Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/198/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 2

                                 9

on I phone & one runner. These

were to go into an old line of

trench across 23D (abt) 29B & D.

Very soon word came back

from Perry th there were Germans

ahead of them; th I barrage had

bn put down & apparently stopped

more coming thro; th things were

not clear; but th undoubtedly

I gap on the rt of 11 Bn ws I

cause of it.

 

Having heard from rt

pts Coy of 1 Bn (Hurcombe's) th

there ws nothing doing there, N. 

took out I two rt plus bodily

moved them right across the

front to their left - put them

into I gap (to go to I Hospital

& hold th, & get touch w I 11 Bn

wherever they were)" & then the

                                         10

remaining plns on I rt were

to extend & fill I gap from wh

these plns were taken.

 

The 11^th moved up a Coy

in the end. The Germs must

have crossed (by a sap) the rd

where 9 Bn were, but I men

were in gas helmets & a bit

dopey & didnt see them.

 

The H.Qrs were then ordered

to mop up. The Germs realised

th I show ws up & many 

got away.

 

The Germs ws taking a

certain no of prisoners of whom

Cpl. Duncan DCM. (& bar?)

MM & bar ws one. There 

were a good many Germs.

This party of Germ got in

between I remainder of 11 Bn

on I way out & the pln wh

ws coming in. The incoming

                                          11

pln spotted this pty of Germs

& opened L.G. on them. The

pty of Germans were nearly

back in their own lines. In

I confusion Duncan & his

pty escaped from very close

to I German trench back to our

lines. Duncan ws wounded

& one of I others. The pln

commdr sent him straight

back to the C.O.  Duncan 

told N the exact trenches wh

I Germ. ws holding - a cross

shaped big strong post & sd it

ws full of Germs. We put

everything we had down

upon this & if any Germs

got out of it they were lucky.

 

After this there ws no

more trouble. 2nd Bn had 

bn moved up in close support

                                     12

They were put into I red line

N. ws acting as a forward

brigadier during this show -

N ws given 12^th & the 9 & 11 were

told to support & conform to what

he did.

 

The relief went of well &

C.O. handed Bn to Shaw -

 

The tanks hadnt turned

up till 5. They were 1 hr late.

N sent them w Bn runners,

2 to Lihons to promenade & 

patrol Lihons as I men were

short. One tank went out

right to I little round Madam

Wood; he ws a good tank, went

round it & came back - all

these tanks were good. The two wh

went up to Lihons came back &

were sent up again to promenade

till daylight. The tank wh went

to Madam Wood sd he shot a

                                    13

number of Germs. & probly did a 

good deal of good.

 

The C.O. thinks th this is I

best show th 10 Bn ever did.

The I.G. training quotes the Merris 

show as I best done by a Bn in 
France. But this ws most

difficult. There is a big 10 Bn

graveyard by Crepy Wood

(on I west side) of wh I great

proportion are officers & N.C.Os

killed mostly in I first days

attack - not in I c/attack.

 

The 11^th Bn went in over

I top & lost very heavily.

                           The 10 Bn went

Sketch             in after them

& lost only one man wd.

In I first advance when 10 Bn

went to support 9 & 11, the

C.O. moved ahead with abt

(0-50 yds ahead) w a small staff

                                    14

& a Lucas lamp on his back.

He had a red screen to mean follow

on & a yellow one for halt &

take cover. These he worked till

he got them to abt 200 yds behind

the front line - 200 yds W. of

Crepy Wood, where the Bn

halted. 12 Bn did not get their

orders - their C.O. ws hit.

The 9^th & 11^th Bns got casualties

in I very heavy m.g. fire.

There ws not much artillery

that day - I Canadians were

attacking away on I rt & probly I

Germs didnt know what ws

happening. The first day I

barrage ws good (for this stage

o I fighting).

 

Neligan got a bullet thro his tin hat going

up. (In I raid at Fleurbaix he ws

hit in I skull & a part of his skull ws

lost, & still is. The Germs He had a 

telephone on I German line & ws half conscious

when the buzz o I telephone wd recall him. He 

came back unrecognisable - & ws sent to England

& boarded for Australia when convalescent but put

back back in a leave train to Paris

                                        15

Froissy.

 

During I morning 3 Bde were

in Germaine Wood. Neligan went

up to see Col Stacey - went round

his line & they were still fighting- 

Stacey had such a tremendous

line to hold to N. without

asking Bde put in two Coys

to hold part of Stacey's line (1500 

yds on I left in Luc Wood).

McCann had a go at Luc Wood.

A pln of 1^st Bn ws in this too.

N's Bn dug in on the W side o I

Gully opp. Froissy Beacon abt

1 pm. There ws a P of W cage on I

I tope there. A few prisoners were

made there.

 

9^th & 12^th attacked thro the

10^th & 11^th Bde. The 11 Bn ws involved

in it before they knew where they

                                    16

were. That evg. the Bde ws

not sure of Olympia Wd. They

had had patrols into Cappy

but hadnt got it; & the rt

ws beat back.

 

In I evg Gen Bennett told

N. th he wanted him to see what

he cd do: N. sd he wd prepare

an attack & see what cd be

done if I other Bn COs cd be

got to act w him. He got a

confce th night with

Macpherson 12 Bn

James  9 Bn

Phillips 11 Bn

Col West R.H.A.

 

They decided to leave 9 & 12

in line, get 11 Bn out &

attack at midnight with 10

on left & 11 on rt.

They wd stick to I high ground

& have an indefinite objve

but not get past Dompierre.

                           17

Abt 11 it ws raining & Phillips 

had not got his Bn clear. G.O.C.

rang up & sd it ws too risky - better cancel.

 

So N sd he wd do it

alone at dawn. By Dawn

Phillips ws clear & he arranged

to keep pace on I rt. A

Bde of R.H.A. ws to move

forward behind. The time ws

set for ?6am. N. decided on

a halt line at Bois Coin du

Verger (Chateau Wood) leaving 

Cappy alone, taking in I

Quarry.

 

By 7 am. they had

got Chateau Wood, & had

patrols working back thro

Cappy cleaning it up & I

rt bent back thro G33 A & C.

The 11 Bn were abt in M2 Centl.

The halt ws ordered there. The

Cookers were ordered up &

I men fed. N moved up a

                         18

bty of RHA onto I Dampier 

Rd highest rcest I second

class rd wh skirts the E edge

of Olympia Wd - Another

bty in I back of Olympia

Wd, & a third in the gully

behind Froissy Beacon ready to

move.

 

No one ws to move before 10.

The men were gn an issue of

beer & a pot meal.

 

Bde ws asked to concentrate

9 Bn in I big dugouts on I

high slope in I river bank

near Cappy.

 

Bdies turned up during

breakfast. N sd they were to

exploit alternately filling in

I flanks w Vickers Guns.

To exploit to I river ignoring the flanks.

They moved. The patrols

moved at 10. The patrols

were to go ahead, send back a