Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200A/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 6

The Bn only went in with 8 offrs in
the Coys & 6 on H.Q. Casualties as above ( 2)
This finished this fight.
The whole fight ws done on
verbal orders from / start, as the
orders gn were altered / zero [?] 
B & D Coys were mopping
up Cops. A Coy in support.
C. Coy in reserve
P & D were mopping up
for 12 Bn in / valley & as
12 Bn moved forwd  
When B & D moved to / 

left to clear towds Froissy,

A Coy supported 12 Bn; &

C Coy remained in reserve

                                      
   A           B            C                Last attack.

                        

                 D

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[Halahans father ws a [mining?]
man. One brother in 16 Bn
K. at Gallipoli; on K. at
Fleurbaix in 51Bn; one
prisoner in Germany taken
in 11Bn at haquicourt. &
"Wally"  Halahan K on Sept 18 at
Villeret].
11Bn   (Capt ONeill's acct)
Aug 9.  Marched to
Harbonnieres on after of
9 Aug. . Not wanted tt after
so went forwd & dug a defensive
line, a new line on a new
line on high ground E of
Harbonnieres. They dug there
from abt 1 to 4 am & were
then told to knock off as they

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wd probly have to attack
tt mg .(Aug 10). They had
a hot meal & got orders
Abt 5 am to go thro 2 Bde
who were holding / line.
9 & 11  attacking & 12 &
10 supporting. They
moved off abt 6.30 in
arty formatn - to attack
at 8. They had to push
thro / red line & take
Blue Line, Lihons ws objve
of 9 Bn. 11 Bn to go beyond
Crepy wood & make objve
on left- 23 Bn were to be
on left of 11 Bn & to conform
to their movement.
to be supported by a

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barrage- But this ws
v. poor as too few guns
were up.
It ws misty till 8 am
Then / mist lifted & a plane
came over flying very low
- One man looking over /
side. He started m.gs &
threw out white flares
This ws just abt Zero-
8 am . 11 Bn had to break
out into waves & move thro
7 Bn.
From / left o / road wh
ran diagonally across /
front (from behind this rd.)
came a heavy m.g. fire.

Cap  Capt Lenay C.O. rt Coy

was killed. Lt Aitken his

2 in/c ws k. shortly after shot

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thro / head (Lenay his
groin). B Coy got too far
rt into 9 Bn ground.
O'neill's Coy- in centre
had Lt Gemmell k. & Lamerton
(one of / originals - M.C. at
Bullect) k. (And Aitken
ws an M.C. from Mr de
Merris)- Lt Clarke ws
shot thro' / eyes & lost his
sight. Capt Griffin 2 in/c.
of C Coy (centre) ws badly
hit in / head. They pushed
on. A. Coy on left ws
held up for a time bec. 23 ws
not up. Lt Sharpe of A coy ws
k. L Porter ws wd. (in /
early advance of this coy)
Lt Naylor D Coy ws killed

(Support Coy) at this stage.

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Capt. Gostelloe (MC. there - )
ws thrown into / fight
very early. Gostelloe got
into a trench with a no.
of Germans in it & took
most of them prisoners w
5 m.gs. Also struck four
4.2 howitzers abt 1000 yds
w of Crepy wood near the
Tour Carré. Lt Dale of this
Coy ws wd at that time.
D Coy ws mixed with C &
B Coy making up towds
left of Crepy wood.
Ate Left Coy under
Halahan ws held up by m.gs
& had to get to work w
bombs & rifle grenades to
try & shift these Germans

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These Germs were in old

French trenches on / left. The

old trenches made / field of

fire very short in some parts
- it ws fair in other parts. 

On rt 9th Bn were

held up in front of Crepy wd.

In / aftn of Aug 10

Capt McCann 10 Bn & his Coy were

put into Crepey Wood wh

ws still held by / Germs.

He got in there and held on.

O N. ws in touch w him in

/ wood.

On Aug 11 abt 11 am they were 

c/attd by / Germans from /

high ridge xxxx beyond Madam Wd.

xxxx This attack ws beaten

back. 11 Bn & 9 Bn pushed

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on towards / Blue line

& the Coy on / left managed

to come up. The Germs

who were holding them

up had bn dealt w by

L. Gs xxxx and Lt McNeil DSO

(Bullicourt c/attack) w Stokes mortor.
The Germans C.Attack had
only bn half hearted but /
germs had shelled Crepy wood
v. heavily. The German
infy didn't seem to have
too much in them. The 11
got / Blue time in front of
Madam Wood, & 9 Bn got

Lihons.
Abt this time there ws a 

gap of abt 600 yds on / left

Lt Ricka  Riches organised a 
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pty from Hqrs, signallers,
batmen, pioneers - 20 men
all told & filled in / gap
on / left of Halahan & 
the rt of 23 Bn. They
tried to advance when 23 Bn
went forwd. He had 3 k & 
3 wd within a few minutes,
incl. his Lewis gun Corporal.

He cdnt advance . so
Halahan asked for a Stokes
Mortar & Halahan sent
a Stokes mortar down to
give them a hand. Under

that barrage they rooted out

the m.gunners who were 

troubling them. The left

thus got up onto / Blue line.

The line ws ordered to
stand fast there.

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The German still held Madam

Wd & / positions to / rt of it

& / old CTs leading down

to / network of French 

trenches. He wd be abt 600

to 700 yds away there.
On night of Aug 11 we

had patrols out down these

C Ts wh struck nothing.

On Aug 12 a strong patrol

ws pushed out towds Madam 

Wood & found it strongly 

held. They had 2 men k. &

were ordered back again.

(They had worked their way down 

like C.T. in two parties under

cover of T.Ms.)

That night 11 Bn ws

relieved & went back into

support till Aug 13 when

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