Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200A/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 4

exploitatn.  Bn ws
practised in this manoeuvre.
All ranks were lectured
by C.O.  Lt Col Mullen by
/ aid of a big map.  On /
Evg of Sept 17 abt 11 p.m.
Bn marched to a positn
near Hervilly Wood & rested
till 6 p.m. a.m. on Sept 18.  A
hot meal ws served to
all ranks.  At 6 am
Bn went to / attack w
Lt Myers Coy on left as folls:-
   ___↑___      ________
Lt Myers     Lt Salisbury
            _________
Capt. Armstrong
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It had bn raining thro /
night.  They breakfasted
in / rain at 4a.m.
When Bn advanced
it ws frightfully foggy &
directn ws most difficult
to maintain.  9 Bn had
to move thro 11 Bn near
Fervacque Fm.  They met
no oppositn till after passing
there.  They then went on
w 10 Bn on rt.
In this advance m.gs.
from / rt were troublesome
as they got to / rd to
Villeret.  Wd men had come
thro, very cheered as to /
progress o / attack.  They
informed Bn H.Q. tt / Germs
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were running.  By this
time it ws clear.  The
advance ws only slightly
temporarily held up.  There
ws no delay.  The 9 Bn
captd Villeret - our barrage
ws very good.  xx  There
were a lot of Germs in
Villeret but the Germs did
not hold us up in Villeret
- they were [[bttr?]] thro /
village.  One tank attached
to 9 Bn did fine work in
this village - it had a direct
hit wh shook / men inside
but they carried on.  The
tank ws helped a lot by a
dummy tank wh 2 Pioneers
dragged there w a rope & left.
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The Germans shelled this
tank for 2 hours - it
ws a very good decoy.
Abt 37 prisoners were
got out of Villeret & many
killed.
The 3rd objve ws
reached in xx a bound
& they went straight
on to the exploitation.
The Germans were
demoralised, but in
2 instances in Quarry
Wood pties of an offr &
abt 15 o.r. each attempted
to Stand.  Both these pties
were dealt w by Sergt
Bentley (M.M & Bar - DCM
for this).  Bently did much as
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Gower had done -
bayoneted himself / first
3 he met & shot the two
officers.  The others imd.
surrendered.  Bently (like
Gower) went straight at
them.
The 9 Bn advanced
in lines of Skirmishers to
the line of exploitation
in the Hindenburg Wire.
They got thro it w wire cutters
or going over it.  The Arty
rendered a lot of assistance
towds cutting the wire.
This brought them to a
positn from wh they looked down
on Bellicourt & Nausoy.
Abt 11 a.m. a patrol on /
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rt wh(it went thro / line
company at once) captd
what is know n as the
Knoll on 9 bns right &
engaged abt 200 of the Germans
who ran.  They got a Bty
there with Hqrs of 9 & 10 Bties
& all their documents,
code books & instruments.
The personnel had mostly
gone.
While this patrol took
up a positn at / knoll
(the Spoil Bank from / quarry)
/ Germs sent up 2 teams of
horses to get / guns out o /
quarry.  Each xx  They did this
twice but each time / horses
& drivers were shot down by our
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L.Gs. & lay there without
reaching / guns.  An offr first
rode up to within 100
yds o / guns but ws fired
on & cleared.
The 9 Bn reached at once
/ final limit of its exploitation.
The ^troops on / flanks went got up to
positn later.
Alcock wd. going to 3rd objve
Chataway wd going to exploitatn
Bailey wd  -patrolling in
Quarry Wd.
Maddox  k. outside Villeret
after it ws taken.
Morgan
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11 Bn Aug 23.  [This acct is
accurate & From MacInley]
11 Bn reached concentratn
point abt just 2 mins before /
barrage opened.  They had to
get into a Sunken Rd.  There
/ German c/barrage descended
& for 5 hrs German barrage
kept up.  The xxx Bn ws to
have moved thro 1st Bde at
8 a.m.  But news arriving tt
3 Divn had not attacked tt day
kept caused Zero hour to be
altered to 2 p.m.
Lt Gudgeon & Lt Ross were hit
in / Sunken Rd & both evacuated.
There ws a lot of gas & abt 30
casualties including several
killed.
36

The Cookers (along w /
tanks) came up w / dixies
to this Sunken Road &
the dixies were handed out
& dixies went Cookers drove back.
7 Germ. aeroplanes
came over abt 8 am at
breakfast time & dropped
several bombs but hit no one.
Prisoners were all / time
arriving thro' / barrage
without escort - tearing back
for their lives.  Mounted Police
came up & took them over.
At 2 p.m. 11 Bn formed
up on a line W of
Chuignolles abt 2500 yds
ahead o / Sunken Rd -
(xxxx xxxx x Our line then ws
abt / Cross Rds going into
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Chuignolles & from there
round / slope to / river
including Luc Wood.  (McCam's 10 Bn
Coy ws in Luc Wd facing 3rd Divn).
11 Bn had 3 Coys to
move this far in Support of
12 Bn. on rt.  10 Bn ws
supporting 9 Bn on / left
Before reaching the existing line
the whole 3rd Bde Bns were
involved in / front line.
The whole o / rt ws
hung up xx by heavy m.g.
fire from Chuignolles & from
/ ridge in front (Froissy Beacon).
There ws whizzbang fire from
the Plateau - at very close range.
Diagram - see original
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