Informant; Lieutenant: 2559 Robert Horner FLETCHER 33rd Battalion. I was on duty in the new front line opposite St Yves on the morning of the 11th of June 1917. Captain: Charles Henry LINKLATER was C Company Commander and at about 12:30am went forward to a post at Thatched Cot, 500 yardsin front of our line to await the reports from a party under Lieutenant: 1263 Edwin Charles Pond THOMAS of A Company which had been sent forward another 400 yardsto occupy Fuze Cot. At about 1:00am no word from the party having reached Thatched Cot. Captain: LINKLATER went forward with his runner Private: 950 William Stanley SMITH to try and get in touch with the party. They did not reach Fuze cot. Two runners had been sent back by Lieutenant: THOMAS at about midnight of the 10th-11th June but did not reach Thatched Cot until about 3:45am, when they stated that they lost their direction and had encountered a German Post. They lay in a shell hole thirty yards from the post to await daylight and while lying there they saw two figures approaching from the direction from which they themselves had come.

When these two figures were about 20 yards from the post they were challenged in English and two shots were fired. Then bombs were thrown from the German Post and the figureds disappeared. By the light of a veery light the runners saw about ten Germans apparently searching where they had last seen the two figures. There was nobody out from the lines at the time but the two runners, Captain: LINKLATER and his runner Private: SMITH Inquiries made by 2nd/Lieutenant: Richard Henry BLOMFIELD C Company of 33rd Battalion showed that Captain: LINKLATER'S name appeared on the German Death List of August 7th.

Note: Private: 950 William Stanley SMITH- MISSING. 7/12.6.1917. Captain: LINKLATER appears on German Death List of 7.8.1917 with no further evidence to report death in Germany.

3rd L.S. General Hospital Wandsworth, England.

Returned to Australia on the

William was a single 18 year old Labourer from Lake view, North Guyra, N.S.W. upon enlistment. He was in the care of Mrs Saunder of Guyra who was his Guardian.

(Australian National Archives)