Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/201/1 - August - December 1918 - Part 3

the Copse - they cdnt

stay still under this -

& Lt Anderson & others

shot all the Germs tt had

bn firing there.

The Germs were massing

for c/attack in front o the 9 Bde -

but the c/attack didnt come off.

B 37 Bn ws then

ordered up as support & got

into the old French front line

system.

[38 Bn ws on the right

Major Mandslay had got k.

at Bn HQrs. W of Clery

Copse. 40 Bn ws betw the two].

 

Aug 31/Sept 1. 11 Bde ws to come 

through this night & attack.

Before this, orders came

from Bde for 39 to push

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forward to the Bapaume Rd.

The 39 Bn swung up

its rt flank - patrols

first (Coy offrs themselves

went out in this case &

reconnoitred) & then Coys

went up - & got onto

the rd without difficulty.

The difficulty for

39 Bn ws from Berlingott

into Van trench.

This part o the advance

ws made over the top,

the German m.gunners

fighting well - & into the trench

w the bayonet. (This was

a Prussian Guard Regt -

who sd they had volunteered 

- had got in at 2 am & we

attd. at 6 am.

The Germs had evidently

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relieved those who had

bn fighting there the day before

& this new lot came in.

They themselves sd tt they

had bn attacked before they

had time to settle down.

[ The clearing of

Berlingott trench wd have been done -

N of 37 Bn - by 34 Bn ].

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Proyart

Bony 39 Bn.

Just as Bn got to Duncan

post, moving in arty formation

as they expected shel long range

shellfire. They wondered

why there were m.g. bullets

whizzing overhead. Several men

were hit. Just then they struck

40 Bn in shell holes.

I. O. who ws guiding Bn found

from 40 Bn tt their experience

ws the same. I. O. pushed on

w the Scout Sergt leaving Bn

pushed on into the valley abt

in line w dog trench. The

valley ws full of smoke at

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this time - our people had

bn firing smoke on the

flanks to mask the

Germ m.gs. there.

The smoke put down on

the hills behind the canal had

drifted into Macquincourt

Valley & the Americans put

their gas masks on: One

of them told I.O. : "It wd

have bn allright if they

had told us of the smoke - " 

They thought it ws ∧ German gas.

I.O. got onto the Rd SW

of Gillemont Fm - & there

found tt a few m.g. bullets

were coming from Macquincourt

Valley. He signalled by

waving to Bn to come on.

They crossed the rd & got into 
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the neighbourhood of Dog trench. As

they got in the smoke ws

clearing & the m.g. fire became

intense. I. O. told them to get

into Dog trench - they manned it

& the sergt & 10 pushed on into

the very strong wire before Dog

trench (our wire). The Germs began

to put m.g. bullets round

their legs as they tried to

hop the wire & it ws clear

it wd not be possible to get on.

They went back. 39 Bn ws

then in Dog trench as far N as the

Rd. when he On right they

junctioned with 38: 40 ws on

left; w many Americans

between them.

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The Coy commdrs got the Americans

& their L.Gs. organised (Bn

ws only abt 140 rifles) - so this

aid ws welcome. There were

200-300 Americans.

Abt 10 a.m. they got

word tt a defensive line ws

to be made of Dog trench where they

were.

Hqrs had made their way

across & got to the other side

o the valley near the road (a

continuatn of Dog trench wh

curls round to the rear N of

the rd. (F 18 A 95.22 ws Hqrs)

They were searching forwd

along this trench towds Gillemont

Fm looking into dugouts

when they found to their surprise

 a dugout full of Germs wd &

unwounded. There were abt 30.

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They collected these & sent them
out. This ws taken as Hqrs.
Col Henderson did this. 
As the situation ws obscure
& pressure for infn came from
Bde the C.O. sd he wd
go forwd (abt 10.50 am) & see
what he cd find out. He
pushed up thro this trench past
Dog trench. Then went over the
top & got into a shell hole.
In this shell hole he found an
American sniper who ws
sniping at the Germs. Just as
the Col. got there the American
ws shot. The Col. ws indignant
(he had a runner w him). He
got the Americans rifle & didnt
merely snipe. He got up 
on top o the shell hole & knelt
25

 

 

He killed abt 4 Germs. While

he ws sniping another he ws

shot thro the head from the flank, &

killed instantly. [Abt this time a

red nosed plane ws shot down after 5 mins low

flight by LG fire] Capt Giles took over.

He had bn w the rt Coy.

Abt midday orders

were recd to push out

patrols.

(The force of tanks wh

ws to have gone w our

men had already tried

to help the Americans & they

were scattered, dead or burning,

around the front of Gillemont

Fm, all about the front

o the crest, & on the mines

at Duncan Post in the wire.)

The Americans had bn

reported near Le Catelet; xx
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the patrols were to be

pushed out to get touch

w them. 3 patrols were

sent out from Dog trench. They

went along the C.T. imd S.

of Gillemont Rd. They got near

S. Gillemont trench. They found

mgs all along the S.E Rd

ahead of them & in all the

Support line (Gillemont Crescent)

as shown in the map. A whizzbang

in the ruins ws firing point

blank at them.

One patrol got a short

way down S. Gillemont trench

- a lot of American wd abt

but not in the trench. The other patrols

cdn't get on at all.

Two of the patrols reported

back. Before the 3rd came back

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