Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/196/1 - August 1918 - Part 7

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One tank ws to go into / wood & xxxx along
rly track & settle a blockhouse in / wood 
(wh didnt exist). Two were to go left o / wood &
one right & work round it. There were to be
2 others also.
Only two tanks got up. Two were
hit - probly in / barrage behind / tape
(Both these tanks
got well into our
own barrage.)
One tank went right round
/ wood & went right up / gully
in front to / left, crossed / gully
& ws knocked out just on /
crest by a shell after getting stuck in a big trench there & half capsized.
The second worked round / left into / gully
blazed a few rounds into the dugouts closing them up & then went ahead of line attacking, on / far side & patrolled up & down ½ an hour & did
its job very well & got back.
[*(Both these tanks
got well into our
own barrage.)*]
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from a distance but no shells. The
Bn on coming out at E side of
the Little Wood came under heavy
sniping from whole front of St Martins
Wood. They Bn were v. close to /
barrage. They worked down / left
& rt o / wood, didnt go in at
/ front but went in 300 yds down
& then cut in through / wood & met
the right party who were on / slope

66
Diagram - see original document
67
down to / valley. The rt ws a bit
ahead o / left here. Just before
reaching / far edge o / wood the left
had to wait for / barrage wh
waited here for ¼ hr.
The Germs had mostly run
back out o / woo front o /
wood into dugouts wh were in
the rear end of / wood just
before you went across / valley.

68
Diagram - see original document
69
One Sergt. Clarke & one man of Volums pln Volum's Coy got 60
prisoners here. They included a
Colonel. There were abt 8 500 - 700
prisoners taken out of this wood
first & last.
When / barrage lifted they
went across / gully. Doing this
they got enfiladed from high
ground over wh the road dips
down into the second fork o / gully.

70
(probably abt Herleville Wood). They
worked across / gully one or two
men at a time till they got
into dead ground under the cliff
on / far side - it ws almost a
cliff. There were dugouts on lt side
clearly old French ones, & shelters.
The 5^th worked up / far side at
once through the old trenches cutting
up the bank E wds. They had started to

Diagram - see original document
71
go over / open but a m.g. abt 250
yds from / gully on / edge o / crest
in / old trenches & gun positions
k. one man & wd a Sergt so they
took / line of going up by /
trenches. They knocked out this
gun w a rifle grenade & then
got on fairly easily. They got on
into Plateau Wd No 1 & worked
thro it fairly easily till they got to

72
the E end (working up trenches). Then
they came under an impossible
sniping & m.g. fire from Plateau Wood
No 2 (where 6 Bn ws hung up & where
there were numbers of mgs
& snipers holding up / whole line.)
They were in old trenches on the E
side of the wood. A Coy of 8 Bn worked
up / trenches to Plateau Wd No 2.
Capt Volums Permezelx's Coy (B) ws then able to push up into

73
line with the C Coy & w / Corner of
Plateau Wood No 2 making a
continuous line of post along an
old continuous trench system.
The field of view ws right to
Foucau Court. Volum with A Coy
stayed ws in Suppt at Plateau Wd No 1.
Left of 5 Bn started from
a point abt opposite the left of St
Martins Wood (wh ws to be its left also)

74
They had orders to get across / rd as
fast as they cd in order to miss the
 German barrage. It ws a still night
& it ws expected tt / Germs wd hear /
tanks.
A little oppositn ws struck from
small outposts on / road w m.gs.
They gave up when / line reached them, easily.
Abt 100 - 150 yds further on were some
well camouflaged trenches w m.gs.
which they were not expecting.
Two of these were put out by Sergt
Kelly (who rushed forward & bayonetted / gunners

75
while / advance ws help up - & too the
remainder prisoner. He ws suposed to be
in / support Coy. He immediately ran
abt 50 yds straight for / Germs. chancing
everything. The two posts were practically
together - & he got the men at the guns.
Just before reaching there Capt Burke
M.C. of D. Coy ws k. by a short shell.
together w his CS.M & a runner. He ws
doing a lot of running abt keeping /
show going when this shell got him.
A Corporal did / same thing as Kelly did
rushing from / flank at / post. They took a shot at

76
him as he came up - & missed - &
he bayoneted the m. gunner. This ws
a post a little beyond the ones wh
Kelly settled. Kelly ws a 1914 man.
The tank on the left joined abt here
(the tanks were late) & when given
direction it went on w / work.
At / ∧ left corner of St M. Wd the line
ws help up for a minute by /
barrage. The tank went on into
/ barrage & along / edge o / wood.
The barrage lifted & they (left) line went straight