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

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Diagram - see original

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On Aug 31.  38 Bn (wh reld 37)
attacked.  They were
supptd by 40 Bn.
A & B came out thro
Clery to operate on rt.
C Coy came thro Clery
Copse & thro Berlin Wood.
They took this directn as
following in support of 38.
There is a bit of steep donga
just W. of Berlin Wood.
When they got to this abt
40 Germs got up ready to
surrender.  They marched
themseles back without escort.
After this point / men
of 38 Bn didnt seem to
know what directn to go -
& veered round & followed

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up / hill to SE as tt faced
them.  38 had lost many
offrs.  Some were in / trenches in
IC.  Others just abt past S.W. corner
of Berlin Wood. And some
in Inferno trench in 2 A & C.
Abt 10 or 11 a.m. B Coy
40 Bn (support) moved up N along
Magen trench.  Capt McIntyre
had gone along to see what
ws happening ahead of
Berlin Wood in Zombo trench.
He found C - D 40 Bn &
part of a Coy of 38 there. &
learnt tt there ws a gap
further N
At this time a Bn
Command post had bn
formed in Zombo trench abt.
2 A 6.6.  They were there
in / front line without

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any troops on either side.
C.O. sent for B Coy to come
& fill it on left & A on
rt.  This ws done.  C.O.
sent to C - D Coy to be support
Coys.  They were in / front
line.  They had met Germs
near Inferno trench as they
went up it Nwds. The
Germs were coming S.
Pte Brock who ws ahead,
put in his bomb used his
rifle & wd 2 Germs & /
rest cleared.  C & D Coy
withdrew into / trenches imd
S.E of Berlin Wood.
McIntyre ws then
detached from B Coy & sent
to get touch with 38 Bn
& if possible the other Bns
(37 & 39)- to report positn of

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40 - 38 wanted to form
flank on rt.  Peters Coy
came along to the lower
end o / trench.
From 10 a.m. Meanwhile / Germ.
ws seen in numbers on the
Bouchavesnes Feuillact Rd
w m.gs. & snipers.  He ws
also firing with 2 whizzbangs
somewhere S. of 27 central,
& also 2 E of Feuillact
(which he cd be seen bringing
in & later pulling out).
A lot of m.g. fire ws also coming
from the N & S Gully just E of /
rd xx in 27 A & C.  There
ws a lot of movement to be
seen at / back of Mt St Q.,
into Feuillact; into Allaines
(esp.) transport.  It looked as if

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he were going to get up to /
Rd. N. of Feuillact to attack.
It ws clearly us or him
for it & Col. Lord decided tt
it ws up to us to push on.
He accdly instrd A
Lt Rattray B | _→
Lt Game   A |
Coys to attack.
Lt Jackson Bn Sig Offr.
ws attached to B Coy & attd
w it (Jackson bought into this fight
& did splendidly).
At 3 pm. this attack
began.  A Coy B Coy undertook
the actual raiding o / road
A Coy remained moved in close
suppt.
B Coy were along Zombo trench
in 2A & / bank continuing it
to N.  Jackson has seen ^from / hill the
two CTs forking ahead of it.
J. & R decided to divide B Coy

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& each take a pty.  B Coy ws
25 - 30 strong.

Diagram - see original
These were
to be divided
taken one
up each
fork. They
were taken as shown.
But a third (unmapped)
trench existed.  The pties divided
- & when they had gone
abt 200 yds this trench led
R's party back to Js.
Rs came in just as J's
passed.  They then decided
tt a trench wh J had passed
must be the left fork -
so (to avoid going back) they
detached a L.G. crew to do
this.  J & R. & pties then went
on.

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On reaching / final bend
o / trench, J ws leading & saw
a Germ. sentry abt 20 yds
ahead round / bend.  The
sentry ws fired on - this
alarmed / rest o / post on
/ rd 40 yds away.
Another L.G. ws moved out
to / rt to enfilade /
rd from near it to /
rt.  Some o / pty crawled
out into shell holes on /
left - J w them.
R & his pty bombed
along / trench w these two
pties keeping / Germs heads
down.  ^Ahead at / junctn of
trench & Rd they had bn able
to see a German H. M./gun
posted high on / rd edge.

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When / sentry fired, the
m-gunner stood right up.
A B Coy man got him within
the second w his a rifle shot -
he ws ready for someone to
get in there.
Abt 25 - 30 Germs
were in / trench just W of /
Sunken Rd.  The Germs
were tossing bombs without
looking over - stick grenades,
eggs, & rifle grenades-
He cdnt get his head up at
all without being shot.
R's pty rushed / post &
/ Germs surrendered. (The watchers
on / hill cd see both sides tho neither
side cd see / other.)
These prisoners were passed
back 1 off. 23 o.r.
The pty then exploited /

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other side o / rd (/ Rd ws
sunken).  They were on / highest
part o / knob.  They met
oppositn abt / trench
junctn in 2 B 9.7 That
side o / rd seemed to be
strongly held - much m.g.
fire, one enfilading / rd.
They decided to come
back to / knoll & estab
posts to hold / road - one
post ws put on / E side
of it.
There ws lots of movement
down / hill near Feuillact
Fritz working S.W.  2 posts
were put into the rt fork
of the C.T. to protect
agst this.
In / meanwhile A Coy had

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(unknown to them) worked
up the N. fork of the C.T.
No sooner had the rt flank
posts bn estabd than /
Germs began to move over /
bank N of Ponsot trench.
The m gunner in one post
had his gun trained & / first
3 Germs fell.  Others tried
to get into / trenches E of
/ rd but / m.gs. had them
whenever they showed.
B. Coy held this positn
until withdrawn.
Abt ½ hr after our B Coy
had reached this positn /
Germs deployed for a c/attack
& came across 3 A & B.
This cd be seen from Bn HQ.
abt 700.  800 yds away on /
other side o / gully.  And