Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/105/1 - April 1918 - Part 5

80  

51

33 Bn a/c

I then met an Arty Bde commander,

&, after seeing him, went forwd
& met the 17^th Lancers & 1st D. Gs,
at the Cross Rds in O 3OD.
The Colonel of the 1^st D.Gs went
to Capt Duncan who ws  in 

command of the 3 Coys of
33^rd Bn who were left & sd he
ws going to make a charge -
wd Duncan join in? Duncan
jumped at the chance. These
3 Coys had refused their left
rt flank. They went forward
in great style & drove /
German in, & he ran. Duncan
& the D.Gs charged about 400
yards & reestablished our
line.
They were between two
aerodromes now. The Colonel
of the D.Gs wanted to go onto /
old position but Morshead

 

80

52

33 Bn a/c.

ws not too keen because / Germs

held / rly bridge in V I B. from
wh they could enfilade him
completely.
Maj Fry ws in Comnd of the
34^th. Morshead took him along
& got him to join with his own
right - adjoining the rt of the
rly.
This was at dusk. There
was a very heavy m.g. fire from
the North. This came from the armoured
cars on the righ Amiens Rd on
the left flank. These cars did
first rate work. The Germans
fired at them but they simply
turned their three guns on
these Germans & the German
stopped firing.
Our line now ran P25D2.3
to X Rds in P31 c (33 Bn ). It was

53

35 Bn a/c (cont).

When it was possible to find out 

how everybody lay, they determined
to try & restore / line to the dotted
line (wh at this time we clearly were
not holding.) At 1 am the 34^th
previously in support on / North o /
town went thro on the S.E. Of town -
thro’ the London positn, & retook
the rly bridge & the important knoll
beyond it (wh is / commanding feature
here) wh enfiladed / line further N. The
34 Bn advanced 600 yds & / whole
line advanced w them. The line now
ran from P26C.5.3. along the dotted
line abt 150 yds beyond / rly bridge &
then round SW twds the Crucifix. We

80

54

33 Bn a/c.

prolonged to / rly by / rest o /

Brigade, & then to the rd running
SE, the line taking a S.W. bend.
The 36 Bn saved / situation to
the S. & took up / front o / Buffs.
Morshead got back abt 9.30 pm
& met Gen. Rosenthal & told him
tt he cd attack / aerodrome
400 yards in front if the
bridge were occupied captured
& our old line reestablished
150 yds E. of the bridge. The Brigadiers
ordered the 34^th Bn to do this;
& at 1 a.m. our line advanced
w arty support. The 33^rd got
forwd without any casualties,
to the grid line between 31 & 32
(This is where Morshead places the
support line - Goddard puts it 150 yds
E of the grid.) The 34^th had very
slight casualties & captured

 

55
Captured 30 prisoners & 5 m.gs,
- but we lost guns ourselves
during / day.

80

56

30 prisoners abt 8 of whom

were wounded. They questioned them
& found tt 3 of them (?) belonged to
the 3^rd Bavarian Divn. They were
very tired & were frightened tt we
were going to attack them. One
of them ws asleep when ^& tt was why he ws
captured.
The  36 Bn now works 
round right to the S. or SE of /
town. The position from their right
southwards is not known but as far
as I know (Morshead sd) we still
hold Lancer & Hangard Woods wh
the 33^rd capts on March 30. Col.
Milne however is anxious abt
tt flank & reports tt / Germs can be
seen massing behind (to S.E of /
parallel to) Lancer Wood. “
We had left the car with all
our belongings just outside of V.B-
so Cutlack & I hurried back there; but

80   
57

on the way I caught sight of 
an old woman walking up a side
street w a pail of water & I had
to go & photograph her. We found the
poor old creature sitting alone, in
an empty cottage. In the house
opposite we had seen some soldiers
disappearing - one fool of a chap
in a top hat wandering round looking
for fowls. I cd not find these
men. In the yard opposite the
hens were pecking at such
remains of corn as there were
about. I asked the old woman
why she stayed - she sd because
she was old. I asked where her 
husband was - she said he was
in England dead & her children
were in England. She was
almost impossible to understand.
I asked her whether she had food & she
said something, I thought, about the
soldiers opposite & asked me to look
for them. I did so but cdnt find
them - she sd all tt she wanted was

 

80    

58

a light - I gave / poor old thing a 

box of matches. It must have bn
desperately dangerous & miserable
for her there alone w night coming
on - but I could not understand what
she said - Fred said she told him she stayed
because / neighbours did; but I think
/ neighbours had cleared out and left her.
However I could not make out whether

some others might not be there or coming
back for her - she sd something which sounds
like it. I told the Major of the 35^th Bn;
who ws going in next evening, abt
her, & explained to / interpreter &
gave him a map. But I wish we
had brought her out. The idea of a

stray fragment catching tt poor old
thing - of her spending her night amidst
/ shellflashes - is terrible. However,
/ men moving about / town certainly
had seen her, & our men going
in will surely see her - x I doubt if
she could have walked to / car & I
doubt if I shd have bn justified in
trying to get / car into / village -
but these things make one loathe &
detest the contingencies of war & the
whole horrible system.
 

80    

59

Just as we came out of / town

we met  the 17^th &  18^th Bns
coming into / hollow S.W. O /
town in support - to be ready to
c.attack if necy. The 20^th we

heard ^later ws away in / line near
/ French; & the 19^th  squatting
along / roadside near at / turn for
Tronville. The sky looked rainy

& miserable -
This poor old 5 ^th Bde, they
told us ( & Butler confirms it ) left
Godesvaerswelde for Amiens. They
[*Ap.3 ] Ap. 4^thby train for Amiens. They
detrained at Amiens & marched w
[*Apr. 4 ] to Rainseville on the 5^thApril;
From there they em-bussed for
Bussy & had scarcely reached
there & had 6 hours to rest then
they were bussed back to Amiens.
[*Ap.5 ] At 3am. on 6^thApril they
we’re moved to Blangy Tronville
 by bus, & thence moved by marching
to V. Bretonneaux to go into close
support to c. attack. Morsehead

 

 

80    
60

told us tt / Germs. were going

to attack V.B. tt night. It made 

one much more confident to

see the 5^th Bde in support - but

they had now bn 3 nights without

sleep & were going into a wet 

battlefield without any cover

from / weather.

At a miserable little

house in Blangy Tronville I found

Hobbs - he told me tt the 5^th

Divn had been messed abt in /

same way. First, on April.4^th

he ws ordered to take over /

line where it had bn pushed back

tt day & reestablish it. That came

from 19^thCorps. Then he was told by

10th Divn to embuss the 14^th Bde

at 5.30pm & bring them down;

then he received a previous order

from Army (wh Corps had recd but he

had not) to march the 14^th Bde down

tt night. He asked Corps wh he had

 

Upside down page, to be entered located bottom of 

transcipt. Cut and paste please
80 

61

better obey & they sd 10^th Divn

because it gave him the buses -

So he did. Then, on / mg. of

April 5^th Army suddenly informed 

him (without altering any of his

orders as to reestablishing / line)

tt the 8^th wd have to be taken

away & sent to to support the 18^th

Divn near the French. Then 

he ws told tt the 5^th Divl Arty

wd have to be taken  away & gn

to the 3^rd Cavalry Division. The

Army Comandr, Rawlinson, sent

along a staff offr to apologise to

Hobbs for this - it ws inevitable,

he sd. In point of fact they had

bn doing what they have done since

this attack - & before - plastering

up their tottering fabric w Colonial

troops. Hobbs asked why they

shd not simply put the 5^th Div in

& take the Calvary Divn out. The

Army commander considered this

& in / aftn Hobbs got his next &

latest order - giving him back his

 

 

 

80    

62

Artillery & leaving him

the 14th & 15th. Bdes w wh

he takes over the line of

the 1st Cavalry Divn from the

Somme to the 9th Bde. 

So / line of this great battle 

from Hebuterne down is

 

?4th Corps 

4th Aust Inf Bde

NZ Divn

 

5th Corps     

47th Divn 

12th Divn

 

7th Corps

4th Aust Divn (2 Bdes)

3rd Aust Divn  (2 Bdes)     

 

? 19th Corps

5th Aust Divn (2 Bdes)               

 9 Aust Inf Bde.       }   

5th Aust Inf Bde.    }.            Under 18th Divn

58th Divn.                }

8th Aust Inf Bde.    }

 

French.

Australian Corps takes over 

tomorrow from 7 Corps but

stays Villers Bocage

on reachxxx The 5th Pioneers

were squatting opposite Hobbs Hqrs

on a steep bank looking very 

miserable in tt muddy hole of a

village. X On reaching 4th Divn we

heard of / tremendous fight wh has raged all day.