‘Echuca Soldier’s Wonderful Experience: Taken Prisoner and escapes’

London, 28^th August, 1917. Frank on left. On right is most likely his cousin Lt. Arthur Alder, of II ANZAC Mounted Corps.

Frank Leslie Alder was a 28 year old drover from Echuca when he enlisted in the AIF on 3^rd August, 1915. He was sent to France with the 15^th reinforcements for the 6^th Battalion and taken on strength in the field on 17^th December, 1916.

He served with the 6^th Battalion until the 6^th of April 1917, when he was sent to hospital with trench fever. He spent the rest of the war in England, finally setting sail for Australia on the 14^th January, 1919.

From information in the 6^th Battalion diary and the Official War History I believe the incident described in the letter below happened on the 2^nd of March, 1917 while the Battalion was occupying BARLEY Trench in the FLERS sector. The incident occurred between BARLEY and PORK trenches.

Article appeared in May 1917 in Echuca-Moama newspaper.

'Echuca Soldier's Wonderful Experience: Taken Prisoner and escapes'

In a letter to his father, Mr. James Alder, Pakenham St, Echuca, Alder writing from France March 7 says:

"Since writing my last letter to you I have had a marvellous experience, and must consider myself one of the luckiest men alive. As I told you before, I have joined a Lewis gun section. One night the team I am attached to was sent out to an advanced post, with instructions to come back to the front line by daylight. Well just about half an hour before then two of us were sent back so that we could get the early morning tea for the rest of the boys. We had just got into the front line when Fritz opened up with a very heavy barrage, so we had to keep down. However, a strong patrol party of the enemy took my mate and I prisoners. The first thing we knew was that about thirty Germans were right on us and calling us to surrender, and waving bombs in their hands ready to throw them into our position. Where they came from I don't know where, and as there was a very heavy fog it was impossible to see forty yards ahead. We gave ourselves up and were being taken away in the direction of the enemy lines when our captors ran right into the advanced post we had just left, and where our mates were, and before the boys knew what the enemy was about there were four or five bombs thrown at them. With that they turned the gun onto the Germans, and then there was some yelling. Three or four of the huns dropped, but fortunately me and my mate escaped being hit. Four of our boys were wounded, one of them having his right foot blown clear off. The enemy then turned and ran back in the direction they had come. By this time I was fairly knocked up, but had to keep going with them. Then they turned to the right and almost ran into the 5^th battalion lines. Before they knew where they were the 5^th were firing on them, so we all got into shell holes. We remained there for a few minutes. I made up my mind to take my chance, and bolted for my life about 50 yards into the 5^th battalion lines. The rifle fire was heavy and Fritz had a shot at me while I was on the run, however he missed, and I reached our lines safely. When I was running in I dropped, and I thought I was a 'goner', but when I reached the 5^th btn and looked around Fritz and my mates were going in the opposite direction. By this time there were only about 17 of the enemy left, the others having been killed or wounded. Ten men of the 5^th btn went out to try and turn them and succeeded. Half an hour later Fritz was again in sight and the enemy had to put up their hands. There was only my mate and one of them who were not wounded. How my mate and I escaped being hit is simply marvellous. We were through the barrage twice, missed being hit by machine gun and rifle fire, while all the time the huns were dropping and yelling one after the other. I was fairly settled. I suppose I must have cut out that 50 yard sprint in record time. My mate must have had a more trying time than I did, and I think he was lucky that the huns did not settle him when they saw me doing a 'get'. It was an experience which neither of us wish to go through again, and we have to thank our mates on the machine gun for saving us. Only for their prompt action I might have been in Berlin today. I believe the boy who fired the gun has been recommended and he deserves it. He turned what looked like a successful raid into a failure. His name is Tweedie, and he comes from Ballarat and is only 19 years of age."