Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/205/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 9

These Germans were overrun.
There were Germs along / rly.
They didnt fight there. From
there on / m.g. fire began
to grow. This ws mostly from
Framerville. The Germans at
the La Flaque corner got out &
ran back along / road.
The 18 Bn rt Coy came up
to the pot holes just NW of
Rainecourt - from there their
line went back towds
Framerv La Flaque corner.
On / rt it ws in potholes back
towds Framervillle.
The tanks were knocked out on
/ left front - 2 were burning
in the N half of 33 B or ^Sd 27 D.
No tanks seemed to be surviving
then. Straight ahead ws a
79

bit of a shanty on / road
wh Capt. Lane took for part
of Framerville, never having
seen / place. The Germs were
very thick in this & if there
had bn a tank they wd have
routed them out. (Lane must have kept
going wonderfully in this attack).
As / advance on / left
came up to / Factory a
tank came across up & belted into
it.
In / objve there were potholes
in places - at other places
they had to dig in. The m.g.
fire ws heavy. They were
consolidating this line when
they were withdrawn after
dark behind the road in
rear (to La Flaque). Their positn
80 

 ws past / objve - very
exposed to Rainecourt; &
/ left ws exposed. 18 Bn
dug in along the new line
wh ws / objve.
Lt Duncan, B Coy
Pretty Well all / offrs were hit
this day, 13 or 14.
AB|  |D
              ^→
B|  |C
Capt Graham |    | Capt Lowther
Lt Duncan |    |  Capt Lane
In / later half o / attack. m.g.
fire ws coming from / road in 27 D
& directn of Proyart & straight ahead.
The tanks were hit by guns firing direct
from 27 C 1.3 or nearby. The advance ws one
81 

81a
continuous advance under m.g
fire quite very thick in spots. The
time occupied ws / time of it took
to walk there, less each time as
ws occupied in clearing out
potholes.
The anti tank guns were firing
direct & after / tanks were knocked
out they turned their attention to /
infantry. The German barrage
ws mostly 4.2 at long range onto
the Blue line.
The left flank ws 2000 yds
in / air. So Maj Robertson borrowed
a Coy of 20 Bn & put it in along
/ Rd. Capt Portman commanded
this coy. They were N. of the rd.
The left ws to have moved at / same time
But it ws uncertain. This action ws
taken as soon as it cd [[be taken?]]
 

C.  Capt Lane - (DSO for this) Got to objve - hit 2ce - once in leg
while showing a 17 Bn L. Gunner a

German m.g. straight ahead.
Houldsworth
Harrison (M.C. for this)
Jones (in Adwell valley).
M.C.
A.  Capt Graham MC.
Lt Wilkins      Owens (left
                          Walls (left))
Lt Duncan (d of wounds)
 B  Lt Sheath M.C. killed aug 8. (as above]
Lt Redgrave wd. on Aug 8
Lt Sanson. wd. on Aug 8.           { Walls
                                                      left { Maxwell
D.  Lt Eldridge DCM
Lt Murray (M.C. for this).          Capt Lowther  D.S.O, M.C.(left)
Lt Satchell (D Coy) on aug 8th.
Lt Johnson (transpt offr.) a 

[*Those underlined were wd on Aug 8.*] 

The casualties were heavy.
There was no artillery & / tanks were hit.
The left (D Coy) had all offrs exc.
Capt Lowther hit. They dealt w / big
Dump - took an offr & 20 prisoners &
82 

3 m.gs. out of this Dump.

The Dump ws valued at 5,000,000
marks by our Engrs.
Sergt C luck from Woolloomoloo
went in w a detached party
of abt 6 to / Dump. They saw
a German post consisting of one
offr, Sergt Major & 20 odd or.
These were using 3 mgs & an anti tank
T.M. They worked in behind them
& put in a few bombs. They assembled
/ Germans & at this stage / German
offr, who spoke English, called
our Sergt to attention & told him to
Salute him - wh he did under / chin
He hit him under / chin, stood him
to attention & marched him off.
He cleaned out / whole o / dump.
The Left Coy had to deal w
a German mg.wh ws not in /
83 

factory but N of the road at
the X rds. The line ws drawn
short o / factory in anticipatn
of its being shelled - which
it was.
Lt Maxwell & Beaurevoir.
(from Maj. Robertson)
on 8^th Aug.}
      9^th Aug.}  Maxwell MC & bar, DCM. ws / only officer who was left in his coy -
        31 Aug.}  
           3 Oct}  
In 3 Oct fight his Coy finished
up with 25 men. He took it
in again on Oct 5^th. He has never
been wd. & has missed only
one Operatn (Bullecourt) Hqrs at
Hill 60. He ws take prisoner
in the Joucourt operatn & escaped
again. There he captd some prisoners
& amongst them a Sergt Major
who spoke English. This Sergt Maj.
told him there ws another post
84 

ready to give ^itself up, but afraid to
come in by themselves - who
wanted someone to come & get
them. Maxwell & 2 men went
over to them & a pty of abt 30
w an offr closed round them
& disarmed them.
Maxwell always carried an
automatic in his box respirator,
wh they missed. Some of our shells
dropped in amongst them. Taking
advantage of this he shot a couple
of Germans & made good his escape
w his man, only losing / seat of
his trowsers on / barbed wire.
This ws in / cleaning up
o / Beaurevoir line E of
Estrees while they were working
down / line.
85 

 5^th Bde. Bullecourt (from Maj.
McDonald 20 Bn). McDonald
says tt what broke the 5 Bde
at Bullecourt ws / shellfire
before / attack. The Germans
put down a heavy barrage
before their lines & 19 Bn
ran into it. 20 Bn didnt
know much abt ^the start of it. But
what they saw ws 19 Bn
from ahead of them come running
back. And when troops ahead
come running back thro you it
is hard to stop men joining
them. The shellfire had broken
up / formation completely before
they got to / German wire.
^Mcdonald & other offrs tried to reorganise
a line front o / German
86

 wire but it ws of little use.
The German airman who
ws brought down wd / day
before by our troops ws immediately
surrounded by a crowd of
our infantry. The first question
the less wounded airman asked
was: what time is zero?
McD. ws in / crowd.  "There's
no zero," he sd - "We are not
thinking of attacking."
"Oh, we know you are,"
sd / German - "What time do
you start?"
McD. heard this himself.
Landing.
Maj. Campbell Robertson 9 Bn
landed near old ^Col. Butler. The boats
were towed along by the Queen at
first. Then the Queen slowly towed her
87 

 two tows of boats in on either
beam - going quietly thro / water.
It ws very dark.
At last an officer on /
Queen sd through a Spo megaphone
- "Cast off - go in & land!" or
words to tt effect.
They started off. The
2 tows tow in wh Robertson
ws ws / right hand tow in
/ fleet. As it went in the
naval man in /C of it seemed
to wish to make sure of the
positn o / other boats. He
cut in ^w his tow across their front, & then
came back to / right again -
you cdnt see / tow next you
at this time.
Presently they cd see / land.