Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/205/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5

so as to shoot over / rd.  They
sent forwd patrols who ^-Sergt Simpson & 2 men went up
into / Northern part of Mt St Q
village & brought back 14 Germs. 
The 17 Bn ws not there then.  The
patrol on / mount met no
oppositn & ws not fired at -
& they cd see / Germans running
down the slopes on / far side.
A complete German AMC
dugout ws found in a tunnel
under / rd - no other dugouts.
The first report of contact
with 17 Bn came from Lt Small
of 17 Bn.  A Sergt & a runner
who had bn sent up by
Maj McDonald found this
party ^E of / road at abt the 3rd tree
S. of the bend - Small sd tt
39 

he ws in touch w 17 Bn,
& they were in touch w
19 Bn.  Later he ws k. by
a T.M. on / road w 2/Lt Richardson.
Later Anthon went up / road
under / bank & had a talk 
with Croft who ws then on
the E side o / rd abt 200
yds from where Small ws
lying killed.  Croft at tt time did
not know exactly where 17 was
but thought they were in
the top of Agram Alley (not Elsa
trench.) He had sent out a patrol
to see.
At a stage before this
parties of 17 Bn had bn seen
working thro ^beyond / village from
/ main wood across / open to
a little wood beyond.  They cd
40 

be seen going over / open between
/ two.  Later they came back.
D Coy supported A - abt
80 yds behind & had joined in
abt / Canal.  Lieut Noble ws
k. at / bank o / Canal
sniped thro / head.  They ^The right were
not fired on at all from in rear.
Capt Broadbent ws in/c of D Coy.
He got separated w abt 20 men
& got mixed up w a shell &
reached Save trench on / rt. 
The left under Maj. McDonald
got up / top o / hill into / trench
just W. of 7 central.  A good many
Germans were met there.  M.gs.
held the Coy up.  Small patrols
of N.C.Os & 2 men had to be sent
forwd to deal w them.  Each
had a L.G. the L.Gs went 
forward as well as they cd
41 

& engaged / m.g.  Then / other 
2 worked round close eno to
throw a bomb.  As soon as they
got near eno' to throw a bomb
the Germs wdnt fight - the
party got to know this.  They
The pty pushed on out of 
there & found it ws getting 

trouble from 2 m.gs. somewhere
abt Nich trench on / rt.  Sergt
Frost & 4 men were sent 
over there.  They came back w
12 prisoners & 2 m.gs.  In or abt
Morava trench ws found a big 
dugout w some Germans above
it in / trench. Sergt Horton & Maj.
McD. come on it - xxx / bombs
were finsihed - Sergt Horton fired
a rifle shot down / dugout & /
42 

Germs' came out.  The chief 
man in bad English sd he ws
in charge of a Bde & he demanded
fair treatment - the men were
ratting him.  He demanded an
officer to escort him - he ws given
a private. 
The front ws getting so big
& thin - no one cd be seen
on / left (tho' at this time they 
thought 3rd Divn were attacking
w them) tt Maj. McD. sent up
B Coy, who were 50 yds behind
C to reinforce C Coy.
At this time the left ws abt
in / old German front system in
7B - ^wh ws badly knocked abt by our shelling & a barrage of
ours ws down around
Berlin Wood & thro' 1D, 
& this ws driving / Germans
43 

towards the left o / 20 Bn.  The 
rt ws by now getting away from
them.  So Maj. McD told Lt
Giard to take /c of the
front wave,  B & C while
McD. remained behind with
a Sergt., batman & 2 runners.
They gathered up the Bde Commdr
with 150 men & 4 offrs.  By /
time they were lined up & in
fours, 3 or 4 slightly wd men
came back who took them
down to Bn Hqrs.  A good
many o / Germans took
a risk & got away thro our barrage
to / NE.
McD & his pty then went on.
The Germans had a trench on /
top o / high canal bank at
abt 8 c 5.7.  These Germans put
44 

up a good m.g. fight.  As soon
as our line (B & C) got close
to them they gave up, but
the men were not taking prisoners
in a close fight like this. 
Abt 40 Germs were dead here &
4 m.gs. They were probly transport
for they had different kit - or
artillery men. 
On crossing / Canal there
they joined / other Coys & went 
thro / villlage.  Nothing o / village
ws standing - it ws all weeds
& scraggy trees. 
The Co When the left got
to its objve McD. sent a post 
out into / village to command
the cross road N of Fenillacourt.
When they got there they saw two
45 

77 guns in 3B wh were firing
point blank at them.  They got 
/ Lewis guns onto them & made
them shift - range ws to long
to do any damage but they
cleared on / road up / valley.
In / aftn they came back
just out of sight in / g round
/ bend o / valley to / left &
caused great trouble later. 
After getting on / objve &
settling down they watched a
barrage of ours creeping up to /
Bapaume Rd - this wd be abt
10 mins after / objve ws gained
(it ws gained right on time).  The
infantry of 3rd Divn appeared behind
this barrage on / top of / hill
but stopped there in the system in
I 1.  They came no further than
46 

that - they did not work further
than tt in / trenches - the
20 Bn had understood the night
before tt they were coming
up onto / Bapaume Rd. 
The 20 Bn dug in on / top
o / road bank.  Maj McD sent
back a dispositn report o /
Bn front & told the C.O. they cd
hold on provided / flank were
protected. 
Later on the 3rd Divn.
sent up a pln of 3rd Divn
came up but did not arrive
till hours afterwds.  They had got lost
& it ws then night & 6 Bde were there then.
Later the 2 guns wh had
bn shifted got in to place again
& their shooting became very
accurate - The gun ws a 4.2,
H.E., bursting on the edge o / road
47 

(the W edge)
a & causing many casualties.
Up / valley there were a number
of old brick pits - not Germans
went  had as locks in / Canal.
The Germs worked down /
Canal into these & then across
from there into / village in small
pties.  At / same time they
worked down on / left flank
& it ws found tt there ws
a gap betw 20 Bn & 17.  Up
to then Small's message had
made them think tt / line
ws continuous.
Lieut Anton abt 1 p.m. came
down to report tt Germs were firing
on them from their right - partly from
Mt St Q wh looked down on them - & partly
from just S.W o / road (possibly betw road
and ELSA trench.
[Abt 9a.m. 2 Coys 18 Bn had bn
asked for ^by Col. Forbes & sent up to fill in / gap
48