Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200A/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 9

To British outpost

line was. Lt Elliott ws

badly wd (C.Coy, abt

in / centre) ws wd there

in / thigh.  He died later

at Tincourt.  The fire

has caused a number

of casualties, grazing

the  hill tops.
When caution dugouts

were taken the left ws

able to get on to its objve

just on / cross roads S

of Villeret.

Lt Beasley & Colvin

made their HQrs in

Caution Dugouts. There they

formed some Stretcher bearers

(it was a big dugout w 4

Entrances) which had bn used as

an Advanced Dressing
Stn - Beasley cd talk

French & the Germs told
him they had bn in 11 days

-didnt know when they

were to be relieved - &

didnt have / least idea

we were going to do an

attack.

After this they 11Bn had to

take over the Bde front

in the old British port

line, supporting 9 & 10;

12Bn test Extended to

left to take over / whole

line in the first objective.

The 11Bn had its line in the

original British port

line with outposts in

front.

That night German

planes came over &

bomed & shelled the

left with 5 9 & 8 in.

11Bn remained there

2 days & on 21 Sept

reld 9Bn in the front

line overlooking Bellicourt

just this side of Quarry

wood.  It was a good line

to hold w abt 6 lines

of old trenches our first

[[nate?]] observation.

11Bn ws here 4 days

& ws relieved by 30th

American Division. This

ws carried out very well indeed.

One American Company

relieved the 11Bn.
72 in an American Pln
relieved Grahams Company
of 49.
This was / best fight the
11Bn ever had.

During / last 4 days
patrols went out 600- 800
yards without getting to /

Germans.  By Their flares
they were abt 800yds away.
The Germans had gone back
to the main [[Hindenburg?]] line

& had outposts out in

front only at night - they

cd be seen carrying their

guns out at dusk. None

of their patrols at all were

met.

The relief was quiet. [[?]]

Coy ws just clear of Hqrs
when the Germs put down
a heavy barrage.

As they were going
thru Roisel a group of
6 officers had several bombs
dropped right ahead &
behind them by a Gotha

flying low – it ws a very
bright moonlight night
& the plane cd see them.
The pty was riding down /
road. The Bn a bit to the
rt coming out across

country cd see this big

plane in the moonlight

passing.  Maj. Darrell (The C.O)

(D.S.O) & Lieut Archibald adjt

were both killed.  A piece of

bomb went thru Darrell's
heart - Archibald died

within an hour.

They were / two last
men K. in the 11th Bn -
They were buried with
Lt Elliott & Capt Halahan
at Tincourt - all original
men in the 11Bn.

Darrell left as Lieut. Leaving
(the last original officer - his
father was a C/E Army chaplain
in Ireland & Darrell had
bn in / Munster Fusiliers

-& had bn 3 years in Australia -

as an area officer).

Hallahan ws a m.g.

Sergt at the [[landing?]] (11Bn).

Elliott was an original 12Bn

man (from WA).

Archibald was a [[pl?]]

Sergeant at /  [[landing?]], a 

school teacher in W.A.

Elliott was an architect.

(Elliott had sketched the Xmas

card of / Bn for / year with

Col Newmann) who went home

just before / Villeret

show).
Hallahan ws an

amalgamator on the

Oroya Brown Hill mine.
(info of the Amalgam in the will)

On Halahan's grave was

put up by / men & they

put up a very fine cross, &

on it "Loved by all".

Only these 4 officers were lost

at Villeret - & all killed.

11 men killed & about 60 wounded.

Pozieres

23/7/16.

[Hand drawn sketch, please see original]

After getting a good deal further
in / first rush (some of these) & them
coming back on being [[isolated?]]..

At Pozieres part of 11 & 9th

Bu on right got into a straight trench (AB)

(supposed to be its objective) enfiladed  by

O.G.I. The men there under a Sergt of the 

11Bn, dug a small trench parallel to OGI

to stop / enfilade piling up / [[paranet?]] as high as they could. Abt 40 to 60 men were there. The Germs

shot at them from Z & S w migs & bombed them from in front.

About 3am the Germans cd be seen w fixed bayonets in OGI prepared

to attack. The men in / straight trench A-B could

see them also, & started throwing mills bombs also
wh fell into our trench, XY. By morning /

greater part of this party was dead - the Sergt

says that there were only 2 left of a party of 40. This

may be an exaggeration. Anyway we had to leave

XY. No officer ws there. He headed over to a 

Pioneer officer about A (?) in / morning.

12Bn

Lihous

Aug 10 started at

5am from Harbonnieres,

having came up from Vaire /

day before, & from Poulainville

/ day before it (Aug 8).

[[(Debresser?]] at Poulainville 

at 3am having detained at

[[Hampest?]] on 7th).

They got a few hours

sleep at Harbonnieres after

12.30am & moved at 5,

supporting 11Bn.

11Bn when they hopped 

off were abt 600 yards behind on

the X roads by the house wh had

bn a dressing stn.

After 11Bn [[jumped?]] off 12Bn

advanced to / position 11Bn had.