Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/202/1 - September - October 1918 - Part 2

Billing & Pte Cox to reconnoitre
/ trench on / further side o /
gully. Cox came back &
reportd all clear. McM
sent / men in 2s & 3s to
occupy / trench. A m.g. from
/ left o / rd & one from /
rd kept spasmodic fire
on them.
On reaching / trench
37 Bn wh ws working thro
Proyart Trying to get into
the rly cutting N o / rd sent
a message asking for
supporting fire from / rt as
they cdnt get forwd.
While this message ws being
read in / gully, McM &
those w him found tt there
were m.g. nests E of / rly
9 

abt 40 yds E of it near abt 200
yds N of / Rd. Another
on the R^d bank (2 1 B 0.5.)
& 3 or 4 in front west of Robert
Wood. McM. got / message
& sent back word to say tt
/ m.gs nests _^ in questn cd be seen, & tt
Sergt S. had his gun on /
extreme N. end o / trench &
cd enfilade / guns E of /
rly.
37 got this message
& sent abt 12 men under
an NCO across / _^ rly cutting bank (it is
a cutting all along really)
to collar these m.gs. Owing to /
heavy m.g. fire from W of
Robert Wood they cdnt get as
far as / guns. Some were k
& 2 got back.
10

Then Sergt S. w 3 men
left / trench rushed across /
Sunken Rd. (The gun _^ crew in
/ rd bank retired when they
saw him start & ws under
L.G. fire from rest of 40 Bn).
He ran straight on w
revolver - cleared the first
m.g. post - went onto / next,
k & w the occupants. The
3rd & 4^th ran out & were
k. by our L. gunners.
One o / men w S. ws k &
one wd. from Robert Wood.
That cleared the 5 m.gs.
& enabled 37 to come up
& consolidate in the rly.
Rt of Bn when it
advanced found German arty
heavily sweeping Pn-La Fi Rd
& dump - to & fro - The Coys
11 

attempting to move E of
P- La F Rd were met by
m.g. fire from high flat grd in
22 & 28. A & C. Coys were
accly ordered to take cover
in / trench 150 yds E of
La F. - P. Rd. Some got
out further than tt - up to
500 yds. They were ordered
to stay there till dusk
Diagram - see original document
Half C Coy worked up
before dusk via A Coy - &
12

/ rest straight over / top
after dusk.
They got onto / objve
on the E side o / Gully in.
21 D & 27 B in old trenches
In the red huts at 27 A 4.9
our troops stayed all day (in
an old nissen hospital) &
were heavily shelled.
Aug 11. Wd: Lt C H Cane (Tempy Capt) wd.
Early on 11 while digging in by
m.g. bullet.
Aug. 12 Wd: Capt W.G.C. Ruddock (C Coy O.C.)
just as word came to prepare
to move. (noon) by shell.
Reld by E. & W. Yorks of
17 Divn. on Aug 12/13. by
2 a.m.
13 

Bray. 40 Bn.
1st 3 m.gs. opp. D
(Maj. Giblins) Coy were in / xxxx trees
at NW corner o / village
The men (a special pty
had bn fixed up) were on
top of them quickly – under
/ barrage. The m.gs. next
met were on the N. outskirts
o / village & in the _^ Main Rd Bank
ws one wh did a lot of damage.
- this moved as our men
got round to / right.
Going down / hillside
Maj. Giblin ws hit a bit of
HE. The Germs put down
a heaviish barrage w gas
pretty quickly (gas into /
reentrants) the Bn ws pretty
well squeezed between our barrage lines.
14 

There were several m.gs. just
beyond / rly on / other side
o / rly yard - & one difficult
to locate then began from /
village in right rear. It
ws a bright moonlight night.
The S.P. wh Lakin's Pln
took ws out near / bank
w the 7 trees where there were
a number of positns.
There ws a big explosion
in Bray, & gas ws thick
afterwds. It ws off the Road.
A Coy worked thro to the
SE edge o / town. The p m.g.
posts dealt w by it were on
/ rly line there beyond / SE
of / town.
We were clear of Bray by /
time / German shelling became
heavy, & we left it behind us
15 

- & left / village alone.
Linesmen & gunners going
thro had a hot time.
40 Bn Clery Copse. Aug 30.
C Coy & A Coy had bn
actg as left flank guard take
10 Bde & liaison w 9 Bde.,
& were extended under
banks betw Odde Alley
& Bontemps alley
under / bank W. of Clery
Ridge. in 6 A or 6 B.
D Coy wh had bn sent
up to reinforce 37, were
on / front line (then) approaching
Berlingott trench.  Clery Copse
ws holding up / line both N o S.
16 

16a
Diagram - see original document
 

This ws w m.g. D Coy
rushed at it (the arrangement
with 37 Bn to do this
miscarried) D Coy tried
it.
Diagram - see original document
Suppl Coy
of 37 Bn
ws to
make
the left
o / attack.
D Coy _^ abt 2.30 pm Aug 8. went up a C.T. (possibly S. of
Bontemps) NW of Copse. The Germs
were holding Berlingott w. m.gs.
& got X fire over the C.T.
37 Bns Coy never got out / hill
at all, coming under m.g. fire
further back. D Coy ws under Lt
Cranswick (Lt Lawrence w him).
Coy pushed up. Cranswick got wd. They
tried t get L. gunners onto parapet to
open on Germs holding the Junction,
but they got shot at once. 8 were k & 14 wd.
of a weak coy. Lt Mahoney ws k. trying to get
out & deal w / m.gs. - he got out o / trench.
In trying to recover his body L/Cpl Masterman
17 

18 

& L Cpl Heron were taken
prisoner by / Germans - they just
got to Mahoneys body, when
/ germs get up all round them -
(The germs were going to shoot
Heron when the German offr
stopped them w his revolver).
Lt Lawrence took over commd.
Mahoney had told L. to get touch
with 37 Bn. He cdnt find
them - but found O.C. at
starting point. He sd he
cdnt give any support -
his Coy ws w him there
(6 A. 7. 5) or in unmarked trench
(1 A. 2. 5.) He advised L. to pull
his coy out. L. did so. By
tt time / Germs had worked round
& D v. nearly ws cut off. It ws
reported tt D Coy had bn heavily
knocked about. Accordingly
 

when this attack failed C Coy
(under orders from Bn H.Q.
tt C & D shd become a composite
Coy under Lt Whitaker) went
up to reinf. They found
Diagram - see original document
(This sketch is rough.)
[Get this corrected from air photo)
D Coy as shown.. They organised
into one Coy & held on all night.
_^ Aug 30/31 as shown - It ready for next days
attack by 38 Bn.  It ws then
decided by Bde not to take
/ Copse at once but do it
next day w 38 Bn in a
general advance.
19