On the evening of the 3rd the whole Company bivouacked in a pleasant, peaceful wood near Liercourt, and on the 5th entrained at Peronne, less transport, which proceeded by road and joined the unit in billets in the little village of La Leu, near Airaines, in the lower Somme valley. On October 9th the Company moved to Forceville, South of Abbeville, and was training and refitting in this peaceful area when the armistice was signed.
As this is a war narrative it will not be necessary to describe the change from military training to civil education; the drifting away of members for early repatriation or non-military employment in England; or the departure of demobilisation quotas and the winding up of the Company; but a fitting termination may be made by referring to the third and last Christmas spent in France. The unit at the time was at Bernapré, a few miles S.W. of Forceville, where it had moved on Dec. 10th. Each section had a rough and ready messroom, lavishly decorated with holly and mistletoe for the occasion, and each was the scene of great feasting and jollification, quite free at last from the black shadow of war, and doubly pleasurable because of the conviction that the next Christmas dinner would be in Australia. Geese and ducks in large numbers and other good things to eat, together with liquids appropriate to the season, were purchased from funds supplied by friends in Australia.
The energetic efforts of the unit’s supporters, chiefly in South Australia and in Queensland, resulted altogether in the sum of £378, which was added by instalments to the Company’s funds. The possession of this money rendered possible Christmas feasts, sports gatherings, and other distractions, and, above all, a regular system of subsidies to section messes, which helped greatly to improve the standard of living. This opportunity is gladly taken of expressing the Company’s sincere and grateful appreciation for the labour of its friends.
APPENDICES.
I. “ROLL OF HONOUR.”
| Killed in Action. | ||
| Reg. No. | Rank. | Name. |
| 9445 | Sapper | Dahl, J. |
| 9533 | ” | Paxton, W. H. |
| 9537 | ” | Rooke, R. J. |
| 9640 | ” | Le Leu, F. E. |
| 9534 | ” | Power, R. |
| 9661 | ” | Petney, F. F. J. |
| 9529 | ” | Murray, D. A. |
| 9465 | ” | Simpson, D. M. |
| 10984 | ” | Merton, C. H. T. |
| 9457 | ” | Lenham, H. |
| 9443 | ” | Duckling, E. J. |
| 2743A | ” | Lahey, N. A. |
| 9434 | 2/Cpl. | Renwick, A. J. |
| 9544 | Sapper | Francey, S. |
| 3333 | ” | Darvall, A. H. |
| 9447 | ” | Flay, E. C. |
| 9690 | ” | Wakefield, B. B. |
| 9634 | Driver | Howe, H. W. C. |
| 9450 | T/Cpl. | Gray, G. W. |
| 16466 | Sapper | Geddes, J. C. |
| 9682 | Driver | Thomas, W. C. |
| 9438 | C.S.M. | Brodie, G. C. (D.C.M.) |
| 17792 | Sapper | Richardson, T. |
| Accidentally Killed. | ||
| 392 | L/Cpl. | McKay, D. |
| Died of Disease. | ||
| — | Driver | Noghran, J. |
| 16136 | Sapper | Vasco, L. |
| 9671 | L/Cpl. | Smith, C. |
| 9612 | Driver | Cunningham, T. W. |
| 17839 | L/Cpl. | Haddow, A. |