Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/197/1 - April - May 1918 - Part 3

19
creeping forward -
& found tt / 21 Bn &
the Coy of 23 Bn on left
were held up. He
sent to Bn to say tt they
cdnt push further
without v. heavy casualties
& tt it ws better to 
fall back. (The three
offrs were in / open 
lying as flat & close to /
ground as they cd. The
O.C. had taken a runner
w him & / runner ws
lying beside him).

20
They then came back to /
remainder o / men on
/ slope above. The Germs
cd be seen in / trenches
NW of Noreuil but when
fired on a heavy burst
came from the gun at 17
Central (the men there
cd be seen also.). As the
O.C. ran back from
his reconnaissance a
German sniper knelt up
50 yds away from him &
blazed at him but missed.

21
Two or three later joined him the sniper till
one of them ws shot.
When / runner returned
they recd / order to
fall back. to Bn H.Q.

As they passed
Bn H.Q. Capt Parkes
told them tt they had to form
a defensive flank
just NE of the Bois de
Vaulx, wh they did.
The arty fire ws fairly
heavy at this time.
During / whole affair they
heard 3 or 4 18 pdr shells
fly over, & it put /

22
heart into them to think
tt, after all, they might
do something. But
without a barrage it ws
impossible to get forward.
The other Coys dug in
across the crest thro
21 c. & 20 d. They
were reld the same
night by 7th Bde.

23
Bullect May 3.
During 6^th Bde
advance the m.g. fire
ws mainly comng from
about 23 D 6.6. or
also from 28 A
they were getting shot in
the back.

From abt Point
80 jus in 23 C
Anderson looking back 

24
over his right shoulder
from / parapet saw some of
5^th Bde just approaching
the Hindbg line abt 29 D
6.6. - being shot down
from the H. Line, & then
running down along
a trench (possibly O.G.1)
towards the left (towds
(Sunken Road).

At that time it ws
also known tt /
British had not got

25
up on / left, because
the 22nd had a post
there & were bombing
to keep / Germans
back.

But as orders were
to go forwd ∧ some of the 23 Bn
& 24 Bn went on to
the Tramline. Some
Lewis gunners went up
the track leading NE
from the Star, almost
into Riencourt.

26
They had to come back as
they were quite unsupported.

While they were out
on / rly embankt
(there were plenty of shellholes)
they were being shot at
whenever they raised a
head, from 23 D Central,
& from Reincourt.
They saw tt / men
who were lying up
under / bank of the
Sunken Rd thro' (29 &) 23 had

27
apptly orders to retire
to the Hindbg line &
the party there gradually
got back. These from
behind the line of scrub
also got ba started back.
They moved by taking
advantage of German
shellbursts - when the
dust & smoke o / shell
ws in / air they wd
hop back into a shell
hole further back so

28
escaping / German m.g. fire.
But a fair number o /
wd - w arms bandaged
or heads bandaged - were
shot dead by / German ∧ m.gs. as
they attempted to get
back.

That night our own
arty fell heavily on
O.G.2 sometimes bursting
right in / trench. No one
cd be sent back as the