The barrage began to slow down, and the ANZACs were ordered to go over the top and creep towards the German lines. The idea was they would be in a good position to make a charge once the artillery ceased.
‘Remember lads, on your bellies and keep your heads down,’ Captain William Bannister recommended.
The Australian Diggers crawled out of their trench and began the long slow journey across no man’s land on their bellies. The noise and the flares made for a firework display was nothing any of them had seen before. Dick was next to Sam, and he whispered, ‘Do you hear anything mate?’
‘No, it’s all gone quiet.’
‘You know what that means, don’t you?’
‘I’m afraid I do; we could be about to die.’
‘Come on Sam, we’re The Invincibles.’
They heard the order being passed along their line in whispered tones.
‘We go at three am exactly.’
Sam looked at his watch and saw it was two fifty-five, just enough time to jot a quick note to Jessie, his sweetheart back home.
My darling Jessie,
I’m about to confront the enemy but don’t worry I know I’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to kissing you again my darling. Must go.
Love
Sam
Sam folded the note and placed in his top pocket. The letter would be expanded and posted after the battle.
At three am the signal was given, and the Australians began running for the German trenches. The familiar sound of German Maxim machine guns ripping through Australian flesh was heard along with the sounds of screaming and the guttural sound of men choking on their own blood.
George and Percy were able to enter the German trenches where they discovered two of the enemy waiting to greet them. George thrust his bayonet into the soldier opposing him before the German could get off a shot. Turning around, George saw Percy just standing there with a dazed look on his face.
‘What’s wrong with you mate? Come on we’ve got a job to do, there’s plenty more where these bastards came from.’
Percy didn’t say a word, just stood there with a vacant look in his eyes before he fell to his knees and collapsed into the trench. A bayonet thrust had mortally wounded the young soldier; at least Percy was able to kill the Kraut before dying himself.
George was horrified but couldn’t stop to grieve; the warrior in him knew his duty was to keep moving through the trench shooting any Germans discovered.
Sam, Dick, Albert, and George all survived the battle to fight another day. The first battalion was successful in capturing the Pozières trench that ringed the village to the south. Mission accomplished… but at what cost?
Now there were four.
It was established by the officers that stage one of the battle had been completed successfully, and the Australians and the British had captured the German trench. Thousands had died achieving this objective.
The First and Third Anzac Battalion then moved on Pozières village itself or what was left of it. They reached the Albert-Bapaume Road. Once they had secured that location, they moved into the ruins of the village. Although pleased with their progress Command knew taking their next objective would be no picnic; the objective was named Gibraltar.
There were minimal survivors from the German garrison; those that were left retreated to the northern edge of the village. It was also intended that the old German lines would be captured as far as the road, but unfortunately the Australians failed, partly because of strong resistance from the German defenders occupying deep dugouts and machine gun nests, and partly owing to the confusion of a night attack on featureless terrain. The weeks of bombardment had reduced the ridge to a field of craters and it was virtually impossible to distinguish where a trench line had run. The failure to take the old German lines made the eastern end of Pozières vulnerable to attack, so the Australians formed a flank short of their objectives.
Two officers, Major John Jeffries and Captain Bruce Menzies, were sitting among the burned out ruins after the first day of fighting at Pozières, discussing the best way to attack Gibraltar, a large, forbidding German blockhouse on the western sector of the village. The scene surrounding them could have come from Dante’s inferno; blackened trees, dead bodies strewn around and the background noise of moaning from wounded comrades. Their men had done a magnificent job in capturing Pozières against the odds. What they achieved would be the envy of the British in their disastrous campaign at the Somme.
The two officers looked up to see a British messenger running along Dead Man’s Road, jumping over bodies and fallen trees, and obviously with an important message to be delivered. The messenger reached them, handed over the envelope and then slumped on the ground, exhausted.
Major Jeffries read the message, shook his head, and read it out aloud to his comrade.
‘A number of cases have lately occurred of men failing to salute the army commander when passing in his car, in spite of the fact that the car carries his flag upon the bonnet. This practice must cease.’
Signed General Gough
‘Where’s his fucking priorities? The man’s a lunatic!’ complained Captain Menzies.
‘I couldn’t agree more. Now, getting back to Gibraltar...’
‘First the bastard denies us the support we need with an artillery barrage because his reports show there are no Germans on the north side which, judging from the constant sniper fire, is bullshit. Now, just as we are about to attack the biggest ugliest German fortification for miles, the idiot tells us we have to make sure our boys salute the pompous bastard as he drives past in his Rolls fucking Royce.’
‘Bruce, don’t worry about him, the reality is he’s completely out of touch, but unfortunately, we’re obliged to follow his orders. If our diggers refuse to salute, we’re obliged to give them a smack on the bottom. Now, I think we’ve agreed on a plan of attack, so let’s go and take the bitch and kill a few Germans.’
‘Yes, sir.’
The First and Third Battalions attacked Gibraltar early that day, capturing twenty-three prisoners. Their elation was short-lived; the British artillery started blasting K Trench, which was quite close to Gibraltar, necessitating the Australians’ vacation of the premises.
Determined, they came back in the afternoon and captured it yet again.
Moo Cow Farm
Mouquet Farm
Chapter 3
12 August 1916
George and his remaining cobbers were in a large, reasonably dry shell hole, trying to get some sleep in the main street of what was the village of Pozières. Sleep deprivation was a soldier’s second greatest enemy after the Krauts. The noise of artillery from the belligerents, the ubiquitous rats, and lice all contributed to a bad night sleep.
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