Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/196/1 - August 1918 - Part 5

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C. Coy. ws thrown in & had to fight for its positn in a small copse on / extreme  left.
D Coy went in as there ws still a gap - under
orders of Capt Burke to c/attack thro this copse,
xxxxxxx while going up to this positn 9 Germs.  Surrendered
to Lt Parker's pln. They charged this post - wh ws abt ½ way
to / crest o / hill. When they got to the 2 m.gs. in this
trench they found tt / Germs there had k their own
N.C.O imd before by hitting him on / back o / head &
cracked his skull. Parker then went on & took up
positn betw left of 7 Bn & rt of C Coy. Thy were then
right on / edge o / little wood above mentnd wh ws full
of old stables etc. C/attack didnt take place as / order evidently
ws not to c/att.  but to stop a gap & prevent c/attack. As they were
going up they cd see /  Germs de-bussing on a roadway abt 400-500
yds away. They wandered in by accident & otherwise during / night (see last page)
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some indirect m.g fire
from left. It had no
casualties in reaching /
old Germ. trench.
Left Coy wh ws  under
Lt. McMorrison found tt there
was a gap on / left of 7 Bn
& troops suppd to be on
their left. They made a
fine charge in there by
section rushes & got in
on left flank of 7 Bn.
One pln under Lt Volum
cd see right ahead of them
German reinfts arriving 
in motor lorries at no
great distance from / front
line.
D Coy under ^Capt Bourke
("Paddy" Bourke) found tt 7 Bn ws
[*Lt Simpson (L.G offr) ws sent from Bn H Q to 
Morrisons Coy to replace casualties & ws hit
that same night.*]
[* Lt Maddox ws hit very early on Aug 9 near Harbonvillers
& had leg amputated  — he ws / man who started / daylight raids at Hazebrouck & got MC. Bar — several successful 

raids & no unsuccessful ones.*]

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※Lt Hanson of Morrison's
(C) Coy ws also wd.
2/Lt Colvin ws also wd
at this point.
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so weak after casualties
& he pushed into / front
line also & enabled 7Bn
to ease right & consolidate.
B Coy under Ricketson
remained in reserve at
the X rds near Vauvillers
where 7Bn HQ ws.
※ Morrison ws mortally
wd. Lt "Rooster" Morrison
went over from D Coy to
commd his brothers Coy [shorthand]
on night of Aug 9. Nothing
ws heard till he ws reported
^within 3 days prisoner of war. (He ws a
Fitzroy League footballs
– & Scots College).
Before or after midnight
orders were recd for advance
to be cont. A & B to attack –

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C & D (then in line) to
support them –^ C & D to withdraw
from line to do this –
3rd Bde / →
5 /              →
6 /              →
At 7.45 a.m. the prelim.
bombt began. While A & B
were formed up waiting
it ws found tt it had bn
impossible to pull C & D
out of the line as there
ws noone to put in.
Therefore they did not
move to support until
an hr after Zero.
The boundary had
bn fixed; but the fight ws much

45
helped by Col. Mullins
C.O. 9Bn coming up &
arranging on / spot
for new boundaries
easier to follow. The
bdy on the map was a
grid line – but Mullins &
Hastie agreed on the
road being made bdy
wh ws clearer.
It looked as if 9^th
were going to be late. But
just before Zero Hastie they looked
round & there ws the 9Bn
coming up thro / fog w /
Col. at / head & /
pack animals at / rear.
They reached the J.O.T. in
arty formatn without a

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casualty.
Just then, A few mins before
zero, a German plane
came over abt 300ft
up. It circled over the
5^th & 9^th Bns, L.Gunners
trying to drive it off with
L.Guns at shoulder. At
8 am. the advance
commenced – the men
advancing at the quick
in lines of skirmishers
at abt 3 yds interval &
25 to 30 yds distance
between the two lines in
each wave & 70yds betw
waves.
Tho' m.g. fire ws
then very heavy there
were prac. no casualties

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till hill crest ws reached.
(the Bde ^Boundary alteration amountd
only to 60 or 70 yds in all).
To the right of Crepy Wood
ws a smaller wood with a
deep ravine ^or pond, filled w water
& a factory in it. This
they called Factory Wood.
Between / hill crest &
this wood / casualties
from mg.fire were ^fairly heavy
& / subsequent capture
o / wood by outflanking it
/ casualties were heavy.
Both flanks went round
it by rushes. Then a L.G.
from left flank ws brought to
bear on / wood & / Germ. 

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m.g. fire finished.
Beyond this wood
were a few old trenches
& on reaching these
Hastie & Ricketson estab.
a combined H Qrs in / wood
& tadi  reorganised
the Coys in these trenches
A message ws sent
tt thro heavy casualties
& resistance they had
reached this place & were
held up. They got contact
w 9 on left & 6 on right
both similarly held up.
Reports from Bn H.Q.
reported tt 9Bn had gained
their objve. A runner
Hastie & R. cd see tt 9Bn 

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※ see message in Bn diary re
pocket in "large" wood still
holding out — & rt of Blue
line not held by 9 Bn.
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were held up & not on
objve & sent a runner
to 9 Bn HQrs where Col
Mullins confirmed them ※
& sd. his men were held
up W of the objve. They
were only part ^of / way  thro'
Crepy wood & there were
m.gs. there ^near E edge of wood; these mgs
wh held 9Bn had
enfilade fire over 5Bn
front also.

Diagram - see original document
By this time Hasties'
Coy had lost besides Lt Corlette
xxxx  (hit in leg on 9 Aug
by shellfire) & Lt Barber
(hit by shell in stomach at
/ same time as Corlette on
9 Aug) – Lt Maunsell K.
near Factory Wood by bullet 

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— leaving him only Lt
Volum: Ricketson had
lost Lt Robinson wd
in forearm w a bullet
& at / same time Lt Tavener hit in abdomen
before reaching factory wood
another officer abt / same
place –  leaving him
Lts kir wood & Bechevaise
(both of whom got M.C.)
This ws all for
this day except / tremendous
air activity by our planes
which brought down or
drove off every German
plane wh tried to interfere
The air force ws working splendidly
tt day – we lost 2 or 3 but
one of our men brought down
3 germs within a few minutes. 

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The two support Coys of
5Bn Cx were very tired &
were not called on this
day (Aug 10) & not put in
up there. The line had
brought up in those trenches
abt 9-10 am.
In aftn the line ws
taken on by creeping up
a Sunken Rd abt 100
yds to old es French
trenches. The hilltop ws
too flat to see the County
beyond –  all old cut up
grassy trenches & shell
holes - in front On tthes
tod to left ws Crepy
Wood & open county plateau
–  in front ws the Wood
before Lihons. You cd see