (Passchendaele) Ridge. 2nd October Tues. Our Artillery bombarding enemy lines very heavy. The Battle of Broodseinde 4th October 1917 3rd October Wed. On the night of the 3rd and 4th October the battalions of the second wave moved up to their battle stations, for 2/Auckland, that was the shell hole area of the Canvas-Capricorn system. Still in the Trenches waiting for the word to go. The weather was fine on the evening of 3rd October but by midnight the weather had broken and light rain had started to fall leading to a wet bleak morning with a cold wind blowing from the direction of the 'Hun' lines. 'The men huddled together in the shell holes, without overcoats, shivering under their oil sheets. It was pitch dark as they mustered for the attack. Before daybreak they were all standing to in readiness for the barrage to open, nerves on edge. Scarcely anyone had slept and all were chilled to the bone. Breakfast had been a few mouthfuls of bully beef, dry bread and water. The enemy artillery fire had become intense and remained so during the early hours of the morning.' Zero hour was set for 6.00 am - 15 minutes before dawn. 4th October Thurs. Hopped over the top at 6 am. A great fight Very stiff resistance from the enemy machine gunners in the pill boxes prevented rapid progress by the men as they crossed the wide bog of the Hannebeek stream in single file. The bog, created by the constant shelling, was passable in only a few places. The soft ground in which many of the shells landed and failed to explode saved the attacking troops from very severe losses. The men of 2/Auckland entered the conflict as they neared the summit of Gravenstafel Ridge and the Korek stronghold with German rifles only 50 yards (45 m) away. Under cover of the morning mist some men managed to crawl forward to reach the flank and rear of Korek and the attackers then rushed in with bayonets and captured the stronghold. 'A man lurches forward into a shell hole, another falls with a cry, clutching the breast of his tunic, another stumbles to one


side and gazes stupidly at a spreading red stain. The remainder take cover'. 2/Auckland then moved over the crest of the ridge and advanced to their goal, the Blue Line. The battle was won, consolidation was commenced and the position was made secure. caught the Hun on the hop & sailed right into him, consolidated by 11 am. Old Hun very much upset. Got Hundreds of prisoners After the wet night the weather had cleared and was moderately fine up until 3 pm when heavy rain then set in making the day bleak and cold again and turning the battlefield a quagmire. This made the work of the stretcher bearers and burial parties extremely heavy. The rain continued intermittently throughout the night.

Stretcher bearers 5th October Fri. Quiet day, German aeroplanes very active. Raining in Evening. Old Fritz strafed our (newly dug and muddy) Trenches from 7 pm. until 8.30 pm. One man wounded. Releived by 49th Division at 9 pm. & came to our old front line 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) in rear of new front line. very wet and cold. Later that day orders were received that the battalions were to be relieved with all three battalions moving back to bivouacs near Goldfish Chateau. 6th October Sat. Roll call in morning. – 47 casualties. Came out in evening to Ypres slept in Dugout. 2/Auckland had 2 Officers and 39 O.R's killed;14 officers and 165 O.R's wounded and 40 O.R's.were listed as missing. After two days of fighting the whole Division had sustained 1653 casualties - 330 dead, and 1323 wounded. 7th October Sun. Rained all day. - The camp was in a state of liquid mud and conditions were very unpleasant. It was impossible to keep dry - Going out a mile further back into Camp - in the reserve area - & have to do fatigue work for R.G.A. No Bon. After one more day of rest the 2nd Battalion were called upon to supply large working parties to bury cable in the forward area. 8th October Mon. In camp Pay Day 9th October Tues. Raining very hard, - miserably wet and cold - had a spell today. 10th October Wed. My 24th Birthday Wonder if I will be lucky enough to celebrate it. Time will tell. (This was written May 23rd 1917) Spent my 24th Birthday Carrying shells for 71st Siege Battery up the Line. This is a 6" Havitzer Battery. Was in Ypres for a while, Town terribly knocked about. 'The tower of the ruined Cloth Hall in Ypres has its appeal to the troops. In its glory of desolation and ruin it typified the splendid valour and steadfastness that had saved Europe. It stood foursquare and battered, but still standing – the wall against which the Old Army had set its back and fought to the death. Now it pointed to the skies and spoke of victory.


'Ypres! What heroism was there; what steadfast endurance; what faithfulness unto death; what a terror, and horror, and tragedy of defeat, and yet what a glory, and splendour of victory rising from the ashes of despair. Ypres! Here died the Old Army, and in dying, saved the Allied cause. Here lie the dead of Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and intermingled with them Everywhere the men of the New Armies. For ever this will be sacred soil.' 11th October Thurs. Had a Spell again today. Still Raining. Received a Parcel of Biscuits from Home. "Tres Bon" 12th October Fri. Went into Poperinhe a Belgian Town of some importance, had two real good feeds, had one meal with Willie Jackson, he came through alright. The twelfth of October was the day of the terrible Battle of Belle Vue Spur – Passchendaele, the worst day on the Western Front for the Division. The 1st Brigade, including 2/Auckland, was not in the front line this day, and therefore were not a part of this tragic defeat.

Passchendaele June 1917 Passchendaele October 1917 'Struggling through thick mud, with inadequate artillery cover and against uncut wire, the Division sustained 2,700 casualties in just 4 hours. It has been said that this 'broke the spirit of the Division'. 'The Battlefield of Ypres! It is a dreadful place, hideously bare of all comfort, with no beautiful, or decent, or pleasant thing anywhere to be seen. It is a field of agony and death. No place on earth has been so desecrated by slaughter, no place, save Calvary, so consecrated by sacrifice.' 13th October Sat. Still Raining. 2nd & 3rd Brigades went over after Fritz yesterday morning, got knocked about pretty severely. 14th October Sun Lying in Bed. Nothing to Report. 15th October Mon. Mother's Birthday 16th October Tues. Nothing doing 17th October Wed Going back into Trenches on front of Passch Ridge. 2/Auckland moved forward to Spree Farm.The weather had fined up by the 17th October but the nights were cold. Enemy aeroplanes were very active overhead.


18th October Thurs. In the Line at a place called "Spree Farm" The line was now approximately Korek-Gravenstafel-Abraham Heights facing Belle Vue Spur. This position was in full view of the enemy so movement had to be kept to a minimum. The whole area was being shelled constantly and the men continued to suffer great discomfort from the cold and wet conditions. 19th October Fri. Some stunt in here. Raining hard & old Fritz raining shells. No Bon.

'It was relentless on the front line: week after week, month after month, of hunger, weariness, wet and cold. All they got was the stinking slush of trenches, rats and lice infested clothes and boots. They were tortured by exploding shells, and machineguns spraying from concrete pill boxes; and trapped by barbed wire, snipers and lethal gas. And mud, mud, mud.' 'In the end, it was an adventure shrouded by the stench of death – killing and being killed, burying brothers and best mates. Those who came back to New Zealand would never be the same.'

Horse Transport 20th October Sat. At a place called Korek, expecting Fritz to Counter attack. The Battalion HQ were at Kronprinz Farm. 21st October Sun. Old Fritz shelled us very heavily all day, feel pretty crook. At this point Milne Yule became ill and was admitted to hospital at Poperinghe. 22nd October Mon. Admitted to No 44 C.C.S. at Poperinghe – appendicitis. Milne sustained severe abdominal pain that lasted about one week. 23rd October Tues. Go down the Line to Etaples to No 7 Canadian General Hospital 24th October Wed. On Light Diet, pretty Crook. 25th October Thurs. My case diagnosed as Trench Fever not appendicitis. Trench fever is a blood borne condition that develops from the bite of body lice. Conditions in the trenches in WW1 were such that all soldiers had body lice so all were susceptible to the fever, especially if they were physically run down. 26th October Fri. Still in Hosp. 27th October Sat. Same as before 28th October Sun. Still in Etaples


29th October Mon. No 7 C.G.H. 30th October Tues. Ditto 31st October Wed. Same again. 1st November Thurs. Just the same 2nd November Fri. Got word that I am being sent to Blighty Tres Bon 3rd November Sat. Still in France 4th November Sun. Ditto 5th November Mon. No sign of Blighty yet. 6th November Tues. Ditto as before 7th November Wed. V Blighty 8th November Thurs. Ditto 9th November Fri. At last. Leaving here tomorrow morning for Angleterre. Milne was suffering from recurring trench fever with pains in his legs and back which were helped by rest and massages. 10th November Sat. Arrive in Dear old England & admitted to 2nd London Gen-Hos. 11th November Sun. Tres Bon. Ashley came & saw me today. 12th November Mon. Pretty crook 13th November – 3rd December Nothing in Diary On the 4th December 1917 it was noted in Milne's medical records that he had caught cold. He was also having pain in the right side of his abdomen. A treatment of 'high frequency' was prescribed for his back pain. 4th December Tues. Go to Hornchurch - to a convalescent hospital.


5th – 18th December Nothing in Diary By the 12th December Milne was feeling better - 'practically fit'. It was recommended that he 'paint right foot with brown iodine for 2 consecutive days' – maybe this was for trench foot. He was doing graduated physical exercises to build up his strength. 19th December Wed. Address – on this page in the diary - for T.G.Corrigan, Coates St, Hamilton. 20th December Thurs. Address for R Heathcote, Wairio, Southland. 23rd -24th December Nothing in Diary 25th December Tues. Spent Xmas 1916 in Trenches at Levante opposite Fromelles (Xmas 1917 in New Zealand) Spent Xmas 1917 at Hornchurch Con. Camp ENGLAND 26th December Wed. Had a good time On 29th December Milne was declared fit. He had been doing his graduated physical exercises. 31st December Mon. A good time. 3rd Jan. 1918 Going on leave to Scotland Milne was granted fourteen days leave. This marked the end of the entries in the Diary.


8. England 1918 4th Jan 1918 Milne was discharged on furlough. 18th Jan 1918 Milne was 'attached to strength' at Codford. 22nd Feb Milne complained of shin pains and abdominal pains. He experienced palpitations on exertion with pain across the chest. He was short winded and when climbing hills he often had to sit down to catch his breath. 4th Mar He was a little better following training. 8th Mar Milne was admitted to 3rd NZ General Hospital in Codford with tenderness and pain spasms in the right lower quadrant of his abdomen. 13th Mar He was operated on for an inflamed appendix. His convalescence delayed by febrile attacks which were a recurrence of trench fever. He lost 20 pounds in weight over 2 months. 16th April Milne was boarding at No 3 NZ General Hospital following his appendicitis surgery. His wound by this time was well healed. His illness, noted to have had its origin in France in October 1917, was attributed to being in Military Service. He was to be sent back to NZ as physically unfit (PU) for six months and was rated as 30 percent incapacitated. 24th April Milne was formally classified unfit and placed on the NZ Roll with debility following appendicitis. 15th May He was discharged to Torquay. 30th May Milne embarked for New Zealand on the HMNZT 'Mokoia'. 15 July He was given a partial lower denture.


23rd July – 16th Aug Milne attended Palmerston Nth Hospital as a weekly outpatient for the treatment of his Trench Fever and appendicitis. He was discharged on ordinary leave on the 16th Aug and was on half pay for 3 months. 6th September 1918 Milne was formally discharged from Military Forces as no longer physically fit for Service. 10th Oct 1919 He received a Pension - 20/- per week for a further six months. 15th July 1935 - now aged 41 Milne was examined for extreme weakness and lack of energy with a cough and loss of weight. This suggested flare up of chronic pulmonary tuberculosis. He was admitted to Palmerston North Hospital and had an increase in his pension to offset his loss of wages as relief worker for the Unemployment Board. Milne was unable to work due to war disabilities.


8. Time Line

2/Auckland – In Armentieres Nov 1916 1. To subsidiary Line at Houplines 3. 6th Coy Raid Dec. 1916 2. Houplines to Armentieres – then to billets at La Gorgue 23 To Line in V C Sector (25 In trenches at Levante opposite Fromelles) 1917 Re Org of Brigades. 2/Auck to 1st Brigade from Jan 1st Jan 8 To Estaires 12 – 20 at Tin Barn - Avenue Sector 28 Relieve at Jay Post Feb 9 Relieved by 1/Auck at Estaries 21 Raid at Fleubaix 25 – inspected by General Plumer. Mar 1 Relieve 1/Auck 9 Relieved by 1/Auck 15 To Nieppe April 1 Relieve in line at Hill 63 15 Relieve 1/Auck Plus Douve Farm 24 relieved by 1/Auck 27 to De Seule 30 to Neuve Eglise May 5 Back areas and Neuve Egliser shelled 10 Brigade relieved and proceed to Strazeele area. 18 Brigade horse show 18 entrain for St Omer – Esquardes 18 – 30 Training for Battle of Messines 31 1/Brigade move to Wallon-Capel Area June 1 Brigade move to La Motte Area 3 to divisional offensive front 7 Battle of Messines 9 to Kortypyp and Bulford 23 Relieve 1/Auck at Warneton 30 To Steentje July 1-19 Brigade in training 19 to Kortypup 30 relieve 1/Auck at Prowse Point 31 Battle of La Basse-Ville


August 3 to Canteen Corner 17 to Line at La Basse Ville 22 relieve 1/Auck 25 move to Caestre Area 29 to Fromentelles September 1-25 training for Passchendaele 25 move to Le Waast 14 Sir Douglas Haig's review 25 leave Lumbres Area 28-29 Arrive in Watou Area Oct 1 to old British front line 2-3 to front Line

3-4 take Battle Station 4 Battle of Gravenstafel, Abraham Heights and Broodseinde 5 Relieved 19 to support at Kansas Farm 23 Relieved by C.M.R (?Canadian Military reinforcements)

Casualty totals of 2/Auckland in France and Flanders:

Officers – 47 + 3 in NZ NCO's and Men – 750 +37 in NZ

One sixth of men in the Auckland Regiment lost their lives.

References:

Official History of the Otago Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918, W.H Cunningham, C.A.L.Treadwell & J.S.Hanna. The Wellington Regiment N.Z.E.F 1914-1919, W.H Cunningham, C.A.L.Treadwell & J.S.Hanna. The Auckland Regiment, O. E. Burton

Service Personnel File – Leslie Milne Yule, New Zealand Archives

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Soldier's Diary 1917...Your flaming torch aloft we bear, With burning heart and oath we swear To...

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