Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/202/1 - September - October 1918 - Part 6

where there had bn bombing all

/ time till then - / Germs doing

terrible damage w / Americans.

Cpl. Barwick w / bombing pty

there dealt w / Germs in

Grubb. lane abt / same time

- drove. them right back

& blocked / trench.  cutting down

/ trench.

At 9 a.m. a German

plane came over abt 500 feet

up dropping lights & all the

Coys in / vicinity brought him

down w rifle & L.G fire, on his

second visit.

Coy Commdrs were

then called together ^to Bn. H.Q. to confer

abt clearing up / situatn

w a patrol from each Coy -

abt 1.30 pm. on first day.

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This ws tried but m.g. fire

ws too heavy for success.

You cdnt move.

Abt 3 p.m. orders from ^Corps thro' Bde

having came tt came tt / Americans

were on / green & / line

ws to advance.  This too .

ws impossible.  It ws then

tt Capt Ruddock went back

to try the getting forwd.

He got to his Coy, & ws

getting on / parapet to take

Coy Hqrs on when hit by 2

m g bullets.  Lt Lawrence

then for / second time took /c

of D Coy, being / only offr

left.  Capt Foster O.C. A Coy

ws wd in / same way - Lt

Weston ws left in/c A Coy.

Before this abt 8.15 Lt Rosta

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had bn wd.

[Gillemont is spelt

tt way-]

The Germ then began to

shell heavily.

At 3 p.m. in / genl.

advance A. Coy got Gillemont

Fm.  No Germs were got there -

It ws done over / top.  The

effect o / genl advance ws

to straighten up a little - w

casualties.

At night position ws.
Diagram - see original document
We were in the
Hindbg Outpost Front
Line (Willow trench)
(Gillemt trench
German in Suppt trench
Gillemt Crescent).

53

Sept 30.  Night ws v. wet &

most of it ws spent directing

American patrols in / dark
- things were v. obscure.

At dawn patrols were

sent out to Suppt Line

(Gillemt Crescent).  They found

Germs had gone - / place

contained Germ dead.  American

dead - water red w blood,

empty cartridges everywhere.

Coys moved into this trench.
Diagram - see original document

Stayed there all

tt day.  Shellfire

ws v. heavy on

C. Coy, meant for

Gillemt Fm.  It ws all sizes.  We cdnt

use our gun owing to vagueness
- only observed fire cd be employed.

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This gave / Germs a whip hand -

all 29 Germ m.g. fire ws

killing our arty.  C Coy had to

use gas masks 4 & 5 times

each hour thro gas shells occasionally

rt into / trench.

The m.gunners came

in & occupied C. Coys trench

tt day w a fine field of

fire - C Coy going into the

next trench forwd where Bn HQ ws.

Night 30/1  orders were sent to get

patrols out NE to Hindbg Main

Line if possible.  Lt Parry patrolling

got right out past 37 Bn on left

to / British on their flank.  40 were

separated from 37 but knew where

they were.

55

The patrols got thro / wire -

Then they were fired on & spotted

a few mgs on the left.  They

got into the 2 Hindbg main

lines N. of Bony, - Sergt Billing

had one & Sergt Riordan  Rearden another.

They cdnt reach / Canal

tunnel.  This ws just before

daylight.  Then orders were

recd from Bde for a genl advance.

Owing to Casualties Coys were

Clubbed: {A & B under McIntyre

{ C & D " Findlay.

The advance ws to be to

Bony Point & the Knoll - to be

taken & held.  Dispositns were to be:

38|  37|   38| 37|

39|  40|   39| 40| 

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McIntyre went down the gully

in / ridge NE from Bony

in 2 pties.  The left pty got

in at abt 9 A 3.4 without

difficulty but the rt pties

got v. heavy m.g. fire from

NE, the other side of Canal

on / left.  They got in to

both trenches (no sign of a dead

American past / Hindbg

Outpost System here).

On reaching the Hindbg

Line Lt Weston ws sent out

with est  a reconnoitring pty

& estabd a post at in A 10. C.

C & D folld imd after

A & B.  They came under

direct observed fire - 37

ws moving at / same time -

the Germans  & lost 1 k. 11 wd

57

58

From Zombo trenchch onwards

40 Bn Hqrs were wd is in Gillemont

Crescent  one trench behind front

line all / way - in a command

post (bigger Hqrs further back).

When Bn pushed forward to

Tunnel they moved up to 8 Centl

& got direct & constant fire.

Hqrs flag finally had to come

down.  Hqrs ws shelled by a

gun near A4 Central. 
 

C & D lined / Tunnel till

night when dispositns were

changed. X

39 Bn coming from Bony

were partly where on the

Tunnel bank where before 40 Bn where

40 Bn shd be.  Orders were later

recd for 39 to occupy

Bony Point & at Tunnel

& 40 Bn the Hindbg line

in Support

Next night they

were reld by

Note

Capt Wilkins ^(the Official Photographer) was in Willow Trench when

the Germs began to bomb up it.  He ws there

when Bowden started his fight & was going

back for reinfts when he met Capt Ruddock &

: Lawrens bringing a party to / trench.  A Lewis

Gunner ws k. besides him in a shell hole where

Ruddock was - & got in to Willow trench by / Tank.

59

38 Bn  Proyart.  Aug 10/11.

11.15 thro' the outpost line.

1st stoppage took place when

head of 38 Bn ws just past

the La Flaque Dump corner.

Bn ws in Column of fours w

100 yds outer distance betw plns.

When / stoppage occurred /

Column closed up.  3 tanks had

bn leading all / way; 3 more

were betw 40 Bn & 38 on /

road.  When / stoppage occurred

/ men got into the ditch on

S side.  On / N. side / rd

was bank on an embankment -

& this saved / situation.  The

mgs firing along onto / rd had to

fire up  Diagram - see original document

60

After / stoppage. any movement

ws simply closing up of

intervals from / rear.  37

(exc. one Coy) came thro 38.

38 ws to dig in on both sides

of Rd.  Abt 3 am orders

came to shift inf right

Coy over to a sort of Support

positn on N of rd (this

ws not the positn where

40 Bn had bn digging, but in

support to 38 front Coy.) Later

when 40 Bn side stepped

this suppt .Coy of 38 took its

place.)

Diagram - see original document

61