Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/192/1 - 1915, 1918 - Part 4

Capt.
That morning Sept 21.
as Capt Steen & Lt Blake
were sitting in their Coy
Hqrs in the Sunken Rd
before moving up abt 2am
a shell hit the dugout
on top & buried both -
bothe they both were casualties.
As B Coy ws moving 
from / Sunken Rd, Lt Booth
was wd by a shell.
Lts Hudson & Lt Kellaway had
a shell burst almost
on top of him as they
moved out of Minnow
Trench & ^badly shellshocked; &
Hudson ws wd by a
shell at / same time.
33 

 Many started into this
attack without getting their
meal - owing to the hurry
& worry.  The German 

dropped his barrage at Zero, 
& followed / attack over -
& this caused casualties.
The German gunners must
have bn standing by their
guns - & they also shelled
our assembly positn
correctly.
34

8 Aug  1st Bn folld 4th Divn.

On mg.night of Aug 8/9 Bde formed

defensive flank along S. Bank

of Somme Canal opposite

Chipilly & ^round Cerisy.

On mg of 9th ^C.Q.M. Sergt Hayes

& Sergt Andrews were out

having a look at / front

line positns & from curiosity

crossed / footbridge from

Cerisy to Chipilly wh ws

passable for foot traffic.

They went into Chipilly & found

no Germs there at all. There 

were meals on / table etc.

They came back.

Later in / day an English

Divn N. of / riser launched an

attack agst Chipilly & the high

ground N. of it. about 4 pm.
35

35a
Diagram, see original document

the attack seemed to be held
up.  The Germ. ws holding the
high grd at / neck o /
Peninsula.
CQM S Hayes & Sergt 
Andrews volunteered to take
a patrol across to help /
British forwd as they knew
a good way of advancing /
rt flank.  A patrol of 6
went over Hayes, Andrews,
Pte Fuller, Pte Kane, Pte Turpin,
& Pte Stephens.  On xing the river
they found a pln of a ? London
Regt held up West of the village -
abt ½ a mile W. of it.  They
tried to get the Tommies ahead
but they wdnt come - (Hayes
had crossed just ahead &
gone back to them).  Hayes
& his pty turned round &
36 

went ahead by themselves.
Going ahead abt 300 yds
Hayes sent Turprin & Stephens
to / rt to reconnoitre /
village; Fuller & Kane
to bring / Tommies up into
/ Quarry.  He & Andrews
pushed on NE along /
high ground.  Hayes worked
 

Diagram, see original document
 

up along the edge of
/ high land (under /
brow) West of the valley
They found there a
small German post
Sergt Andrews got into
a positn to give covering fire
& Hayes rushed / post.  3 Germans
were in / post & they surrendered 
Andrews returned to / Tommies
w two prisoners, one Germ had
been killed.
37 

On returning to / Quarry
they rebu picked up Kane
& Fuller & went back up
on their previous track.
N of the post they had
already taken, they found
a large post with 6 m.gs.
They worked round the S.
flank of this post - & /
Germans seeing them coming
dived for their dugout.  There
were 40 Germs in this post.
They induced / garrison
to come out with a Mills
bomb.  Two offrs & 40 o.r.
surrendered when our men
were seen threatening them
w a Mills bomb.
 The Tommies seeing
this came up - more to / right -
38

& they handed over /
prisoners.
 In / meantime
Fuller & Kane captd
another post of 9 men &
one m.g.
 The attack ws now
going well.  The Americans
on / left were going ahead
coming out o / woods.  Sergt
Andrews mounted one o /
Germ. m.gs. in / big post,
& brought covering fire to bear
on a post ^SW. across / valley wh
ws firing on / advancing
Tommies - & also fired
on other Germans due East.
They  The attack went past
them & they returned to /
39

S. side o / river.
 The Germs. were
expecting the attack wh
ws approaching from in front
& when English platoons
came on, not using much
cover on their heads, they
brought heavy fire onto
them.  Andrews & Hayes
got behind around them ^or on their flank & had
already taken the small
post - the taking of wh ws
a wonderful exploit.
Andrews, in the taking of this
small posts, took up a positn
& fired at everything tt moved.
& kept their heads down.
As Hayes got to within
a yard of it xxx & then
stood up w a bomb in
40

each hand.  The Germans
got in one shot at him but
missed - & they surrendered.
Hayes & Andrews got
DCM & Fuller & Kane
a MM.

41

4^th Bn.
Aug 23rd.
The C.O. considered that the
Bn ws in very good form &
ought to do the job well.  The
preparations were quick
but good - & the result
seemed to show tt if a
stunt can be prepared for
quickly & do carried
thro quickly this is all
for / good o / morale.
This ws / first time /
Bn had worked w tanks.
The tanks & tank - officers came to
Bn 2 days before & stayed
w / Bn - & got to know
all / offrs & this helped
42