William Neasmith on the Western Front
William Neasmith on the Western Front Especially his involvement in • The Battle of Passchendaele (31 July – 6 November 1917) and • The Battle of Amiens (8th August- 3 September 1918) On Monday 14 May 1917 Spr. William Neasmith (Bill), 2nd Division Signal Corp. Australian Engineers, A.I.F., arrived in France heading for the Western Front. He arrived at Boulogne at 4 pm and disembarked over another boat as there was no room for their boat to go right into the wharf. The whole area was full of activity with many wounded soldiers being put on board ships for their trip back to England. After a night in a 10 man tent, he watched proudly as the AIF infantry set off on foot for a 19 mile (30.6 km) march to Etaples. For the rest of the morning his unit was free to explore the town and in the afternoon they marched to the railway station and were placed on cattle trucks for a rather rough trip to Abbeville, the Advanced Base of British Signals. There were between 2000-30...