Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/208/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 3

where a block was put in:

44Bn put in a block level 

w this ( 300 yds N. of Top Lane).

Oct 1.

Next day at 4 am. 44 Bn Coy

ws withdrawn & 43 took

over / line in both trenches &

connected with 42 in the 

space E of the support line

(in prolongation of Top 

Lane).

At 8 a.m. the Germs it was noticed

tt there was no m.g. sniping from

Bony & thereabts - & /

Germs were seen going out

of it in ones & twos.

Patrols pushed forwd

towds / village wh ws

entered at 9 a.m. One

coy 42 Bn moved down
18a

the tunnel embankt &

joined up on rt.

[The^33rd Bn of 9 Bde [[?]] had been

put into Top Lane on Sept
30 - & ws to support 43 

if the fight up the Huidby

line went along well.

They were not used, tho

under shell fire.

[The early stages of this battle

are a matter of coy advd.

Bn HQ. initiative entirely].

In Bony got touch w

10 Bde who came down from N.

33 Bn came in on left of Bony

up to / Canal.

Hand drawn diagram – see original

At 2.50 pm on Oct 1 the above
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operatn was ordered.  This

began at 5 p.m.  This was  done by

The advanced troops  pushing out patrols & following

them up w 1 line. By the time

There was no barrage - / idea

was tt / German was clearing

out.

The advance had gone up

to abt / Germ line (the

difficulty being fire from the N

by Le Catelet etc) when it

was countermanded & /
troops ordered to hold / Green
line as an outpost line.
33 & 42 did this.
Tho the 43 ws in Bony first,
10 Bde report got thro first.
They were reld by English troops
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What saved / positn on
night of Aug 29 ws / preparatory
order to take up a positn
in 27 Centl as assembly positn.
This ws received at 11.20 p.m.
All Bns acted on this.
The detailed operatn
order ws not recd till much
later & the senior officers on/
spot did not receive it in
time - it ws difficult for runners
to find / Coys - there ws a
long way to go - the result
ws tt senior officers of Bns
in / Hindbg line decided came
to their own decisions (based
on / warning order) & /
attack ws carried on on /
lines decided by them. They
got / detailed order before /
attack began - but it ws too
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late to. act on a changed
plan & / attack ws carried
out by those on / spot.
A barrage had bn planned -
& there ws gt anxiety lest 44
Bn might get too far forward
& get into / barrage not knowing
of it. The only way to get
messages out ws by runner
- lamp ws no good for sending
forward an order; & wires
cdnt safely be used from Bn
forward.
__________
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44 Bn. Bouchavernes.
(From L^t Piper, Mackenzie, Biles, Madaford
& others)
(The adjts story is sometimes corrected by the others)
44 Bn ws in support in
Clery gully, along / Banks
abt 30 B Central.
: Sept 2.  42 Bn were to make
main Bapaume Rd. S of
Bouchavernes - One coy
of 44 Bn (D Coy under
Capt Foxworthy) ws attached
to them as they had a coy
also lent to 9th Bde (33 Bn).
At 5.^30 am D Coy left Bn.
They passed Red Wood &
came under heavy arty
fire (on some unknown or
mistaken target), got thro
without casualties (one pln
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ws previously sent as liaison
w / Tommies - & got lost.
As Coy got up & caught
sight o / old trees along / rd & came under heavy
m.g. fire - (Zero ws abt 5 am 5.30 am.)
They thought this ws
indirect fire as / grd ws
supposed to be clear. They
deployed from arty formation,
& moved on to Quarry
farm (wh is no more
than old trenches in bushes).
Abt 120 yds short of it
Capt F. saw a German ahead
throw back his arms &
throw a stick grenade. This
ws / first idea they had tt /
Germs. were there. It ws
v. foggy. They opened L.G. fire
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from / left section & started
to envelop w / rt,
men ordered to do this - extending
further. As they went
on abt 4 men were
knocked & a few riflegrenades
were fired onto / mg.
wh cd now be seen on /
extreme NW corner of / Fm.
The Germs closed fire under
/ grenades. They rushed him
& when we were abt 20
yds off put up their hands.
At / NW corner there were
(in / first party) abt 32
Germs - (we had 24 all told
in Capt Fs party
& 2 m.gs. Then they started
to mop up / Farm where
there were dugouts. There
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were other m.gs. on / S.W. side
& as our people mopped up
some revolver shots were
exchanged but these Germs
were all taken within ¾ or
½ hr. There were 81 in all
& 8 m.gs. There were Kaiserin
Augusta Regt there.
Of the first 32 at least 20
came out wearing Red X armbands.
The place ws a strong point.
They cleared / place
up & found abt 6 of
42 Bn there (probly from
left flank of 42 wh may
have swung S.) in a dugout
on / S. of / Fm.
D Coy consolidated there
facing NE. They had bn at /
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Fm abt 25 mins when
the rt flank o / British
passed abt 50 yds N. of / Fm.
They were advancing as /
rt flank o / advance -
an hour behind / barrage.
Daylight ws now increasing
& as they came down /
xx E slope o / hill (Fm ws
on a knoll on / crest) they
came under mg. & rifle
fire. Cdnt say how far
they got.
The 42 Bn ws just
a bit in advance on /
rt. Their left flank might have
bn abt C. 21 X 8.8.
The other pln came up
then. (No necessity to mention
its being lost).
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