Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/240/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 2

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around. He ws found

there later & ws buried

in a Cemy. in rear.

[He ws probly k. in 22 C.]

53 Bn captd 2

whizzbangs down / valley

by / Le Catelet line - these

had opened on them when

they attacked; & one in

Top Lane & one further along

/ tunnel.

At / end of this series 

of attacks our line ran from

Rly Ridge westwards

across / valley to the

beginning of the upward

slope to / west - ahead of it

was the German positn on 

the Knob. Hill had to lead

a lot of bombing attacks

10

along / Le Catelet trench

before this stage ws

reached - the 53rd were

by this time all in /

Le Catelet line. The

C.O. ws preoccupied

w / problem of connecting

up across / open with 

the other units on the

line o / tunnel - this

ws done by a number

of posts. Eventually

these posts were pressed

forward by the 53 Bn

to / line of a road E &

W thro / valley (possibly a 

track).

When they were clearing

/ line, Lieut Ralphs of C Coy

11

advd w a small pty

from / Le Catelet line &

captd a German Bn Commdr

w his adjt & 40 or 50

Germans. In bringing them

in R. ws mortally wd

[Hill comes from Victoria - in /

country somewhere.

Ralphs was from up

country in N.S.W. - he ws

shot thro / neck & died

soon after.] The Bn Commdr

was sent back to Bn Hq.

which by then had bn moved

back to a house at / N. end

of Bellict. During / attack

this house had bn badly 

shelled & the aid post,

adjoining, was blown in

12

only a ^wounded German escaping

unhurt.

On / night of Sept Oct? 2/3

the Bn was pulled out

The German Bn. Commdr

sd tt / Germans wd c/attack

strongly & drive us out o /

position. He also sd

tt his battalion had captd

abt 800 Americans.

The Americans all

day were assembling behind

the tunnel S. of the C.T. just

outside Bellict. The lieut.

in/c offered his services to /

Colonel - who accepted a or rather the 53rd

commandeered abt 40 of

them as a carrying pty - they

did it very willingly & made

abt 4 trips w water & ammn -

13

2 trips each night.

All our dead were

cleared from / field. Over

40? Germ m.gs were captd

& abt 40 prisoners.

k. Capt Wilson MC

Lt Aldhouse (almost at the

jump off o / attack from JOT jump off by M.G. bullet in head)

Lt Ralphs MM          )  d of w.

Capt Johnson MC  )

wd. Lt Stinson MC

Potts (wd when Wilson ws leading C Coy to Le Catelet line).

Thompson

Abt 2 days after / show Lt Ridley

ws taking a pty up / Le Catelet

line to clean it up. They

came on 2 Germs who had bn

left wd. They were crying out

in agony for water; & abt dusk

- R. had only abt 3 men & no stretchers

14

they searched for water &

at last poured some out

of the m.gs. wh they found &

left some by their side. The

Germs were crying out

"Hospital, Doctor." The

pty put some blankets over

them & sd they wd do their

best to get them in.

On getting back to HQ

they called for volunteers to

bring these Germs in. H.Q.

volunteered to a man.

A pty of 12 went out & brought

them in - they were put

on a hospital car at once

& rushed to C.C.S. - the

digger on / way back was

talking all / while - oh well

poor blokes, they didn't make the war

15

& so on.

53 Bn

Polygon Wd

Moved off from Halfway H.

at dusk on night of Sept 24.

Moved past Birr X Rds.

HQrs were in Glencorse Wood -

the 4 Coys went out onto /

ridge just in front - in

supports - there ws a bit of 

a trench on / rt & little

dugout pozzies on / left

Abt 9pm they were shelled for

½ hr. Then all ws quiet till

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5.30 a.m. on Sept 25.

Then the German opened

a general bombt & pounded

them all day, right on /

mark - a terrible bombt.

It didn't slacken at all until

8 pm Sept 25. All told the

53rd Bn lost abt 170 - many

direct hits, L.G.s blown up -

HQrs at 9pm Sept 25 moved

up to / Pillbox on /

ridge - the officers were called

in & / attack explained to

them for next morning. No

rations or water turned up bec.

they had bn gassed on / way.

They had to fill their water 

bottles from dirty shellholes

& some used their iron rations.

17

Just after midnight

they moved off along a tape

to the J.O. Tapes - a very

slow job. They were shelled

& Lt Correy lost his foot 

there.

They settled on / tapes abt

4.30 am.

The barrage opened at Zero

like a wall of fire - a splendid

barrage. It ws a bit foggy & a 

little hard to pick your way 

forward. The diggers went ahead

smoking cigarettes, bombed pill

boxes, throwing bombs down /

chimnneys & ventilators - very

little hand to hand fighting - 

diggers slinging off as they advd.

Came on the Butte abt 

6.30 or 6.45 (Check / time) Here

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the barrage remained stationary

& / troops for / final objve

passed thro when it lifted.

Some post had evidently

bn passed over on / rt &

this now opened agst the

53 Bn inflicting many casualties. 

The CSMs of 2 Coys (CSM Loney 

killed at once & CSM Brewer

mortally wd) were k. ^near together.

This ws a dangerous spot

all thro. The 15 Bde (who were

in touch w 53rd there) suffered

very heavily on their left.

During / morning 53 Bn

made a pretty good line -

From the Butte to / right of

53 Bn line, abt 200 yds, they

had 13 Lewis guns & a fair

supply of ammn tho' / men