Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/211/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 10

89

That evg 13 Bn reorganised
- no fighting thro / night.
The Germs kept up a long
distance m.g. fire from
near Mericourt somewhere.
On night of Aug 9/10 one Coy
(xx left of 13 Bn) swung forward
onto the Mericourt Proyart
Rd on / hill top into /
old French Trenches. The
16 Bn were to link up
making a flank down
the road wh curves
towds Morcourt. 13 Bn
moved N. up / trenches;
but on reaching / road
at 7 c 8.5 they met /
Germs who were holding
a post just across /
road. Every man who looked

90

over / trench here - 3 or 4 of
them - ws shot & / road
cdnt be crossed. They
held / trench to near
day break. Just before
day break 3 or 4 Germs
came out w a m.g.
from their post there &
came across / road
twds our trench.
Lt Player who ws at /
end o / trench jumped out
w some men, shot / crew
& got / gun.  After tt there
ws no trouble but /
flank ws in air. There ws
good observatn from there;
but no one cd get down /
road to 12 central where
the 16 Bn was. The shooting from

91

/ trenches across / rd
ws too hot.
The same night they
took over from 48 Bn to the
S. corner of the copse in 13 A.
This ws part of the
objve of 16 but 48 had
taken it as 16 ws involved
on its left.
The place ws pretty
quiet then.
On Aug 9. in the aftn ? when
Americans & British attacked
Chipilly a splendid view ws
to be had by 13 Bn. The Germs
cd be seen behind / barrage -
some coming up to have a look -
some later running. There ws
a smoke barrage on Chipilly

92

but on / North of the Spur
by / woods our people troops
cd be seen coming on
behind / barrage & /
Americans in several
places involved in [shorthand]
ahead of their barrage.
They dug in on top o /
cliff - they didnt seem
to touch / low ground;
& they seemed to lose
Gressaire Wood after
once having got it -
there ws a lot of m.g. fire
the tanks came out beyond /
wood, the troops appeared but
later were not visible noticed in /
wood.

93

Sept 18. 13 Bde Bn.
ws in / old British line 1 mile some
way S of Jeancourt. Their
objve ws to connect with
15 Bn beyond Le Verguier,
16 Bn mopping up Le V. -
Exactly as at Hamel.
The smoke ws thicker
than on Aug 8. It affected
even the throat. It ws
impossible to avoid
disorganisation as tho'
you had a leader w a
compass he cd see practically
none of his men. 48 Bn
as it ws swerved right,
& 13 Bn struck 48 Bn
objective in part at Dean trench

94

At the hop off, Lieut Macguire
of B Coy (who had got heard of his M.C.
the night before - one o / best
offrs Bn had) ws k. on the
tapes by a shell of ours.
All / Germs met w
before Dean trench seem to
have bn k or wd by our
barrage. They had an
outpost line.
At Dean trench wh
ws struck by isolated parties
one pty consisting of
Capt Turner & 6 men worked
up it. Just as they reached
/ trench a Germ. m.g.
opened on them by / sound.
It k. Sergt. Lihou - DCM & Bar
& M.M. (from Wangarvan?, near
Dubbo). He ws bombing down

95

towds 48 Bn on top o /
parapet & / gun opened
tow in his directn. Turner
left 2 men to watch /
right (after collaring tt
m.g.) & worked (sometimes
using bombs) up towds
Le Verguier. The fog ws
starting to lift & / Germs
cd be seen. They put up
no scrap after this in
this trench. (The pty got
7 mgs & crews, a Doctor,
& an advd Dressing Stn).
As they got up towds /
road running SE thro' 4B,
a pty of Germs passed
going E along / rd abt
200 yds away in full
marching order. At first

96

Capt Turner thought they were
his men, & started for them
when he saw they were
Germs. Unfortunately we
had no L.G. there. They
then dug in ahead o /
brown line ahea past the
E end of the copse at
L 35 A 2.5.
They were hardly there
long eno' to reorganise when
they had to start for / second
objve. The Germans shelled
them while on this line &
they had a few casualties.
It ws now clearer.
As soon as / barrage came
down (? 8.30) the men jumped
out & shook themselves into
arty formation & went on up

97

the ridge w very little opposition.
There were to be 2 Coys in /
first advance & 2 in / second;
but as the fog disorganised
them / whole practically
went forward as one to
the 1st objve; & afterwds
in order to maintain
connectn w 15 Bn on
left & 45 on rt they had
to see the whole line had
again to go forward.
Most o / casualties
occurred before reaching /
first objve - partly caused by
our own barrage wh ws
irregular in parts – & partly
by Germ. m.gs. (not many
by German shelling).

98

On reaching the crest near
/ old British outpost line at
Coronet Post etc. the line
ws close on its barrage &
when the Germs were rushed
they put up no show.
Abt 70 to 80 prisoners were
got out o / trench leading
E (beyond / line) near
Ascension Fm - mostly -
many in one deep dugout at /
far end of it. They were /
garrison o / post. 12 or 13
mgs, mostly mounted, were
taken there but not a shot
ws fired - & 2 m/wfrs.
They dug in along /
forwd slope
Diagram - see original document
Three posts were sent out to /
left across / gully to connect
w 15 Bn. While digging in they