Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/209/1 - July - October 1918 - Part 10

& looking over / side (the 20 or 30 ft at our end were
standing) when he ws shot thro' / head. His brother
Lt R. Barber was k on Nov. 16. 1916 at Flers.]
No officers were hit tt day -
& not many men.
The morning of Aug 30
the 26 Bn ws to secure a
crossing. 7^th Field Coy ws
to make two ^foot bridges.
26 Bn ws to cross &
swing round to Doingt &
28 to follow & secure their
right. The bridges were both
made across / Canal, but
/ marshes stopped them.
[Gen. Elliott ws to relieve them.
Pompey Elliott  threw his came
in & threw his bag down on
/ either side o / maisonette -
"Brigade Hqrs, here," he sd].
Continued 
(Two pages further on).
107
Vauvillers. Out o / sky came
a German plane w 3 of ours
onto him - there ws not one of
our planes men hit - tho' there ws
this German plane & several
of ours chasing it & fighting low.
This ws near / Crucifix near
Harbonnieres.
Bn dug in 500 yds E of
the Amiens line, on / rd 1000
yds NW of Vauvillers. One
26 Bn pte got a big pile of German
notes there ^in the hospital & / Bn got 4 guns
there. Bn Hqrs ws 1000 yds
ahead in order to keep touch
w / Support Bn.
28 Bn stayed there tt day
- the Germs shelled the hospital
very heavily.
On aftn of 10 Aug. at
98 

shortly afterwds these bridges
went up. (much to everyones
relief - as / troops were
to get round to Doingt!)
Both / Bristol bridges were
blown up.
Hqrs were in the Maisonette.
On / way up while they were
lunching at / Bank in N 6 B
our 6 in shells were falling
1000 yds behind. The C.O.
rang up & told them to lift
at least 2 miles. The shelling
shortly ceased. The R H A officer
& bty afterwds came up to this
bank. The German shelling on
tt aftn ws pretty active.
Abt 11 a.m. on 30 Aug. Lt Tozer & a fine
Scout named Barber (Sergt Hugh Barber M.M.) were
sent to see if / bridges (Bristol Bn ) were crossable.
They went down & B ws actually standing on / bridge
106
5 p.m. Col Currie ws called to
Bde & learned tt there ws
an attack at 5.3 dawn
next day. C.O. went up
with Coy Commdrs to see /
ground. He decided to
attack w 3 Coys in front line
& one in Support. The 5 Bde
however were 500 yds behind
at this stage & so C.O decided
to have
B Coy
make
a defensive

flank
Lt Ditchbourne B /  
D / Lt Gaby (k)
C / Capt Dunkley
A / Lt Loveday (k)
if necy. Each attacking Coy
had a frontage of 250 yds
The numbers were very low
& they went over in one wave
of 2 lines. They had to go 600 -
700 yds to reach / hilltop.
99 

he ws waiting for them.
6 Bde were in /
trenches S. of Herbecourt - whole
Bde moved thro them with
exactly on time.
Flaucourt ws protected by
very thick wire - & by C.Os.
previous instrns ws enveloped
- but no one ws in it.
No oppositn ws struck till
/ ridge in front o / river. They
were held up there but before
Biaches Wood. But 26 Bn
got on & / Germs seeing this
began to clear back across /
bridges. In / wood 28 Bn
got 1 offr, & 24 o.r.
Abt 200 Germans crossed
the road Bridge ont into Peronne &
They all got into positn without
casualties. Col Currie It ws
densely dark & the C.O. realised
tt he ws on a track - not / right
rd but it led on Framerville
ws in view & they reached /
big bank wh they were to form
under. The 5^th Bde being
behind, 28^th Bn did not have
to start for xx 15 mins in order
to let 5 Bde come up. The
moment / barrage started there
ws a tremendous burst of m.g.
fire. This wait saved things. When
the troops went over they found
/ Germs down in their trenches, one
chap smoking a cigarette. He sd
"Oh - we not think Australians
come!" Gaby led his Coy over to /
objve. As he walked along / parapet
to see tt fedy the posts were all connected up
100 

the Chateau orchard w
100 yds betw Coys in Columns
(word arrd tt 6 Bde had
taken Herbecourt).
They formed on / rd running
N from Dompierre. Left there
at 7 a.m. A line of scouts first
300 to 400 yds ahead of arty formatns
- then arty formatn.
Orders were to get ahead
- no one had seen the place
before. The C.O. ^rode forwd - to where he cd see Flaucourt
& he showed it to them as they
passed. That ws / centre o /
objve, he sd.
A section of R H A ws attached
tt day. Col. Currie told / offr this morning
before starting - "what if ^we say you meet
me at th X roads E of Flaucourt
at 9.30" He sd "right oh!" & there
104
he ws sniped thro / heart -
Loveday ws wd as they were
digging in - he died later. He
passed his C.O. saying from /
stretcher: "We're winning, Sir -
we're winning."
There had not been a German
in the position ahead o /
28 Bn / day before - as far
as cd be seen - the Germs
xxx were fresh troops who
had come into / positn tt
night. 16 M.Gs & 2 offrs & 64
men were got in the pot holes
abt 150 yds ahead of our line
& in / road bank etc.
The sniping ws very hot
tt day. We had to dig in tt
day -. no trenches to get into &
few shell holes.
101 

ws thought they wd have
Herbecourt.
26 Bn ws on rt. 28
in Centre 27 on left. 25 in
reserve. 28 Bn attacked on
a 3 Coy front of 1400 yds.
            27 /
(25)   28 /  →
        26 /
B Edmonson
B Capt McIntyre               /
C. Edmondson                /  →
A  Capt L J Hardwicke /
D Coy  ^↑   
Maj Glyde |  reserve
They left / big bank S. of Cappy
at 5.15 a.m. A limber ws at /
head o / Column w all L.Gs. &
paniers. They marched past
103
Lt Maskiell ws wd there.
28 Bn ws reld by 6 Bde.
Went to Bussy.  Came back
to Cappy (The 32 Divn wh reld 28
Bn in Amiens line brought its
band up!  The advance pty officer came
up - thought he ws going into billets -
he had no tin hat, no gas mask,
no revolver - no map.  He sd
there had bn a mistake, he thought).
Aug 29. 28 Bn.  The Bn arrd at
Froissy Cappy on aftn of 28 Aug.
Abt 8.30 pm came word of a confce
at Bde at 9 p.m.  C.O. camd down
at 9 pm & heard o / attack next
day 5 miles away - they had to
pass thro 6 Bde at 7.30 but it wsnt
known where 6 Bde wd be - it
102

xx
H
209
Davies.  25 Bn
Aug 8
Fletcher Mt St Q.
Lennon
Davis Pozieres. ✓
Davis Beaurevoir.
Francis}
Dun Cooper} 26 Bn (Same.)
Stapleton}
26 Bn Lagnicourt
Stapleton
Typed
246 - 272
and Ploegsteert SCI[[to?]]
[[?]] [[178/156?]]
No. 3.
28 Bn  Same.
Col. Currie.
Capt. Allen.
Lt Tozer.
Ca Lt. Walker.

(17735)  Wt. 2205- SK550. 100000.  1/18.Sir J. C. & S.