Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/209/1 - July - October 1918 - Part 2

on left & 5 Bde on left of

them.  26 & 28 Bns

were in suppt to / attack.
 

         5 Bde |

28 |         27 |   _→

26  |        25 |

They advanced thro

Vauvillers w v. little

oppositn - got a 77 gun

there.  The objve ws ∧rt boundary ws

out along the grid running 

between X   8       9      10

                       ____________

                       14     15      16

& the left bdy 1000 yds

left of this.  The objve ws

abt. W 10 B & BD  joining

diagonally to SE w 1st Divn.
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No troops were attacking on

the rt - to this day it

is not known by Bn if

1st divn attacked before or

after.  They did not attack

at / same time tho' Bn ws

told tt they were going to.

After getting thro Vauvillers

in trying to gain touch with

1st Divn they eased more &

more to / rt & actually

followed / line of Champagne

Alley ∧(wh made rt flank bdy) - still unable to

get touch with 1st Divn.

Rifle & m.g. fire ws not

heavy durg / attack but

shell fire ws moderately heavy.

On reaching the fork

rd in 15 B they got a good

haul of prisoners who put
10

up no fight.  There were

stables & light timber &

ruberoid bldgs there.

They went on into /

trenches in 16 Central wh

made / final objve.

The actu final objve ws

to have bn xxx through

10 D (it ws nt known at

/ time whether trenches wd be

found there - the lines on

/ map turned out to be

very old French trenches.

During all / advance they

were in touch w 27 Bn

on left.  But no touch ws

gained with 1st Divn till

abt 7pm. ∧Then a wd man of 5 Bn wandered in.  Then they 5 Bn were

found in / trench S. of

Champagne Alley in 16 C.

They sd they had bn supports but were now front line.

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They 25 joined 27 abt 16 B 2.6

& 27 came right round

to the Bde Boundary N of

10 Central.

The casualties were

not very heavy - abt 50

practically all from shell fire.

They went thro in arty

formatn to / end - & extended

into line just on reaching

the final positn.

All / tanks w them

were put out of action -

one in 15 B 5.5 - another

just 200 yds E of 16 Central
- one had bn disabled further

back near / start. The

Crew of / tank wh ws

knocked out ∧stopped by broken crank shaft in 15 B Central.

offered to go on w / Bn &
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fight.  They were pretty

done w / fumes & so

were told to go back.

They had helped to rout

Germans out of Champagne

Alley.  The other tank

ws knocked out ahead of

our infy by a direct hit.

The crew were found

dead around / tank w

empty revolvers next

morning - all dead.

That mg. the 25 Bn made 

a further little attack &

recaptured it.  They had

gone for a m.g. post there

& had bn blown - they

stayed by their tank & / German

attacked them at once -

it ws all over before anything
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cd be done to rescue them.

There ws pretty solid m.g.

fire coming from this little

nest of trenches & the tank

had gone out to deal w

it.  (All down Champagne

Alley ( a deep very wide trench

6ft deep  8 foot wide -

probly an old mule trench
- there ws Germans gear

of all sort.  Abt 250

Germans were got out of it
- all surrendered freely.

They had niches cut in 

it w m.gs. firing to S. W

& N.W.  It looked as if they

had left rifles & packs & cleared.

Aug 10.  The 25 Bn ws ordered

to attack this m.g.

14

on conformity w an attack

by 1st Divn on / right -

swinging up / rt flank

to abt 500 yds on rt

pivoting on left in 27 Bns

Sector.  This ws for 8 a.m.

The 1st Divn jumped off

at 7.45 .a.m.

(The night before, in

gaining touch w 1st Divn,

the Coy Commdr of rt Coy

Lt. Auchterlonie M C & Bar.

had bn killed - the Bn had

arrd abt 6 p.m.  & he ws k

after dark abt 10 or 10.30pm

in going out to find 1st

Div.  He ws killed between

25 Bn & / tank.  The burst

of m.g. fire came from / tank
15

& it ws later found tt /

Germs had occupied / tank

as a post.  (M.C. at Hamel,

Bar on July 17 - never knew he

won / bar).  He ws / last of

three splendid sons to be killed -

only abt 23 ; one brother ws /

first offr k. in 25 Bn & another

in Light Horse (both these in 

Gallipoli - Gympie men) -

In / mg. the Bn

bombing offr Lt. MacCulloch

took the rt Coy over to this

attack.  Col Davis went up

w him.  They met w v.

heavy m.g. fire from / start
- they started over / top. They were

going for a Copse on left front - very heavy w mgs.

MacCulloch only lasted ½ hour -

the C.O. ws showing him where
16

to take some men when 

MacC. ws sniped thro /

lung - he died next day.

Davis took the Coy on 

himself.  They went in

Sections - & rushes of one

& 2 men - / fire ws

v. heavy, v. accurate, &

v. short range.  As they had

no support, neither arty

TM nor tanks - it

became clear tt / loss

wd not be worth / small

gain, the Coy on / left

hadnt got forwd at all.
They had actually done all

tt ws necy for helping /

1st Divn by getting this

nest of trenches & the tank &
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routing / German out of /

nest.  The German had to

be fought out of this whole

nest.  Lt. Eather (Int. Offr.)

& Lt. Harrison (L.G. Officer)

had both gone up knowing tt /

Coy ws short of officers.

Eather took a Lewis Gun & cr

himself & assisted very

largely by working up /

trench.  They k. a good many

Germans.  The rt ∧rest o / Germans

went back fighting step by 

step due E as 1st Divn

had got well on on / rt.

Bn ws within 150 yds of

objve.  C.O. sent back dispositns

to Bde (they had got

up abt 50 rds of Stokes,
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