Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5

Maj. Foster who commanded B

Coy ws just finishing reorganising

& was just coming out of

Marly Wood ahead of his Coy

when he ws shot thro / head

by a m.g. from Garenne

Wood & k instantly.

Garenne Wood ws on the

rt front of Marly Wood.

The m.gs from there were doing

a good deal of harm. The

Bn ws in skirmishing order -

- one man ws seen running

300yds ahead o / rest as hard

as he could to get to a m.g. post

first & souvenir it.

B & A Coys got round /

rt of Garenne Wood & C Coy

got past / left of it. The Germs

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then cleared out of the

corner of it nearest to

Chuignes & ran back.

D Coy extended on / left

over / forward slope

into sight of the German

77s from / N.Side o /

Somme. But L^t Fletcher

had / post here. His

post ws being sniped at

by these. L.Gs were fired

at them & they shifted possibly

thro this.

On the left of this post

there ws no one right to /

Somme. Fletchers furthest

post ws just on the left front

of Square Wood.

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Diagram - see original document

In post (A above) ws Sergt Chadwick.

of D Coy. L^t Fletcher was w / rest of

his pln at B. C & D were two

more posts of Capt Sellicks

Coy. The post at A ws sniping

to a L.G. at some  German

77s in the quarry opposite

of the valley by the Bois Olympe

& at some other guns across the

Somme Valley & these guns cleared

out. The guns had a C.T.

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from Cappy up into /

Square wood. In / night

a German patrol came up there.

It ws seen & cleared off

back. 

The line ^of 9Bn on the left)

of 12 Bn ws facing N

along the top o / hill AB.

Diagram - see original document
There ws

no one

on / flats. The Bdier

came around / posts

just at dark on Aug 24

(12 Bn had bn in these positns

all tt day).He wit sent

9 Bn up to take over / posts

of D Coy on / left; & withdrew

D Coy to the Quarry in

Chuignolles Valley for a feed-

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This left C Coy as left

flank of 12Bn. They

were holding an old C.T.

with ½ doz dead Germans

in it. This Coy ws under

L^t Sandy.

Diagram - see original document

B Coy ws under L^t Terry tt day after

Fosters death.

A Coy under L^t Vaughan.

C under L^t Sandy

D in reserve under L^t Sellick.

(There were no Captains as Coy Comndrs).

on / night of Aug 24 9Bn

relieved D Coy. (There were Germans

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in the little Quarry in /

wood just W of the Bois

d'Olympe. 9Bn were shooting

grenades at them.. This

night C Coy went out

into / open ahead o /

old C.T. in wh they were

& dug 4 posts facing /

German line. This ws Aug 

24/25.

At 3 p.m. on Aug 25

they got orders to advance.

C A B

D  →  There ws a very

light barrage -

They advd under

heavy arty & m.g. fire. The

German m.g. fire ws coming

from little T heads & shots

on the CTs wh they were holding.

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Then

A Coy got into one trench

& B Coy into another &

started bombing up them.

While B Coy ws bombing up 

its temporary comndr, L^t Terry,

ws k by m.g. fire while directing

the bombing - he had got out o /

trench.

[*95*]

A Coy ws getting short of

bombs. It called for D Coy.

D Coy went thro A Coy

abt 700 yds along the C.T.

to its objve & stayed there.

Except for a few men throwing

flares / Germans were

cleared from S o / river -

a good many were shot

trying to get away. Vaughan

& Fletcher were bombing from the

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slits very largely as / trench

ws very straight.

D & A bombed up thre

left o  left CT.

B bombed up / rt.

C was going. across /

open in skirmishing

line from the 4 posts they

had dug / night before,

on the left. C Coy ws

forced to stop by the m.g.

fire from / front. The Germs

had rear guard m.gunners

ahead on / ridge ridge

at / head o / gully S of

Bois d'Olympe. C Coy had

abt 30 ^to 40 casualties out of

abt 70 men - 50 per cent.

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L^t Dollery ws sent w

a LG party towards the

valley by Bois d'Olympe

to cover the left flank

of C Coy by clearing out

any Germans who were

there. Coming thro / first

little wood on our side

o / valley they were sniped

at by German m.gunners

in the Bois d'Olympe who

saw them coming & cleared.

The Pty with Dollery went

into / valley & up thro

Olympia Wood. They cd

hear / German guns banging

away on top o / cliff.

They got to / top of Olympia

Wd & its Southern edge & from

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there across / valley

cd see / German m.gunners

firing at our men advancing

-these gunners being on

the ridge at / S. end

of the gully. D ws waiting

for / rest o / Coy to come

up. They establd a post

there - & at night were

withdrawn to / positn

from to wh / coy had advanced.

While they were in

Olympia Wood I Ger our

own people thought / Germs

were there & turned our own

barrage on. The 60 pdrs got

onto it & the 3rd LTM Bty.

The pty got into a shell hole

watching big trees crashing

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