Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/201/1 - August - December 1918 - Part 7

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066577
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

34 eay A0B Peters Couist iteer collins atte 170 8 Peters ws lost from 3 pmeto I ame It ws mednight when HCrispe L.0. went tso Clery & wasbed out to fas end of it where Sandifords men were heard diping just short of road at 1 far and there ws leavy ofvillag o fire fom I stsouppt E91 villag at 1 bridge head. Thever criips wentup 1 fully betw
2D Nof Clery & met apty of B Coy coming down for rations - thy sdto B loy ws on 1 left a 44 mile he found them in up; Hennequin Y; from here he found A loy on 1 rt then up near Clery Copse he ed hear nothing of Peters loy. This copse edut be found. But prresently he struck part of them in a trench neax it wh they had fot int in Inight, farn N -&ty sdt Peters of in flopse. 29Ang. There at 3.15 am 37 Bn moved thro to continu attack. 38 Bn became)
26 530 18½ Suppat Bn. From P.15 am Cy 29 te on 30/31 the Bn ws subjected out to shell fire & abbed fell fast asleep dead tired. They las fone 9000 yds in E4hre Continuous fighty No one but had a seconds 2dwest of sleep since they was se B5ay et 5.30am. Senin ganewood on mg.of Aug 26. Excature they hat hed abt hey had reached lyton Aug26 wood att Your& expecting to got orders at gre O by stay I night & had 6 push of at mednight – D Cog (Collins got a steep these. Befre H on night of 25th had asleep a Iroad just before raching Bray. 27 28 24 24 5 71½2 hrs without awink of sleer.
thi At 7.30 am. C. 30. were cathd to a confee at Bde Agrs in 16y bank W. of Clery. They were told toI attack as tbe conto agatI t system in 2ATC gouts 2. Maj mandsley (O. When they finished M. & Crispe (1.O.) went along I train track to Hars o37 & 39 in the banks W. of Clery Ridge 5o get 1 disposites. They got 384 back at Bpm, where loy ds were wait 19040 39/-42, were to 30 so tho
luder barray. At 7.30pn it ws decided to tie of 37 to relieve tim takes make an attack but noone knew when (Bu Kogght probly Sept1 Then at 3.250n 1 rdup to 37 Ba. a Bde runner came to K Robbins agt - & sd he had be looking for him, & t it as an Order to attack at 6 am. Till km not one Coy knew of his. There were 2hrs 25 mins to find ( loye & tell them. They were to take over fom 37 Br & had abready noold to do his - & it ws
uncertain where 37 Br. Coys were. Only one 37Bn maser knew where one of 37 Bn Coys were - & por t in her t Crispe uttinatety a anaget to fin outwhere other Coys of 37 (E s0) the 38 Bn Coys bere. All this time tally ws being leavily stelled 37 Bn sdit, as in gomat (had a Coy to N of Clery lopse in Berlingott ave - & ws uncerti (to Coy were there or had bu cat of (Their A loy under Capt Towl)]. Tey also traught thy had a Coy in SGond trench. Tey proved to have
a Coy in St Lond 2. the relief was completed 67 4.20 am. The orders wh 38 Bn first recd were for Bn to Berlingtt T.O. from yten ale at 4.30 am ky ot a New barrag tine, 6007 do Berlingott h rear of 4GondY. ne & betw. 4.30 & t these orders bed to be got to Coys obe ough back to St t gond Y. Acrispe dis this. I Coys were supposed to be in Berlingott y; but they werent here ty were in a C.T. runnay towe E towds Berlingott & Cery Copse. By 5.50 am. Criope [ot them back from therre into 8 Gond w to mins to spar
Tust then to Churchill arrived on I scene to objectives- (At tee 7pmr Coufce 1 attact hed not by definnitily decided on & no objies settled. Consequeatly a large number of officers vent off w no dea to Exc tthe had to po farwd.] THO.C. of Coy At 5.25 Am. ot 1orders. 1 By te they cdut find plation offrs. All 1 she Tfis knew ws to I burge wd come down at some time (unknown The banage time wS 6 am. But at 5.30 am. I ferman put down his shoot 8
kept it up till nearly San harrassing fire - later a barrage to gas. Most of it as on I debouching point from Clery. At 6 am. our berry came down & S8 followed it- 39 being leter & a good deal behind their barrage having poe furthe back t avoid Ibarrage (it ws uncertain in many peoples minds wh St fond 2 was). 38 followed thei banag Red line Ds the old French Support line. Tombo & By 7. 15 am IInfernoy thy were. Imorena y
68 X Mandeley Robbins afa 1 trupe to. Dunne Sir 9t Churchill Dcouts L9. MncCaster god by same shell wh k mandolly. AAddison major wod Batt Sandifadd witson 13ogle C Peters FBaxter Mattock Peenvord wd. I colling fotter in thes time. The Bn held fom the Caual di Nord to E Junster of Tombo Y & Boesller Alley, (Red line). Att 6.35 am. Maj. mandsley, of C.0. ws killed by a shell at Bn HQr. the qad,I. D Robbins tiking control. Bn HD. weenk up to Van 2 - at 10 Col. Hinderson took over by instrus of Bdle but to Robbins remained pracy responsible All Comm depended a runneess in aloy tis Light. & runners vere killed todon St18pffr. 450c6 251 or.

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Peters ws lost from 3 p.m. to
3 a.m.  It ws midnight when
Lt Crispe I.O. went thro
Clery & worked out to /
far end of it where Sandifords
men were heard digging just
short o / road at / far end
o / village - there ws heavy
mg. fire from / strong pt E of /
village at / bridge head.  Thence
Crispe went up / gully behind
59

 

N of Clery & met a pty of
[*? D*] B Coy coming down for
rations - they sd tt B
[*?D*] Coy ws on / left a ¼ mile
up; ∧ so he found them in
Hennequin trench; from there
he found A coy on / rt;
then up near Clery Copse
he cd hear nothing of Peters
Coy. This Copse cdnt be
found.  But presently he
struck part of them in a
trench near it wh they had
got into in / night, facing
N - & they sd tt Peters
ws in / Copse.
29 Aug.  There at 3.15 am 37 Bn
moved thro to continue
/ attack - 38 Bn became /
60

 

Support Bn. From 3.15 am Aug
29 till midnight 10 pm on 30/31
the Bn ws subjected only
to shell fire & obtained some
good s fell fast asleep dead
tired. They had gone 9000 yds in
84 hrs Continuous fighting.
No one had had a seconds
sleep since they moved from moving from rd west of
Suzanne Ceylon Wood ^Bray at 5.30 am. on mg. of Aug 26.
Even there they had had abt
6 hrs sleep (They had reached Ceylon
Wood abt 7 pm. ∧ Aug 26 expecting to
stay / night & ∧ got orders at 9 pm tt they had to push off
at midnight - D Coy (Collins) got
a sleep there.  Before tt on night
of 25/26 they had a sleep on
/ road just before reaching Bray.
26.     27     28     29
5.30                            
18½   24     24       5 :  71½ hrs without a wink of sleep.
61

 

?31
Aug 30.  At 7.30 p.m. C.Os
were called to a Confce
at Bde Hqrs in / big
bank w. of Clery.
They were told tt /
attack ws to be contd
agst / trench system in 2 a & c
- Zombo trenchx  Maj Maudsley ws
C.O.  when they finished,
M. & Crispe (I.O.) went
along / tram track to HQrs
of 37 & 39 in the banks
w. of Clery Ridge. to get /
dispositns.  They got
back at 12 p.m. ∧ to 39 HQ. where Coy
Commdrs were waiting.
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
39 & 40
were to
go thro
62

 

under / barrage.
At 7.30 pm it ws decided
tt / attack Bn wd take over
line of 37 to relieve them
& later make an attack
- but no one knew when
(Bn thought probly Sept 1).
Then at 3.25 a.m. on /
rd up to 37 Bn, a Bde
runner came to Lt Robbins
aft - & sd he had bn looking
for him, & tt it ws an
order to attack at 6 a.m.
Till then not one Coy knew
of this.  There were 2 hrs
& 25 mins to find / Coys
& tell them.  They were to take
over from 37 Bn & had already
moved to do this - & it ws
63

 

uncertain where 37 Bn
coys were. Only one 37 Bn
runner knew where one
of 37 Bn Coys were - &
from tt runner Coy Lt Crispe
ultimately managed to find
out where / other Coys of
37 (& 80) the 38 Bn Coys
were. All this time / valley
ws being heavily shelled
37 Bn sd it ws
in Gomo trench had a Coy
to N of Clery Copse in
Berlingott ave - ws uncertain
if tt Coy were there or had
bn cut off. (Their A coy under
Capt Towl). They also thought
they had a Coy in St Gond
trench. They proved to have
64
 

 

a Coy in St Gond trench. The relief
was completed by 4.20 am.
The orders wh 38 Bn
first recd were for Bn to 
J.O. from St Gond Berlingott trench; & then
xxx at 4.30am they got a
new barrage line 400yds
in rear of St Gond Berlingott trench -
& betw. 4.30 & 6 these ∧ new orders
had to be got to / Coys
& then ∧ for to be brought back to St
Gond trench. Lt Crispe did
this. 2 Coys were supposed
to be in Berlingott trench;
but they werent there -
they were in a C.T. running
E towds Berlingott & ∧ towds Clery
Copse. By 5.50 am. Crispe
got them back from there into
xx St Gond w 10 mins to spare.
65

 

 

Just then Lt Churchill
arrived on / scene w / 
objectives -
[At the 7pm confce / 
attack had not bn definitely
decided on & no objves settled.
Consequently a large number o / 
officers went off w no idea
of where they had to get
to exc. tt they had to go fowd.]
At 5.25 am. they ∧ the O.Cs of Coys got / orders.
By then they cdnt find / 
platoon offrs. All / pln
offrs knew ws tt / barrage
wd come down at some
time (unknown) -
The barrage time ws 6am.
But at 5.30 am. / German
put down his shoot, & 
66
 

 

kept it up till nearly 8am
- harrassing fire - later
a barrage w gas. Most
of it ws on / debouching
point from Clery.
At 6 am. our barrage
came down & 38 followed
it - 39 being later &
a good deal behind their 
barrage having gone further
back to avoid / barrage
(it ws uncertain in many
people's minds wh
St Gond trench was) They
38 followed their barrage
Red line ws the old French
support line.
Hand drawn diagram - see original
By 7.15am
they were
67
 

 

 68

Maudsley k.
Robbins a/adjt
Crispe I.O.
Dunne Sig Ofr
Churchill scouts  L.G.
McCasker wd by same shell wh k.
Maudsley.
A Addison Major wd.
Balt
B Sandiford wd Wilson
Bogle
C Peters - F Baxter
Mallock
D Collins Greenwood wd.
Potter
in this line. The Bn
held from the Canal
du Nord to trench Junctn
at Zombo trench & Boesller
Alley. (Red Line).
[Abt 6.35 am.
Maj. Maudsley, of C.O,
ws killed by a shell at
Bn H.Qrs. The a/adjt Lt
Robbins taking control.
Bn H.Q. went up to
Van trench - at 10 Col Henderson
took over by instrns of Bde
but Lt Robbins remained
pracly responsible. All commun
depended on runners in
this fight. 4 ∧ xx Coy runners were
killed tt day.
Str. 18 19 offrs. 45 NCO 251 o.r.
69

 

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