10th Battalion patch. Image courtesy Australian War Memorial
10th Battalion – November 1918
NOVEMBER 1 – BRUCAMPS [northern France]
Battalion parade. Weather fine.
2.
Training as per syllabus. Slight rain. Afternoon fine.
3.
Church parade. Recreational training. Weather fine.
4.
Training as per syllabus. Weather fine.
5.
Bath parade. Raining all day.
6.
Indoor training. Raining all day.
7.
Training as per syllabus. Cloudy.
8.
Training as per syllabus. Cloudy.
9.
Left Brucamps 2am. Marched to Haugest. Full marching order. Entrained 5pm. Weather cloudy.
10.
Still travelling. Weather fine.
11 – EPEHY [northern France – the day the Armistice brought into effect the end of the war]
Detrained at Epehy about 7am. Embussed at 12noon. Arrived Mazinghem 4pm. Weather cloudy. Afternoon fine.
12 – MAZINGHEM [northern France]
Rifle inspection. Companies salvaging. Weather fine.
13.
Brigade parade. Weather fine.
14.
Left Mazinghem. Marched to Bohain. Arrived Bohain 4pm. Weather fine.
[Appendix 4 – “Warning against venereal disease. All companies. It is notified for the information of troops that VENEREAL DISEASE is absolutely RAMPANT in the village of BOHAIN. THEREFORE regard all women as INFECTED and TAKE NO RISKS. FRENCH LETTERS are available FREE OF CHARGE at R.A.P. Have no connection without using one.”
Lieutenant-Colonel M. Wlider-Neligan, Commanging Tenth Infantry Battalion]
15 – BOHAIN [northern France]
Inspection of arms and equipment. Weather cloudy.
16.
Battalion parade. Recreational training. Weather cloudy. Afternoon fine.
17.
Brigade church parade. Weather cloudy.
18.
Bath Parade. Weather cloudy. Very light fall of snow.
[see miscellaneous Appendix. Letter from Battalion headquarters to Infantry commanders.
“I feel that in many minor ways company and platoon commanders not quite giving the assistance they could to the higher authorities in achieving the ideal that is so necessary for us to display as conquering troops occupying an enemy country. I am therefore making a special appeal to all officers to do their utmost to correct some of the faults that have been noticed by the divisional commander, brigade commander and myself since the signing of the armistice, rendering our earlier methods of soldiering partly obsolete. Some of the most noticeable are:
- Lack of uniformity in dress and turnout…
- In some cases the lack of personal interest in the well-being of your men is still a distinct feature in many platoons…
(d) Men are still not told the reasons for the necessity of a high standard of discipline. It must be obvious to even most junior platoon commanders that we will lose our prestige in Germany unless our discipline is of a very high standard…”]
19.
Route march [in] fighting order to Fresnoy-le-Grand. Weather cloudy. Afternoon fine.
20-21.
Battalion parade. Recreational training. Weather fine. Very heavy mist which lasted some hours.
22.
Left Bohain 9.30am. Full marching order, less blankets and steel hats. Arrived Mazinghem 2.15pm. Weather fine.
23.
Left Mazinghem. Arrived Cartignies 2.15pm. Weather fine.
24 – CARTIGNIES [northern France]
Left Cartignies 9am. Arrived Beugnies 2.30pm. Weather cloudy with light showers.
25-27 – BEUGNIES [northern France]
Cleaning billets. Guards and sentries cleaning equipment. Weather cloudy.
28.
Battalion parade. Recreational training. Weather cloudy.
29.
Route march. Dress – clean fatigue and waterproof capes. Weather dull.
30.
Battalion parade. Recreational training. Football, etc. Weather dull.
