Australian 11th Machine Gun Coy 3rd RFTS-where in 1917?

[vapcq45]

I don't know if anyone can help me with this as ancestor emigrated to Australia and joined up there.

I would like to know where in France he might have been between roughly March 1917 and beginning of August 1917.

I've searched online but no joy at all.

Thanks very much.

[Andy J2022]

A bit of background on where the Company was formed and how it moved to Europe can be found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20091112044823/http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/~rmallett/Machine_Gun.html. Note that 3rd RFTS stands for third reinforcements, ie the detachment which left Melbourne on 16 September 1916.

To follow up on where 11 Company were in 1917, you need to research the movements and operations of the 3rd Australian Division, and in particular the 11th Australian Infantry Brigade to which 11 Coy was attached. Possibly start here with the Long, Long Trail entry and then use Google. There's heaps of information about the Division out there.

Finally you can download a copy of the Company's War Diary here: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1344791.

[Neale1961]

Australian WW1 Service Records are available from the National Archives of Australia.

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx