Arthur Thompson - letter

July/August 1916

Dear Neil

Just a few lines to let you know I am still alive my brother told me in one of his letters that you had wrote to me but I have never received any letter in fact I have only received about half a dozen since I left W.A. I am in hospital at Portsmouth have been in two months and likely to stay in for a time as I got a nasty smack in France we landed in France last march and it was a pleasant change from Egypt and Gallippoli after doing three weeks training to get used to the new conditions of fighting (as there was no gas and very little bombing done on the peninsular) we were sent up to Armentiers in Flanders our division relieved an English division we were in and advanced front of the line the firing line at that

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part took the form of an horseshoe all we had to do was to hold tight and keep the Germans back there was a considerable amount of Artillery fire on both sides one night our Batt were sent over to make a raid on the German front line after a short bombardment we went over and was most successfull having met with little opposition our Artillery had done its work well we found a lot of dead Germans and their breast works were all knocked down we got back safely bringing several machine guns and a lot of small arms and ammunition back with us a few nights afterwards they tried to get their own back they started to bombard us just as it was getting dark and for about an hour they gave us hell under cover of their shell fire they advanced towards our line

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and just as they reached we opened a rapid fire and then got to work with the bayonet I don't think many of them got back to their own line then our Artillery and trench mortor battery got to work and let them have it all night when it got day light and you could look around to see what damage had been done well there was hell of a mess you could not see any of their parapet left standing and in front there was a lot of German dead and we had got knocked about a lot of our parapet was down and about three hundred men killed and wounded we were kept busy for a few days in building things up again and things were a bit quieter till we were relieved after we had our rest we were moved down to the Somme we got to Albert the begining of July and after a days rest we moved to La Boiselle where there was some heavy fighting you had read in the papers about what the British Artillery are doing but you have to

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see it you cannot describe on paper at nights the sky is one mass of flame from bursting shells I can tell you the German is having a very warm time it is a marvel how they have been drove back as the position they held was on the top of a ridge and there was natural fortifications all along it and they had dug outs thirty feet deep all timbered up and safe from shell fire but the average German is a good fighter when he is behind any thing but when he sees a bayonet just in front of him he sticks his hands up and asks for mercy on July 20 orders came out that our division along with the British troops had got to take the village of Pozieres and on the night of 22 we were taken to our position in another part of the firing line ready for going over we had our orders every thing had to be done by the bayonet and no turning back

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at 12-28 our Artillery opened out on their first line of defence those must have been hundreds of guns the roar of them was deafening at 12-30 we went over the top the Artillery lifted their fire on to the second line we advanced at a steady pace till we got about ten yards from their trench then we went with a rush all the time they had kept up a rapid rifle and machine gun fire and we lost a few men in going across but once inside the trench we made things a bit more equal the fight was short and sharp and in ten minutes the trench was ours all the time our Artillery were rocking it into their second line at one oclock they lifted

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Their fire on to the third line we then advanced on their second line here we met a more stubborn resistance and the fighting was very fierce we went for all we was worth it was hell with the lid off but eventually what was not killed had to fall back our Artillery lifted their fire again and our supports had come up we took their third and fourth lines with a rush we then had to advance over the railway line and over the main road which we took without much opposition and we got dug in on the edge of the village just as day was breaking and we were all tired out we were told to get what rest we could as we had to go on again in a few hours in the afternoon we had to take part of the village as there was

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so much sniping going on it was a difficult job as there was so much cover for them but we got them going and that night we took the whole of the other side of it our Artillery kept their fire up all that day till we had made our position secure that night the Germans started a heavy bombardment on our position and at day break they made a counter attack they came in strong force and they reached the trench but none got in our machine guns simply mowed them down we drove them back but they came again only to be sent back with heavy loss then their Artillery opened out again and kept it up all night and they made things very uncomfortable and a lot of our chaps got knocked out but we had them well beaten and our position

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was secure next day things began to get a but quieter and we were going to be relieved that night but during the afternoon a stray shell come over and got three of us I am sorry to say the other two died and I am lucky to be alive it gave me a nasty crack broke the bone over the eye knocked my eye out opened the side of my head injured the cheek bone broke a bit off the bottom of my jaw broke my teeth and the roof of my mouth a piece of shell case in the chest and another piece in the back but I am still going strong but I have done my bit now and I suppose they will send me back as soon as I am better I thing I have inflicted enough torture on you so will now conclude wishing you the best of luck and kindly remember me to those I knew in Albany

I remain 1479 Pte. A. Thompson
12th Batt AIF

Please excuse writing as I have only one eye now and that is not very good I suppose there will not be much chance of a job now