Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/104/1 - March - April 1918 - Part 2

79
16
feature about 600 yds ahead.
They had not bn attacked but
their Lewis guns had been in
an admirable position to
enfilade / Germans. It ws abt
11 when / Germans started bombarding
them, they sd. They didnt know if
he saw movement or what. At 
11.45 he began switched suddenly
over onto the 11^th Bde, & quite
heavily. At some time abt then
the German infantry appeared
on / crest o / tongue, South of Morlancourt,
where the Corbie Bray Rd
goes up it. He _^ made S.W. down / opposite slope. He came in a few
waves & then began to move
down / road on / far side o /
valley from the 11^th Bde in column,
towards Sailly Laurette. He ws
badly knocked about & some of him
ws down in / valley still while
others had come running back up

79
17
/ road, & were still doing so.
I went over / hill to the
43rd Bn who were in another
lot of old French trenches, they
sd. Two of the 40^th Bn _^ men on / crest told me
tt you cd see a good number
of Germans still lying out on /
slope opposite & s.bs. had bn 
at work there. You cd _^ have seen /
Germans rolling about _^ as if they were calling
for s.bs, they sd.
I went up / trench
to / top o / hill. Men were
moving, occasionally up & down
from / valley on the S. side;
but the sniping was so regular, 
& he used his whizzbangs so
quickly on / sight of
movement on / crest, tt I
didn't like keeping much in /
open. The trenches were not
continuous - there was a —x
(5 pages over)

18
Abbeville dressing station
Franks [shorthand]
[shorthand] waves
Patrol of 35 most jolly this morning
26th (Tues.) came in.  Put patrols round the village
which hit a few snipers.  They still had a part of the cemetery.
27. Wed morning, 12.30 pm. Germans came in
12 waves against 15^th in directn of rt

½ Bde

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

At Saulty Bde heard got
orders to stand to & urgently to send out
patrols from Fonquev. to Souastre.
(about 11 a.m.).  [shorthand] of tanks through
Hebuterne.  These were [shorthand]
disc ploughs the [shorthand] flying.
They Whole Bde rendezvoused at XO S of
Bienvillers
Abt 4p.m. Gen. dashed up from Foncq.
& gave a little speech and said I have just been in the village
supposed to be occupied by the [shorthand].  (Heb)
 

79
19
They had a [shorthand] and moved up from Hanescamps
In front of Gommect were a few
62 & xx 19 division troops.  (19 only about 400 strong,
they were left of Hebuterne)
X  All Heb. was occupied that night except the cemetery
A line of posts was along the eastern edge.
27 March.
12.30 Massed attack from
Rossignol wd & along road
[*Int Offr.
says this
is wrong.*]
marked as (but not really) Sunken
to S. One of the 15 Bn posts abt
16 B q.q. saw them first - they were
then holding some of the old trenches _^ (now wired)
They came in 12 waves to within abt 1000 yds -
they were entirely crumpled by L.G.
& 4 mg. Coy (who had _^ no casualty for 5 days)
(4 m.gs are now xx _^ in front line SE of Heb.) The
Germs were abt 800 strong.
There ws a dangerous gap between 4 Bde &
next people in K 11 A. The 14 Bn
were back at the crucifix (abt K 3 Centl)
to get on to left of 15 Bn to link
with 5^th KOYLIs.

79
20
They cleaned up K 11a (on morng of 28^th)
but / difficulty in 11B where there ws
bombg in / old trenches. The 2 trenches in 11D
were reconnoitred by a pln but
many Germs found there. They bombed up to _^ them.
The trouble ws tt / 62nd Divn found tt / Germs were
in strength in Rossignol Wd & gave orders to
Koylis to attack (abt 9/10 pm 27 March)
with a couple of tanks from NE thro K12 B.
14 Bn ws to occupy the trench thro' 5D & 11B
in case it was not a success.
There ws no news tt cd be got of this attack tt
night but _^ next mg: it ws heard tt one o / coys ws chewed
up. The wood ws never taken tho it ws
reported to be so. Germs cd be seen coming into it.
The gap in 12a has been a worry all / 
time. By daylight 28 March the 14 Bn reported 
tt they had secured 11A & B & got a little
by bombing into 11D but were held up
there. (The Divn they were with

21
complained tt they used a very great
number of bombs - more than their share!)
Diary: 27. 12.30pm attack thro K22 (west 12 xxx waves)
(62 Divn
Gen. Braithwaite)
from Serre
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
28. 3.p.m. A smaller attack from Rossignol Wood
thro K12.
29. Raid 4pm. K10 D - wiped
out before reaching our trenches
30.  We got some German trench by bombing
in K10 D & K11 central.
31. We took some trenches in K10 D & K11 C.
1 April. We cut him out in
K21 A. (16 Bn) 701 prisoners
3 mgs. (?100 dead estimated)
1/2 Ap. 37 Divn took over
(Gen Williams)
Later:  3rd April: 16th Bn - Coy officers
again raided Germs - they think
they killed 50, took no prisoners -
& (when reported it) were enjoying
themselves shooting at Germans
as they ran away.
[Since March 29 Germs have concentrated
their efforts Northward of the 4^th Bde agst
where the gap is & where Tommies are - The
trenches in tt gap were reconnoitred by Lt
Davies, I.O. 4^th Bde - but Tommies failed to take
over; & 2 Coys of Tommies seem to have bn captured there

79
22
on March 31. (last night) at
8.30: Two Germans were
seen coming over towds
us - they mistook
our wire for theirs.
When in it our
troops fired at them.
One ws wd. Other
held up his hands, but
at 10 yds from our
trench he started to fumble
w something in his 
pocket. He ws shot
(wd-) & at once a 
man of our sh
jumped over / top
& seized him. (He died
later) They found later on 
him a divnl. order
of relief - all boundaries
etc. (copy in this diary).
It gave HQrs, and so forth. 
The relief ws for tt night
& began after dusk. Our
guns were laid on at
once & the prisoners taken
today say tt / casualties
were heavy.

Hand drawn diagram – see original document
[*[Certainly wrong. C.E.W.B.1933] These units are probly 24A & C.]*]

23
(see 25 pages ahead)
Apr. 1. The Germans tried to raid
12^th Bde this mg. They came out,
abt 35 of them - & 5 got back. Our
men tried to get 2 of them (who
were wounded) in - but cdnt
on account o / fire turned on them.
They will get them in tonight. :X:
The A German sergt rode in
on a bicycle along / Bray Corbie
Rd - a sergt of foot artillery -
into our our line.
A German / other day walked
into our line slightly drunk.
66 Divn went.
Roisel 180 Tunnellers marched thro
Roisel on March 22 &
there ws no one in it!
Why werent reserves thrown in?
:X: A later acct of this raid (I think it
ws / same) ws tt abt 150 Germans tried
to attack a house by / rly embankt near
Albert.
We were
not holding / house
& / prisoners didnt know
why it ws / objve.)
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
They were cut down by 
our m.gs. 5 captd. Abt
20 may have got away. 
We were holding / rly line.

79
24
Line of battle on Ap. 1st.
(relief now by
37 division tonight)
Hand drawn diagram – see original document

9 Bde ?on March 30^th ? went
thro' Bois de Hangard but
didnt drive at Aubercourt
because it ws strongly held
w m.gs.
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
(see 25 pages ahead)

25
37  [shorthand] lost

40 [shorthand] north

15.  }

3 .  } Arras [shorthand]

55 }

Heavy losses of [shorthand] division

Bns gn no orders -

They were driven forward like pigs!

150 tried to attack house on Ap 1. by rly.

Last night also.  Loss of good 100 kilometres

Our tunnellers refused to blow up the bridge at

Albert Aveluy.
 

79
26
(from 5 Pages back)
(there was a) break every now &
then - one at the road, for example, -
where you had to get out & walk
to the next length. The German
was putting salvoes from a 
whizzbang battery (a little South
of East) into every place where
he saw movement. There was
some distant _^ rifle sniping either at
myself or at _^ some party of 2 or 3 
men who walked near - they
did not take / least notice.
Especially his whizzbangs were
tearing into a copse of trees
by / road side ahead which
I think ws a little in rear of
where the 40 Bn right was.
Anyway - from the trenches,
to wh I kept, you cd get a very
good idea of the site of that mornings
attack. We were looking into a

79
27

Hand drawn diagram – see original document
dip - as above in the sketch - our
front line was down the _^ fore slope
out of sight - the trench was our
support. The Germans must
have come over not knowing
where our front line was, our
men think. They came in 7 
waves. Their dead I think I 
could see on / opposite slope,
about as thick as I have shown
them. They still had some
men down in / valley. &
[The remnant of them managed
I fancy to dig in or hold on
there altho' a number broke back).

79
28
The men o / flank o / 40^th &
the men o / 43^rd (in / foreground
in / sketch) told me tt a number
of Germans were killed & tt you
cd see their bodies lying out there.
But they both spoke as if the
41^st in / valley in front were
/ Bn wh had done / damage.
The German was still
apparently attacking or fighting
in / valley (& on / hills) South o /
Somme & on / hills _^ there also. There
ws a good deal of artillery
fire. Our 9^th Bde ws there
detached & one expected tt they
were in this fight - but they
were too far off to reach on this
wretched day.
As I reached the 43rds
trenches some o / men there pointed
out to me where / Germans 
had just brought up four guns

79
29
onto / skyline at X-Y. They
wheeled their teams round as
bold as brass - the teams trotted
off; & / guns were left just
beyond / skyline. You cd see with
/ naked eye _^ the men walking round them, on /
skyline, quite carelessly, as our men do.
The Germs The young officer of
43^rd to whom I reported this, sd
tt he had heard / report - &
showed me where / guns were.
But / arty had their observers up
here, he sd; & they were certain
to have seen it. He wsn't in /
least disturbed. And sure eno'
as I walked home, I found a
couple of officers there _^ of the 3rd Divl Arty sitting on /
side of an old trench with their
signallers & telephones trying
to get / range of these guns.
They tried them with shrapnel.
But the light was so bad that
we could not tell the positn