Lieutenant Horrie Joseph Rex's last letter written in Belgium during WW1
24 September 1917
My Dear Mother,
I have half an hour to spare so will try to tell you of my first experiences in the Trenches. In my last letter I mentioned that I had been up during the night, this was to get ready so that when the actual Fight started we would know exactly where we were and all the rest of it. I might mention that the Artillery Pounding previous to the attack (5 days) was Terrific. Poor old Fritz must have expected us from this.
However, at last the hour came for us to taw our guns up & get them ready. Gee I was happy. I had looked forward to it for so long and there seemed so much ahead of us.
We got half way to our destination, darkness came, and with it the rain. So we trudged on and when we had to turn off to cross the shell holes to our trench, there should have been a track but of course, each day the ground is torn and split to pieces. In darkness and rain you will quite understand when I tell you that we got lost before we went 50 yards. Gee it was a bugger, all had very heavy loads on, nobody carrying less than 50 lbs & many with more.
So we pushed on through mud & slush and by some great good fortune struck an old tank which we knew to be near our destination. So we were home & dry as the Boys say and soon had our guns in position & ready for Action. Other Sections were not so lucky. Some were held up until daylight came, but were there in time for the Action.
No doubt you heard of the Australian Part in the Attack. They took all their objectives very easily, in fact, they complain that the Boche would not fight them. A Sgt in the 10th Bn with his men struck a strong Post and before they knew what was happening, the Huns were putting their hands up and crying for mercy. But he knocked the first one down himself and ordered his men to finish the rest - which they promptly did. Of course the action was crowded with hundreds of acts like this.
We took Glencorse Wood, Nonne Bosschen Wood & Polygon Wood. By gee it makes you smile when you call them woods. I cannot describe them to you, they are battered and torn & pounded until you would think that an earthquake had happened about every 10 yards. Only an occasional stump is left of what was formerly the Pride of some old French family and probably of the towns scattered about too.
It must make their hearts sore to see them now battered out of all recognition. On your map you will see a village & of course you go along thinking to yourself well I ought to soon come to this Place then suddenly you come to several heaps of broken brick and you at once get a brain wave and discover that you are actually at your destination. If this village happens to be close to the trenches or where the trenches were once, you can bet your life that you will not be able to find even one solid brick let alone Churches, Post Offices etc as shown on your map. They have long since had millions of shells hurled at them, consequently are scattered all over the shop.
You will also be given instructions, perhaps, to take your guns up a certain road which was once the main road from one City to another. You can get along quite well until about a mile or so from the trenches, then your fun starts. You get into this shelled area or barrage as it is called. If you are lucky you perhaps have the stumps of the beautiful trees that grow on either side of the French Roads to guide you or perhaps there are still traces here & there of the cobble stones of the old road. So in this way you stumble on through the shell holes & eventually get to the Line. So you see finding your way about the Front area is not all cream & peaches even by day - by night it is a cow -
Well to go back to our Guns - All was ready & in a few minutes the Attack would start. It was almost day break and the dim forms of our infantry could be seen creeping forward from shell hole to shell hole towards the Hun line. Gee they looked fine in the mist crawling & occasionally running along with their bayonets fixed, and a great big fat smile on their faces & a determined look.
At last the "Zero Time" came, that is the time for the attack to start and about a million of our guns opened up like one also Machine Guns. Gee they did make a noise, & of course the Hun very quickly got his guns going too. You would think Hell had been let loose, the earth absolutely quivered & shook.
At the same Time as the Guns opened up, our infantry charged with fixed bayonets. Gee they looked fine. Charging thro' the smoke & mist, - then they got to the Hun trenches & started operations. We could see them using their bombs & bayonets here and there and then rush forward to the next Point where old Fritz was. Really I cannot describe the scene. It was all so grand and wonderful. All this time old Fritz was shelling Hell out of us but we were like kids on our first Railway Ride or a Sunday School Picnic. We wanted to see & hear everything. By the way you could not hear your own ears for the air.
Very soon our lads were lost in the smoke of the shells so we waited for further word which very soon came in the shape of the slightly wounded men who were knocked out in the first few minutes. Then from this, on they kept coming back & so we got news of the Gallant Anzacs & their doings. After the long rest they made the attack very willing in fact were waiting for everybody else as the Time came for them to go still further forward.
About half an hour after the attack started, the Hun prisoners started to troop back, sometimes escorted by our lads but more often by themselves, - they were quite happy to be with us. But of course we soon made use of them, and got them carrying our wounded lads down to the dressing station & doing other small jobs then they took them to the "Bird Cage." One lad was very funny, he said to one of our Anzacs, "I want to be in England where shells won't worry me by tonight, so get a move on." It is strange how many Huns can speak English.
A Hun officer was being walked down with some others of his breed, when an Anzac youth said, "Come on, Hook your frame onto this stretcher." The boche officer said, "We do not let your prisoners carry our wounded." The Anzac stood with feet apart and leant on his rifle and said, "Hook, onto it you b(astard) liar or I'll dot you." So his worship Lieut Von so & so grabbed the stretcher & carried on without further argument.
Hundreds of such things happened but what amused me was a Lance Corporal of our lot who was buried by a shell. He has a big mouth & a very cheerful youth, always smiling. Anyway, we soon dug him out. As soon as his head was clear, a big grin came over his dial & instead of saying hurry up & get me out, he looked around & said, "Did they get my Primus Stove?" The poor lad was not worrying about himself and whether he was hurt or not. Evidently as Mrs Gardner would say, "His eyes are bigger than his belly."
I am afraid that this will bore you so had better stop soon but if you remind me I'll tell you my part in the show when I see you . We were very busy people 'cos old Fritz would insist on trying to get back his lost ground, but failed horribly. Our Artillery absolutely sent over millions of shells, in fact, a German prisoner said that they were absolutely impossible to stand up again.
Our Units have been praised by all hands for the wonderful work we did & the casualties we caused. They have a new way now of using us which is a great success.
For the 5 days & nights that we were up, we got very little peace so you can understand how we appreciated a bath & change of clothes. We had clean socks & were able to shave in the Trenches. So that was a big help, also had grand rations.
I enjoyed the Push very much, in fact I find war not so frightful. After all, I was prepared for much worse.
Going back tonight for a few days. Then we have a good rest for a few days until we return to give him more worry.
There are millions of things I would love to tell you but if they got to the Huns hands they would be valuable so you must be satisfied with what little I have told you.
One thing I really want to impress on you is how silly it is to worry. I don't think a Hun could hit me if he threw a dish of wheat from 10 yards.
The Goulburn Boys are in the Line now, but things are very quiet. Ginity did not take Part in the attack. He is up there now I think.
I like being a Real Soldier, it is grand, the glorious uncertainty of the battle and the excitement is grand. Of course ones hand does not shake when he puts his hand out on Pay day after being in the Line.
Hope to see Fred soon, also that you are all well & happy.
Bye bye Tons of Love
Your Very Happy Little Son
Horrie
PS Letters just in. One from you, Connie, Blanche & Anna
Thanks. Will answer later
H
Lieutenant Horace Joseph Rex was killed when next he entered the Front Line.