Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/194/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 6

51
up the other side of the hill -
one tank had its traveller
broken just coming back.
 

There ws a confce. with
the tank commdrs in the
valley - the tanks being
drawn up broadside on
with a view of sheltering
the ∧ infy officers, arty observing
offrs & tank offrs looking
at their maps behind
these (from m.g. fire
coming from Garenne Wood)
Lt C.O. Clark (Bn I.O) saw ∧ Cpt Doughty
in the wood & saw the gun &
brought word to the others of the
gun. Sergt Connelly ^Conmee ws there
in the wood during the halt 
& others & saw the gun there. 
 

Crossing the valley
they came under fire fr our
 

52
Diagram - see original
53
Garenne Wood & the tanks
(∧ Some of wh had to climb up by
the road as the hill ws
too steep) were fired on
by an anti tank gun
near Garenne Wood. This
gun drove back one tank
from the corner near where
the blown up trucks were.
Of the tanks which went up
the hill one went into
the wood on the edge of the
fork of the Y where the 
Germs were resisting.
Another cruised around
the wood firing the tank
gun into the wood, wh ws
dense & where the M.G.
fire cd not be located.
 

54
Sert Conmee got
a M.M. for this fighting. He
went round the wood on the extreme right
& got round into the wood from there.
 

55 
They got into the wood
& the Germans got out at 
the further side of it & 
got ran either to the
ridge on the far side or
into Chuignes. This 
The m.g. fire in the wood
ws pretty heavy & men
had to sneak in gradually
as best they cd. The
tank firing into the wood
caused the Germans to clear.
They got into shell holes &
an old trench & waited there
for the aftns attack.
 

Outposts were put in
shellholes on the further side
of the wood - the rest of the
men were in a trench
which ran down the hill S of
 

56
the wood.
 

Lt Sturt was in/c. of
B after Cormacks death in
the morning. Cormack ws
k. near the trucks. Sturt
ws trying to get L.Gs. onto
the m.gs. which were firing
from from rear Garenne Wood.
The barrage had jumped
from the trucks ( where the
halt was) to well up on
the hill crest behind the 
m gunners. There had been
old camps on that corner of the
hill, with ledges levelled to
hold horse standings & so
on (probly for the hospital)
& the German gunners were
in certain square excavations
They had to get into these
square pot holes because the
 

                                  57

old French trench system there
was further back & sited
for a field of fire in the
other direction; to get the
field the German guns
had to come into these
old uncovered dugouts.
The m.gs. in Garenne
wd cd also enfilade
the whole top of the ridge.
The taking of the corner x
attacked by 3 Bn (at "Gibraltar")
depended on the clearing
of Garenne Wood.
 

In the morning the
attack cd only get to the
trucks & had to wait there
lying very low for 2 hrs.
Abt 2 hrs later a chance
barrage hit ∧ came down on the part occupied
 

                                58
by the gunners, upset
them, & gave B Coy a
chance of getting back.
They reorganised behind
∧ in the valley before Arcy Wood for the aftn
attack (behind the ridge on wh C Coy were).
 

Just Between 11 & 12,
while the coys were waiting, a
German barrage & some
m.g. fire caused 1^st Bn
on the fore slope near
Chuignolles Wood to be
with draw a bit . Sturt
sent over some men to get
touch & they cd not. He
then sent an offr & some
men & they cd see the
12^th Bn advancing abt
Marly Woods. Sturt had
told them ∧ his patrol to wave to him if
they saw troops advancing.
 

59
They waved from near 
Chuignolles Wood - & 
he x hopped off. Hawkshaw
took his pln thro the

hospital & there found one
sniper who ws judged to 
be the man who shot
Cormack (as Cormack ws
coming across to Sturt
in the mg, near the trucks.
Sergt Gordon had bn shot
imd after by the same man
in going to pick up Cormack).
Hawkshaws pln worked
left of the Quarry (∧ wh ws E of Hospital) 
as it ws too steep to go 
straight up; & then
turned left agst Garenne Wood.
In Garenne Wood he met 12 Bn
who had by th time already
 

                                 60

got into Garennne Wood & settled
the Anti tank Gun. Hawkshaw
ws wd there. He & Sturt got 
the M.C. for this fight.
 

The German then settled
down in the old trench system
just beyond between Garenne
Wood & Canard Wood. They
held us up there as our
barrage ws well ahead
& had died out. The 12 Bn 
did some bombing stunts in
these trenches with 3rd Bn
cooperating. We drove Germs
out but bombs ran out
& we had to get back behind
the blocks wh had by then
bn established - this wd be
for a distance of abt 300
yds S. Our blocks were in 

the old CTs up wh we had
 

Diagram - see original
61
bombed - 12 Bn ws a little
in front of Garenne Wood -
3^rd Bn in ∧ three or four C.Ts S. of the wood
(betw. SE corner of wood & 
isolated tree). 1 1/2 Plns
were here. The 2 1/2 plns on
the rt were held up by a 
trench running due S & had
to dig in. Hawkshaw ws
wd in the wood as the bombing
started. and Jarvis ws
wd getting touch w D Coy
12 Bn on the right.
Diagram - see original
 

                                   62
D Coy settled down in the
old trench system E of Chuignes
& there captd an old Nissen
hut with xx A German
m.g. depot where salved
British m.gs. & s.a.a had
bn collected - or probly a
repair shop - 28,000 rounds
This ws taken by D Coy.
On the ridge by Garenne Wood
5 m.gs. & 22 Prisoners were
taken by B. Coy.
 

During the patrolling during
aftn day of 25^th Aug. one
patrol under Gl. Turvey
on the rt of B Coy, by the road
from Chuignes twds Cappy,
met German m.g. fire & had