Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/202/1 - September - October 1918 - Part 7

Bn HQ ws in the House W
of Factory at La F.
The tanks remained
one on rd at head, one
on left & one on rt of rd.  Abt
3 a.m. when one tank began
signalling down / road, the
Germs in a post a short
distance N fairly lit him up
w sparks from m.g. bullets.
At 3.30 tanks were alld to
retire.  38 Bn R 27 D 4.3 - C. 4.8
Aug 11 - heavy mist.  When this
rose Germs were seen 80 yds
away from A Coy - they had
seen this post before but
weren't sure tt these mightnt
be our people.  Abt noon
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^X On / mg. of Aug 11 there
had bn a gap on rt of
38 Bn of abt 700 yds to
left of 20.  This ws covered
by a Vickers Gun abt 200
yds in rear o / line till
19 Bn wh reld 20 Bn sent up
a platoon to fill in along
the Rd abt 24 A. 2.6.

L Cpl Lewis and Pte EAG. Smith
(Lt Poole's Coy) went straight out
to these men - rushed them &
brought them in.  Another post
had bn got in earlier. ^X
[In the night before it
ws 40 Bn wh ws bombed -
TM ammn which was at rear
of 38 had a bomb dropped
right on it.  The bombing ws
very heavy indeed - next
mg 40 Bn horses were lying
on / rd - & abt 10 men -
Ahead up / rd were abt
30 men lying.]
On Aug 12. another advance to
reach / original objve.  No

arty - probly they didnt know where
inf. were.  The smoke grenade ws
useful.  ^Vickers M.Gs. acted as covering weapon.
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Lt Jbt McColl ws k tt night evg
at Avenue Cross by sniper
from the German CCS just
before dark.  (The advance had
bn by little rushes coverd by
L.G. & VMG.)
The E. Yorks being led
up tt night were heavily
bombed & lost 2 offrs & 30 or
Lt SR Warnock.  wd on mg of Aug 11
by shell in post.
Lt E.J. Schlitz M.C. on mg of Aug 12
while going forwd w No 2
platoon.
The mist ws heavy on
Aug 11 but no help on Aug 12.
On Aug 12.  Avenue Post just
at SE Corner of the Rd Xing, wh
had bn the chief obstacle in
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/ night attack (together w
line of posts NW of Rd) -
ws to be attacked by Capt
Dench as soon as it ws
known tt Fairweather on
left of Rd ws making ground.
Lt Baxter of Dench's Coy ws to
go straight up S. side of Rd,
& Lt McColl ws to attack it
by working round to its rt
& behind / trees of / X Rd.
Lt F.J. Baxter moved so rapidly in working
his sections forward (11 men)
tt he ws onto / post before
McColls pty had really got going.
He got / offr & 28 o.r. & xx 3 mgs
from this post.  It ws in tt post
tt McColl ws killed later.
38 Bn lost 4 offrs 103 o.r.
66

of these 1 offr & 18 o.r. were
hit in the night march.
(This offr ws Capt Orchard).
On 12 Aug when Bn
got to its final positn
German shellfire on it ws
v. heavy.
Bray.  38 Bn reld 33 Bn
on night of 23/24 Aug.
Left of Bn was in the
Chalk Pit.  33 Bn had no
men in this post at this stage.
Capt Dench on left ws in Chalk Pit
with C. Coy.  
Diagram - see original
67

33 Bn ws v. done.
Shortly after relief Lt Baxter
& his batman rushed a m.g.
post 70 yds out from the Chalk Pit.
Feature of this day ws
/ heavy shelling from / directn
of Mametz - the heaviest longest / Bn
ever experienced from dawn
to 8 p.m.  Under this the
Tommies on left began to give
The Tommies had fallen back
after / original attack on
Aug 22.  Dench organised &
got their right (abt 200) up onto
the line N. of / Chalk Pit
on the Fricourt Rd.  He had done
this once - / heavy shelling drove
/ Tommies back.  Dench went
up again; & he ws sniped after
he had got them up / second time.
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69
Ammn ws carried up in spite
of this shelling - it ws v.
badly needed.  The men who
got it up brought back wd
on stretchers.

A message rocket from /
Chalk Pit from Baxter brought
news of Denchs death - 1700
yds away, landed near Bn H.Q.
(Dench at a confce immediately
before had sd tt he didnt consider
/ message rockets worth a damn.
This message now, charred,
is in Australian War Museums.
D. didnt want men burdened by
it ^but Maj Maudsley ordered it. - When it fell near Bn HQ
it ws thought to be a bit of shell
& no one ^they scarcely noticed it - Pte
McCoy went out under heavy
shell fire & picked it up - it sounded
like a new sort of shell - McCoy
(Maudsleys batman) thought it ws a
rocket).
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The same bullet tt killed
Dench wounded Lt Barker
- it came from 70 yds away - 
a sniper. Barker had bn
helping Dench organise / Tommies.
Baxter reported there
were no Tommies left 
of these - & another pln
ws sent up from C under
Lt WPD. Murie.
Capt H. Dench k.
Lt P. Malloch ROD wd.

Lt EM Barker wd.
Lt RW Gollen wd by one of our
own ^air bombs by wh he ws wd
& 3 N.C.O.s & 2 men were k.
This ws ^abt 200 yds South of the Chalk Pit Post.
The plane mistook it for
a German post.
71

The whole 39 bn ws sent up
to form a defensive
flank from / Chalk Pit
due W for 1500 yds.
This plane ws circling round
4 or 5 times to identify
them & then dropped 5 bombs

They were all looking up
at it.
Reld at 10 pm by 42 Bn.
who were attacking tt night.
Our own arty ws also
very fogged by / vagueness o / 
line.
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Bony 38 Bn

Bn got to Ronssoy on
27 Sept & camped in wood W.
of Ronssoy. Night of 27 & 28
they were heavily gassed & were 
up practically all night.
Diagram - see original

Bn moved
out from Ronssoy
along Rd fields in 
valley S of
Ronssoy in
Col. of route. They were abt
in / middle o / valley.
They had cleared Ronssoy & 
were abt 300 yds short of 
Dog Trench when they beg

came suddenly into all sorts

of fire - m.g. & whizzbang
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