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.

         58Bd

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 1000yds

left of this.  The objve ws

abt W 10 B & D  joining

diagonally to SE w 1st Divn.

 

No troops were attacking on

the rt - to this day it

is not know by Bn if

[?] 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 to each with 1st Divn.

Rifle & m.g. fire ws not

heavy durg / attack but

shellfire ws moderately heavy.

On reaching the fork

rd in 15B they got a good

haul of prisoners who put

 

up no fight.  There were

stables & light timber &

ruberoid bldgs there.

They went on into /

[?] in 16 central wh

made / final objve.

The actu final objve ws

to have bn xxx through

10D (it ws nt known at

/ time whether [?] wd be

found there - the lives on

/ map turned out to be

very old French [?].

During all / advance they

were in touch w 27 Bn

on left.  But no touch ws

gained with 1st Divsn till

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

found in / trench S. of

Champagne Alley in 16C.

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

 

 

They 25 joinded 27 abt 16 B2.6

& 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 15B 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 15B central

offered to go on w / Bn &

 

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 m.g. 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

cd be done to rescue them.

There ws pretty solid m.g.

fire coming from this little

nest of [?] & the tank

had gone out to deal w

it.  (All down Champagne

Alley ( a deep very wide [?]

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.

 

 

on conform it 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 8am.

The 1st Divn jumped off

at 7.45am.

(The night before, in

gaining touch w 1st Divn,

the Coy Commd & of rt Coy

Lt. Auchterlonie MC & Bar.

had bn killed - the Bn had

arrd abt 6pm.  & he ws k

after dark abt 10 or 10.30pm

in going out to find 1st

Div.  He ws killed between

25Bn & / tank.  The burst

of m.g. fire came from / tank

 

& it ws later found to /

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 / m.g. the Bn

bombing offr Lr. 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 out - very heavy w m.gs.

MacCulloch only lasted ½ hour -

the C.O. ws showing him where

to take some men when 

MacC. ws sniped thro /

lung - he died next day.

Davis took the Coy on 

himself.  They went in

setions - & rushes of one

& 2 men - / fire ws

v. heavy, v. accurate, &

v. short range.  As they had

no support neither arty

[Tag?] nor tanks - it

became clear tt / loss

wd not be worth / small

gain, the Coy on / left

hadnt got forwd at all

tt ws necy for helping /

1st Divn by getting this

nest of [?] & the tank &

 

routing / German out of /

nest.  The German had to

be fought out of this whole

nest.  Lt. Eather (Int. Offrs.)

& 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 /

[?].  They k. a good many

Germans.  The ∧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 dispositions

to Bde (they had got

up abt 50 yds of Stokes,