Notebook of Lieutenant Leo Aloysius McCARTIN

Date of enlistment	15^th March 1915
Age at enlistment	20
Profession	Draper
Town	Geelong
Status	Single
Rank at enlistment	Private
Company
Significant events while with the AIF	Served in Gallipoli, Egypt, France and Belgium Promoted through the ranks to Lieutenant Seconded to 6^th Training Battalion Wounded in Action – 24^th April 1918 Awarded Military Cross Killed in Action – 18^th August 1918

Photograph of Lieut. McCartin, standing 2nd from left, middle row, taken of the 22^nd Battalion Officers, at Querrieu on 27^th June 1918.

Lieutenant McCartin’s full WW1 service record can be located in the National Archives of Australia. Full details are available online, NAA Series B2455

The following extracts are taken from the notebook of Lieutenant McCartin while serving with the 22^nd Battalion in France. The original is stored in the Australian War Memorial research centre in Canberra, and acknowledgement goes to the family of Lieutenant McCartin and the AWM enabling the subsequent publishing within this commemorative project.

France

Notes taken on reporting back to HQ

When attacking, report to include:

The effect of our bombardment
State if you can, the place you engage the enemy’s trench – give your unit and strength; how long you remained in enemy’s position and what enemy where there and numbers and name, nature of casualties and number of prisoners taken; booty captured
State effect of enemy’s retaliation; our casualties; state number of dugouts, their positions, and what accommodation; if you are struck by machine gun fire from what direction

Information that is always needed behind lines at HQ:

Hostile aircraft and time their flight and their type; what action it took and direction it came
Flashes
Nature of shell and if burst; its displacement; direction from where it came; number sent over
Machine Gun positions
Snipers
Cooking places shown by smoke
Dumps
Any enemy lines of communication, telephone or visual
Any indicators of gas
Any light railways
Any communication trenches, new earth works
Enemy’s movement during a bombardment
Working parties
Any wire and quantity
Any clothing identity, markings on arms or equipment