LONDON: WAR NARRATIVES PUBLISHING COY., 11, Pilgrim Street, E.C. 4. 1919....

This History of the doings of a Field Company of Australian Engineers, this little book about a little unit in the Great War, has been written of the Company, by the Company, for the Company. It lays no claim to interest the outsider, but does hope to provide a framework on which the old member of the unit can build up memories of his days in the field with the A.I.F. Memories both grave and gay; mention of a dugout at so-and-so may recall that the job cost the life of a mate; the name of a vill

Embarkation took place at Outer Harbour (Adelaide) on 31st May, 1916, on H.M.A.T. A 29, s.s. “Suevic,” in company with the 11th Field Ambulance ( Lieut. -Col. Downey). After a rough trip round the Lleuwin the “Suevic” arrived at Fremantle on 6th June, 1916, and embarked the 44th Battalion ( Lieut. -Col. Mansbridge, D.S.O., who became C.O. troops). Crossing the Indian Ocean the vessel sprung a small leak which necessitated calling at Durban for the services of a diver. The stay was only twenty-fo

On 12th June the company moved to La Boudrelle, south of Steenwerck, a most delightful place after the battle area, but on the 15th started work on the so-called Black Line, south of the River Douve, in the vicinity of Grey Farm. On the 20th this work was handed over to the New Zealand Engineers, and the company marched on the 21st to Neuve Eglise (camp at Stampkotmolen). On the 23rd , the Messines sector was taken over from the 25th Division and the company started work with the 11th A.I. Briga

In the strenuous pilgrimage of the next few days, the first stage was towards the north; detraining at Caestre (north of Hazebrouck) the company marched to Eecke (night of 22nd- 23rd ). Then on the 24th the direction was reversed, and by march and motor ’bus it moved to Wardrecques, east of St. Omer. Meanwhile the transport had moved to Esquerdes, and thence to Renescure, and on the 24th rejoined the company, and the whole proceeded to a thorough overhaul of all stores and equipment, and the rig

This was the first occasion in which the five Australian Divisions were engaged together in an offensive action. The preparations as far as Engineers were concerned were not elaborate. Various dugouts required for headquarters and medical posts had to be hurried to completion, but no trench work was required, as the approach routes to the assembly position for the attacking troops were overland. Four tracks were cleared and carefully marked by the 11th Field Company, two starting near Fouilloy,

Printed by Meggy, Thompson, & Creasey, 98 High Street, Chelmsford....

Except as noted below, dialect, obsolete and alternative spellings were left unchanged. Inconsistent hyphenation was not changed. Obvious printing errors, such as backwards, upside down, or partially printed letters, were corrected. Final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added. The following were changed: — Removed duplicate ‘of’ from ‘… little village of Recquebrœucq …’ — In Appendix IX, Other Ranks: changed ‘Waymf W.’ to ‘Way, F.W.’; and ‘T’ransf’d’ to ‘Transf’d’; —