Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/206/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 3

Towds Evening Sept 2.   2 German officers
& an N.C.O. were seen coming up from
[[?Aziecourt]] with a White Flag. They
came due N. of Capt Hosking's post
& he wanted some 3 Germ. prisoners who
were w him to call out to them
to come in. These Germs were too scared
but H. himself called out to them.
They ducked towds cover - one of
them ws shot by Hoskings at once - 
& / other two got away.

Hera Alley to / Canal.
(Royal Sussex Regt.)
Diagram. See original document
This post withdrawn
when / 4 Divn decided
not to attack again

The follg day 4 posts were estabd
along Antigone alley by one Coy
of 28 Bn.
The Tommies on / left were in posts
at 29c 1.3 & 29 c.7.3 by midday
(This ws a sort of continuation of
Hera Ally.)
At nightfall when 74 Divn wd
not come up Hosking's post at 6A 9.8
ws with drawn into Hera Alley & the
21
 

28 Bn had a Coy in the
continuation of Hera Alley
between Hoskings left & the
Royal Sussex Bn post at 29.c.8.3.
The line now formed a
pencil point.
Hosking had a couple of
M.Gs. w him. 2 were in the Sunken
Rd covering / side o / hill & / whole
front NE. 4 were mounted (in
pairs) in Brunn trench covering the
front & flanks.
One section of L.T.Ms in Brunn
trench. R.A.P. ws estabd in a Germ.
dugout in I 11. A 00. 30. The entrance
to this station ws frequently plastered w
m.g. bullets during / night, but
no one ws injured. Most o /
prisoners tt day were taken in
Brunn trench (abt 60) and a good many
in Haut - Allaines.
22
 

Capt (L.Maj.) Julge w.    ]
lt Lampard killed            ]
Lt Mitchell w.                    ]
K                                          ]  These were mostly
Lt. Woodwards w.            ] hit by Enfilade
Lt Arthur w.                       ] fire from Brunn
[*D*] Lt Leake d of w.       ] trench.

C. Lt Pannell w.                    ]
Lt Willies w.                         ]
Lt Coombe. w.                     ]
                    __________________________
Bn ws reld on night of 5/6 by
British troops. The line had then bn
extended in a N directn thro'
C30 Central the British on / left having
moved up.
23
 

27 Bn. Oct 3.
27 Bn jumped off from a
NNW & SSE line practically thro
24 Central - a little E of it.
They had to pivot on their left.
Objve from ^extreme S. of Mt St Martin
to rd WSW of Lormisset.
(The N end of the objve ws extended
at / last minute to the [[?R5s]]
trench junction WNW of Lormissett.
Just as they were getting into
positn Fritz dropped a barrage of
5.9 & 4.2. They got into positn w
few casualties.
On / left A few men had to advance N.W.
to cover the left pivot. They were
held up by m.g. fire from /
village. The offr in c/ Lt McLean
called on a tank to blow these
out. The tank went between them
24
 

but didnt fire - didnt see them - 
& / guns started again. They
continued firing till our men
on / rt were well across / gully & swinging
round - the Tommies had started
then - & these gunners cleared.
When Bn started it ws not known
tt / Tommies were attacking.
Left of 27 Bn ws held (after going
abt 400 yds) b / barrage for the
Tommies. When tt barrage lifted
the left [[?wsent ]]on & dug in on / bank
without opposition - the Tommies
had advanced so B Coy (Capt Beddom)
dug in on / road bank Ne E of 
/ Canal abt 13A 4.3-6 without
oppositn - facing NE. They
remained here till they were ordered
to move to Mushroom Q. in
After to support 26 Bn who were
25
 

expecting a c/attack. They dug
in in / Beaurevoir line N of the
Quarry (where there ws a good
supply of Germ. rations). They
were reld by a Bn of Manchesters
at 10p.m. & returned to / camp
they had come from in G11D
near Nauroy.
Lt Maclean ws Wd by
a m.g. bullet in / neck from
the m.g. in St Martin - & also
by a shell. The actual ^front line Tommies
on / left never knew our troops
were attacking - these didn't
any way.
The Right Coy pushed off from
the tram line a bit
ahead of J.O.T.
& met no oppositn
till met the Copse
in 13C where our

Diagram - See original document
26
 

arty ws firing short as there were
a few stray bursts of m.g.
After passing the copse
(no one in it) they were agn held
up by our arty; they found some
Germs running NE up the rd
towds Lormissett. They
cleared out these Germs who fired
some shots & cleared again.
At the road corner at 13 Central
they saw a number of Germans
lining / Sunken Rd to Gouy
& firing m.gs. towds the British
advance - abt 100 Germs.
They put a L.m.g. on the road
corner (together w 25 Bn) &
numbers abt 30 Germs were
found there later wd.
Just after this they saw /
Tommies moving up / road hill towds this
road - they 27^th at once went down
 27

/ road & took / Germs just as /
Tommies got over into / road.
A German m.g. had
bn firing from ^Beaurevoir line N.W of
Lormissett. As the 27 & 25
got back to / Beaurevoir line
& attacked up it, these Germans
cleared out up the line (wh ws
better dug on / hill above than
lower down). They 27 Bn put
a post on / next Rd at 13B5.8
(their objve) & one further down
/ hill.
A pln had bn left abt
13c Central. Later, when /
fight came ws going on ahead
Pellew tried to get them dug
into / Sunken Rd frm 13
Central to Gouy; but the
German at once shelled this rd
28
 

in enfilade from N.W. & this
post had to be dug in agn
N of the Copse in 13c where
they cd use their guns if necy.
The pln wh had bn in /
Sunken Rd since grabbing the
Germans there ws brought
into the Beaurevoir Line W of
Lormissett.
Abt 11pm they were reld
by a ^Coy of a Manchester Bn. & came
back to the Le Catelet Nauroy
Line. 27 Bn went in 210 strong bayonets
& lost 70. B Coy lost 50 per cent,
Oct 5
When 6 Bde attacked Montbrehain
27 Bn ws moved up into
support S. of the Roman Rd
abt 28 C 8.4.
In the morning abt 10 a.m.
D Coy ws sent off to the X roads
29
 

at H 6 A Central ^to help 24 Bn. Lt Read
went round to the W o / village
where a line ws being formed
& found tt there were suppt
troops there. So D Coy came down
to / Sunken Rd in H5A & B.
Later they returned.
B Coy ws sent abt 11 am
to / same place - Capt Beddom
found tt they were not needed
& so put them in / rly cutting
in H 5 B9.6. They stopped there
till Reed came back to say
that / troops were not needed
when they went (both Coys) back
to / Quarry.
The work wh Lt Reed did
there ws exceptional. The line
ws not known. He went out
w Lt Clough 24 Bn & helped to
30