Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/111/1 - May 1918 - Part 7

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X an officer of 6 m.g Coy w 2 Vickers Guns
had reached Big Caterpillar - & had brought
plenty of ammn.
Lt Tomkin with a section of two The Stokes mortars also got up to Big 
Caterpillar w all ammn. carried by a 
pln of A. Coy. The corner of Caterpillar where 
they dug in ws very hot from Germ arty - they shifted in time
 

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One post ws blown out by our shelling
Our shelling blew out Eeles. Our posts
wd have bn out on / objve if our  
own shells had not bn falling there.
The post on the road ws brought back
to abt 150 yds E of the X road on village
side of the road (still 20 ft deep). Bg Abt
[*X*] dawn Benny went back to abt this positn
& saw Sullivan who had bn hit by a
m.g. bullet. He asked B to write a message 

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77                                                              
B. went along to rt to find 22 Bn.
He found Capt Mackinnon abt 1 B 4.6.
& took him along to the road thro B central.
Also While B. ws w Capt Mackinnon a youngster
named Gregg of No 3 pln came up. He sd “I’ve 
had my arm blown off, Mr Benny, but one
of your pln sections has bn blown out by a shell.”
Our own shelling ws very heavy on this part
- it ws over 18pdr. - seemed like 60 pdr.
(some of 22 Bn on rt speak of 4.5 how) 

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They dug in. B went over to file find E
- you cd see / village but it ws v. dark
(it ws 2.30 - 40) The German ws throwing
red flares from down on / flats
by / village or beyond it. B. found Eeles.
He sd he ws going off to see "Sully“ at
his HQrs in / road wh continues the
Big Caterpillar N of the X road abt
1 B 1.6. Eeles ws killed in tt road, 

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- they were sending back prisoners to.
/ first man who cd (or cdnt) escort them
& then getting back again. There ws no
scrap at all. At the end o / road a
party of abt 8 shot across the road thro
the green wheat fields at the run making
up towds / hill, but we B’s party
cdnt catch them. B. pushed forward abt
30 yds to the NE of the Road X & placed a post
there & another a little further W.

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The 22 Bn were making right - (on / top
o / bank to the S.) As it ws clear tt the
cutting ahead wd be missed, Benny
decided to take his pln straight on at
it. They went right thro the sunken Rd of past wh crosses
Big Caterpillar & mopped up a good number
of small parties of Germs in funk holes
all / way. Cpl. MacLaughlin ws
on the right of the road - they were 
going along both sides o / road mopping up. 

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20 yds away up agst / bank o / road.
They were promptly brought to their feet
w a revolver. They sd "Parti-Missoor?"
& pointed to the rear. Abt 20 yds farther
past / road leading to / Cemetery Eeles
shouted tt he cd see the shed wh ws
his objve 

Diagram - see original document             
He led off towds
this w his pln.
Bennys pln
went straight along beneath the bank (on / road)

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fired by Germs. from the field N. of the ^Little Caterpillar
- while / barrage ws on Little C., Benny took
Cpl McLaughlin up on top o / bank & they
found a m. g. in a post – but / enemy
had already run leaving it. They came
down / bank leading to the Little C. &
led on again abt 50yds where they
ran across another m.g. post. They
found / occupants of this post abt 

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Sullivan ws in charge. They had to
advance in plns in file at / 25 yds
interval                                                                                                                 

Diagram - see original document

Each pln commdr knew where he ws
to turn off to his positn. They followed
/ barrage to / Little Caterpillar where
they halted abt 1 ½ mins. M.gs. were being 

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Rest of B. Coy were brought into the Caterpillar,
& stayed there till dusk. A & B then
under Capt. Macneil went out &
consolidated on line S & E of village
as arranged - as near to barrage as
possible. Not very many casualties
this night.
[*? Bennie*]
A Coy were to form a defensive
flank & then mop up to S-of B Coy.

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been at the X Rds at K 1 B 6.6
to K I A I. 9. L.Gs were dribbled
out thro / village, one by one into
positns E & SE of the gardens.
It ws daylight.  / germ. had his
m.gs. on / heights SE & balloons
up. These L.Gs held / village in shell holes
etc till nightfall where it ws possible
to push further out. 
Diagram - see original document