The 16th Battalion and the Battle of Hamel - Australians on the Western Front
The battle of Hamel, fought on 4th July 1918, was one of the most important undertaken by the Australians on the Western Front. Following the collapse of Russia in 1917, a German offensive commenced on the Western Front on 21st March 1918. The Australians were prominent in stopping the German advance at critical parts of the Somme front, from Dernancourt to Villers Bretonneux.
After the German offensive halted, the initiative passed to the Allies and an advance to recapture the lost ground began. Major General John Monash, the Australian Corps commander, planned to capture Hamel, which was a fortified German position that dominated the terrain between the Villers-Bretonneux heights and the River Somme. The three most important objectives were the village of Hamel, the trenches between Hamel and Vaire Woods, and a redoubt known as Pear Trench, which protected the approaches to the village.
The memorial is located on the site of the former German command post, on a ridge overlooking the village of Le Hamel. The memorial includes a large central wall, a walking track, and interpretive panels. The memorial was built with stones from Australia.
For the attack Monash was given sixty new Mark V tanks and massive artillery support. Because his infantry units were understrength, ten companies of Americans from the 33rd National Guard Division were attached to the Australian 4th and 11th Brigades for the attack. On the eve of the battle, the American commander, General John Pershing, demanded that the Americans be withdrawn. However, four companies of Americans went into battle with the Australians.
Hamel was Monash’s first battle as a corps commander and the plans were characteristically prepared with extreme thoroughness. The attack began at 3.10am and as a heavy barrage crashed into the German positions, the infantry and tanks advanced across No Man’s Land. The Germans were taken by surprise, as for the two previous weeks they had been subjected to a daily early morning bombardment by Australian artillery.
The 15th Battalion overran Pear Trench (where Henry Dalziell was awarded the Victoria Cross) as the 16th Battalion advanced on the right flank against heavily defended Vaire Wood. The 16th Battalion was comprised mainly of Western Australians and had served magnificently through Gallipoli, Belgium and France.
The 16th Battalion forced its way through a barbed wire entanglement in front of Vaire Wood, while under machine gun fire from Kidney Trench. ‘D’ Company’s commander, Captain Frederick Woods, and several other men were killed and the attack stalled. Private Jack Axford charged through a gap in the wire, threw Mills grenades into a German machine gun post and leapt into the post and destroyed it. Axford was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. Vaire Trench was also overrun and the attack continued into Vaire Wood.
One of the 16th’s platoon commanders was Lieutenant James Minchin who had previously been Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Military Cross for bravery. At Hamel he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for attacking a German post near Vaire Wood, on the outskirts of Hamel. Despite heavy fire, Minchin led his platoon in the first wave of the attack and shot several Germans and captured an officer and twenty men. Once through Vaire Wood, he attacked another post and captured several Germans and their machine guns. He was informed that ‘D’ Company’s commander, Captain Frederick Woods, had been killed and immediately took command. He was later Mentioned in Despatches again at the end of the war and returned to the family farm. He married in 1922 and moved to a cottage in Beverley.
The 16th had successfully completed its advance before 5am. Further north, the village of Hamel was captured by the 11th Brigade, with the assistance of tanks. It was heavily fortified and the Australians had to fight for it street by street. The 11th Brigade continued the assault on to the heights beyond Hamel and stormed a German redoubt known as the Wolfsberg. This is now the site of the Australian Corps Memorial.
In 93 minutes the battle was over. Monash had planned it would take 90 minutes. German casualties were approximately 2,000 men killed or wounded and over 1,600 captured. Australian casualties were fewer than 1,300.
If you were interested in the above article, you may be interested to know that our next tour leaves Australia for France in April 2025:
WW1 Western Front 1916 – 1918 tour: Belgium & France
Frank Taylor Tour Director & Neville Browning OAM historian and author, team together to offer:
- 14 days tour - with 12 days actually touring the battlefields with Australian military historian Neville Browning, a tour director and experienced local team
- Small number of group participants
- Includes Anzac Day Commemorations – Dawn Service at Villers Bretonneux & afternoon service with the Bullecourt Village Community
- Search assistance for relatives and persons of interest
- No picnic or box meals and no war bore stuff ..
- Relaxing evenings - dining as you choose in rural
towns of Belgium and France - All breakfasts, 9 restaurant luncheons
Our programme is crafted for an exceptionally well informed and balanced tour of Australia’s military history in France and Belgium in The Great War – with the ability to assist with relatives’ research. We offer expert knowledge and commentary. Accurate, exploratory, but not overwhelming, and includes “tourist time” as well.
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This article was kindly supplied by Neville Browning OAM. You can read more about him here, or order his book here.
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