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EXPERIENCE COUNTS.
It may be surprising that members of the 5
th
Division, not fully aware of
the conditions and the enemy they would face, were used at Fromelles and
Pozieres, when there were more experienced troops in the first three
battalions. However, army protocol meant the divisions seem to have been
allocated sectors to defend and unfortunately this division had been
allocated this particular sector.
Inexperience was a major factor in the disasters at Fromelles and Pozieres.
Another factor was the lack of meaningful communications between the
troops at the front and the generals at the rear devising tactics. This fact is
exemplified by the lack of flexibility displayed by the overall commander
of Commonwealth forces Douglas Haig who refused Pompey Elliott’s
request to stop the advance, despite a gas attack on the Australians, heavy
rain making it very difficult to cross no man’s land and very heavy
artillery fire. Despite the disastrous results Haig thought the attack “had
done……..a great deal of good” (Carlyon page 96.) We think he meant
they gained more “experience of what to expect”.
Fromelles was also an example of the censorship that caused Australians
at home not to be aware of the conditions on the Western Front until after
the War. Even Charles Bean’s report of the battles of Fromelles and
Pozieres was highly sanitized and only in his last sentence is an indication
of the disasters that had occurred when he said “ the losses of our men
were severe”.
What was it actually like in the Front Line
?
The extract from George Cuthbert Lane (18
th
Battalion -596) in his letters
home is reproduced here again, to emphasizes a couple of important
aspects of trench warfare and its consequences.
“In Hospital on the coast of France Sept, 22nd 1917.
You will notice by the address that I am once more safe in
hospital……………...I got another crack on the 20th Sept. in the fighting
around Ypres. I am feeling “bosker” now with a chance of going to
Blighty in sight.
A most particular thing about the wound I got this time. A piece of shell
took a bit more of my left hand away pretty well in the same place as last
time, so you can guess the old hand is not looking too good
now…………….I went through the advance up past our objectives all
right and and we were digging ourselves, under very heavy fire from
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