Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/114/1 - June 1918 - Part 3

106 16
flank (?in K 1). They brought in 30 prisoners
& 2 m.gs. & not one man was hurt.
There are two other operatns wh
I have forgotten omitted to mention in this
diary. Our 1st Divn has been finding,
in front of it, of late, men of the
12^th German division.  They were 
very young & simple, & the 1st

[* 1st Div
——
12 Bde AFA.
——
Monash &
Dodds. 
—— *]
 

 106 17
Divn has simply been playing with
them. Young Rogers who has come down
to be the Captain  G.S.O. III here in place of
Cuthbert who has gone to Army ( & so has "Gas"
Wilson - our excellent old gas expert who 
came away, fine chemist tho' he was as a
pte in the infantry) - Rogers told us tt
2 men o / 1st Div. saw two Germans get out
of a trench & take of their coats & lie
 

106 18
down behind a hedge to sleep.  They
gave them time to get to sleep & then
crawled out to surprise them. When they
were a few yards away one German
heard them & jumped up & ran. The
second heard them when they were within
abt 2 yards - & ran off down a road.
One of our men chased him - Rogers said
for 300 yards - & xxx caught him right
behind / enemys lines & brought him
 

106 19
back.
Another patrol of an N.C.O. & a couple
of men went out (I think by night)
& collared 11 men.
The 1st Divn ^or its soldiers have been anxious to be 
allowed to take the mont de merris,
& it was arranged tt this shd be done
by whatever battalion brigade ws in / line on
a convenient night - & it came
to the 11^th Bn - (They are holding the line
 

106 20
one brigade at a time, now, on a 
one brigade front wh gives them a
good rest.) They attacked (I think on
June 2) with the  L 29^th Divn on their
flank. & got 300 prisoners, an anti-tank
gun, & 20 or 30 mgs.
These things are practically the
only things happening on / British
front just now. As / French said
"The Australians have again succeeded
 

106 21
in capturing the whole of the British
communique."  Gullett writes from
Egypt that the Corps Light Horse there is very
unhappy in having no one to write what it does,
& not enough of its own officers on its own staffs to
ensure sympathetic treatment. He says Chauvel is
very weak.  Birdwood , for an Imperial officer, has 
fought for Australia's interests well & sturdily - especially
since Dodds arrived.  Birdwood wd have got rid
of all British officers in / long run by his own
methods.  Dodds has done it already.  Carruthers, & x little
 

22 106
Glover, of the Intelligence, & Walker of the
1st Divn are all who remain except for
Maclagan & Ross, who are members of the
A.I.F. - & Birdwood.
4^th Army sent down / other day
saying tt a German prisoner (or document
- I think it ws a prisoner) had sd tt our
men are wonderful snipers. One always
thought it but scarcely realised had not heard it before
from / Germans. 
 
106 23
[Hand drawn sketch, please see original]

May June 12 - Wednesday. Today I went up to
see the ground over wh Ville was attacked.
Wilkins ws going up to get photos of the
bridges built by the 6^th F. Coy. at the taking of
 

 106 24
Ville & ws taking Dyson w him - I wanted to
see this place but their car ws not big eno' so
I went alone. I left Boddy neat Heilly cemetery
as it looked as if / Germans cd have seen /
car if it went up / Maricourt Road. I think this
was wrong, & tt they only see tt road when
they have a balloon up. But / high ground near
Lavieville was filling / end o / valley - wh
shows how very important tt is for him.
Maricourt had been knocked about heavily
 

106 25
since last I saw it.  There was our old cinema
barn-theatre, where / Anzac coves first played,
with its stage open to / world; & on / village
green the huts with "Property of the British
Govt. - Not to be removed!"  on them all
bashed in & bent & twisted.  Outside /
town was a notice            
[* 25. 5. 18
D A N G E R
This village has
been
filled up with German gas. *]
we want tt for
/ war museums.

Tunnellers & pioneers were busy
putting deep dugouts into / road
 

Smoke or fog

106 26
banks & into / river bank - Treux had
been badly knocked about since last I
was there; but the 2nd machine gun battalion
were still in the Chateau & the batmen were
out behind playing croquet on the gravel of
the yard. The church had been hit several times
& the mill, where, last I passed, the 10^th 
I walked out alo 
field Coy were sitting outside the doors
basking in / sun & reading, was broken
& had no sign of life.
 I walked out along the road to