Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/201/1 - August - December 1918 - Part 4

orders were recd for a
general advance (to take
S. Gillemont trench). The left Coy
worked along / C.T. all night.
The others tried to go over /
top & were cut abt (like
38 Bn) 2 Coys coming back
at once into Dog trench, &
the 3rd Coy, "B" getting thro /
wire & into shell holes near
S. Gillemont trench. They lost
12 men (only 10 left) in doing so.
This ws Capt ∧R. Anderson's Coy.
No Capt Wolstenholme's
Coy. (D). got to / jn. of
S Gillemont trench & the C.T. by
/ rd & spread down into
S. Gillemont for a short way.
The T.M. offr (W Brydie)
came along then w gun & crew. I.O.
28 

sent him along from Dog trench. He
took up positn in / C.T. & fired
10 rds (all he had) onto the
ruins, Guillemont Crescent & /
Sunken Rd, i.e. / guns, &
m.gs. wh were giving trouble.
This made things quieter.
Later on when the Bn went
on they found tt the whizzbang
had gone; m.gs. were in
Gillemont Crescent S. of /
rd - deserted. and a
lot of dead Germans.
This made a gt difference.
After dusk Capt Anderson
made his way back w coy ∧(10) into
Dog trench - some hit on way back.
On evg of 29 Sept. after
dark Coys got in thro
the C.T. on left & occupied
29

S. Gillemont trench. Joined 38
on rt & 40 on left. They
stayed there for / night.
From dusk till 8pm
Germ. arty & mgs increased.
Sept 30. 39Bn 10 Bde waited for 11 Bde
attack abt 6.∧15a.m. next m.g.
but tho barrage came down
it didnt eventuate.
That morning 2 field guns
cd be seen firing one from near
Quarry at 14 B 9.8 & / other
by / wire E of it. 7 L.Gs.
were put onto these together at
1500yds in a burst & they stopped,
& didnt fire agn at 39Bn
Durg morning Bn moved
into Gillemont Crescent
slightly after 38.
30 

Stayed there all Sept 30.
Abt 10 p.m. report from
Bde sd 11 Bde patrols had entered
Bony - & the 39 were
asked to send out patrols
to verify this. Patrols
along / Sunken Rd found
tt Bony ws occupied by
Bony Germs. They were
fired on by m.gs.
Oct 1st. At daylight there
ws no m.g. fire & Germs
were shelling near
Bony & its area. Patrols
got into Bony at 9.30 a.m.
& also to the Quarry at
14 B 9.8. The Coys then
moved out - they got into
shell fire near Bony.
31 

By 11 am. Canal Line
ws reached. A patrol of 
D Coy under Sergt Falkes
got within a few hundred
yds of Catelet - & got m.g.
fire from guns at 10 B 4.3.
& nests in 4 B.  Sergt F.
ws k. there.  It ws found
tt we cdnt go further
than / tunnel & Bde
ordered Bns to consolidate
/ Tunnel line.
37 Bn covered the exits
from / tunnel a few hundred
yds S. of / mouth.
Capt Giles & others went
down to the tunnel mouth.
The positn ws tt no one ws
at / Tunnel mouth but
the 3rd Pioneers were holding
32 

a positn abt 200 yds inside
/ tunnel - a sand bag
barricade & L.G. covering /
entrance. (A lot of half.
wrecked barges there -
no ∧cement screen across canal.
In / bottom o / Canal
ws a du no. of
shells of all calibres
apparently dropped from
barges unloading.
The positn on / Knob
ws one wh made a 
defence northwards.  The
Germans were not paying
special attention to / Tunnel
mouth (wh ws similar to 
/ Southern entrance).
The British had Vendhuille 
33 

39 Bn stayed at / tunnel.
Hindbg line & Bony were
shelled ∧intermittently w 106 fuse by Germs, day & night.
The 1st Bn / Coy LIs.
relieved there. (From
Salonica). 
Next mg. British attacked
& got Prospect Hill.
34 

Proyart. 10/11
3 tanks ahead - tank
Commdr ws met in Harbonnieres
Gully - Tanks thought / job
mad - they were met abt
the Hospl. Tanks went on
100-150yds ahead abt 25yds ahead of leading pln of infy;
then 37 - plns w 100yds
distance xx -
—   —   —   —
D    C    B    A
B Coy supplied a small
flank guard ∧under Lt Smith to go out to /
left ∧in 27 C or D X cover / turn onto
the N.S. Rd. 
The pace ws abt
a marching pace.
As soon they passed
35 

35a 
A plane came first along / rd.
Then firing m.g. & dropping bombs
close beside / whole length o /
Column.
Their m.gs. opened up
gradually - first ahead - then
(as they went on) N.S.E & w.
some right behind.
As / flares m.g. got warmer
/ flares were dropping round /
tanks - all sorts & colours.

La Fl. village m.gs.
opened up suddenly from
all sides - probly
heaviest from ahead. The
tanks kept / road & the
Bn got up agst / tanks
taking shelter wherever
possible in / ditch. The
fire at last began to come
from / rear. The Anti tank
guns had also opened.
There ws a perfect firework
of flares - abt / same time as
/ m.gs. Casualties were
getting heavy. MacNicholl
/ scout offr ws ahead of /
tanks w / tank offr. (They
had measured / no of
paces necessary to go to /
turning etc). Two of the 3
36 

tank offrs were hit. The
sides o / tanks were luminous
w m.g. bullets. The tanks
at this time were quite close
to Avenue Cross.
When / oppositn became
so heavy McN told / tanks
to deploy - & they got one
on each side o / rd -
& one on / rd.
The C.O. ws killed
by an antitank shell - on
/ German side o / village.
39 BN ws last in / Column.
They were to hold from
Avenue X to La F. First
of all as they met them reached.
/ Hospital they were bombed
37