Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/211/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

bn out to the second finger
& knew tt it ws not all one
plateau but tt deep gullies
were in between.
Bridges wanted his trench
dug 150 yds out so as to
occupy make a Redan there
(it wd clear / turks from
Turkey Knoll also).  He came
along one day & finding
D/B in / trench told him to
have / trench made.  Gen. Maclagan
had turned up meantime, & Col.
Johnston.  Bridges sd an
Engineer wd be needed to
mark / place out.  xx Capt.
Bage - (the S. Polar man - w
David & Shackleton? Mawson) ws wandering
walking up / trench & Bridges
saw him.  "Here's the man",
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Diagram - see original document

he sd, & told Bage tt he
ws to go out with D/B &
site this trench.  They were to
peg it out.  That night they
D/B ws to go out w 100 men,
dig it & occupy it.  Later a
Commn trench wd be made to
/ line in rear.
Bridges saw them in /
mg.  At 3 p.m. they went out
- got onto / top o / ridge -
& there D/B left / covering pty
under Selby.  Then D/B, Bage
& 2 Sapper youngsters went on
crawling low thro / scrub to
do / actual pegging.
Immedly in front of our
trenches ws a dip, working
up to a crest.  Then a dip.
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 It was on / face of this second
dip tt the trench ws to be
sited.  D/B had / southern
end o / bit of Cord -
Bage was on / north of it.
they had finished the N face
S. face & Bage ws hammering
in his peg (they had crawled
out) with a lump of stone
when / Germ Turks opened
fire from / directn of Lone
Pine.  There must have bn
5 m.gs. & some rifles.  Bage
ws hit first in / arm, then
in / leg, then in / head
(wh killed him).  He ws
brought in tt night.
That trench ws never
dug.  They got out eventually by
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Tunnelling through into /
first valley in three places
(D/B two, Leane one towds Turkey
Knoll).  Then a trench ws
built onto / reverse slope
of Silt Spur.  Then they
tunnelled thro tt again &
broke out into a front line.
Just then 11 Bn handed over
to 10 Bn.  D/B came out & ws
hit by Shrapnel in Reserve.
This ws abt / middle of
July.
At Pozieres -  the system of attack by
16 Bn on the Semicircular trench ^(mid August) wh
the 15 Bn tried to take / previous night
with / Suffolks was Drake Brockman's
idea.  Gen Cox had laid it down tt it ws to be
taken by an assault W o / road, as before.
D/B had seen / British lying there & he told
Brand he wd take it from / flank by the diagonal movement & wh ws adopted.
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^Ap 11 At Bullecourt.  It ws Black
who decided to go on when the
Turks were not at / wire - "Come
on boys - bugger the tanks".
It ws he who, till then at / rear
of his Company, led them from
there onward.  He got them into
/ first trench & then to / second thro
/ wire.  He stayed to watch them
thro / wire & as the last went
thro he sd to his runner - "Tell
them / first objve is gained".  That
runner came to H.Q. to D/Bro^ckman
but Black ws k. as / message
ws gn.  Murray ws his bosom
friend.  When ^he heard Black ws killed
he wdnt be satisfied till he got
out & went over & saw him
himself, lying there.  Black
said to D/B as he went out
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to this attack:  Well Good Bye
Colonel.  I mayn't come back,
but we'll get the Hindenbg Line".
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12 Bde Aug 8 from Gen Leane.
12 Bde had been in old front
line.  As soon as 3rd Div.
moved thro, 12 Bde moved
on in rear o / green line.
The barrage ws clear o / 12th
Bde wh had Warfusee Rd on
its rt.
The German shelling ws
very scattered & light - our
heavies must have disorganised
his guns.  But / fog ws
so thick tt (w / smoke) it
prevented them seeing 3 yds
ahead.  Yet they had to move
thro Accroche Wood without
getting lost & over / broken
ground.  The I.O. & a party
went on in rear o /
3rd Divn - & laid tapes.
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Then they returned to their
Bns.  But soon after / start
/ sun got up & gave them
their direction.  They then
knew they were right.  Before
the lift o / barrage from /
green line they were in
place.
     ↑
45     46
     48
The 48 Bn was to attack
with parties (Vickers Gunners,
Lewis Gunners ^& teams, Trench mortars.)
in tanks ; one Mark 5 Star
tank failed to reach / start.
In / other cases / parties
went on w / tanks (in
a few cases only in them -
orders were agst it as it ws
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too hot - Leane ordered tt
they shd not go in / tanks)
& most o / parties moved
beside / tanks.  The Mark 5
Star tanks were not a
success & / parties had
eventually to go on without
them.
Soon after leaving / green line
they met Germans about the
gun positions - both artillery
& infantry.  They held up
the 45 Bn for a while firing direct
at / tanks.  46 Bn however
got ahead on / rt & helped
45 Bn forward.
The Red line came this the
[[Harbonnieres]] Morcourt valley.
It was very well held; & from
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opposite side / German batteries
were firing direct.  In tt
valley ws a bty of 6in guns
wh had only arrived / night
before from Lille - they had no
ammunitn . We captd / offr &
guns & most o / men.
Our troops worked thro
this valley by using / cover - but
lost more heavily here than
elsewhere.  They found 60
transport horses - light horses -
here.  The mail cart ws just
getting away.  They were clearing
out wher onto / E side [[logo]] o / gully
where near Army Wood when
the horse ws shot & we got /
mails & packages.  There were
two canteens in / valley & all
sorts of stores.
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