6:00pm: About 6:00pm A Company 34th Battalion was detailed to go forward to report to Commanding Officer 33rd Battalion AIF who were on left flank of attack. In moving up A Company extended into 4 lines of skirmishes and laid down with cover fire from line near 33rd Battalion Headquarters. Officer Commanding A Company Captain: Telford Graham GILDER went forward to reconnoitre 33rd Battalion's line. B Compant 33rd Battalion was found to have suffered heavy casulties and enermy were still holding the top of ridge. It was therfore decided to attack enermys position on ridge.

Shortly before 8:00pm A Company 34th Battalion moved forward in two waves each of two platoons. When 100 yardsin rear of 33rd Battalion Head Quarters the 2nd wave inclined to the left and came up on the left of the leading wave and the whole Company attacked the ridge in one line. The enermy were driving out of what apparently was there Picquet Line where two Machine Guns were captured. The line extended its advance and drove the enermy out of his continuous line at the point of a bayonet, and advanced a further 50 yards at this point 7 prisoners were captured, 4 of whom actually went ptisoners rage.

The number of enermy casulties was estimated at 60 killed and wounded. Machine Gun fire was very heavy from enermy lines on the left flank and was responsible for the death of 2nd Lieutenant: 1973 Reuben PARKES a very gallant officer and most of the casulties were suffered by this company. The enemy continuous trench systme was then occupied for about 2 hours. In the meantime patrols were sent out to the right flank to try to establish communication with the 33rd Battalion AIF. These patrols encountered enermy posts behind our own line on this flank. Touch was eventually gained through a patrol of the 33rd Battalion under Captain: Telford Graham GILDER. On informantion received from Lieutenant: 916 Robert Cecil KING That it was impossible for the 33rd Battalion to push forward on to the line which the 34th Battalion were holding, it was decided to move back to the line which the 33rd Battalion had then dug in on about 250 yards to our rear.

We then dug in our men filling a gap of about 650 yards in the 33rd Battalion line apparently the enemy did not discover our tactical withdrawal until sometime later at about 1:30 am, the enemy appeared on the sky lineadvancing in extended order. This apparent counter attack was completely broken up by our Machine Gun and Lewis Gun fire. About 3:00am "A" Company 34th Battalion were relieved by a Survey Regiment Company then moved to CACHY. "B" Company 34th Battalion also occupied a position in 33rd Battalion line but did no actual fighting and had no casulties.

34th Battalion War Diary

"On the 16th April, the rumours of a new German Offensive against Amiens seemed to be definitely confirmed. A German prisoner, taken by the French, volunteered the that Villers Bretonneux was to be attacked the next day. The 5th Australian Division, which had come line on the night of the 6th/7th April, and held the sector from Villers Bretonneux (inclusive) to the Somme canal was warned to be ready to retake the town, if captured by attack from the north ; and other preparations and counter-preparations were made. About 4 A.M. on the 17th, Villers Bretonneux, Bois d'Aquenne, to the west of it and the village of Cachy, to the south, were heavily drenched for three hours with phosgene, mustard and irritant gasses. But no assault followed. As soon as possible the local garrison, consisting of the 6/London(58 Dvn) and the 33rd Australian Battalion, was got out of the shelters in the town into the trenches around it. The gas shelling was repeated in the evening from 4 to 7 P.M., next morning and on the following days, being increased so as to include Bois I'Abbe, but with greatly reduced results. Nevertheless it was impossible for anyone to move that area without feeling some ill-effects from the mustard gas, and there were, in all, 1,074 gas casualties.’

The gassing of Villers Bretonneux seemed to point to the probability of its not being attacked, but by this time air photographs had revealed the signs of imminent operations; an increase in the number of enemy batteries had also been noticed, while the roads were being registered by German artillery. There were, however, also indications that the Albert sector might be the objective of an attack which might extend to Arras and Vimy Ridge. On the 21st there was much air fighting near the Somme, and the famous airman Richthofen was brought down.1. That night a man of the 4th Guard Division, captured by the 8th Dvn , disclosed the fact that his formation had just relieved the 9th Bavarian Reserve Division in front of Marcelcave , and would attack Villers Bretonneux at 3 A.M. on the 23rd. Counter-preparations were continued, and the German railway centres were bombed, particularly Chaulnes .2 'No infantry assault materialized on the 23rd, two deserters came in from the 77th Reserve Division, just arrived from Russia, which had entered the line on 20th, south of the 4th Guard Division, opposite Cachy, and the French captured a gunner of the Guard Ersatz Division opposite Hangard. All these men said that the relief of the line divisions by " storm " divisions had been completed :1. the infantry were ready to advance; the bombardment would begin early on the 24th and. last two and-a -quarter hours: and the attack would be assisted by new German tanks, which were already in position near the front line. 2 It is from the fact that tanks were used to punch a hole in the British line on either side of Villers Bretonneux, and that, in consequence, the Germans gained possession of the town and ground on either side for a short time, that the fighting on the 24th derives its interest." (BEAN; History of World War 1)

Bert was Wounded in Action on the 18th of April, when he suffered the effects of Mustard Gas Poisoning and was admitted and treated by the 55th Australian field Ambulance.

Gassed Australian soldiers awaiting treatment near Bois de L'Abbe outside Villers-Bretonneux 1918.

Note: 33rd Battalion Colour Patch on Corporal in foreground. (Eggs-a-Cook)

On the 20th of April Bert was transfered to the 3rd Canadian Hospital before being evacuated to England on the 3rd of May where he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital at WANDSWORTH.

MILITARY CROSS

19th May 1918

Lieutenant: Robert Cecil KING. 33rd Battalion. For conspiciouous courage and devotion to duty. On 30th March 1918, during a counter attack by the Battalion on MARCELCAVE-AUBERCOURT line, this Officer did splendid work in keeping H.Q. informed of the situation. He reconnoitred the whole of the Battalion front of two miles over country affording little or no cover from the continual and heavy machine gun fire and rifle fire. He greatly assisted in the organisation of the defence, and informed each Company of the situation. During the five hours he spent of this reconnaissance he displayed excellent judgment and the greatest courage.

London Gazette 16th of September 1918. Page 11049 Position 5.

Commonwealth of Australia Gazette 4th February 1919 Position 137 page 15.

Bert was discharged from Hospital on the 22nd of July and reported to the Overseas Training Battalion and proceeded overseas for France via Southampton on the 6th of August 1918 and rejoined the 33rd Battalion on the 13th of August and resumed duty from the regimental seconded list. Bert was granted leave in Paris on the 19th of November just after the Armistace was signed and returned to duty on the 30th of November. Bert remained in France until the 26th of April 1919 when he was marched out to England and disembarked at Folkstone to report to A.I.F. Headquaters in London and left England on board the "Argyllshire" on the 1st of August 1918 and arrived in Australia on the 23rd of September and was discharged from the AIF on the 12th of December 1919.

Family Information

Robert was a single 28 year old Clerk from The Rectory, Gordon, Sydney, N.S.W. upon enlistment.

Robert and Mary King were married in 1884 at Sydney, N.S.W. Marriage Cert:1025/1884 and had 2 children a boy and a girl. Robert Cecil King born 1886 at Lithgow, N.S.W. Birth Cert: 22920/1886. Mary E H King born 1888 at Lithgow, N.S.W. Birth Cert:23967/1888.

Military Records

(Australian National Archives)