Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/205/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 7

Diagram - see original document

/ directn of White Farm (the

White Cottage or House).  Through

the wire there ws a lot

of fighting.  The men manning

guns were German Engineers

& they fought well.

At this time the Bn

ws swerving a little left.

The valleys had a lot of

gas in them & directn

ws hard to keep.  25 Bn

worked left, & the

Lt. Elkington w them on left

of Cameron's Coy - & so / whole

Coy.  The Beaurevoir trench where

the 20^th crossed it was dug -

but ws held in small pothole

posts (much as where we saw it)
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59a
X  Here at abt 14A 8.3 they

struck two 4.2 guns.  The

crews were not firing / guns

now but were standing behind

/ guns standing firing w rifles.

Lt Bain & Lt Cameron got two Germ.

M/guns working (heavies wh had 

been found in a bit of a

shallow drain trench near

there) & knocked / crew.  These

were lying outside / trench - one

had no stand & / other had a 

rough wooden mounting -

They rested / unmounted gun on / grass

but it wdnt work bec. o / ejector being

on / ground - However, when / ejector cleared

the trench she went. Every man is suppd to

know now how to work a Germ m.g.  The Bn carries 2 of them.

The 20 Bn got on / left of

Kukri valley.  You cd not

get up / valley on acct. of

the terrific m.g. fire from

Beaurevoir Mill & also

from 2 anti tank guns

just behind / mill.  Going

up the ridge thro 14B & D :^X

they found tt they were being

fired on from Lamottte Farm.

This naturally forced Cameron

& Elkington further over still -

the Coy w Cameron ws losing

a great many men here.

Elkington got near / top of

the 135 ridge & saw 6 water

small holes covered by WP

sheets.  He kicked / top of one

& 4 Huns jumped out of it -

he then went to / others; they
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got 4 Germs out of each.

At / bottom ws a little

trench dugout - only 4ft. deep.

Diagram - see original document

This ws a curious arrangement
- possibly to escape observatn

& get up after we had passed

w their m.gun.  (one ws w them

in / holes).

By then they had lost touch

on rt. & left ∧ - the whole 3 Coys were mixed by then.  Coming up towds

Bellevue Fm they got to / sunken Rd

across / valley.  While Cameron

ws there Elkington came down

this same rd from / left

& joined.

They turned their mgs onto 

the Beaurevoir Mill m.gs.
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& shot them up by sniping.

The Rd ws 6ft deep.  They

cdnt keep Bellevue Fm

quiet, nor / anti tank

guns.  You cdnt get your 

head above / rd.

A tank there came

round down / slope from /

NW of Bellevue Farm Beaurevoir.

he started to belt into Bellevue

Fm but he cdnt stop / guns

there, probly they were on /

roof.  He ws wandering

there all / while under

very heavy fire from the

Anti tank gun wh by some

miracle didnt hit him.

Cameron signalled to him by

raising a tin hat on a rifle, &
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he came down to / road

& stopped on / edge o / bank.

The offr. in / c o / tank "Mudhook" -

2/Lt Martin, 13^th Tank Bn,

got out o / tank & bought his

map down to find out

his location.

Cameron asked him to

go up again & try & blow out

/ Fm.  He went up firing

his 6 pdr but the thing jammed

& / Hotchkiss jammed also.

He went back over / back

o / hill under fire from these

guns most o / way & down

into mushroom. quarry -

the infy cdnt get at / guns

to help.

Some there in tt small party wanted to go

on & take Beaurevoir.

Cameron thought there
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63a

 

C Coy 19Bn got lost & reached line

near 25 Bn by Lormissett.  (They had

no offrs & were under an offr of 25 Bn)

Rest of 19 Bn ws held E of Estrees.

20 Bn reported / day before tt / Germs

cd be seen coming down w full packs -

evidently a relief by new divn.

At 6 p.m. right before / attack

the officers knew tt a report had

bn recd tt / Germs were massing

for an attack on / British on / rt.

The White House ws / kernel o /

day. 
 

: There were only 13 men there.

The flanks were both in / air.

They were being fired on from

all round.  They decided

to withdraw under cover o /

Hill

Diagram - see original document

As shown across the hill 

to / left, then down the old

18 in trenches o / Beaurevoir

line ∧(where were a number of 20 Bn who followed them & were tied up
 by mgs from crossing to / rd) to / quarry - up the

Torrens gully - mop up

Lamotte Frm, & then attack
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up over / hill to take Beaurevoir.

(w some TMs the Fm cd have

bn shifted but nothing cd be

done as it was.)

An arty offr ws w them 

from an Army Bde & he

ws going back to arrange /

barrage.  They got into /

Torrens near Lamotte.  It

seemed to be v. strongly held.

Also they had a good idea tt /
Show had not gone well to /

right rear.  There were Germans

in / hedge at 22A77 & lots

coming down / Roman Rd.

When these last were seen

it look certain tt / Show at

Estrees had failed.  So Cameron

decided tt they wd settle where
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they were.  They occupied Torrens

from abt 20 B 9. 5 to 15C.

7.0  They were facing both

ways from / Torrens.

They knew there were men 

in Lormisset having seen

25 Bn there - so / impt

front ws tt towds / Roman

Rd.

As they sat there they saw

Mudhook coming from Mushroom

Quarry & asked where he ws

going.  He sd he ws going

to have a shot at Lamotte

Fm.  A 7 Bde offr had pointed

it out to him from / Quarry

wh ws getting fire from it.

His guns jammed & his crew

half fainted w gas.  He sd
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he wd have another go if he

cd get some volunteers - 

he had / driver & himself

but wanted 2 men to work

/ guns.  2 of 7^th Bde volunteered

to work / guns (wh he had

repaired)  The first time he

had abt reached Cameron.

He got nearly as far agn firing

all / time when / anti tank

gun hit him in / traveller,

set / tank on fire & killed

/ driver.  The offr & 2 Australians

got out - & were gn a

drink by 20 Bn & then went 

off.

No word had come from

Hqrs.  So after fixing things

Cameron decided to go back
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w a runner himself & report

to C.O. & what to do.

Nearly at Hqrs he met a 

runner w a message telling

him to withdraw to Torrens

Canal,  They & saying what

had happened.  Cameron saw

the C.O. & returned.

In / meantime Lt Burdus

DSO ws sent up to find out

where they were.  He found

the Bn in / Canal.  And then

a party went over under

Burdus & Anthon & had

a look at Lamotte Fm.  Most of

/ Germs had cleared.  A few fought

but they got / Fm & 2 guns

in / back o / Fm amongst /

trees.  Cameron found tt / mg

fire ws heavier than ever from
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