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Les was born in Murwillumbah, the sixth son and eleventh child of Alexander Albert Eastaughffe and his wife Annie Matilda nee Healy. He moved with the family to Childers around 1901 where they bought a farm, Beliah Farm, south of the town and west of the main road. He enlisted in the 1st AIF in Brisbane on 24 Aug 1914, less than three weeks after the war's outbreak. He gave his occupation as stockman although a family history says he was driving taxies before the war. He was nineteen years and four months old, stood five feet six and a half inches tall and weighed 138 pounds. He had a ruddy complexion, gray eyes and copper coloured hair. He was appointed by Major FA Hughes to the 7th Battery Field Artillery, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade of the Expeditionary Force, as the AIF was originally designated. The battery had an establishment of 140 men and 126 horses. He was enlisted as a driver but on 16 Jan 1916, he was remustered to Gunner.

He was one of the early recruits and indeed Major Hughes himself had only been appointed to command the 7th Battery on 20 Aug 1914. Hughes seems to have been a very methodical man who kept a detailed unit diary from which much of this story is drawn. Originally, recruiting was carried out at Victoria Barracks and the men were camped at Enoggera. The horses were drawn from the Remount Depot at Wilston. The brigade was equipped with quick firing 18-pound guns firing shrapnel shell, with high explosive shells arriving a few months later. Over time, new ammunition was developed for the gun including gas shells of various sorts, star shells for illumination, antiaircraft shells, incendiary shells and smoke shells. Newer marks of the gun were produced during the war making it a very good field artillery weapon with an eventual range of 10,000 yards. But early in the war, 5,000 yards was the maximum range of the guns.

Les was sent overseas rather quickly so his training must have been very sketchy before his departure on 24 Sep 1914, a bare month after enlisting. The battery embarked at Pinkenba aboard HMT Rangatira A22 which sailed for Melbourne. They passed Sydney Heads at 0600 on 27 Sep, arriving in Melbourne at 0700 on 29 Sep 1914. They men probably went ashore and camped at Broadmeadows although the unit diary does not make this plain. Here they suffered their first desertion when one man took off over the hill on 5 Oct.

On 19 Oct, they were aboard the Rangatira A22 again and anchored in Hobson’s Bay. The ship left Melbourne for Albany, WA on 20 Oct and arrived there at 1400 on 25 Oct 1914 after a fairly slow passage. It anchored in King George Sound. They left on 1 Nov in convoy with a number of other troopships, being escorted by HMAS Sydney, HMAS Melbourne, HMS Minotaur and a Japanese cruiser, the Ibuki. On 10 Nov, the convoy received advice of HMAS Sydney’s fight with the German ship Emden. They reached Colombo at 0900 on 15 Nov and left again on 17 Nov. They sailed for the Suez Cannel via Aden, Suez and Port Said arriving in Alexandria on 8 Dec. As the artillery was drawn by horses, the battery had taken them aboard too and so the men spent much of their time looking after the horses, exercising them around the deck and making sure they were properly fed. The battery disembarked starting at 1730 on 10 Dec 1914 and boarded their train for Cairo at 0815 on 11 Dec. They detrained at Abucleah Station at 0200 and marched to Mena Camp arriving there at 0800. Before too long, such marches became second nature to these men.

This is where Les’s real training began. They worked hard on mastering the functioning of the guns, their maintenance and their operation. By 22 Jan 1915, they were able to fire their guns for the first time. A large area is needed for an artillery rage, even one for guns whose ranges is a rather short 5,000 yards. But there were other pieces too which had to be accommodated and so a very large area was requisitioned. This was not especially hard since the British Government has just recently announced a protectorate over Egypt which effectively meant that they controlled the country. They did so beforehand of course but it was previously a more concealed, behind-the-stairs management that they exerted. Their training was proving effective for on 16 Feb, they carried out a full brigade shoot, with all three batteries lined up.

By April, the planning for the Gallipoli campaign (such as it was) required many AIF units, including 7th Battery AFA to prepare for active service. The 7th departed Mena by train at 0230 on 5 Apr 1915 for Cairo, arriving at 0730 on 6 Apr and immediately boarding HMT Cardiganshire at Alexandria. Departing Alexandria at 1530 on 8 Apr, they arrived at Lemnos Island 1730 on 10 Apr. They anchored in Mudros Bay and practised embarking horses and guns in boats. Horses and boats do not really mix and there must have been many anxious moments as they tried to get them into and out of the boats.

They left Lemnos on the night of 24 Apr and arrived off Gapa Tepe at 0800 on 25 Apr 1914. They were shelled by heavy coastal artillery and were ordered to retire but there was some difficulty in raising the anchor that meant they were slow to move and were lucky not to be hit. There were some near misses very close by. They moved further north and at 1000 started to disembark horses and guns by boat. However, they received orders to re-embark the guns and horses and while they waited for further orders, they were shelled again, this time with shrapnel. About 1800, they were ordered to retire again to a position some two miles further out.

At 0700 on 26 Apr, they landed four guns and eight ammunition wagons that they manhandled one by one up the steep slope to the top of a ridge held by the infantry. As they came into position, they opened fire on Turkish infantry. The infantry were much heartened to see them of course but it was unusual to say the least, probably unheard of, to find the guns in the firing line with the infantry. During the next night, the Turks came so close, the guns were firing shrapnel with fuses set at zero. These shells burst some 50 yards in front of the muzzles of the guns. Their ammunition had to be carried forward by hand, under continual rifle fire. The horse landing practice now seemed a waste of time as there was no possibility of using them to any advantage in the hilly country they were trying to capture.

During this time, they dug gun pits and trenches and supported the infantry units with each of their four guns under independent command. The precise actions of each gun were not recorded because of the confused turmoil right across the front. On Friday 30 Apr, the Turks launched a strong bayonet assault on the Australian lines which was repulsed with the help of the guns of the battery. On 1 May, the gunners of the 7th were relieved by those from the 9th Battery. The 7th retired to shelters on the reverse slope. During this period, their casualties were fairly light with no fatalities being reported. On 4 May, the 7th relieved the 9th at the guns.

During this time, it is likely that Les, who was a driver not a gunner, was employed in carrying ammunition manually and digging trenches and gun pits, dangerous and heavy work. He does not appear in the lists of casualties though so we must assume he continued unhurt. Horses were not landed on the peninsula and consequently, the men had to do the hauling work usually performed by the horses. It would have been heavy and dirty work, hauling guns, carting ammunition, food and water as well as removing casualties from the gun positions. Les would have been doing a lot of the hard work, always dangerous because of the enemy shelling and sniping, with not a lot of rest.

From 7 May, the battery was involved in more counter-battery work and casualties began to increase with Capt WA Leslie being the first to die. The Turkish artillery fire was more dangerous than their small arms fire and more men were killed. The artillery duel continued fairly inconclusively until 8 May when No 2 gun was put out of action. It was repaired but disabled again on 12 May by a direct hit on its shield. For the next several months, this counter battery fire continued interspersed with quiet periods and infantry support shoots.

On 23 Sep 1915, Les went AWL for a day but the record does not say where he was at the time. Now, doing so on Gallipoli would have been very problematical so I assume this was during a period of leave which the men were granted occasionally from the front. He was awarded one day’s field punishment No 2 (essentially hard labour but not with being tied up when not at work as happened in Field Punishment No 1) and docked two day's pay. On 19 Oct, he was transferred to hospital in Alexandria but the reason is not stated. There was a lot of illness at Anzac and it could have been almost anything. He was moved to the hospital in Luxor on 22 Nov 1915 and on 7 Dec 1915 he returned to duty in Cairo rejoining his unit on 9 Dec 1915. The unit diary shows that one man rejoined from hospital about this date.

Between 12 Dec and 18 Dec 1915, the battery was evacuated from Anzac in small parties, taking one gun at a time. The various detachments were spread among several ships in the evacuation force and were reunited in Egypt at Tel El Kebir on 27 Dec 1915. There they were reorganized and their training recommenced. Les was remustered from Driver to Gunner on 19 Jan 1916. On 20 Feb 1916, he was promoted to Temporary Bombardier (Corporal). Then on 23 Mar 1916, the 3rd Brigade AFA embarked in Alexandria aboard HMTs Nessian, Tintoretto and Simla for Marseilles which they reached on 28 Mar. The brigade marched into La Fournier Camp at Marseilles.

On 6 Apr 1916, the brigade left Marseilles by train for Le Harve where they arrived on 9 Apr and camped at Sanvic, now a suburb of Le Havre, about 1.5 km north of the city centre. Train journeys over long distances were no fun in wartime France and we can be sure they all arrived very weary and bone sore from being rattled around in cattle trucks. On 13 Apr, the brigade entrained again, this time for Godewaersvelde from where they marched to Borre, about 11 km to the northeast, and went into billets. During this whole period, it was very wet and cold. On 22 Apr, the brigade trudged the 16 km to Estaires to more billets, arriving there at 1100. They became divisional artillery for the 1st Australian Division, a division being the smallest operational unit containing all arms, including artillery. The 7th Battery went forward on 23 Apr and took over a gun position from 13th Battery AFA near Fleurbaix. At 1600, the battery fired 12 rounds to register its guns against enemy positions. The 7th Battery was designated part of Fleurbaix Group, part of the 1st Australian Division.

During May 1916, the battery engaged enemy targets and received some return fire. They had problems with their ammunition especially the fuses which proved frustrating. They also had their first experience in France of being assaulted with gas shells. Their own barrages consisted mostly of shrapnel and they fired two shrapnel shells for each high explosive one. This was of course not very effective against troops well dug in. They remained in position right through May but on 31 May 1916, the brigade was withdrawn into reserve around Sailly sur la Lys where they stayed until 9 Jun 1916. On that day, the 7th Battery moved back to the Fleurbaix area and took over the Mobile Gun work. This entailed moving their guns to appropriate positions, generally at the request of the local infantry commanders. A lot of the battery’s work during this period was directed at enemy positions in and around Fromelles. Les would probably have been attached to a gun as a crew member, possibly as OIC of the gun.

The 7th Battery moved back to rest billets on 3 Jul probably near Doulieu. On 11 Jul, the brigade marched to Bailleul and entrained for the south. They dismounted in Doullens and Candas and tramped to Havernas, about 35 km east of Abbeville, where they were billeted behind the Fricourt front. They were kept busy with route marches, battery drill and overhauling the guns. On 16 Jul, the brigade marched from Havernas at 0933 (such precision) joining the 1st Australian Division Artillery Column at Talmas at 1053. They were billeted in Le Val De Maison. On 18 Jul, the brigade marched on via Herissart and Toutencourt to Harponville where again they were billeted. On 19 Jul, they filed off again via Varennes, Hedauville, Bouzincourt and Albert arriving at Becourt on the outskirts of Albert at 2230. They had covered some 40 km in those two days. The next day they relieved the 88th (British) FA Brigade. Among their target areas was Pozieres.
On 23 Jul 1916, the brigade supported the 1st Division attack on Pozieres which was captured but with severe casualties. They continued into August, firing at a very high rate. From 1 May 1916 to 31 Jul 1916, they had fired a total of 55,000 shells. In the first week of August alone, they fired nearly 16,000. On 12 Aug, they were sent into reserve but on 15 Aug, they slogged from St Leger to Vadencourt via Havernas, Naours, Talmas, Val De Maison, Herissart and Contay. The next day, they trudged through Warloy, Senlis, Bouzincourt and Albert and took up a position in the front at La Boisselle. On 21 Aug, an enemy aircraft dropped seven bombs in the brigade wagon lines and killed a corporal, two gunners and six drivers of the 7th Battery. The next day, Les was promoted to Corporal, apparently to replace the man killed, Cpl RD McKay. The brigade as a whole lost nine killed and 39 wounded in the attack. On 23 Aug, the brigade was relieved and bivouacked in Albert for the night. The next day they moved to Amplier where they were billeted. On 26 Aug, they entrained at Authieule and were disembarked at Godewaersvelde where they were again billeted, back in familiar territory.

During the night of 1-2 Sep 1916, the brigade moved to Ypres where they continued their support role until 14 Sep when they were relieved and they retired to Ouderdom where they spent the rest of the month. Here they rested, cleaned up and trained. Early in Oct 1916, the 7th Battery moved back into the line near Ypres and was again in support of the Australian infantry of the 1st Australian Division. They were relieved on 15 Oct and moved to Cassel, then on to Bonningues where on 20 Oct, the men voted in the first conscription referendum. On 21 Oct, they trekked to St Omer and entrained for Longueau from where they trudged to La Neuville. The next day, they marched to Lavieville from where they moved up into the line the following day when the 7th relieved a New Zealand Field Artillery Battery. On 26 Oct, they suffered very heavy shelling from enemy artillery. Soon after, they moved to Flers on the Somme. The artillery did not move about quite as much as the infantry but they did move frequently and considering the equipment they had to move with them, each move was a major logistical undertaking.

During November, the brigade sustained more casualties but the number of shell shock cases grew greatly. On 13 Nov 1916, Les sustained shell concussion and although admitted to the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance station which had just arrived at Buire, he was back with his unit on 19 Nov. Shell concussion was caused by an explosion close to the body that rendered its victim unconscious. Providing other wounds were not serious, the patient usually recovered quickly. While he was away, the brigade had moved to Delville Wood on 17 Nov 1916. They were still there at the end of December. At that point, the battery had been in France for 278 days of which they had been in action for 165 days, quite an arduous effort. They stayed in Delville Wood until 11 Jan 1917 when they were relieved. Being exposed outdoors to the freezing northern winter was no picnic for men reared in balmy Queensland and they would have been relieved in more ways than one. That winter was a very severe one across the front, freezing, wet conditions made life very hard on both sides of the line but the Germans had taken the view that they were on French soil and meant to stay there. Therefore, permanent defences made sense to them whereas they did not to the British and French who thought only of moving forward and therefore any defences they made were of a temporary nature. Consequently, the Germans were much more comfortable in their better prepared trenches and deep dugouts than the allies in their more Spartan surroundings.

They left their wagon lines near Pommiers Redoubt and trekked to Buire on 12 Jan and the following day marched from Buire to Naours via Villers Bocage. There they rested and repaired equipment. They filed out again on 26 Jan 1917 to Buire where the new artillery organization was instituted. ‘Marched’ is a word that occurs monotonously throughout this account but in most cases it should be trudged or slogged or plodded or tramped. The road conditions, especially in a wet winter, were atrocious and moving over them was a torture.

A reorganisation was made in the artillery with the intention of making each unit more powerful. The previous four-gun batteries were changed to six guns by dividing some batteries in half and augmenting other with these resources. The 7th got two guns from 57th Battery of the 5th Division Artillery.

On 29 Jan 1917, the brigade trudged from Buire to Mametz and moved up into the line. On 31 Jan, they moved further forward to a position between Ginchy and Les Boeufs. Their main occupation initially was counter battery fire against German artillery. They were lucky that during January, the brigade suffered no casualties at all. Digging in effectively had become second nature. They were still there at the end of February by which time the 7th Battery had sustained sixty casualties in action. Remembering that they started with 140 men all up, that is a very high rate.

On 17 Mar 1917, Australian infantry advanced and captured ground towards Bapaume which they occupied. The 7th Battery advanced behind them past the Sugar Factory between Le Transloy and Beaulencourt to the vicinity of Miller’s Son. On 20 Mar 1917, the brigade advanced to a line east of Villers au Flos to cover the line Haplincourt to Bancourt. There they stayed until they were ordered forward on 1 May 1917 to a position close to the Canal du Nord at Hermies. Then on 11 and 12 May, they were finally relieved after three and a half months of constant action. On 14 May, the brigade marched from Velu Woods to Spring Gardens Camp near Ovillers la Boisselle, about halfway between Pozieres and Albert, and after overnighting there, marched to Behencourt where they were billeted. Their rest ended on 19 May when they entrained from Albert for Bailleul. On the night of the 23-24 May, they moved up to the line again this time to Ploegsteert, a little north of Armentieres, for more support fire for the infantry. There they stayed until 18 Jun 1917 when they moved to Fort Osbourne at Messines and continued in the same role. They were often under enemy counterbattery fire and the workload was enormous. The after-action reports highlight this aspect of the campaign. The 7th suffered sixteen casualties including three killed, the other batteries in the brigade, the 8th and 9th suffering almost identical losses. Les apparently continued unhurt as his name is not on the month’s casualty list. The 7th had now suffered 77 casualties since the start of hostilities, nearly half of all the casualties (162) among the four batteries of the 3rd Brigade AFA.

The brigade was ordered to retire to Wulverghem and regroup on 26 Jun 1917. There they had a well-earned rest until 10 Jul. At 0130 on 11 Jul, the brigade marched to Hondeghem via Bailleul. At 0245 the next day, they trekked to Wornhoudt which they left at 0400 the next morning and slogged to Ghyvelde and established themselves some 1300 yards east of Ghyvelde. They were placed under the command of XV Corps and attached to the 32nd Divisional Artillery. On 15 Jul, the 7th Battery was attached to 168th Brigade Royal Field Artillery and moved into positions just south of Nieuport, about 20 km northeast of Ghyvelde. This section of the line was a lot quieter than the Messines front and while they fired as necessary, their activity was at a fairly low level comparatively speaking.

By the end of July, the 3rd Brigade AFA had been awarded 69 medals of various types. 7th Battery had received 18, the 8th, 17, the 9th had 13 and Brigade HQ, 12. Considering the numbers of personnel involved, HQ did very well indeed, but was not unique among HQ units which regimental soldiers usually thought had it very easy. That of course was not always the case, especially in terms of an artillery brigade HQ which was generally located close to the gun batteries. At this stage of the war, an artillery brigade usually had an establishment of around 30 officers and 950 men. A battery had about eight officers and 230 men.

The battery remained at Nieuport until 28 Aug 1917 when it withdrew to Ghyvelde from where, after a few days rest, they tramped to Noordpeene. On 1 Sep, they left Noordpeene at 2330 and trekked to Eecke where they were billeted until 8 Sep when they moved to Dickebusch where they were back with the 1st Australian Division. On the night of 9 Sep, the 7th moved their guns forward and soon began the familiar support work. ‘Moving guns forward’ is a simple concept but in physical terms for Les and his comrades, it was a herculean effort of pulling, pushing, lifting and shoving heavy guns over difficult ground and probably through slush and mud. Initially, it was fairly quiet but the fight built up and casualties were constant. They often came in fours, the number of the gun crew, one NCO and three gunners killed or wounded. Sometimes, gas was the prominent cause of problems, such as on 29 Sep when the 7th lost nine men gassed. In Sep, the 7th lost 30 men all told making a total of 109 (five officers and 104 men) since arriving in France. On 23 Sep 1917, Les was granted leave and left to spend it in England.

Like most of his countrymen, Les probably spent his time there visiting the tourist spots that were close enough, given the limitations on his time. The sights of London were a great draw card for young men who had been brought up on stories of the British Empire and of course its entertainments were much appreciated. They got along very well with the English and on the whole were well respected. Many tales of their courage and determination had paved the way very well.

On 2 Oct 1917, the brigade withdrew to Busseboom from whence they moved on 4 Oct to Oudezeele and then on to La Motte on 5 Oct. Moving a brigade of horse drawn artillery was no small matter. Not only were the needs of the men to be considered and provided for but also those of the horses and mules too for many of them were used as well. Wagons and gun limbers, the smaller trailer attached to the guns, had to be prepared as well as the guns themselves. An infantry battalion had a lot to do but mainly it was just to move men. Animals and heavy equipment made it a more difficult task. Relatively simple things, normally taken for granted, like lubricating oil, assume a new proportion when they are hard to find en route or worse when weather conditions make them virtually unusable. They had much practice of course but it remained a considerable work of planning and action.

They rested in La Motte until 17 Oct, during which period, they did some training and a lot of drill and cleaning. It was here that Les rejoined the battery on 8 Oct 1917 after his leave in England. On 18 Oct, the brigade tramped to the Westoutre area and came under the command of X Corps. On the night of 22 Oct, the battery moved into position in the line with great difficulty because of heavy shelling and poor roads. The 7th suffered a lot of casualties in moving forward including five killed. Until the end of the month, they suffered 17 casualties altogether. The 7th Battery became part of ‘C’ Group which seems to have been an emergency response unit, responding to infantry signals for immediate support fire. Les was promoted to Temporary Sergeant on 26 Oct 1917 vice Sgt GW Lynch who had been sent on an Officer Training Course. Around this time, the CO was promoted and posted out and a new CO appointed, a somewhat less informative person than his predecessor though one hesitates to say slacker. The detail in the War Diary suffers accordingly. No more lists of the nature of wounds appear for instance.

On 29 Nov 1917, Les was wounded sufficiently badly to be evacuated through Calais to the UK on 5 Dec aboard the Hospital Ship Pieter de Coninek. Initially, he had been taken to No 2 Casualty Clearing Station at Outtersteene To add insult to injury, he had to revert to Corporal since he could not perform the duties of his temporary higher rank. He was admitted to the Fusehill Hospital in Carlisle next day. Fusehill War Hospital had only opened on 16 Oct 1916 so Les was among its early patients. A school had been converted to a hospital, not altogether with the approval of the locals who felt that the poor schools and schooling system available in their area could ill afford to have one of its schools taken out of service for the duration. However, Les recovered sufficiently to be allowed leave from 25 Jan 1918 to 8 Feb 1918. It was in this period, probably around Christmas, that he met his future wife, Sarah Allen who was usually called Sally, and who was already engaged to be married when he met her. Remembering that Les had had leave in the UK earlier, it is possible that they had met earlier but given that Sally lived in Carlisle and in English terms it is a long way from London, the later meeting seems more probable. They were married in Carlisle on 7 Feb 1918, one day before his leave expired. Sally had just gone to a fortuneteller who had told her she would marry a fair-haired man and travel the seas three times. She did. Sally had been born on 12 Nov 1898 in Carlisle to John Norman Allan, a fitter and turner in shipbuilding, and his wife Mary Smith.

Promptly on 8 Feb, he reported to No 3 Command Depot at Hurdcott which must have been a very hard thing to do. It was raining of course and a strong southwester was blowing, none of which would have improved his mood. And to add to his troubles, he fell ill the next day with the effects of gas poisoning and was admitted to Fovant Military Hospital. From here he was discharged to No 3 Command Depot at Hurdcott on 1 Mar. He was attached to the Overseas Training Brigade and attended various training courses with that unit and on 4 Apr, passed out of that brigade to the Reserve Brigade Australian Artillery Depot at Heytesbury, northwest of Salisbury on the other side of Codford. On 29 Apr, he officially named his wife as his next of kin. From Heytesbury, he proceeded to France via Southampton on 7 May, landing at Le Havre the next day and marching in to the Australian General Base Depot there, one of three men who returned from hospital that day. He was fully kitted out here and on 11 May, he marched out to join his own unit. It took until 17 May to catch up with them.

Meanwhile, the brigade was finally relieved on 7 Dec 1917 and next day moved to billets in Boeschepe, a little south of Poperinge. Since their arrival in France, the brigade had fired 397,369 rounds. From 9 Dec to 31 Dec 1917, the brigade were training, resting or rebuilding. They received reinforcements which brought their strength back to 32 officers and 964 other ranks. Their rest and training continued throughout January by the end of which their OR strength had grown to 1013. But they found time on 10 Jan for a Brigade athletic sports meeting.

Between 2 and 4 Feb 1918, the brigade relieved the 12th Brigade AFA in the line near Hollebeke about five km SSE of Ypres. They were ordered to take over the guns of the 12th Brigade AFA and hand their newly refurbish guns over to them. Doubtless, they were less than pleased with the swap as the 12th’s guns would have been in used for at least six weeks under fire. However, the area was relatively quiet and during the month, the brigade sustained no casualties. Their own firing was light too, being mainly counterbattery and SOS work. They supported several Australian battalions in raids against German trenches and suffered a number of gas attacks. There they were to stay till 7 Apr 1918 when they were relieved and the next day they entrained at Caestre at midnight having marched there via Bailleul. They proceeded by train to Amiens on 9 Apr, joining the flow of Australian units south to that area to counter attack the Germans who had made substantial gains during the Michael Offensive in March. They trudged to Franvillers, about halfway between Albert and Amiens, just a little north of Villiers Bretonneux. The HQ unit stayed there but the batteries moved forward to the line. Interestingly, they were under standing orders, quite detailed ones, to be ready to pull out at a moment’s notice, so jittery had the high command become since the German successes. Again they took up their accustomed role of supporting the infantry. Among other activities, they supported a raid by the 9th Battalion AIF near Morlancourt on the night of 5/6 May 1918. By this time, the brigade strength had grown to 41 officers and 1080 ORs. The area sometimes became very quiet and the brigade could go for days, sometimes four or five, and not fire a shot. They even had time for some training in the lines.

On 19 May 1918, two days after Les rejoined his battery, the brigade was relieved and withdrew from the line though, in Franvillers where they reformed initially, they were close enough to take casualties from German artillery. Their rest was short-lived and they returned to the front on 22 May 1918 to relieve the 108th Brigade RFA. During this move, they were bombed and loss many horses killed and 42 men wounded. Their new area of operations was much more active and dangerous. But as June wore on, the front was quieter and there were only a few casualties. Les was again promoted to Sergeant on 8 Jun in place of Sgt Knox who had been wounded and evacuated. But his elevation was short-lived since he became supernumerary to establishment on 21 Jun. And also in June, the brigade passed the 500,000 shells fired mark. They moved position on 15 Jul 1918 and relieved the 11th Brigade AFA, the 7th Battery relieving the 42nd Battery just south of Mericourt. (Shown at ref J.21.C.83.83 on Map Sheet 62.D., NE 1/40,000). On 24 Jul 1918, 3rd Brigade was relieved by 16th Brigade RHA and withdrew to its wagon lines.

On 27 Jul 1918, the brigade moved forward again with the 7th Battery occupying a position east southeast of Mericourt (map ref J.O.A.8.8). The battery was now in Right Group. On 29 Jul, the brigade was again withdrawn and became part of ‘B’ Divisional Artillery Mobile Reserve. During this period, Brigade Order 234 of 26 Jul 1918 decreed that the period in the Mobile Reserve would be used for training, overhaul of equipment and ‘smartening of personnel’. It seems that the boys had allowed themselves to become slightly dirty, tattered and torn even though they occupied the most salubrious trenches the western front had to offer, if you discount the mud and the slush and the dust and the shelling as well as the rusting barbed wire, torn corrugated iron and general debris. Their training was to emphasise activities necessary in a war of movement as the General Staff believed that the German morale was cracking and a war of movement would soon break out. Saluting smartly was undoubtedly have been at the head of the list as its war winning potential was well understood by the higher command.

On 6 Aug 1918, the brigade moved forward again with the 7th Battery occupying positions on the outskirts of Hamelet (at map ref P.1.D.78.48). Then at 0420 on 8 Aug 1918, they moved pushed again and the 7th took up their positions northeast of La Mote (at map ref Q.20.B.65.30). They were again withdrawn to Mobile Reserve at midday on 9 Aug and moved to lines a little west of Vaire Wood. The next day, at 1700, they trekked to Harbonnierres where they relieved the 189th Brigade RFA. The 7th Battery were placed about one km east of Arbre (at map ref X.28.A.25.70 and X.26.C.5.5). On 13 Aug, the brigade changed position again with the 7th Battery holding positions on the eastern side of Albert around Black Wood, in front of the cemetery (map ref F.5.B.2.3). All this movement was accompanied by heavy labour for horses, mules and men, dirty, muscle-straining hard yakka. Each move occasioned its own casualties in terms of strains and sprains and other accidental injuries.

The brigade withdrew to their wagon lines on 25 Aug their positions being taken over by the 23rd Regt of French Artillery. During the August battles, the brigade lost nine men killed and 41 wounded of which two dead and nine wounded belonged to the 7th Battery.

They took up new positions in front of Mont St Quentin on 1 Sep 1918 and following the successful Australian attack on Mont St Quentin on the morning of 2 Sep, they moved up further in support. On 4 Sep, the HQ moved to Halle and on the next day, as the Germans retired, the brigade was part of the Advanced Guard charged with pressing hard on the German’s heels to make sure that they had no time to consolidate their positions. On 7 Sep, they were ordered forward again in support of infantry advancing towards Roisel. By 15 Sep, they had advanced right up to the Hindenburg Line and by 18 Sep, Brigade HQ was established at Higson Quarries and the batteries further to the northwest. On 23 Sep, 1918, the brigade was withdrawn to its wagon lines near St Emelie where it became the Corp Reserve.

But during these advances, drawing closer to German artillery in support of the Hindenburg Line, the brigade suffered many casualties, 14 killed and 90 wounded. The 7th Battery lost one man killed and 24 men wounded. One of those men was Les Eastaughffe who was wounded by a shell and burned. On 29 Sep 1918, Les was in the line at the outskirts of St Emelie. He was in the wagon lines about 0400 on the morning of 30 Sep 1918 when enemy fire hit an ammunition wagon setting it on fire and killing twelve horses and wounding three men, one of whom was Les. For his action that morning, Les was awarded the Military Medal the citation for which reads in part, ‘Corporal Eastaughffe, although wounded, opened the doors (of the ammunition limber) and singlehandedly pulled out every round, although by this time the wagon trays were practically red hot. By his coolness, courage and prompt action, he undoubtedly saved the lives of his comrades…’ Originally, he had been recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, second only to the Victoria Cross for other ranks. He did not learn of his award until after the war.

He was admitted to 41 Casualty Clearing Station at Doingt on 30 Sep, passed on to the 2nd General Hospital at Le Havre on 1 Oct and on 2 Oct, transported back to the UK and admitted to 2nd West General Hospital in Manchester with a shrapnel wound to his left shoulder and burns. None of these proved serious and on 5 Nov 1918 he was discharged and sent to No 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny to convalesce. He must have been feeling a lot better because he went AWL for the day and lost a day’s pay for his efforts. However, the next day, he was given seventy-five days leave which, we must hope, he and his wife enjoyed. He had certainly earned a good rest. Although his records give no information, after his leave, he would have been sent to one of the reception depots in southern England to await repatriation to Australia. He was one of the many recipients of the gratitude of the British unions whose thanks to those who had helped to defend them were expressed by shutting down the UK transport system including the shipping that would take the Australians home. These delays were resented strongly by the diggers.

On 4 Jun 1919, Les and Sally both boarded HMT Bremen for the return journey to Australia where they arrived in Sydney on 29 Jul 1919. From here, they journeyed to Brisbane by train most likely. He was discharged from the army on 12 Aug 1919 in Brisbane. It was not until 20 Aug 1919 that the award of his medal was announced. His father was clearly very proud of his achievement which we know from his response to the Army’s notification of the award, a three paragraph letter without a single punctuation mark to be found. Les was also awarded the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He served twelve days short of five years, in Egypt, Gallipoli and the Western Front, during some of the worse fighting Australian soldiers saw.

As to the 3rd Brigade AFA, on 5 Oct 1918, they were withdrawn from the line and on 7 Oct slogged back towards a rest area at Longpre. They trudged from St Emelie via Roisel, Marquaix Tincourt, St Denis, Mont St Quentin, Feuillacourt, Clery sur Somme and Cullu. On 8 Oct, they trekked through Hem, Feuillieres, Dompiere, Chuignies, Proyart, Morecourt, Cerisy and Hamel and bivouacked at Hamelet, where they had fought two months before. After overnighting there, the next day they tramped through Fouilly, Longeau, Camon, Rivery and Longpre and then occupied billets in the Arggoeuves area. The next morning, they marched off again to Bussuel where they bivouacked in the fields because no one knew they were coming. On the next morning, the 7th Battery was billeted at Le Plouy, northwest of Amiens, about halfway to the coast. During the war, the brigade marched many, many miles, sometimes for days on end which must have been hard on man and beast alike.

The next several months were spent demobilizing the brigade, with men being given leave and plenty of sports and other entertainments being organised. Men left for home too and eventually in Feb 1919, there were too few left in 3rd Brigade for it to be a viable unit so it was amalgamated with the 1st Divisional Artillery until 26 Apr 1919 when it too ceased to exist. And so a splendid fighting force passed into history and legend.

Les returned to Childers where he worked as a farm hand in 1919. In 1922, he was working as a groom and he and Sally lived in George St, Bundaberg. By 1925, they were living on Delta Station at Gerra near Barcaldine which was being managed by his brother Clem and where Les was a stockman. Sarah does not appear on the Electoral Roll at this stage so it seems she was not yet a naturalized citizen. But in the 1930 Roll, she is shown, working in Aramac as a cook at the Albion Hotel while Les is still a station hand in the area.

Les and his wife returned to England via Suez on the 'Balranald’, a P&O ship which docked in London on 17 Jan 1931. They travelled tourist class. They stayed in Carlisle at 17 Orchard St. Les is described as a station hand in the British arrival records. They were accompanied by their daughter Irene Mary then 10 years old. The Second World War prevented their early return but even so, they must have enjoyed living there because they stayed for 17 years. During the war, Les joined Dad’s Army, rising to the rank of Sergeant Major. They ran a fish and chip shop and lived in 31 Wampool Street, Silloth, a small coastal village just 30 km west of Carlisle. The house is there today, still scrunched up cheek by jowl with its neighbours, with its front door not quite on the street in the best English fashion.

Irene had made a life for herself there, marrying George Bowman on 25 Mar 1940 by whom she had two daughters, Maureen and Nola. In mid 1947, Les, Sally and their daughter and her husband and her two girls were planning to return to Australia. But George became ill and those plans were put on hold. His illness with cancer was very short and deadly and after George died on 12 Oct 1947, they left Britain on 9 Jan 1948 from London bound for Sydney on the Stratheden, arriving in February 1948. The family was detained in Brisbane due to a rail strike (the unions still did not like Les) and, liking the place, they decided to stay.

Thomas John Elsey had been a friend of Irene and George in Silloth. He had kept up a correspondence with Irene after she returned to Australia. Eighteen months later he arrived in Brisbane where he got a job as fitter and turner with the Railway. He married Irene on 13 Aug 1949 in Kedron and they had four more children. In 1949, there was an citizenship amnesty including all citizens who had been here for 2 years or more and the whole family were naturalised. Thomas died on 8 Sep 2000 and Irene died in Yallambie Lodge, Deagon, Queensland on 10 Sep 2003.

Les and Sarah settled initially in Brisbane and lived in School Rd Stafford where we find them in 1949. Irene got a job in a printing office, Les was working in Railway Records and Sally was the housemother. But perhaps the big smoke did not suit them for they moved out west again before 1954. We find Les and Sarah in that year in the Charleville area, living at Bronte (possibly a cattle station) near Cooladdi, about 90 km southwest of Charleville, where Les was still a stockman and Sarah a cook. More removed from the big smoke would be hard to imagine. They moved around quite a bit and in 1958 they were living in Giberoo near Quilpie where Les was a station hand but Sarah was now listed as performing home duties. Sometime before 1963, they moved back to Brisbane and lived at 28 School Rd Stafford, possibly in the same house they occupied back in 1949. Les listed his occupation as labourer while Sarah was still shown on home duties. Sarah died on 16 July 1971 in the Mater Hospital Brisbane and Les continued to live in the School Rd house for another ten years. He died on 29 Jun 1981 at Kenmore Repatriation Hospital aged 86 and is buried at Pinaroo Cemetery Albany Creek, Queensland beside Sarah.

He had packed a lot into his life, good and bad, and he deserves more than just a name on a gravestone to commemorate his life. Clearly, he was a courageous man who was prepared to put others before himself as he proved in winning his Military Medal. So let us remember Les, honour his willingness to serve and salute a brave and selfless man.