Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/123/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 5

4        47
One team had bn knocked
out going up the Commn
trench.
We sent up a pty along
the top to our right of the trench
& bombed them back to
the turn. Then Gs came
back & kept up a
desultory bomb att fire
— throwing with stick bombs
& out throwing us. We had
to send out along top
in order to equalise this
The Commn trench ws well
built up & this gave
some protectn. A post
ws kept in the open there
to rt o / trench. 

4    48
About. 10p.m. the Germans
bombed from trench again
at B, & under cover
of this sent out a pty
abt along dotted line to
O, right turned, & came
on as if on parade. These
were bombers – practly no
rifle fire from them. Our
rifle fire ws very heavy.
White had stopped every 3rd
man digging & told him
to get his rifle clean -
The result ws that
every rifle ws clean; &
there were also many
m.gs there. The attack
came on very well – 
they got within distance

4    49
to throw 3 or 4 bombs —
coming on splendidly in
spite of fire - They were
swept away - There were
L.Gs & Vickers on them
(1 V. & 3 L.G. at least). The Germs
seemed to be fresh troops.
The little advanced bombing
post – observing beside the
trench at Q, were bombed
in. The attack up the trench
petered out at the block  —
probly only covered the
other - The German
flares from abt T, falling
in nomansland lit up this attack.
The line continued
digging in — gt difficulty
in filling sandbags. The

50
L^t Lillecrapp of 8 m.g. Coy
ws near the block of left
flank with a Vickers gun &
wd know what happened
there.

4    51 
 29th (Maj. Murdoch)
sent up, when the m.g. fire
was on, to know if
the 32 Bn wanted reinfts.
Mills replied no, but to
have them ready. Later
Murdoch sent up again,
& Mills sd he wd be
glad of a platoon.
It ws then tt 29
Bn took over the left flank
in _^Germ. front trench but left bomb
stop in Commn trench to 32nd
29 taking from E to A.
Through the night there
were isolated small attacks
by bomb parties from T
towards B, over the top. 

4     52
& from Delangre agst
bomb stop at B up trench –
but nothing serious.
Mills cd hear occasional
bombing from K. – but
did not know there
ws anything serious
there till Capt Mortimer
(29Bn) came up & told him tt
the Germans were in possession 
of their old firing line or
rather the reverse slope
of a slight rise abt
70 yds in (their) rear of it.
& had got into their old
front line by the crater,
& in space between the I A Y
& E F G along the whole
rear of the battalion. 

4     53
Mills went along to
break the news to
White. Mortimer went
back to find out how
things lay down the
Commn trench E A B &
see abt a block.
(Mortimer is missing  –
probly k  – a fine chap).
White & Mills decided
tt / positn was untenable.
They ordered all the
m.gs. & Lewis guns to
get away by the rt
flank behind the 31st
where they thought there
ws nobody.
They then organised 

4    54
a c. attack on our
front line. Mills had 12
bombs & White 15. As
soon as m.gs got a start
on they left the trench they
were in & charged the
front line. There were
m.g.s from their (then)
rt flank & front, &
rear & not very
many reached the front
line.
White got into the
front line. There were
plenty of Germs there &
hit a couple with his
revolver, & was blown
up somehow & became
unconscious. When Mills
got there there were

 ? R White

4   55
to the bombing post, wh
ws then being bombed, he
pulled them out. They
came over / top. Most
of them were hit. Miles
found the front line empty
where he hit - got
straight over it, & fainted
in nomansland. The Germans
had mgs. on flanks
sweeping everything tt
moved. He crawled along
a fold o / ground to
an old trench full of our
dead & wd. You cd
get along this old G. trench
nearly to our parapet.
& got in a couple of
men who were not 

4   56
so badly wounded.
Anyone who cd crawl
cd be got in - but those
who needed a stretcher
had to wait till night.
There ws a very heavy
m.g. fire at this time,
& stretchers cdn't be
used. Later on they
used stretchers.
Many must have
bn k in our own
trenches tt mg.
[Col. Coghill came across
during the night with the
adjt. to the G. trench.]
& went back again

57
32 Bn.
A & B. & HQrs. S. Aust.
C & D from W.A.

The losses run from 159 to 163
per Coy – & some of HQrs.
XXX 

(Diagram - see original document)

4   58
30 Bn. ws providing
digging & carrying parties.
A Coy ws digging the
new fire trench across nomansland.
(See air photos).
The fight ws to take
place on 17 July. 30 Bn.
ws sent down & ws in
trenches some way behind
300 yd line near on left of Cellar
Farm Ave.  They were ready
for / show
They were withdrawn
& were in positn agn
by 1pm on July 19. There