Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200A/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 8

The m.gs at Fervacque
switch gas were dealt w
in the same way as before.
For example - the moment
one gun ws seen a shot ws
put in, one German K. &
they were at the same time
called to surrender. They
did so at once. (The morale
ws a lot lower than on
the Somme - they were
very frightened running
past & asking "which
way".)
After getting over the
top they went thro
Grand Priel wood -
stumps & big logs w
undergrowth. Abt here
a m.g. party (L.G.) of ours
 

came on a German post
with a m.g. The Germs
surrendered at once &
came running out all
exc. One German who
stayed behind. The
men were going thro these
Germs for their arms
when the remaining German
put a stick bomb into
the midst of them.
PG Strongman ws
k by this & the Germans got
away including the man
who threw the bomb. He
Strongman was attacked
as the 5th man o the party.
This mopping up pty wd
go in parties - as a
matter of fact the whole

advance was by
parties of this sort.
Abt 40 Germs
were found in Gd. Priel
wood - Grahams pty wh
ws going thro the middle o the
wood - on abt 25 Germs
without arms who had
run back & were hiding
behind the logs there.
G. ws looking at his map
looked up the hill to see
a line of red cap bands
peering at him over the
log. He got down & up
to his revolver. Up
went a row of German
hands all together. They 

were sent off to the rear
without an escort (the
pty only consisted of
5 & the objve ws
450yds away still).
There ws another pty of
abt 15 in the wood who
threw away their arms
as soon as they saw
the pty.
The objve ws just
on our side of Caution
Dugouts. They came under
heavy mg. fire from
Caution dugout & Graham
got his small pty to dig
in there at once protected
from those dugouts by the
slope. G went along
 

to his left & found Capt
Tullock, also w a little
pty of abt 4 men - in
neither case were the
rest o the Coy with them
All the time the rest of the
coys were coming up in
little groups.
When Graham got
back he found tt
Lt McKinley MM (M.C.
after this) & Lt Nicholl
had arrived & an attack
ws going on agst- Caution
dugout. AL. Sumner of
9 Bn (who get ws recommended
for D.C.M. Cpt Taylor) ws
covering (dugouts w his
 

L. Gun - standing up
& spraying it as he
advanced on it - you
cdnt see the target unless
you did this, not even
stooping down. Others
of 11 Bn worked round
these dugouts & they
got there 3 heavy mgs
2 Light mgs. 2m/wfrs
& an anti tank gun.
Abt 25 Germs were got
out o the dugout. Taylor
got the other side of the trench
stood on the parados &
sprayed into it. This
separated the Germs. Those
nearest the Germs
dugouts dived for [[?]]

others ran up the trench.
By this time 9 v 10 Bn
were in positn ready to
move thro. Barrage remained
on the point for an hour.
All the mwfrs & mgs
were turned onto the Germs
by a Vickers m.g. section
(Vickers mg. offr wd there
& Stokes mortar men).
From Villeret & from the old
British line in front on the
hill mgs, were firing on
our troops during the
wait. The weather ws
clearing & the Germs cd
see. The T.M. men Cd
see the m.gs. 4 were
turning the mwfrs onto
them to silence them - some
 

were knocked out &
some silenced.
10Bn aftwds got
a number of heavy guns
on that opposite hill.
[Caution Dugouts were on the
E slope of the knuckle -
on its rt front on the
hill opposite was a
big gun sticking out -
an 8 inch gun. The
Quarry ws another 800 yds
ahead of that gun]
This ws the rt flank.
on the left flank the 1st
objve ws just in front
of caution dugouts.
On the left the first oppositn

 

ws net just after
passing Carpeza Copse. There
ws a m.g. post there holding
them up where a C.T. trench
joined another trench.
Sergt Muldoon who
struck it ws k just as he
got to the gun,
Cot Nelly took charge
of the section & worked from
the rt flank w bombs. Neither
cd see the other except the flash
o the gun. As soon as our
L.G. fired the German w his 2
guns wd fire towards it. We
kept our L.G. firing in bursts
so as to draw the fire of these
2 guns while a party worked
 

round to the flank. 2
bombs were thrown& the
post ws rushed. Nelly
ws the Cpl. in/c of the section
& organised the attack.
These guns were holding up
D C part of D Coy & A Coy
wh ws mopping up behind
was held up also & joined
them.
Halahan had bn k by
a shell just before - part o
the light barrage wh came
down. Lt Cohin ws w
the pln of A Coy.
Right on the objve the
left came upon under heavy
mg fire from villeret &
the ridge opposite where the