Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/211/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 9

3rd Divn boys were met on /
way who sd they were rights.
The 4 Coys were found
exactly on / right positn
on the brown line line
near Record wood where
2nd Positn. The fog lifted
within 10 mins of leaving
there.
On / forwd slope
of t hill W of Cerisy
3rd Divn were passed thro.
They cheered them on.
Shortly after this 14 Bn on
left as held up. 
in front of
Morcourt
Diagram - see original document
13 got some distance ahead
w / flank in air. They had
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only met a few odd
Germans - they we didnt
know what had happened.
Capt McKillops Coy ws 3rd
wave, mopping up - & he
move up Coy onto left
in / front line where
flank ws open & instrd
O.C. Pioneer Coy attd to
13Bn to ease left so as
to cover flank if Germs
came in behind. V little
Pract. no oppositn ws met
& very few Germs captd.
The Germs cleard from
the front of 14 Bn (we had
pushed thro / weak spot).
14 Bn caught up 13 well
in front of Morcourt
when they halted on / road
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above Dudgeon Valley.
13 Bn had to wait for
/ barrage in Dudgeon Valley
to lift.
One of 13 Bn's. tanks broke down
on / heavy slope up before
3rd Divn ws reached but
at least one ws w them
W of Dudgeon Valley & did
fine work – shooting at
all targets pointed out to
it [eg. a m.g ^positn pointed out
to it E of Dudgeon Valley
by Capt Turner B it fired at the tree
clump from / opposite side of /
valley).
As they got to / crest
above Dudgeon Valley /
diggers were getting despondent
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abt souveniers; when
the barrage ws still on, however
some transport cd be seen
horses picketed - on /
other side o / vally. When
/ barrage lifted they found
a very big transport in /
valley, abt 60 horses
in stables dug in on / W
side o / hill - a couple
of canteens, pay office
(where one man blew open
a case with 25,000 marks in
notes - good 1914 cigars,
a complete photo store, boxes
of maps etc.). The men
were mostly in shelters
on / same slope- there were
tree tiers of hats etc incldg
one tier of [[sloths?]] - There were
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grapes & eggs in / offrs.
mess. The spirits & /
troops rose considerably.
The German just ran out, &
threw up his hands. The
wagons were invaluable in
getting / wd back, & they
were at once used in
getting up water a stores
A post office ws obtained here
with no. of letters in
it. Some o / transport
was packed complete -
12 m.gs packed on one cart.
The horses were not in them
- they may have bn wagons
just ready to move up, or
just arrived.
The red line was on the 
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next slope (where marked
in my p map.
From Dudgeon Valley the
troops moved on - after
being reorganised - &
went up the E slope. Capt.
Geary (form an original man,
formerly transport offr.) galloped
up / slope on /  top back of a
captured horse, sadled + bridled
& the troops cheered him as
he reached their head. As
he got over / slope crest he
handed / horse over to
a T.M. officer. He ws
imdly after shot by a bullet.
These were a crest
When they got to the rise
three coys dug in & / pioneer
Coy ws taken over by Capt
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Mckillop. Capt. M's Coy
stayed on the sunken Rd
up / slope in 23A: as ordered
- they wd go fowd later &
take over part o / front
line from 16 Bn.
While they were there
the tanks (mark 5*) for
16Bn went up / road
past them on to / crest.
This was a mistake
as it turned out. There
ws a good deal of
rifle fire from the Opp(E)
side of / next gully; &
2 guns were firing from
/ directn of Chipilly across /
canal; 3 tanks were ht
there & a no. of casualties
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caused on our line. The
British had not got
Chipilly.
One gun ws seen by
a Capt. of H Pioneers (since
k.) aurupt / trees low
down near / canal. Two
Germs were working it. He
put a Vickers gun on it &
the Germs. switched round
raised their aim or lowered it
& blew out the V. m. g.
They sent word to an 18pdr.
It turned on and put a
shell or two close to / gun &
then / Germs switched round
-blew out its crew.
Three teaks were stopped
on / crest waiting to advance
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when/ Germs. with guns
N of / river knocked them
out wounding some o /
crews - it ws v. unhealthy
near / tanks.
Most of the 13Bn
casualties were here. 16Bn
trake formed up in/ road
where McKillop's Coy ws &
moved on over / hilltop onto
/ next rise into / system of
old French trenches where
there ws some heavy fighting.
13 Bn were not to go
up till evg. Word came back
tt 16 were hard pressed & cdnt
hang on without reinfts.
13Bn ws ordered forwd to
reinforce, & did this by taking
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over / rt half of 16^th Bn
line. McK. with C Coy abt
12.30-1 went up. Then D then A
B Coy & pioneers eventually
got to abt where the
tank was in 18C
Abt dusk a patrol
ws sent to Germaine Wood
& found a large no. of Germans
- stragglers moving thro it.
The wood didn't seem to be
held in force. During /
aftn 13Bn had had no
fighting. There were a lot
of huts on the E side o /
valley behind Germaine
wood - & while we were
shelling this German Nurses
were seen to leave it &
go away.
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