Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/206/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 4

fix / line W o / village
Abt 10 pm they were
reld by Americans of 30
Divn who had left everything behind
at Nauroy.
27 Bn marched back to betw.
^Templeux Guerard & Hargicourt arriving 2.30 am.
a long march. (Look up distance of this)
There a big German gun got killed
one man of 27 tt day – the last
casualty Bn suffered.
One man ws wd tt day on Oct 5^th.
by a bullet from an aeroplane -
/ only casualty
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2 Pioneer Bn. Montbrehain.
Had had 2 coys in the 29 Sept fight.
& following days. They  were near Bellicourt; & 2 near Timpleux had bn standing by.
On Oct 3 the whole Bn got into
trenches S. of Nauroy, becoming divl
reserve.
On morning of Oct 4 C.O.met
Gen. Rosenthal who sd he thought he
wd have had to use them tt day - He
ws glad he hadn't had to as they
were technical troops & it ws a
bit of a waste. However on evg
of Oct 4 they were ordered into
/ line to take over from 38^th British
Bde, relieving 2 Bns. C.O. went
up to reconnoitre. They relieved
on night of 4/5 in the front line
around / front of Ramicourt.
Their patrols tt night took one
prisoner.
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C.O got Coy commdrs together
. at Nauroy just before / reconnaissance,
& gave them verbal notes,
confirmed later. They were  xxxx
bombed on / way up - but no one ws
hit - (/ same / night they went
up to Nauroy).
Relief ws complete before
midnight & all coys patrolled.
J.O. Tape ws lain on a straight
line NW & SE from 12 central
to 5 B. 0. 7.   21 on Rt & 24
on left formed behind this; Pioneers
fell back behind it 15 mins before

Zero.

Hand drawn diagram – see original
The orders were to pivot
on D. 3 Coys
to swing so
as to estab.
their left on /
rt of 21^st Bn
at xx I. 2 D 0 . a (N.W. of Doon Mill)
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A Coy to mop up X rds & trenches
in H 6 A & B. & send small
pties thro / streets. Firstly
to take positn at Quarries
near rd wh runs NE thro H 12 B.
(i.e. to support rt. This coy
ws eventually used on left as
that ws the danger point later.)
D Coy had some casualties
thro shelling. They swung out
in front (SE) o / rly line & got
hold of some 5 German m.gs.  wh
they got working. The Germs made
one definite attack agst them in /
mg. but didnt make any
headway (this ws from S.E over
high ground, about 11 a.m. They
tried to advance in skirmishing
order w a smoke barrage but
Vickers & L.Gs drove them back.

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Our Patrols later came went out
200 - 300 yds & found no
Germs but it ws decided to
keep line obtained as field
of fire ws good & right had not
advanced. D Coy ws under Maj King.
C. Coy (under Capt Ahlston,
met / Germs on / sunken X Rd
& Quarries & / rly running to Nevill's
Cross. They advanced in
skirmishing order w one pln in
support. This Coy got beyond
/ final objve- & / Germs
came at them from both flanks.
This ws early in / fight. L^t
Murrell seeing this brought
his pln down from the right of
B Coy & covered / withdrawal
of / left of C Coy. but the pln
Commdr L^t Peacock, had his
thigh wounded & ws captured. Murrell
found a pty of British cyclists abt this time &

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got them to dig in on his line. They had got lost
During C Coys advance L^t
P.S. Robinson had his pln
hung up near / rly. He moved
to / flank w Pte Ollis. R. with

his revolver & Ollis w bombs
blew / head off / German offr
in/c & the whole post,
4o Germans w 5 mgs put up
their hands.. (AH 7 A 5.2, on
the rly xxx).
B Coy (Capt Dimant)
moved by a rt incline passing
gradually rear of 21 Bn.
Soon after passing the Rd before
/ rly they got heavy m.g. fire
from the rly near Neville's Cross,
& from the copse near the Quarries.
A tank ws diverted by te an
offr of 21^st Bn to this point &
w / assistance of 2 Pioneers fire

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they silenced these guns.
B Coy continued to
advance crossing the Rd. S. of
Montbrehaim Rly dump, & in
getting over / top o / hill came
under very heavy m.g. fire
from Doon Mill Copse & whizzbang
A m.g. got them also from the
left behind their flank. They
got mg fire from both flanks &
had to dig in behind / crest,
retiring a little way. They cd see
/ German gunners working
their field guns. The shells burst
on / crest in front & / crest behind
going over their heads harmlessly.
As C Coy ws hid from them
by a rise they put 2  L.Gs
between to cover / gap. B Coy
dug in abt from 8 A Central to
2 C Central.

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40.
 

The Germans gave up began
to dig in abt 1.40 p.m. in
the gully at I 8 c .1. 0. to
I 8. A .00. a line of posts
very close together. (These were
ultimately shelled As Col Annand's
request)
Later the 18 Bn (50 men)
were obtained to reinforce the
left flank of Pioneers. They were
under L^t Bryden. They went up in
/ aftn & had no casualties.
2 Vickers guns took up
positn dominating / valley in
I 7 C. & D They were under L^t
Wilkinson & had some splendid
shooting.
A Coy (under Capt Roth, MC.
killed next day at / rear by a
shell) during / early pt o / attack
came under heavy m.g. fire from 

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a post on / left (near /
cemetery probly). They tried to
rush / post & L^t Edwards ws badly wd.
The pln Sergt ^ Howell took charge. By
making a diversion they captd
/ post & got 8 m.g.s. & one 4.2 how.
w / crews.
They then followed pties o /
enemy on / left & mopped up
thro / village. As they got to the
E end o / village & were turning
back after mopping up / Germ.
put down a heavy barrage on /
village & they lost a number of
men. When Capt Roth ws collecting
them to take up positn in
support he noticed tt 21 & 24
were being driven back on / left
& thro / village. So he shipped
across & took up a positn from

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H 6 B 3.5 to B. 30 c 9.3
Col. Annand later ordered him
to extend his flank & join ^up with 23rd -
& sent up another Vickers Gun
wh did excellent work there.
They were then connected
up on / left with 23 Bn.
They did good work in reporting
concentrations of Germans in
the Sunken rds & valleys N. of /
village, & the arty were put
onto these.
Casualties:
1 offr wd & captd.
21 o.r. k
2 d. of ws.
6 offrs 81 o.r. wd
Captd.  8 offrs & 327 or. of Germans.
Bn went in probly abt 450 rifles.

A  L^t R. W. Edwards   }  
     L^t H. Rich                 }  Severely wd. Rich in / village
B  L^t J. Ride hit in / face (in / village)

     L^t^ A. E.  Robertson on / objve - by m.g. fire from
DooN

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