Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/209/1 - July - October 1918 - Part 6

Walker sd "We'll see if you
they can shoot - it's always
'getting shot'!" he sd (he ws an
Irishman - a brute of a man &
a bit mad probably. He put
his elbows on / sandbags & looked
over. A bullet whizzed 6 inches
from his head but he never stirred.
"He's a ^damned bad shot" he sd - "That
ws six inches away."
Whit - went another past him.
"Here, give us a rifle," he sd "&
I'll teach the b______ to shoot."
He took a rifle & as he did
a bullet hit / sandbags.
He looked over / top again.
"I must see where he is," he sd -
" I must & let him have another one
first to see where he is," he sd.
Whit - went another past him.
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"Och - there you are me man"
he sd - & he took up his rifle &
aimed & fired - he ws a very good
shot - & the German did not fire
again - whatever happened. Davis & /
offr on / spot had bn looking at a 5.9 hole & saying they wd bury him there,
behind the trench.
At Pozieres Walker went
up over / top, of course & stood
on / edge o / trench looking down &
asking / men why they were
not shooting. They told him to come
down - he wd be shot. (They didnt
care a damn if he were, but they
didnt want him drawing
crabs on them from Thiepval wh
enfiladed / place completely & ws
constantly on to that end o / line.
"Always all this about getting shot"
he sd. "Will I get shot" - & w tt he
walked straight out over / trench & 50
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H on
yds short of them a squadron
of Germ. planes, abt 20 strong,
flew very low (50 to 100 ft)
overhead all firing as hard
as they cd w m.gs. This
lasted abt 5 mins -
the Bn had to go on forming
up & cd do nothing. A sqn
of our own planes came
over & engaged them - wh
made it a bit heavier till
they scattered - bullets
everywhere but loss none
or slight (a very remarkable
affair). The Germans sqn had
a double triangle mark ✡︎ 
as well as their + & ws
clearly a circus. They got to /
trenches abt / time when these planes
scattered. (At 4.30 they jumped
off in touch w 27 Bn.
8

yds out into Nomans land -
& picked up a German rifle &
came in w it. The next man
who put his head over / bags
got a bullet thro / brain!
58

Aug. 8.
26 Bn. came up from Bois de
l'Abbé a little light shelling on
 / way up. Rt ws on ^to be on rely just
behind / bridge. left near the
road
/D   /C   →
21 Bn /   /B /A
/ Coy
Abt ¾ hr before the J.O.
they put down a barrage -
up went a red light, & then
a green light, & down came /
barrage. This ws heavy. Some
o / men were in shell holes & some
in / open. But very few casualties.
When / barrage came down
/ Germ. arty stopped. As they were
waiting the men some of them
sd : Oh well, they're having their fun
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now - wait till our barrage
starts & we'll give them hell."
Some way before getting
From / start / m.g. fire
ws heavy. This seemed to be
coming from S. of / rly & from
Card Copse & / trenches N. of it.
When Bn got to / trenches in
32 D there were Germans
there badly shaken & some o /
m/guns were hot. The
Germans seemed to be holding the
ground in m.g. posts scattered in
depth. It ws abt at this pt
they first saw / tanks - [There
were to be 4 tanks w each Bn
& 1 Supply tank but this ws burnt).
The attack ws a bit too fast for
/ tanks -
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62
It ws so misty tt they kept running
on top of machine guns before they
opened & swamped them. The first
casualties were before Card Copse.
Coming along / N. of / rly
line Bn took 3 well camouflaged
field guns. The rly ws inclusive
to / Canadians. When the
oppositn began to come from
Marcelcave / Canadians swung
in to their right.
On reaching Marcelcave the
Canadians on / rt were held
up, & our people on / left
o / village were held up by fire
from / S. side of / rly. One of the tanks
there worked along / N. side o /
village firing her 6 pdr, &
then round across / rly line to
/ S. beyond / village - Later
she came back again N over / rly.
The crew of a 5.9 battery were
shot as they tried to run away
from a quarry. From there to / objve
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there ws no one.
The Canadians came thro
Marcelcave in fine style - there
had bn a great noise of fighting
there - & they came out &
joined us looking as if on parade
abt 5 mins after we had got past.
When 26 Bn got to its
objve it came under direct
fire from a whizz bang bty wh it
cd see firing from the W. side of
Pieuret Wood. The vickers
guns were beginning to put
fire on them.
These guns were finally
stopped by / Canadians & /
tanks getting up to them.
Behind / wood were
found two or 3 guns w their
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teams all in them shot dead.
They had pulled back from across
/ rly.
350 prisoners:
5   5.9s
2   4.2s
6   77s
15  H M Gs
11   L.M. G.
1 m/wfr, Granatenwfr -
periscopes, range finder, telephones
etc. There ws a Q.M. store in
Marcelcave, & a German
paymaster. They had a hot lunch on
the objective - The men had an operatn order for a
barrage of biscuits & rissoles.
K. Capt Cameron hit killed by a m.g. near Card Copse.
Lieut Capt Cockrill. killed rushing a m.g. & died abt
2 yds from it.
Lt Hamilton d. of w. in ^own barrage at / start
W. Lt Weston wd just before Card Copse.
      Lt Croft ws hit by a m.g before / start.
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Lt Millard - on the objve by shell
splinters.
Lt McDonell - badly wd durg advance
Lt Leech -   before / objve.
Capt Cooper slightly wd.
23 o.r. k. 109 wd 3 missing.
There were numbers of m.g.
emplacements all along / rly
bank - & these Germs caused a lot
of the casualties. As soon as / barrage started
they all lit their cigarettes.
Camped on objve for a day.
Then got orders abt 11 a.m. to move
towds Harbonnieres. J.O.T. for
this days attack ws in the Sunken
Road in 12 A & C, E of Harbonnieres.
In the attack they moved to the
trenches E. of Vauvillers. x
259 They struck no posts of 5^th
Divn E. of Vauvillers. Stayed there
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