Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/108/1 - April - May 1918 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066553
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Page 1 / 10

Wood His empiy ws very good, from there Monaned tho our men occasionely replid. The flank, ws in fair. got in touch wa & coledtium to Harbore Northants form a flauk but he formed a flank of the 52 Bo (? the Northants did?) C.O. co1 & adgt had been wiped out by a stel flanes. There ws a heavy barrage next night. Germ plarese an over of 25/6 abt 5.30 & fem baray begon af Cam p lasted 24 hours. 2 6pm 30 On the money of Ap. 26 abt am. 1 front lee wo rele by French A0.25 or ratter woaptd rawn. The tench pant on the hind their baiois.
the wally fou ae p Zero a our ripatt & oclock at a sisdes trot. They drop down & so on. They got as arty fire on them. we c casly have foe on & day in in port of woad durny 1 darkness if 1 flanks had come up but I ferms from 1 27.4 wood wo have fo them hell. bell When Harboue we organising in 4 Cent. be only Harborn in &c had abt 40 men w 2 Vickers & 3 Lewisguns. When he ws organing 46 3 LGo H)2 te gennd his men they seened to rise out of ground abt 200 strong, firing 200 riftes from te hep & autonatiguas Assoon as H. saw him ( the fern) the Acto live felldewn nore or gse to a coarty ten hin the donen oe e . to
come on to within abt rooyds of Hs right flank. You ad hear 200 them, giving order. the ye flank wofirng hand at him but aot front as H wanted him to come closer. Then the DO Bnappeared 0Hc over the rise, Capt Saith woteading him up by arangentunth o (Capt Smith) 14, wo weak on tlss had sone back to od smitt Harborre. Ss Smith arranged to send a mrssage to I Col. to bring this Coyup on 1left. The ferms broke when thy sew, these & a lot of them started t surrender One ply bostey dunne and on trt fant. inediate Tey looked like an counterablack from 22 truches ahead of them at to time. of44
A wounded Commy in 1 truch to / fermo 5d th Ifermo there were a Pe2 balth glray A then of whad t hat temn sored but t tey dot his fror broke. This tommy didn't know there was a plonisteriatton 64 s this ws 1 Y which Harb. Eventuely held. There as no wire 21 Harb. there at all. Our wire had by cut + the wire ran as rtangles to 17 ou 1 rist sids of its nam to be bake. nere wo itt mieh f is. 91 Casnalties: in the 1t wixe leadig it Coy Capt Cook K.W0. Capt Smit snised nex IY. Caiy Sepport coy sot back got, but in Cles, took stelter in a shell bole H Town killed the & was killed D Kitchen to day after th caunt out
50 Bn Boobs were to have s be droppedin Bret. V/B The blashes showed up the CN men for 800 yds ahead 8003 of The bombs in B madea ood Onte 356s. out of 166sr, they worked plended 2 Cr. fermo sueped then 2erC The Band (3) worked well 26 1 & diout lose one! (3ao sBs or carrying pty? picked a feran fim up where the gernand fallacked but fou Harborne 1A1 it too heavy. He dropped it. 8offes wounded. ecr 8 The guas in wood remained there till lony after day break nost morning The tanks went thro (wood & back along 1 sunken 7a 8) ". D. road where gans were. M. ffire ws v heavy & ws striking spurts Ny 191 2 like firewishs pom Ground. fire in original advence wo ve heavy Theig & be mear Cachy ot Se 1979 Iduckin but there ws very tittle ducking
83 Phots of Capt. Harborn. W.R. Sergt Stokes C.A, Serp dorns, S. Sent Henroy C Th German tank. It had fallen into 1PY A Tomney tot hgro. 346 first the I defense knew Jol 2202 ws a tank an top o their tgrs of the 2Ede.
50 Bn Salisbury & other officers. 0 marche from Davurs abt 11.15 OBn serm ws shelling village but fon wo pashed out of villags when 16. Shellpis begin to fel teary. My were so have reliend th B dis nerd Bay. Asrtoam. n Wai s an order came t tey wo han to mon to Blangy acumbled by. T ly 2Vecquement Came in colomn of voate to abt 11 central, moved in arty formati 11e to nears the rly. Gernzanws shelling Hanpys tronville. Ty cloaed 25 Branyy7 into Column of roate going through the marches o then broke into arty 44 formati near 1 Pub at 1 & roads. Tney were to he up in the Bole Pub - 1 X p. Btede They knew t 1 Cfatack wa to come off cometine in Blangyo 6008 7 night
ornexting The Bn went up to the NW of W/ Bret 6 B thro a wrong order, & returned to Bois de Blanfy i. Bde Blangy Order at 7.30. It took Fxhour to get coy commdrs together. 7.30 & 118/4 They explained to the pla commdrs. Abt 9. 30 thin moved off 9.30 towords the Switch. 50 Bn coul get out a lapl but the asst. Int. offis we sent SOV Acct 1.0.)e up wo some sconts to place th Bn along a Cive. 57 & D2 were both 57 &520 a bit late & 50 Bn were aboy 10 - 15 minates behand 51 BBn. + 50 57r Is ws, 1o. 25 when they gof on 1 mark. Te others had fore abt 1 10.25 C n10.10 50 The 50 th co see them, joing ahead. As the 51Bn went ahead 50th wming up caught Where ois is of 50 62
getting in behind 51 Bn & nopped them up. C.O. had two hours for C0.12. or Sr styey igtemap- Coyloundes had abt by hour – no WCOs saw it NCOS) ab all. Having to coves (whole time the DoBn had 4 coys in live. 14 Tre Co had bu to 24 Bde H Grs in 1, wood g he knew to serns 242. 4 Ers were further up, in the than the 24 Bole Kought Bid Aquenne 6 242.C. 2 He warged the Coy Commndrs tt they wid have to lugage poob. M9s on flank mps He dibut expect it from 1 2t as well - but it came from lest pout f right fromtg later from Extrems left & even behind. The Ind. offr, Ass. Ialek, 10, Asst P.O. pushed the men out on to glive- as soon as thy got Office, C.O. & Ad. c672 direction hy started. The rt ptaway first, s0 it tey were slightly 65 Eebelonco of
mcadiany bonbs foig of they were simply lold to keep away from wood a little &, when past it, to bear slignty to 1 lefe Eplasst O coyrengogs qutialot of mgs from their left. 8 130 2809 9 miss were captured there. There wa no bombing - it ws o mgo. rifle o fewis fun fire. Muy hought out more to go them ty tok in LG. JX SGo were practicall surrounded Hartone & Town of 17 Bno when a pla of came on regr of ferno & got round E 50 Bn them. F this time oneods the 50th got in amongst 251852 250 t

86                                                                                    77

Monument  

       Wood   His sniping was very good from there

       tho our men occasionally replied.  The flank was in / air.

 

Harborne    

        got in touch with the Northants and asked them to

        form a flank but he formed a flank

        of the 52Bn (?the Northants did?) C.O.

       & adjt had been wiped out by a shell.

 

[* (diagram & labels)   51     Northants   52 *]

 

            There ws a heavy barrage next night. Germ  flares planes came over.

 

25/6   abt 5.30 & Germ barrage began at 6 pm & lasted  2½ hours.

           On the morning of Ap 26 abt 3 am. / front line ws reld by French

            or rather ws withdrawn. The French went on behind their barridge.

 

 

86                                                                                78

The French zero ws 5.15. Crowds of them in blue in arty formtn

over / ridge abt 5 o'clock at a jigjog trot. They drop down & go on.

They got no arty fire on them.

             We  cd easily have gone on & dug in in front o / wood

during / darkness if / flanks had come up but / Germs from  /

wood wd have gn them hell.

            When Harborne ws organising in 4 Centl. he only

had abt 40 men w 2 Vickers & 3 Lewis guns. When he ws organising

his men they ^(!the Germans) seemed to rise out o / ground abt 200 strong, firing

rifles from the hip & automatic guns. As soon as H. saw him (?the Germ) the

line fell down more or less in a circle. Harb. thinned them down. He let / Germs

 

 

 

86                                                                               79

come on to within abt 200 yds of H's right flank. You cd hear

them giving orders - the rt flank ws firing hard at him but not /

front as H. wanted him to come closer. Then the 50 Bn appeared

[*(Capt Smith)*]   over the rise - Capt Smith ws leading them up by arrangement with

 [*Harborne*]        H. ws weak on / left & had gone back & told Smith

So Smith arranged to send a message to / Col. to bring this Coy up on / left.

The Germs broke when they saw these & a lot of them started to surrender.

One pty 60 strong surrendered on / rt flank.

          They looked like an immediate  eed counterattack from /

trenches ahead of them ab tt time.

 

 

86                                                                             80

A wounded Tommy in / trench w / Germs sd tt / Germs there were a

battn strong - tt their offrs tried to get them forwd but tt they shot their offrs &

broke. This Tommy didnt know there was a  ? (counter-attack on.)

            This ws / trench Harb eventually held.  There ws no wire

there at all.  Our wire had bn cut & the wire ran at rt angles to / trench on /

right side of it, nearer to thr Boche. There ws not much of it.

Casualties:

Capt Cook k.  in the 1st wire leading rt Coy

Capt Smith sniped next day, leading support  coy

Lt Town    got back, got hit in 1 leg, took shelter in a shell hole

Lt Kitchen ^killed the day after they came out.

 

 

 

86                                                                                    81

                                       50 Bn

 

[*  Bombs were to have

bn dropper in V?Bret,

The flashed showed up the

men for 800 yds ahead.

 

They worked splendid

Germ sniped them.

The Band(?) worked well

& didn't lose one!

 (? as SBs or

carrying pty?)  *]

 

86                                                                82

 

Harborne  picked a German ^m. gun up where the Germans c/atttacked but found

                              it too heavy. He dropped it.

                              8 offrs wounded.

                   The guns in / wood remained there  till long after daybreak next

morning    The tanks went thro / wood & back along / sunken

road where / guns were.  M.g. fire ws v. heavy & ws striking spurts

like fireworks from ground.

 

The mg fire in / original advance  near Cachy ws v. heavy

but there ws very little ducking.

 

 

 

86                                                                     83

[*Photo of Capt Harborn W. R.

 Serg Stokes C. A.,  Sergt Thorns, S.

Sergt Glenroy C.*]

 

[* (diagram and in shorthand)

 The (?) German

tank. It had

fallen into

a Tommy

hqrs. The

first the

defence knew

ws a tank on

top o their

hqrs of the'24 Bde. *]

 

 

 

86                                                     84

 

         50 Bn     Salisbury & other officers

50 Bn marched from Davours abt 11.15

Germ ws shelling village but / Bn ws pushed out of village when /

shellfire began to get heavy. They were  to have relieved the 3 Div next day. Abt 10 am.

 an order came tt hey wd have to move to Blangy . Assembled  by Vesquemont

Came in column o/ route to abt  11 central, moved in arty formatn

to near the rly. German was shelling Blangy Tronville. They closed

into column of route going through the marshes & then broke into arty

formatn near / Pub at / Xroads.  They were to lie up in the Bois de 

                 Blangy. They knew tt / c/attack ws to come off sometime in /

                                                                                                                              night

 

 

 

86                                                                      85

or next mg.  The Bn went up to the NW of V/Bret

thro a wrong order, & returned to Bois de Blangy.

 

Order at 7.30.  It took ¾ hour to get coy commdrs together.

They explained to the pln commdrs. Abt 9.30 they moved off

towards the Switch. 50 Bn cdnt get out a tape but the asst. Inf. offrs was sent

up w. some scouts to place the Bn along a line.  51 & 52 were both

a bit late & ^so 50Bn were abt 10-15 minutes behind 51 Bn.

It ws 10.25 when they got on / mark. The others had gone abt 10.10.

The  50th cd see them going ahead.

                As the 51 Bn went ahead 50th coming up caught these Germs

 

 

 

86                                                                  86

getting in behind 51 Bn & mopped them up. C.O. had two hours for

studying the map - Coy Commdrs had abt ¼ hour - No  NCOs saw it

at all. Having to cover / whole line the 50th Bn had 4 coys in line.

The C O had bn to 24 Bde H Qrs in / wood & he knew tt / Germs

were further up in the Bois d' Aquenne  than the 24 Bde thought.

He warned the Coy Conndrs tt they wd have to engage prob. m.gs on flank.

He didnt expect it from / rd as well - but it came from left front &

right front - later from extreme left & even behind. The Inf. Offr., Asst. Intell.

Office, C.O. and Adjt pushed the men out on to / line - as soon as they got

direction they started.  The rt got away first, so tt they were slightly

 

 

 

86                                                                          87

There were flares & incendiary bombs going up - they were  simply

told to keep away from / wood a little, &, when past it, to bear

slightly to / left.

D coy (z plns strong) engaged quite a lot of mgs from their left.

9 mgs were captures there. There ws no bombing - it was

rifles & Lewis gun fire. They brought out more L guns than they took in.

Harborne & Town of 57 Bns were practically surrounded

when a pln of 50 Bn came on / rear o / Germs  & got round

them.  From this time onwards the 50th got in amongst

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