Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/103/1 - March 1918 - Part 8

76
^X Wilkins while neatr Sailly le Sec
saw a sentry in one o /
roads leading down behind the
positn of the 43^rd Bn. The sentry
ws there to warn men to keep on /
W. side o / road as a field gun
ws shelling the place from / right rear.
It seemed to come, Wilkins sd, from
/ directn of Hamel or further W, &
the men were sure it was one of /
British batteries supporting us - (I notice
our men always say - "its not our
artillery, sir - some Tommy xxxx
artillery." The gun had just killed
two Sergeants & 3 or 4 men of the
supports & while Wilkins ws there
it shortened & fell still further back.
The Germans were shelling Hamel,
& so it must have been some
English battery S. of the river Somme
nearer to Corbie. (This same valley ws
shelled yesty by a how. from the N -"some Tommy
artillery" they sd. The craters were very shallow - 105 f wi)

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77
Wilkins who ws out today
over / same country (only farther)
tt I covered yesty, told me tt
he got two photos of our
men plucking hens. In Maricourt
At one place he passed near
/ trenches a camouflaged pig -
they had it carefully covered
w branches. There ws
a certain amount of
champagne even in / front line
& / men were enjoying this
war as never before. They
say tt / stuff largely came
from Maricourt ?Mericourt l'Abbe wh is being
shelled heavily & of course will
be destroyed; up to 3 or four
cows had bn killed by shells
outside Maricourt but the
men had not touched them - there
are too many fowls, rabbits,
pigs & goats. From a place like 

?Mericourt-l'Abbe
 

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78
Maricourt, in / front line,
it is of course fair to take
these things - they will be 
destroyed for a certainty
next day within a week or
two. Yet even there there were
one or two people still abt - 
mostly very old folks. One old
lady ws leading a cow into along
/ village street as they went
thro it. They _^ saw a sergt ws there too
carrying four fowls & a sack full
of champagne bottles - of wh
they bought _^ or borrowed two bottles & two
fowls.
The town had been yesty seemed to be shelled
a lot; but / people men there sd
"oh it ws only one or two
into / church & in / paddocks
around."
Fritz planes were 

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79
quiet last night as it ws
raining - & they are so far
quiet tonight. A big gun of
ours blazes from / back of
this village & a big gun o / 
Germans every hour or so
starts throwing its shells high
over onto Contay in / valley
behind us. They know there was a big
railhead there during the Somme battle.
Who March 30 shd look in tonight but
Old Graham Butler, who is _^ down over
here visiting all the battalions
in the interest of the medical
war records. He was to visit all
units - & as many were at the
down here just behind / fight
he seized a chance of coming
south & seeing them - he admitted
to me tt / real attraction ws /
battle. The 2nd echelon of 4^th D.H.Q.
was at Contay in our old chateau 

77
80
& there he is staying.
Sat. March 30.
Last night the
9^th Inf. Bde (wh is the reserve
Bde of the 3rd Aust. Divn) was put
under the 5^th Army & ordered to 
march on Cachy wh is behind
Villers Bretonneux on the Somme
(V.B ws Hqrs of the 5^th Army on March
25^th). They leave their pioneers cyclists
behind. The 5^th Aust. Divn wh (as
one suspected wd happen) has
bn switched south xxxxx is
to come under / command o / 
3rd Aust Divn. Some of the
21^st British Divn is to be brought
down to Bonnay. This is one
o / tired Divns wh has just bn
pulled out - & will I suppose be
in reserve (I dont know if it
ws in front o / Germans S of the
front - cant say how strong; but /
chance of attack here now
seems to have passed. Its
One wd say, from / shifting o / 
9^th Bde, tt / Germans may have
broken through the 5^th Army by
Villers Bretonneux. In tt case the 

81

77
Murray tells me tt on / mg. of March
28 when / Germs. came stealing out of
Dernancourt in / morning mist they
got right up agst / rly line on / S. side.
Some of Our men got m. gunners & some
Northumberland Fusiliers were
up agst / line on / N side - Only /
rails were between them - they
had no bombs & they were using
bricks at / tops of each others helmets.
The Officer of the Northumberlands & our
man decided to charge. They did so. The
Germans ran. Our m. gunner dumped
his gun on / rly & swept down about
50 Germans - they
think none got back;
but the m. gunner
ws killed imd
after,
Sniped from
Dernancrt
[*77
89
A A.
Maj. Evans, 110 How Bty.
10^th Bde, 4^th D A.
Gen. Burgess -
Gnr Rogers 
6 Gloucester Crescent
Regents Pk
N.W.
For photo's of Lone Pine attack.
(I think it proved later to be
a painting of the battle).
Pte. Gunner E.J. Murray Rogers
c/o Gen. Burgess,
4^th D.A.*]

77
82
gun wh ws shelling our 43rd
Bn yesty ws possibly a German
gun after all, firing from behind
the crest to the S. or S.S.W. That is
where / liveliness is today;
& tt is where Wilkins, good fellow,
has gone.
The German wireless stns
have shifted further away _^ from us than they
were.  And transport has bn
seen moving from Meaulte South
East, towards Etinehem - probly
to cross / Somme there. (The German
front line troops were crossing
on March 27^th at Cerisy & a few
even appeared in Sailly le Sec, I suppose
to make good / bridge there, but
were driven out by / cavalry.
The guns were most quiet
yesty - The 12 Bde reported abt 300
casualties from shell fire - but
I bet they were really / day before.
Yesty the chief trouble ws sniping
along / rly line from / directn of
Albert.
Today the guns are a deal
noisier - especially just now (11.40 am)

77
88
10 Bde ws sent to relieve 11 
Bde N of Corbie Bray Rd.
11 Bde S. of Rd, 10 Bde North of Rd,
9 Bde concentrating at Heilly.
At 1 pm got infn tt Germs
had broken thro at Dernancourt &
Buire & on this decided to put
in 9 Bde prolonging line to N
E of Ribemont to Amiens
Albert Rd at X Rd SE
of Bresle.
Gen Maclagans Right
will be at this X Rd.
Monash warned at
4.45 tt / Cavalry ws crossing
river to South x guards of
river & he wd have to
look out for his rt flank.
Cummings force.

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83
11.45 a.m. The gun fire has become
really heavy - [at this time, my 
own xx car not being back, & having
to leave Wilkins chauffeur, who had
returned from Corbie, in the cottage,
I went out on foot]. 

86
Attack down Somme indicated
1 Bde of D.A. to cross Somme 
to S to cover enemy actn on N.
of Somme

77

87
11 at Couin but G.O.C. went to
H.Q. at Couturelle.
BGGS sd at this time there
ws no confirmatn. Then no
truth.
Men there turn to Billets
Abt 8 pm Staff officer on way
w urgent orders. He brought
at 10 pm orders to report to
Montigny. G.O.C. & 32 [shorthand] of departments
went. / Corps gave order to
take up & hold line betw
rivers E of rd Mericourt
Sailly; there ws there a
nondescript force of 1500 stragglers
under B Gen Cummings
11^th Bde began to arrive
[*? a.m.*] at 9 p.m. They put Bn on 
each side of Corbie Bray Rd.
Other 10 Bdex began to arrive
at 10 & 10 Bde shortly after. 

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85
Account from Gen. Monash of what
3^rd Divn ws doing _^ given (March 27 - midday): Gen.
Monash had just got 10 days more leave when he ws recalled
at an hours notice.
3^rd Divn. went from Lombres to Winnezeele for Ypres
(so they thought). 2nd day on march turned to _^ while on march were diverted to Blaringhem.
Day before yest. _^ (Mar. 25) entrained at Blaringhem
& came by x train to Doullens to be
G H Q Reserve under 10 Corps.
On arrival, x _^ they heard tt from 1 p.m. 10 Corps was
to pass under 3rd Army.  Only division in 3rd Div. ws the only
Div. in the Corps. At Doullens an excited
Town Major came & sd Germs had broken
broken through at Hebuterne (a GHQ Conference
ws in progress at Doullens - W. Churchill, Haig, &
French officers xx.) A Pln xxx was wanted to go to
Pas to protect  Sent one Coy.
At Pas Gen. MacNicol had bailed & had
t wind put up by stream of refugees
& stragglers from Aucre direction.
New came tt German armed cars had broken
through at Hebuterne & tt Cavalry were
at Souastre.
Monash ordered Bdes to
concentrate at Pas 10 at Authie

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84
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Tanks
Looting
9 Bde [shorthand]
Scotsman.
S. Africans - prisoners say they already had 2 days
Sniping of Gellys Bde.
Marches
Maclagan wanted to reconnoitre in [shorthand]
Germ digging in
2 & 9 R I R.
50 Res Div. Albert.
13 I R . 13 Div. Morlancourt.
9 Inf Bde gn to 8^th army
Copse in J n 8D captured
1 coy Germans retired E
at 4.40
Enemy moving S E from
Meaulte.
v little artillery
29/855pm
9 Bde Group under
61st Divn. 19 [shorthand].
21st Div details to (to Cauchy.)
5 division at disposal of 3 division
[*2Lt Bourne
24^th Entrenching Bn.
Photo in Heilly.
Tanks.

Looting.

Angus.*]