Excerpts from the diary of Albert Edward VINALL

Regimental Number 3635
D Company, HQ. (runner)
32nd Battalion
Australian Imperial Forces

July 29, 1918 Morlincourt (wounded)

Passed through C.G.S.on 30. Arrived at 16 General U.S. Hospital on 31 at Freport.

August 16th:

Arrive at 1 Australian General Hospital.

August 29th:

Return:  Le Havre to Corbie

September 1st:

Monts St. Quentin

September 3rd:

Moved to Flamicourt 6000 yards right, and next morning hopped over the bags. Advanced to Calet and dug in for the night.

September 5th:

Moved forward again, captured Cartgny. Handcourt and dug in at Fleshurr, no fighting but artillery trouble some. A German aeroplane sighted us and dropped flares over us but it was brought down by one of our planes.

September 7th:

We were relieved by 4th Division and marched back to Doingnt near Perrone and made ourselves comfortable in old trenches for the night.

September 27th:

Left Doignt and marched into position in the vicinity of Roisel. I camped in a blackberry hedge for the night.

September 28th:

It rained like the devil at 4.00 or 5.00 pm We were told we would probably go over the top in the morning.

September 29th:

At about 4.30 a.m. we were told to get out battle order ready and be ready to move at 5 O'clock.  At 5.00 a.m. a hell of a barrage opened up on Fritz.  Gerry's coloured flares were soon showing in all directions, shows that he had the wind up a treat. Fritzies guns open up with gas shells. The mustard gases hung about shell holes and valley a great deal.

We've been going an hour now and are passing through the 18 pounders. My head aches a bit , the gas, cordite and the explosions of the guns and bursting shells. No.5 and No.6 Platoons have been split, so I guess I shall have some work directly.

Our first halt for a rest was at the beginning of the Hindenburg Line system.  Saw plenty of Yanks about. Here Fritz left on of his 8 inch Howitzers with the breach block gone. Monty and I are sent back to look for No.5 and 6 Platoons, Fritz is shelling us with 5.9 and 8 inches. We found no sign of the Platoons but found plenty of Yanks who were lost.

We returned to the trench to find the Battalion had moved forward. We moved forward and found two of our stretcher bearers bandaging up a Yank who was badly knocked, just on all the shoulder gone, and face in a fearful mess. Alec Brock directed me on the way the boys had gone.

We had only gone 500 yards or so when we struck a fearful thick fog in the valley. Thickest I had ever seen, I could hold my hand out and was not able to see the fingers. I heard someone whistle and answered, thinking it was our fellows. Got the scare of my life when we stopped on top of a trench and found ourselves looking at a trench full of Fritzers. But there was no need to be frightened as it was only German prisoners, under guard, dressing wounded Americans. I asked had they seen our Battalion gone through. The Yank officer answered, "Oh you are Australian aren't you, yes your boys have gone through 1/4 of an hour or so." So we set out again, struck a tank track and followed it. Fritz's bullets and shells were getting damm close to us and I didn't know where we were. Our luck held, we at last found the mob. Saw Eph and asked how things were, he said some of No.6 Platoon had been knocked out. The fog started to thin, or as I found out later it was smoke barrage put up by Gerry. So we started to move again. We hadn't gone more that 40 or 50 yards when Fritz dropped 3 dud shells right where we had been waiting, thank God they were duds or the mob would have been skittled. Fritz started shelling like hell, we took shelter in the Hindenburg line trenches. Yanks bringing hundreds of prisoners to the rear.

At 10.30 a.m. we passed through the Yanks who were badly cut to pieces. We ran into our own barrage, everything badly mixed up. The 32nd Tommy Division on our right, the 29th Aussies and 3rd Division on our left.

Old Fritz doesn't like our tanks and is doing his best to knock them out of action, making things uncomfortable for us as we were happening to be following the tanks. We follow the tanks over the underground canal at Bellecourt, fog was still about. Just got going after we crossed the canal when Fritz opened fire on us with machine guns and rifles, some of our poor beggars have gone under, but we are getting a lot of prisoners out of the dugouts etc. Buccro survives

29th September, 1918.

I saw several of our tanks knocked out at Nawcoy. Just before we got to Etricourt, (the hill before) we struck barb wire galore, Fritz fired a few shots and ran down the hill a bit further into some more trenches and dugouts. I couldn't resist the temptation to have a shot at them and like a fool stood up but Fritz soon showed me my mistake, he opened upon us from the left and just near on brought me a gutser, one of the bullets struck my steel helmet. Eph was killed on the road near Etricourt by one of our 4.5 falling short, awful luck. Dug in on the red line in front of Etricourt. About sundown Fritz started to form up for a counter attack on our left. There was about 4000 yards on left open to Fritz, but the M.G.s got onto him, so we stayed in position for the night. Wet and cold. No.6 Platoon has been wiped out to a man. No.8 Platoon has 3 men left so the rations are plentiful, a loaf of bread to a man.

30th September: 6 O'clock a.m.

We tried to advance without a barrage and only get 600 yards and we were cut to pieces by machine gun fire and Wiz Bangs firing point blank into us, in front of Yoncourt, so we dug in and hung on till next morning. A relief by the 31st Battalion at 4.30 a.m.. We then advanced under a barrage from our guns and captured Yoncourt with little or no casualties. Dug in just over the rise in front of the village under a murderous machine gun fire and heavy shelling from the enemy. At 3 O'clock noon an order was sent round saying the 2nd Australian Division would relieve us at night fall. Fritz began shelling the village like hell all the while, at 1/2 past 3, I managed to get into a Fritz deep dugout, and hadn't been down long when Fritz dropped a shell down the entrance. Thought I as a goner.

Gas came through my helmet and my nose started bleeding, I got out of that joint as soon as possible and went to the rear of the village. At midnight after a good feed we were relieved by the 2nd Div. and marched back to Roisel.

I am recommended for the D.C.M. but ONLY receive an M.I.D. Its time the war ended.