Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/112/1 - May 1918 - Part 9

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river.

They got shelled there with
8in 5.9 & 4.2 (perhaps overs
from / village - tho' he probably
cd see them from / high ground
- & he had a plane over first)
They lay there - Lt Kopsen, Cpl. Fry, were
Pte Nathan wd - Ptes Nathan Mathieson
Emerson being k or mortally wd.

103     76
in a back garden on / edge of
Marsh with an old [shorthand]
on NE corner of village E 25 D 27 abt.
E went back, explained / situatn
to the C.O. 24 Bn James (the marsh ws
impassable there). He came back
& put / men out in 2s & 3s
behind / trees on the S. bank o /

103         75
his post.

Abt 9 a.m. E went out with
Sergt White & Blankby to reconnoitre
/ forwd edge o / village to put in
posts. He decided where to put
them in & coming back met
Lt Garton, 21 Bn; they went forwd
again. G. showed E where he
had put his left post in a big shellhole

103       74
ws not so badly knocked as now).
A bag of German parcels - candles,
watches, cigars - no drinks -
one pastry not too good rotten tack -
Compared w / Australian parcel
the boys thought the Hun ws
losing.

This finished the mopping up.

23 Bn finished the sending
back of prisoners etc. E went back to

103        73
came round from / front & surrendered
to Egerton (Fry & I went inside)
E went over him for revolvers &
let him go in / c of Blankenberg.

Three Germs were reported to be
getting away from another house.
E went over & put a bomb down
& got a m.g. in / cellar there - A
German QM store ws there. (The village

103         72
heard a noise in / main rooms
wh were just inside. He saw
a dead 23 Bn Cpl just before.
E looked thro a hole in / wall
where a brick had bn pushed
out & saw 6 - & hit 5 of the 6
w his revolver - one tried to get up
/ chimney, others over a barricade
into / next room. A German offr

103        70
As soon as E saw them come
out on the E he pushed on into /
village w L/Cpl Fry (in charge of Kopsens
left party wh had joined him).
They got thro' two in past /
empty post on the road; then thro'
2 empty houses A; they saw abt 12 Germs
running from / house B in wh they
were probly sniping at his men,

They all ran w one accord towds
Diagram - see original document.

103      69
from behind trees, E foun & Cpl Johnson reconnoitered the
riverbank & found nothing moving - all
settled by Collery's pty on N bank - only
a few dead Germans lying there.
——
Presently from / road post fighting
ws heard in / village. Then a L.G.
ws heard there wh made it certain
our men were there; then tin hats
came out on the E side of it.

103      68
very heavy from / village houses. Two of
Diagram- see original document.
our wd were behind
trees waiting for
S Bs; they were
killed & the S B who
went out to get
them ws sniped
at. The sniping
ws very close (abt 100 yds range) We opened

103       66
get thro - so he returned, & put a
post covering / only strip of dry
land wh ran along S.
bank of / river. They made
Diagram - see original document.
breastworks as
water ws
struck at a foot.
By light they had finished their
breastwork.

Abt 3.30 in / half light a party