Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/204/1 - August 1918 - Part 7

A portion of 43 Bn (1 Coy)

ws put in to make a flank

in Zimmermann trench.

Its  That night a pln of

14 (under Lt ^Colin Hope Butler MC & Bar)

got 100 prisoners & many m.gs. in

Scutari trench.  This pln ws lent to 43

who took on this attack.

There ws all day a

danger o / germs working

round the hill slopes N

of the Nord Canal to

Scutari & c/attacking- so

/ valley ws strafed at 41

Bn request all day.

This ws a v. hard fight for

41 wh had its flank in /

air.  42 Bn had its flanks

supported & / Germs were not

fresh & didnt put up / resistance

expected.
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42 might have gone on had

/ protective barrage not enabled

/ germ. offrs to get their ^running men

back into / trenches ahead; but

41 Bn wd have had a

much more difficult job -

they cdnt get on after / barrage

even as it was.

Both Bns were reld

tt night by 74 Divn from

Palestine.

42 Bn used prisoners

in this fight more than ever before

or since.  They were big guardsmen

& carried hot tea, rations, ammn,

buried our dead, & their dead.

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In the "Peaceful" Penetration of

5/6/7 Sept the diffy ws tt unknown

objves had to be reached by a very

extended line in / dark - eg 42 Bn

had abt 5000 yds of front & penetrated

9000 yds.

 

41(met.

41 & 42 Bns. Bellicourt.

               38|→

                41|

42|  43|  44| →

 

41 went up in Arty formatn -

from Templeux le Guerard.

They had to reach Brown line

by 9 am in touch w 38Bn.

Before hand the Bn believed

tt / ger American line ws

incorrectly stated.  On reconnoitring

the day before the majority of Offrs

& NCOs came to / conclusion

tt / Americans, who sd 

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they were in the Guillemont or

Quennimont Fm line, were

really in / Cat Post Benjamin

Post line.  The Bn suspected

tt all ws not well when, on

approaching Benjamin Post

they came under m.g. fire.

They then  reached / Ronsoy -

Bellemont icourt Rd - when /

German started to shell /

trench in F.24, F30 & Claymore

Valley so heavily tt they

had to pull up as they were

not supposed to be in /

fight yet.  The m.g. fire ws

pretty heavy but ws probly

aimed at troops further over.

There ws a mist wh became

heavier.  Bn settled in

Benjamin trench.  Americans

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began to drift in who sd they

had met w no success.

Bn gathered all these

Americans.  It ws taken for

granted tt / Americans hadnt

mopped up - so patrols

were sent out to feel

their way forwd & let /

Bn get forward.  These

patrols were platoon strong.

One got to Quennet Copse.

They had fair casualties.

Rest of Bn got forward 200-

300 yds working with 38th

Bn - they had to keep touch

w them all / time.

That night / line ran:

Trollope, Triangle trench, Quennet

Copse; & at nightfall, after

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with a fight they pas got along

Guillemont trench (in part of wh

they were) & got 5 mgs.

Left had to remain in F24 A 8.4

Lt. Dodds, shot thro bladder

urging his platoon forward - k.

Lt. Brewer, m.g.

Lt Lawson., k. by a shell, going

out to carry in Scout Sergt

Rickwood DCM who ws lying

out in front.  Rickwood had

gone out to see how things were

& ws lying in front in an

exposed position.  L ws k.

just as he reached him; both

were k.

Quennemont Fm. ws

a cause of trouble.

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Lt.Robinson wd by a shell

in / neck. (wd)

2/Lt J.Wallace MM. - shot thro / neck by m.g. (wd)

Lt J.J. Hanley wd by shell.

41 Bn finished there handed

over to 9 Bde.

Lt. H.J.Wiles D.S.O.- wd in /

legs (DSO Sailly le Sec for raids)

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42 Bn. Bellicourt.

They moved forward

as for open warfare as left

support Bn. (in reserve).

Abt 500 yds short of

Benjamin Post the connecting

files w 41 reported tt 41

ws held up because by German

fire.  (41 had to advance or stop

as 42 did).  On arriving at /

most forward Bty positn 42

found them under m.g. fire -

& heavy sneezing gas.

Here 2/Lt G.Minter Brown

ws wd in / stomach & do/w.

He ws an original man & a v fine

man (on Scottish histy).

There they stayed in trench & shellholes
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most of tt day.  Lamps &

telephone were working back

to Bn H.Q. & Bde H.Q. wh

I.O. had 100 yds behind / Coys.

The Signal Offr went forwd

towds Quennemont Fm -

(a shade on left front, well

forward) to reconnoitre for

a visual signal stn.  A

tank major finding himself

being surrounded by a no.

of Germs & having a wd

tank crew on his hands

asked Lt Patterson to help him

get them out.  He w his Signal

Corporal & two Sgts kept /

Germs off w German bombs for

some time & rescued /

tank crew.  Lt Patterson ws

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badly wd by a bomb thrown

by an American.  The sigrs

carried Patterson out.

That evg Sept 29  42

Bn cleaned up neighbourhood

of Quennemont Fm &

Malakoff Wood, m.g. fire ws

largely indirect-

From there 42 occupied

Quennemont Pit Lane, Paul

trench, Top Lane & Hindbg

line abt 21 C 8.1.  The

Coy there ws mixed w 44

& Americans & for 2 days

carried on a bomb fight w /

Germs.  They worked their

way down / trench abt 100 yds

a day.  Barbed wire & well

concealed mgs were /
difficulty.  On 30, 31 & 1 this

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