But the scenes on the road that bleak March morning were enough to stir the thinnest blood. The pitiful flight of a civilian population before an advancing enemy has often been described; it is enough to say that to all ranks first came a full understanding of war and a common anger against the enemy. Also there came no little pride of country, so extreme was the relief with which the people welcomed the arrival of “les Australiens.”
A halt at Franvillers allowed of the preparation of welcome food, and even more welcome hot drink. Meanwhile, the transport, after a cold and foodless all night march, arrived and established itself in a little wood west of the village. Early in the afternoon Company Headquarters and 1, 3, and 4 sections moved on again a short distance to Heilly, on the river Ancre, and chose billets among the deserted houses.
The 3rd Australian Division had now arrived in the Somme country and there was much satisfaction in the knowledge. Just as in Australia no miner can claim to have travelled unless he has been to Moonta, so no good Australian knew anything of war until he had been “on the Somme.” The sapper’s eye saw other causes for satisfaction; the steep dry banks invited the dugout builder, and the streams wanting bridges, and the bridges wanting demolition charges, spoke of real engineering work to be done.
The Officers of the Company at this time were as follows:—Major R. J. Donaldson was in command, but for a few days more (until March 31st) was acting C.R.E. vice Lieut.-Col. T. R. Williams, D.S.O., on leave. Capt. O. B. Williams was second in command. Capt. G. L. A. Thirkell had charge of No. 1 section, Lt. S. W. Matters No. 2, Lt. W. H. Thomas, M.C., No. 3, while Lt. R. W. Lahey was painfully hurrying from leave in the South of France to resume command of No. 4. Lt. R. G. Rutledge was in charge of the transport. The company was at full strength and still had nearly one half of its original members. G. Brodie was C.S.M., H. G. Whitrow (who held the position throughout the whole history of the unit) C.Q.M.S. (somewhat irreverently known as the Quarter-Bloke); and W. Russel, mounted Sergeant.
2. Between the Somme and Ancre.
On its arrival in front of Amiens, on the 27th March, 1918, the 3rd Australian Division was ordered to hold a line running from Sailly-le-Sec on the Somme to Mericourt l’Abbé on the Ancre, to prevent the enemy advancing along the high ridge which lies between the two rivers and runs down to the town of Corbie at their confluence. This ridge commands a wide view to the westward, the cathedral at Amiens being clearly visible. The situation was obscure, but the proximity of the enemy was indicated by his intermittent shelling of the road from Franvillers to Heilly with high velocity guns. Straight from their fatiguing journey the troops took up their positions, the 11th A.I. Brigade on the right of the main Bray road; and early in the evening working parties of the 11th Field Company moved out from Heilly and commenced trench digging.
The task ahead was enormous. A new defensive system had to be established, and there were no R.E. dumps of tools and material, very few maps available, very little information of any kind. Reconnaissance for tools and material, of bridges and streams and water supply, was thus of the highest importance, and was put in hand early. Other work, more important than trench digging, soon developed for the sappers. The map will show how important in this sector were the river-crossings, and accommodation for various commands was urgently required.
The bridges in Corbie, La Neuville, and Bonnay had been roughly prepared for demolition, chiefly by the 173rd Tunnelling
Coy., R.E., and the 1st Field Squadron, R.E., but a great deal of work was called for, both to ensure certainty and completion of destruction in case of necessity, and reasonable safety under normal conditions. This work was put in hand, No. 2 section first moving to Bonnay and starting it, the remainder of the company also proceeding there for convenience of control on the evening of the 29th. On the 30th, No. 3 section moved to Corbie and took over the Corbie, La Neuville group of bridges. It was on this day that the enemy attacked our line from the direction of Sailly Laurette, but was beaten off with heavy loss. While the attack was on Capt. O. B. Williams with a small party was engaged in an examination of the steel bridge over the Somme at Bouzencourt, near Sailly-le-Sec. The vicinity of the bridge came under heavy shell fire, and as the party approached it one shell hit and detonated a demolition charge which was on the bridge, blowing down the towers of the lifting span, but not destroying the bridge. For his work in connection with this reconnaissance Corpl. Johns received the Military Medal.
Under the conditions of modern warfare, reasonably secure accommodation for the Headquarters of Brigades and Battalions is of great importance, and in particular these centres required to be able to maintain their signal connections and carry on their work at night without exposed lights to attract enemy aircraft. In the chalk country deep dugouts provide the best accommodation, and the company was soon busy on a number of these, in “Shrapnel Gully,” in the banks south of Marrett Wood, at 11th Brigade Headquarters, in the wood near the gravel pits north of Corbie, and in a number of other spots. At first the lack of suitable material, and to some extent the inexperience of the men at this work, were handicaps, but they were neutralised by sheer hard work.