Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/204/1 - August 1918 - Part 5

objve without resistance.
2 Coys 42 went on 
down hill to exploit ( from
/ Outer Amiens defence.
There had bn a mist
but this had lifted .)
They got  started into Billou
Wood valley - got a few
prisoners unopposed but heavily
shelled in one part. 44 ws
on rt. The ridge they had
left ws a very big one -.
/ biggest for many miles
-a landmark. The coys
going over / top to exploit
were shelled at once &
had casualties. The guns
seemed to be in Vaux wood
& Spur Wood. The Coys were
not to f push forward if opportunity
offered. As they came under
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mg. & arty fire they didn't
go far & decided not to go on.
The Tommies had not got /
high grnd on the left - &
until they did it ws
difficult to get on on on / lower
ground on / rt.
Eventually it ws done
be done by 43 & 44 at night, 25/26 
(41 ws behind 42 in
support on Aug  25, & agn on
Aug 26).
26 Aug abt 2pm. 10 & 11 Bde
advanced to a line NW-
SE to Vaux Wood.
In aftn 41 got orders to relieve
43, this ws later changed
to an attack to take /
line to / N edge o / Vaux Wd
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[*27 Aug*]
Copse K ( 44 & 10 Bde on rt,
at 11pm passed thro
43 & were in touch w
44 Bn.  At 2.50am Aug 27
they reached objve - there
ws m.g. fire but / Germs
cleared. It ws a silent
stunt - no arty. Germans
ran as soon as we got
near them - no tanks.
The Germs were then falling
back on / Clery or Somme
positions. There ws a  good deal fair amt
of rain during / shifts at
Bray - Suzanne) on night of
25 Aug - a sharp storm) v few
casualties.
At 2.am orders came tt at
4.55am Bn ws to attack
agn w 58 Divn ( one Coy of
42 Bn attacked on left.
41

It ws v. noticeable tt in
the 2.55am advance the Bn
took up it's line wonderfully
accurately in / dark; &
they also kept touch over
difficult country wh was
unknown to them. The success
signal ( one green light) ws
sent up & by guide sticks
from Bn O.P. you cd tell
wh Coy ws there. Signalling
ws by O.L. Lamps ( Lucas lamps
ws red disk ).
As soon as success signal
went up, C.O. went up &
at / row of trees below Z
central put his H.Q.  Coy
Commandrs were collected by
I.O & told what they had to do
at HQrs. They had ( at 4.55am)
42

at 5 to 5 am Barrage wd
come down for 20 mins
on a line near ^ where the bend
o / river begins. The Tommies
thought they had some men
in between & this ws so
as not to fall on them.
The troops were to mop up
to / barrage. Then / barrge
would go on remain for 30
mins & then go on to
Fargny Mill wh ws / object.
41 Bn ws one Coy
& 42 Bn on left ( 100 yds behind)
mopped up to / barrage.
Lt Jackson ws hit going up
to / barrage by a shell - &
Lt Armstrong lost his right
arm by a shell also. The
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night ws a bright moonlight.
The Tommys barrage ws
so were uncertain where
they were. From 21C. where
the Tommies thought they 
were came a collection of
Germ flares.
Diagram - see original document
A Coy 41 Bn under Lt Hanley Capt C Frank  Hanley went
a bit further than it's objve. Befy
44

C coy ( on rt of A) struck heavy some
fighting ( under Capt French) C helped
B which
struck heavy
fighting in
Spur Wood
Diagram- see original document
Spur Wood, Fargny Wood & /
big embankt at Chapeau de
Gendarme were heavily
held. The hill ws very steep
closely bushed w
lots of
cover
for m.gs.
Diagram- see original document
Pte Gordon of C Coy
(wh ws held up in front
of Fargny Wood) did gt
work. He repeatedly went into Fargny 
Wood dealt w a m.g. & 9 men &
altogether took 40 prisoners singlehanded.
45

(he ws wd doing a similar
mad work on Sept 1, by a Germ.
offr who shot him in / hand
w / revolver wh he had
grabbed.) 
B Coy, after heavy fighting,
got to it's objve. They had to
use T.Ms & L.Gs but got
there by 8.5 a.m & began
to consolidate.
The whole day they
were fighting ^ w Germs in / old trench
system- Chapeau de Gendarme
& old trenches of the ^ old French & German
lines to / N. The Tommies
who had / old French ( 1914)
line E of Maricourt as 1st objve
& / old German line as
2nd objve, never got beyond
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their first objve tho' they
started well. Our Light
Horse in all this fighting
did very fine work indeed -
& on this occasion brought back
cleared up / situation on
/ left N. of Maricourt - wh
ws most vague.
The troops were tired at
/ start & it ws a very
difficult fight. We got 100
prisoners & 20 m.gs.
The Tommies were up
Road Avenue, & 5 Street,
& Lowestoft St
[Gordon got a V.C for his
work wh helped B Coy a lot]
o / 42 Bn: The location & details of
C. Coys part in operatn is
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exact as it ws done by Lt
Tardent I.O. who ws there]
42 Bn ws attached to 9 Bde
(bat ws v. weak) from
noon on Aug 27. The diary
on this point is v. accurate.
42 had to be pushed up constantly,
hardly stopping - the Germs were
returning after 28 Aug. & these
Bns simply followed
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