Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/85/1 - July - August 1917 - Part 4

D32  35
I saw ^Capt Eller - gave him
orders to go into
Pozieres trench L of junctn
w Copse ave.
Word to Simonds,
O.C. C. Coy to occupy Copse
ave w all / men he
cd get. Bn H.Q. to
junction of Black
Sunken Rd trench w 
Commn trench to Pozieres
trench.
There found tt one
platoon of C. Coy 6 Bn
had bn taken & sent in.
C. attack ws driven
off by our arty.
Jess stayed in new H.Q.
& ordered A.B.C. Coys after delivering
 

D32  36
bombs to reorganise in
Sunken Rd trench. (D Coy
as in O. G. 1 engaged w
enemy on left of 5 Bn).
Reported to Les M. abt 11 a.m.
10.55. message from 3 Bde
to organise C. Coy 7
as carriers.
Neither of Coys in hand
were to be used for reinft.
purposes without written
order from Bde.
At this stage 3 platoons
of C Coy 6 Bn were
only formed troops
under Jess.
At 11.35 sent message to
 

D32  37
5 Bn showing my
dispositns & asking
for situatn of 5 Bn H.Q.
No reply.
12 midday. Oates Came
out & Explained they
had bn resisting bomb
attacks all / morning
& had driven enemy
back abt 30 yds
up O. G. 1 towards
tramway (He held
Germans back w
revolver while they
built the barricade
behind him).
There were urgent
appeals for officers & 
 

See plan (later in
(Z)
this book.
 

D32  38
more troops - but ^Commn trenches
behind were full of troops - Indeed
these were better withdrawn.
Fight ws by this time a
bomb attack in O G 1 & 2.
Lt Harris ws sent in to
resist assist Oates -
Lt Anderson of 5 Bn came
up several times.
Oates & Harris were there
till 5 a.m. July 26.
Got within 25yds of tramway
Pushed back to starting
pt - advanced 60 yds
And built barricade.
Germans were using stick
bombs (not pea bombs
 

D32  39
tho these were in trench 
in 100s - these our people
took to be tear bombs
& thought tt they were
not using them bec.
they wanted to hold
trench themselves & advance.
Germans were throwing
stick bombs. We can
out-throw these (gun cotton
not shrapnel effect -
very local - 6 ft away
little effect [shorthand] moral
effect). They were bringing
up fresh bombing
teams - reinforcing in
full marching order
across Bapaume Rd
 

40

Brown ws hit near H.Q. X
by a splinter abt. 9 a.m. July 25.

The coys carrying bombs all
had 2 bombs in each mans
pockets. all time.
At last they were
carrying up bombs
[[1 in?]] detonated.
 

D32  41 

from near windmill -
Capt Oates got barrage
across O G 1 & up O G 2
(sent back map reading to
F.O.O. in trench some
hundred yds behind).
Barrage got on quickly.
[Hand drawn diagram – see original]
The effect o /
barrage ws
to stop them
getting across
in more than
ones & twos. (Prob. abt.
7.30 a.m.)
When messages were
recd. that enemy ws
 

D32  42
C. attacking tt afternoon
(abt 4p.m.) Harris cd
see no Germans at all.
There ws no c. attack
then. Possibly enemy
were reinforcing trench
N of Windmill but
certainly not S of it.
When we put up our
barricade we cut
T trench on either side
of O. G. 1 wh prevented
us being surprised.
1 p.m. Jess reported situatn
normal - Bn reorg. exc.
D Coy wh still engages
on flank of 5 Bn.
 

D32  43
2.20. 3 Bde ordered Jess
& adjt to report at H.Q.
3 Bde - to withdraw
rear coy & have rest
ready to move when
ordered - Instrns to
O Cs Coys to withdraw
to Bailey wood.
As H.Q. told me I ws
attached to / Bde - Report
1st Bde H.Q.
Ordered to relieve
1 & 2 Bns in Pozieres
Trench ws too crowded
by authies from behind.
Our drill is as good
as theirs. It is no use
having infy in the trench but
 

D32  44

want reinfts of bombers
100 yds behind - out of
bomb range. We want
men to string lightly along
trench as you advance.
This ws exactly what
ws not done & reason
why we had to come
back from tramway.
But further back the
infy crowded the trench 
& men were too keen to
be w Oates & get into
fight. Shd have bn someone
there to clear hold men
up & organise.
(10 German bombs in
air at once at times)
 

D32  45
The German snipers are
very good - they work w
bombers. Some of our
men got hit thro jumping
out of the trench, running along
side of trench, & throwing
bombs into trench.
This wd get enemy on
run & start him - but
of course men got hit
by snipers (mostly thro
head). Our Lewis guns
were taking the Germans
hands off as they threw.
————
Jess went on to Poz. Saw
trenches. Sent word to trickle
men thro barrage wh
ws very heavy. Relieved