Trp Arthur Rouget (Wandin), 13^th Light Horse Regiment: From his diary (France): ‘We stayed at this place until they had an idea that the Germans were going to retreat. We were all called in and stood by ready to move out very quick, which eventually came on the 17^th of March. We got to the front line but it was too hot to send mounted troops over so we retired a mile and camped for the night sending a patrol over at 3.00am. They got through but could only find a German here and there so they sent the rest of us then.

The way we covered the ground I thought we were going straight to Berlin but after we got out a bit we met a machine gun here and there so had to steady up, so the officers said they were the only ones that did it. It was necessary for some of the men to hold five & six horses and Jerry very soon found out where we had them and came over attacking with machine guns in aeroplanes. One officer got under a log and was shouting out ‘give it to him boys’ as some of the boys were shooting at the plane with rifles. This was the first inkling as to what we got as regards to the sort of officers we had over us. The result was that the men would hardly take any notice of them.

We were relieved by the 21^st Battalion just about sundown and went a little way back to where the wagons had come up to us in the meantime with food for us and our poor horses, who had not had a bite since daylight that morning and some of them had to do a lot of galloping, especially those on patrol. The cook made tea for us and I enjoyed it as I have never enjoyed as well before.

We were not left much to ourselves as we were turned out at 1.00am. We were in the road of the artillery firing so had to pack up and go further back. Getting nicely into bed at our new camp after putting down horse lines, we were immediately turned out again as there was a patrol wanted and other duties as well. Another chap and myself being sent to the 6^th Brigade to carry despatches for them to their battalion, a job that was more interesting at some times than others’.

Cpl Ralph Goode (Lilydale), 2^nd Field Ambulance: In the field in France. In his diary – ‘What we have been striving for happened today: the fall of Bapaume, taken by the Australians, we are all ‘tres bon’.

Pte Frederick Tonkin (Wandin), 5^th Battalion: Arrives in Australia from Europe on the HT Beltana, he is to be discharged as medically unfit as a result of rheumatism.

Arthur Shore (Mooroolbark): Leaves his job as a tanner and enlists in the AIF, he is 18 years old. His brother Sydney has already enlisted. As he needs his parent’s consent because of his age, his father writes: ‘I give him my full consent to avenge his brother, who the Germans have wounded in France, and God speed him a safe return’.