Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200A/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 10

jumped off from.  Col. Elliott

ws ∧wounded abt 8.20am. just as Bn

reached this positn.  Indirect

fire from a mg. got him as he

ws putting / men into trenches

Abt 10.30 am. C Coy under

Capt Jorgenson were ordered

to move up in close support

of 11 Bn.  The positn they took

up ws just on our side of

Crepy Wood.  There ws a line

of trenches m.gs. there every

few yds & many dead Germs

wh showed where the Germs had

defended / place tt morning

when 11Bn hopped over. The Coy

stayed there for / day - digging

into the xxxxx old trenches there.

89

part of Coy ws strafed but

only 5 casualties.  Maj. Macpherson

took the Bn after Elliott ws hit.

No fighting tt day.

Aug 11th  C.Coy ws left were

it was.  Abt 4am  B D & A

Coys (back where 11 Bn had

hopped off) got orders to

 attack on ∧ left of 10Bn -

D     B    10

                A

in this order. A Coy ws

supporting rt of 10Bn w

8 Bn on their right.

They had to get out straight

away & reach the J.O. line

by 5am.  D & B were

just about on / tape line

by 5 am, A Coy ws behind &

got / barrage.

90

 

The left of D Coy went up the

left edge of of Crepy wood,

D Coy going thro' / wood.

They went straight thro /

wood, without mopping up -

thro' Auger Wood & beyond

it to / edge of Lihu Wood.

There ws mist, & our smoke,

& German gas.  It ws hard to

see.  D Coy kept touch with

B Coy on their right, but 

not with 11 Bn on left.

11 Bn cd not be found. Patrols

were sent out to find them.

Cap S.M. Keeling ws w ∧one of these

patrols.  He went over 1000

yds straight to left (N.W.)

& cd find no one.  Then he

came back & made a second

91

patrol to left rear.

He found 11Bn abt 800

yds in left rear.  The ∧posts of 11Bn

were between Auger & Crepy

Wood.  This left a gap of

800 yds in / line & /

Germs still in Auger Wd

immediately in rear of B

& D Coys. These Germans

were there all / time.  But

they evidently got a message

thro to their people outside

for a party tried to come

up & join them.

B Coy had tried to send

runners back; but these

men getting back had met

m.g. fire & cdnt had to get

back by going right round to the

S of Auger Wood.

92

 

The posts of 12 Bn were

just in some long French

trenches, (probly old front line)

from S.W. Corner of Lihu

wood away E of Auger

wood & joining 10Bn

just E of Lihons Village.

There were no Germs in Lihu

wood.  Lyons & some others

wandered thro' / old stumps

of it (like Delville Wd) &

found no one in it.

Abt midday / Germs

were seen massing &

getting ready for c/attack

on / flat to the N.  They

had a fine view there for

abt 3 miles to a village

on a rise wh they took

to be Vermandovillers but werent
93

94

By / way in wh / Germs acted after

this they knew where we were. Small

pties from outside kept on coming up to

try & join them but very few got

through the gap.  A lot were k or w.

Eventually most of the Germs in

Auger Wd. got away through a bit of

dead ground behind / hospital. B Coy

rushed a small post on / edge o / wood &

caught / corpl above mentioned & this probly

set them going out o / wood.

※ Lt. Lyons ∧2 in/C of C Coy, ws sent up after Lt

McLeod ws hit.  M'Leod ws hit very

nastily badly by a sniper or m.g.

Lyon ws Lt. Sandie? ws very

done up.  Lt. Lyons ws sent up to

take over D Coy then.  Imd after

he got up a German escorting

4 men of 10Bn came und  towds the line

from / rear.  He had bn sent back w

these prisoners so / Germs evidently

didnt know where we were.  He tried

to run when he saw us but 3 men were

sent to cut him off & he ws k. 

 

Certain messages had bn

sent back to Bn asking

for someone to fill / gap -

& C Coy now came in 

& filled it  ※

Parties of 9 Bn under

Lt. Hamilton came thro &

mopped up Auger Wood.

The positn C Coy took up

ws in / old German

hospital abt 300 yds N of

Auger & Crepy Wood - the

hospital ws just S of the 

rd & they were in it.  This

ws a hospital of huts & marquees 

when C. Coy drove / Germs

out of it (Germs were seen

getting out of it) the Germs set

fire to as much as they

cd of it & burnt some o / 

95

marquees & stores.

Word ws sent back to say

tt / Germans were massing

on / flats to / N (while C Coy

ws atually coming thro, &

mopping up pties of 9 Bn

at / same time came up)

A heavy artillery fire ws

turned onto the Germs. & this

smashed them up.  Kelling

at this time took a couple of

L.Gs out & opened long range

fire on these Germs & worked

one gun till he ws wd by

one of our own shells.  These

Germans had bn seen marching

up in fours from Vermandovillers

way abt an hr before (11am).

A German Corpl who ws Captd

∧in / wood sd tt 8 Coys of his regt had bn

96

told off to defend Lihons hill

& tt / few left in / wood

(abt 150) were all tt he knew

of as remaining.  He ws

21 Bav. Regt. (4 Bav. Divs).

Their Coys were not very

strong.  A parade state ws found

on a dead offr.  He had only

brought 52 men of his Coy

in. (Many of these men were

on leave).

Everything ws quiet after

tt & they were relieved by 1st

Bde tt night.  The German

shelling ws heavy on Auger

& Crepy Wood - but not elsewhere

with HE & Gas.

A Coy on rt went straight

thro behind 10 Bn. The advance

was very fast.  They started thro'
97

the wood with rt flank on 

/ left o / road.  The 8 Bn

were not seen till they got

thro onto their positn.  It

ws very misty.  A Coy

struck no Germans in /

village - wh ws across / whole

of their front - they went thro

/ centre o / village crossing

/ road.  10 Bn stopped in / open

abt 600 yds beyond / village

& A Coy abt 20 yds behind

them dug in.  Abt 10am.

going round to get touch, touch

ws obtained w 8 Bn abt

200 yds to / right - the fog in 

/ early morning had bn too thick

to see any one but they had

bn there.  Lt. Glozier didnt see

the tanks in / village - he wd

98

have bn bound to see them if

they had worked thro / village

but they were late.  The tanks

didnt reach Gloziers position on

/ rt.

Abt 3 in 1 afternoon a

number of Germs were seen coming

up in file to within abt 600 yds

(coming from / direct front - abt 50 were

seen in full marching order.  60pdrs

were turned onto them & they were stopped

in / old trenches.

Diagram- see original document

Abt 3pm.  3 of out arty planes

came over & saw the men there & put

down our 60 pdrs onto Hill 101 & most o /

line.  It ws very hot for 3mins but they

managed to get into Commn w / planes &

flap signals & got it turned off.
99

 

(Aug 11)  Capt Jorgenson  wd abt

        (midday when C coy were
late (getting to their objve filling /

         gap.  He carried on & got C Coy

         organised in positn before going out.

 

(Lt. Macleod,  wd on Aug 11 in

         (the first attack (D Coy) in / wood.

early(

          (Capt Butler  ws gassed, badly, going

          (thro' the wood on Aug 7.

 

Lt Mackay  ws wd abt /

same time as Capt Jorgenson

but not with him