On January 24th the Battery took up a position behind Loos Crassier, where they remained in comparative quietness until March 22nd, when a new position behind the double Crassier was taken. On the 29th we went into action at Ronville Dump between Arras and Achicourt, and from there to the Old Mill at Achicourt on April 1st. On the 8th we were out at Anzin, on the 9th at Musketry Valley position, in front of St. Laurent Blangy. The Battery was withdrawn for rest at Hermanville on May 25th, and on June 1st was inspected with the other Batteries in the Brigade by the Corps Commander. On the 10th Divisional Sports were held, in which the old Battery won its quota of prizes.
On July 15th we went into action at St. Laurent Blangy, and on the 24th were back again at Achicourt—Old Windmill position. August the 1st saw the Unit at Berlincourt, and on the 3rd they entrained at Frevent for Amiens. We detrained the following day at Prouzel and left for Bois de Boves. On August 5th we took up a position at Bois de Gentelles, and on the 8th took part in the “kick off” for the Amiens show with a night position in front of Cayeux. From the 9th until the 16th is simply a sequence of names that spells the hardest action; Caix Valley, Warvillers, Le Quesnoy, Warvillers. On August 21st the Battery was en route back to Saleux, via Cayeux, Domart and Boves Wood, where they entrained for Aubigny and Dainville Wood.
The “kick off” for the Drocourt-Queant line came on September 2nd. On the 3rd our position was taken up just east of Villers Cagnicourt, and on the 6th the 6th Battery was at Bainville on rest, where they remained for about three weeks. On the 26th the Battery went into action at Buissy, and on the 27th took part in the attack on Canal du Nord and Cambrai. The Old 17th had the honor to be the first Battery to cross the Canal at Inchy, and immediately after took up position just east of the Canal beyond Inchy.
October was merely a repetition of names. The Battery took part in the general rout of the enemy, until November 7th found them at Crespin, in action for the last time. On November the 10th the last round was fired from the Battery in this position by Gunner Malcolm MacDonald of “B” subsection, the very same subsection that fired the first round on March 1, 1915.
At 11 a.m. of November 11th hostilities ceased and the fighting was finished. The “Old 17th,” however, marched into Germany as part of the Army of Occupation and completed the work that the original had set out to do. Very few, however, of the original members were left by that time. Yet those of us, who were unable to share in the glorious hour of Victory, were recompensed by knowing that our successors nobly carried on in our places equally as well as, if not better than, we ourselves could have done. The Battery embarked at Southampton on S.S. Olympic, and arrived at Halifax on April 21, 1919. It was demobilized the same day and consequently its home city, Sydney, was deprived of the pleasure of welcoming it as a Unit.
| CASUALTIES. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Officers: | Killed | 5 | |
| Died | 2 | ||
| 7 | |||
| Other ranks: | Killed | 19 | |
| Died of wounds | 13 | ||
| Died | 2 | ||
| 34 | |||
| 41 | |||
| HONORS AND AWARDS. | |
|---|---|
| D.S.O. | 3 |
| M.C. | 10 |
| D.C.M. | 4 |
| M.M. | 28 |
| Bar to M.M. | 1 |
| M.S.M. | 1 |
| Croix de Guerre | 1 |
| Despatches | 12 |
CHAPTER VI.
23rd AND 24th FIELD BATTERIES.
LT.-COL. T. M. SEELEY.