Nunn, John Aubrey (Captain,b.1883 - d.1978)

Diary of Captain J.A. Nunn (commanding officer of C Company, 3rd Australian Pioneer Battalion), with detailed daily entries from 1 January to 30 June 1918. It describes the Battalion's railway and trench preparation work in the Nieppe area of Belgium (around Messines, Ploegsteert Wood and Le Foquet) (January), and, in great detail, its movements before and during the German offensive in March in the Amiens/Somme area, including La Houssoye, Heilly and Blangy-Tronville (early April), and later near Villers-Bretonneux, where the battalion joined in front line fighting (May). It focusses on Nunn's company and battalion command activities, including reconnaissance and inspection of trench works and defences, administration and setting up an NCO school. After the last entry, there is a long narrative, probably written after the event, summarising his activities and impressions over the six months, as detailed in the diary. The collection includes a water colour by Lieutenant H. Coates of the same unit, inscribed by Nunn as 'on bank of River Somme near Blangy Tronville France during a rest period' (1918).