Western Mail, Thursday 28 September 1933, page 2
Lagnicourt.
Dear "Non-Com." - After reading the letters on your page re Pope's Post, I feel I must give my version of the stunt For a start Paddy Flavin never reached the post; he was killed about ten yards out, about 4 a.m. Lieutenant Pope then went out to get his message, and was shot dead before he could get back. All he said was "Good-bye, boys," as he fell.
From then on we were kept very busy. The enemy came over in masses and we mowed them down like hay with Lewis gun and rifles. They got up very close before they broke and dug in behind the ridge, about a hundred yards away. Shortly after Paddy Fallon was shot through the head. We held them there
until after eight o'clock, when our ammunition ran out.
Meanwhile he had broken through on our left and was sniping us from the rear. No doubt, realising we had no more ammunition, Fritz then came over and overwhelmed us by weight of numbers. I consider we did all that was possible in holding them at bay so long as we had no help from the artillery, machine guns or supports.
There was no need for anyone to have been starving, as stated in one of the letters, for we had rations up the night before.
All the survivors were taken prisoners. Four of them put me on an old door and carried me out with them, leaving me at a German first-aid station. The names of the men who came out with me were Lance-Corporal Gale, Privates Lowson, Woodings; Blackburn, Durnford, Strang, Jarvis, Scott, and Boxall. - C. H. Godfrey, George-street, Queen's Park. (The letter is also signed by G. Durnford.)
[The above is a most Interesting firsthand account of an epic action about which little was known until it was opened up in these columns a month or two ago. Pope's Post, at Lagnicourt, was held by a detachment of the 11th Battalion and it was overwhelmed when the Germans attacked in 1917. When it was recaptured on the, following day the dead garrison was surrounded by 80 German corpses and Lieut. Pope was awarded a posthumous V.C. It was not known for some time that there were any survivors, and up to a month or so ago the impression seemed to persist in this State that the whole garrison had died to a man. The above letter is a simple and straightforward story, and no doubt summarises correctly one of the immortal episodes of the Great War. - "Non-Com."]
KIA
Paddy Flavin = 2269 Thomas FLAVIN, c/o Jack Condon, Transcontinental Railway Main Camp, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement.
Lieutenant Pope = Charles POPE, 117 Glendower Street, Perth, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 18th Reinforcement.
Paddy Fallon = 4646 James Patrick FALLON, 11th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement.
POWs
Lance-Corporal Gale = 4202 George GALE, Gnowangerup, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 13th Reinforcement.
Privates Lowson = 70 Robert James LOWSON, 11th Battalion, A Company.
Woodings = 116 James Walter WOODINGS, 134 Lake Street, North Perth, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, A Company.
Blackburn = 5989 Hughie BLACKBURN, 17 Robinson Avenue, Perth, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement.
Durnford = 6030 George DURNFORD, Claremont Avenue, Claremont, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement.
Strang = 6588 Oliver Wilfred STRANG, Perth, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 21st Reinforcement.
Jarvis = 1783 Henry Thomas JARVIS, Rockton Road, Claremont, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement.
Scott = 1826 David SCOTT, 22 Irwin Street, Perth, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement.
Boxall = 5998 Alfred William BOXALL, Garrett Road, Bayswater, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement.
C. H. Godfrey = 2603 Cecil James GODFREY, 240 Newcastle Street, Perth, Western Australia, 11th Battalion, 8th Reinforcement.