Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/236/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 6

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run back to attend to / early morning c/attack.
This dugout was at X, & Sergt Richardson imd. after came
to / top (when / c/attack had gone off) & 17 people trooped
out o / dugout including 5 offrs -(some medical).
Graham ws sent to hospital abt 3 p.m.  His
bombs had kept / Germans busy at / bottom
o / dugout stairs till Richardson came.

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Lagnicourt.  11 Bn.
Make sure of getting Lt P.W. Lyons (farmer
from Donnybrook, W.A.) Statement.  Also Lt. R. Beattie,
a scotsman from Kalgoorlie.
Shortly Lyons & B. say tt Pope ws
killed 2 hrs before the attack started in
trying to get out to bring in a runner who
had bn wd abt 20 yds from the Post.
Pope ws shot thro / head in going out
to get him.  Lyons says that / Germans

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finally got right round them w 3 or 4 m.gs
in positn in rear of them - there ws only
one man unwounded in / trench.  They
hadnt a round of ammn left.
Lyons thinks that the Divn wh ws
brought up by / Germs ws within 5 or 6
miles o / place, ready for a raid; so
tt when O'Rourke's information ws recd
it ws not impossible to swing this Divn
in in / attack.

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Diagram - see original document

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Bullecourt:
The Rt of 11 Bn ws af
When Bn moved in they found
tt 12 Bn ws before them - 2 Coys in
front line & 2 in Suppt line; 11
Bn found tt all tt they had to do
when they went in ws to fill up
from the left of 12 Bn to the Pioneer
Trench Rd.  In / front line

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the line ws           ↑
                      _____   _____
                          C          B
In rear line.  _____   _____
                           D         A
At the C.T. leading out towds
the Star Rd ws a S/Pt.  Lt Graham
filled that.  He put in there 37 men
& 2 L.Gs under Sergt Veitch. (DCM for This)
Abt 35 yds ahead ws one
of Fritz's posts.

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C. Coy under Maj. Darnell were from
the junction of the C.T. down to /
Pioneer trench where they joined 3 Bn.
11 Bn They got in without a casualty.  For
2 hrs things were quiet.  Then there
opened a concentrated Bombt on
both 1st & 2nd lines for 3½ hrs.  There
ws no shelter.  The effective strength o /
Bn ws reduced by 50 percent.

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Veitch in his post only had 16 men left -
The germs must have withdrawn their
own post to bombard it.
A n^o of golden cluster signals
went up - & the barrage lengthened.
Imdly up a succession of greens
went up from / Germans all along / line.
It ws / signal for a general attack
from / front & both flanks.  We had not
a flare ourselves tt ws usable tt night -

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they were wet & / cartridges wdnt go
into / pistols.  (The cartidges had been in
/ trench some time & had got wet).
It so happened tt green was our
S.O.S. Signal.  The 1st German wave
had got out; but / second was just
getting out when down came our
barrage in reply to / German flares.
The Germs first struck Veitch &
he got most o / bombs. (wh didnt

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reach / trenches beyond)  Veitch didnt
shift an inch.
Our barrage held / frontal attack.
But / flank sttacks came on.  We had
a L.G. abt every 10 yards. - but most o /
Gunners were k. & / Offrs & NCOs had
to go along instructing men how to
use / gun.  The Germans in the front
trench got as far as. / first dugout

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bombing on / flank where 12 Bn were.
There ws a spell for a couple of
hours (the attack had bn abt 2 a.m.)
Then / Germans came at us again just
on dawn - but there ws no frontal
attack.  He put down a barrage
all along / line & attacked from /
rt flank.  His barrage ws kept up
on / front while / attack went on.