Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/205/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

up, this arrangemt ws
so hurried tt Forbes had
to grab the Bn Commdrs
as they passed & get them
to speak to Gen. Martin on
/ telephone.
It wd be abt 9 a.m.
When the barrage ws finally
put on White Cottage.
The Whippets went
through before the cottage
ws taken.  When / news
came tt the 19 Bn ws held
up by / Cottage xxxxxx
Col Forbes recommended
tt a message shd be sent
to / whippets at once to
stop them if possible,
but this wsnt done. 
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x Mt St Q. (continued)
During / night Anthon on orders
from McDonald sent patrols out
in front.  One Sergt got a German
coming down to / river with xx 22
tin dixies for water.
Cd'nt find 3rd Divn on
left.  Parties of 3rd Divn wh
had bn passed in Elen Alley /
day before had sd tt they were
supports & tt / front line
ws in Bontemps trench - but
it ws found later tt Germans
were in Bontemps trench.
C.O. Came up & estabd
HQrs at the junction of Slant
Alley & the Gully – in Maj. McDs
advd. Hqrs in a big dugout.
The Coy Commdrs met him there- 
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The C.O. gave verbal instrns for /
attack & / objve.
The objve ran from the Xrd
in / middle of Feuillacourt to
the bend of the main rt (S.)
They realised tt they wd have to
fight to get to any the J.O. positn
& decided tt it wd be a
fight all / way. There were
German in / trenches just
S. The 17 Bn were gn / job
of clearing this right flank.
They went along / road past
20 Bn. sentry (who ws there
to warn Anthon when they passed) at
corner of trench & rd.
The Bn ws then waiting for /
barrage (wh ws to be area shoots.)
As soon as / barrage came down
they started. Major McDonald took
/ left & Lieut Anthon the rt. Capt.
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Barlow (who ws wd tt day) ws
in/c of right.
The Coy ws divided in two
in the ½ hour before / barrage.
They dexx gave the men a nip
of rum in this half hour. The
men had no breakfast - /
dry rations came up during /
night (by McGill.) Lieut Elliott
took his pln (A Coy ws 2 plns
at this time) & followed Slant
Alley & / trenches leading
out of it, bombing all /
way, until he struck / canal.
Lieut Anthon took / other pln
& went onto / road. He went
down / road towds Freckles
Wood & assisted Elliott in
bombing a m.g. post in Nich
trench. (He had troubled them all
night - they were going to get 
 32

32a 

x The German were thick throughout
these trenches, but the noise o /
attack seemed to stagger them &
the majority threw down their arms
& ran for our trenches.

him during / night but let
him stop till / morning. x
The Germans in their trenches
were so much surprised tt
they cd nt fight. This raised 
/ spirits o / parties greatly.
Capt Barlow & Hqrs section (all parties

were in file) went on along / road.
Anthon went over from Nich
trench over Maros trench.  As he
crossed this trench Lieut Elliott & 
his pln came into the long 
C.T. across Maros trench.
He waited there till Capt 
Barlow extended / Coy
rest o / Coy & they advanced
in extended order w their right
somewhere N. of Brasso trench.
Elliott joined with his pln
extended as they passed him
33 

& they made in line
towds the rt o/ ^20 Bn objve. The
Moant guided them. It ws
a clear morning - & as soon as

they got to / top o / ridge on

wh they had bn all night - it cd
be seen outlined agst / sky. It
ws a clear morning - no moon - 
cloudy.  As they were advancing
the dawn broke behind the Mt &
it ws a great guide all / way - 
it ws their salvation in making this
movement. The Colonel had given
them this idea, as the J: Off
positn was so impossible to get to.
The splitting up of A Coy ws ^decided on by Barlow Anthon & Elliott because
they knew the pocket just SE of them
contained several German m.gs. & 
it wd be fatal to come at them
over / top - & / best way wd be 
34 

to work round them & get them
from / back. This nest ws known
owing to it having fired all night -
& our patrols had bn out & given
xx idea as to / location of / m.gs.

That plan worked.  The noise wh

/ men kicked up - (they had bn
told to make as much noise as 
possible to give / Germans / idea tt
there were many more men
there than there really were - 
it is an old plan w 20 Bn.)
Authons pln consisted of 14 men
at this time; (8 lost day before)
Elliotts  22
Capt Barlow.  15
The plan hd bn adopted 

knowing tt / other Coys wd
come thro on / left. 
35

As they advanced, the day
ws breaking well. They got abt
500 yds, looked round, & cd
see 19 Bn coming up on their 
right from / river. (Had seen 17 Bn
as they 20 Bn passed down / rd,
going in to mop up a pocket
of Germans behind them).
This plan had shut in
most o / Germans behind
the Coy 20 Bn. In / rest
of  As the day broke the 
Germs cd be seen running
up / hill from / trenches
around of the Gottlieb system.
You cd see Germans on the 
right & left of / mount but
not on / hill itself.  Presently
the whole  Germans seemed to be 
 36

running from the whole country
on the bn's front & flanks. They
wd get up & clear 500 yds
away. The Bn had expected fighting
here & this was a most welcome
surprise - the ease of this stage
o / fight.
They continued to advance to 
Oder trench - an old German trench.
xxx Germans were being picked
up all / way in pockets who
had run & cd until they cdnt run 
any more - too out of breath &
frightened to speak. The Bn sat on
the edge of Gottlieb trench - not
in it - until the barrage lifted
from / objve. The men all took
out their cigarette cases & lit their 
cigarettes. The advance so far had 
37 

been at the half double - the
men trying to get at / Germans,
& taking occasional pot shots. Two or
three times where a number of
Germs broke together the L.Guns
were put on them for a burst.
The men welcomed / rest at Oder 
trench.
At this time 2 or 3 m.gs. opened
from the mount itself - but
shooting high  - the bullets whizzing
overhead.
10 mins after getting there
(they ^had never expected to catch / barrage)
the barrage lifted. They walked
on to / objve. The road there
ws abt 30 feet high - it turned

out a first rate ranging mark.
The men started at once to make
a sort of shell on top o /bank.
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