Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/207/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5

the Fm.  Connecting with

51 Bn which was still in

the Farm.  The smallx party

had had 2 more casualties

before they came in & were

only abt 7 or 8 now.

The 51 Bn at tt time was

in the Sap B - A & round

S.  There was still an officer

in the Hqrs at A.  The

party with Cutts tacked itself

on to their rt.

The party 51^st Bn had 

a post on the Brick mound,

with a Lewis Gun.  The

position remained thus -

52 party on rt of this

Lewis Gun.
Diagram - see original document
39

50 Bn     Etinhem.

Aug 9th:  In the aftn

Bn  ws xx started to Cerisy ^& were there for abt

an hour, took over from 1^st Bn.

That night they held a

sort of half circle around

the E & NE of Chipilly.

Abt midnight Maj. Fowler ^with other Coy Commdrs

went across to reconnoitre

the ground first - they were

told to take some sergts w them

& go carefully.

One wd German ws

found at / church.

Next morning some Tommies,

& 10^th? Londons were found

up near the top of the Cero

Chipilly peninsula - &

Maj. Loutit ws w them - he
41

was attached to the Americans

& ws going along w Maj.

Morrell to find out exactly

where the Americans were.

While 50 Bn ws taking over

from 1^st Bn they cd see / fighting

still going on (betw. 4 & 5pm)

thro Celestins Wood &

across / gullies towds

Bois de Gressaire.

During / night the Bn

ws moving across & settled

abt 10 a.m.

Stayed there tt day -

not shelled.

That aftn at 5 pm the

C.O. called a meeting of

Coy Commdrs.  This ws at

Hqrs in / gully N. of Susan Wood.

42

The orders were explained.

They had to get back to Coys,

explain to offrs & N.C.Os of

Coys, - men had to get tea - &

move off by 7.30 p.m. [Bde

did not know what the stunt

ws to be - they only knew

they were to be ready to pull

out & go up N. - they thought

into rest.]

Leading Coy (C Coy. Lieut.

Hodge O.C.) moved abt 7

p.m.

They halted at the Quarry

by Gressaire Wood & Bn Hqrs

ws estabd here for / fight.

The O.Cs. Coys went out to have

a look out from / front o /

wood.  There ws only just time

43

to get back & get the Coy up

by 9.30 pm.

It ws a silent attack.

There were to have bn 2

tanks - They Corps were trying to

get more but 50 Bn ws

advised warned not to 

count on them.

  A          D           B           C
——     ——      ——      ——   →

Bn moved up the road onto

/ crest just S of the wood

& skirted the wood on this

road.  There were no

shells near - only gas

falling away in / wood to /

left.  At the old front line

there were Yanks who

wished them all sorts of

things as they passed through

44

Diagram - see original document

Before the Yankee line

The Coys were organised into

2 plns each as above (each
- is a section, & o is Coy Commdr.

Lt. Hodges with 4 scouts & runner ws ahead

of C Coy).

Just before starting permission 

ws obtained to block right

up so tt the last Coys wd

miss any barrage.  This happened
- what shelling there was went 

over.  It ws very dark & the

4 Coys went close up.

Before starting off they cd

hear / tanks - hear / engines

around / corner & / word by /
45

Bray Corbie Rd.  The German

did not wake up.  50 Bn

tanks did not turn up at

all - this ws not unexpected.

One m.g. fired at them

from the first X road. Abt He cleared out.

The Bn & / scouts went on. Then from ^beyond the road

Then German flares began to

ahead there went up a German flare.  The

Go up front / road ahead.

flare went clean over the Bn & fell behind / last

Coy.  As 50 Bn got on to the 

It looked like a brigade steadily moving.

Second X road the Germs

This flare was followed at once by m.g.

There began to put up flares

very thick  fire from abt a dozen guns in 

the German line of posts (5 posts

of abt 20 to 25 yds each) - a few

hundred yds E o / road.  Flares

began to go up thickly &

/ fire ws pretty heavy.

Some o / leading Coy got

down in / Sunken road - the
46

rest of Bn lay down ahead -

It looked a pretty difficult

positn.  Then the 49 ws

heard firing away on / left -

& bombs going - & the 50 Bn

went on over / top & /

Germans ran.  They left some of

their m.gs. After crossing this rd

there ws no oppositn till

a couple of flares were fired

near / head o / recutrant.

But these Germans scuttled

back.  Lt. Hodges Coy had

extended at / Sunken Road

but / others were still in

arty formatn.

As they got up to /

Bray Etinhem road the

ground became a number of
47

divergent trails used by

transport - These were a

first surprise as the

directn had seemed simple

on / map.  But no air

photo had bn seen.  It

made / directn v. difficult

to decide as the track ws /

only guide.  The tracks on

/ map were wrong - there

shd have bn a road crossing

but / road track really

curved gently in to / road

leading to / Crucifix.  Lieut.

Hodge presently realised tt

he ws on / wrong road -

too far to / left - No cross

road ws there.  He sent

back a message while Bn
48

halted & lay down.  Maj.

Fowler came up and

presently all the Coy. Officers Commdrs

and most o / offrs were

up there w their maps &

compasses ^& electric torches.  The maps also

were wrong w a lot of

hospital huts marked (wh

were not there).  Hodges

went along / road towds

/ Crucifix & Capt Beresford

towds / Gully.  And 

Beresford picked up Lt

Fearnside or some of his

men in / gully.  & Hodges

This gave them their

directn.  (The 49^th Bn

also had taken a mark

(line of double telegraph poles - 

49