Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/123/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 6

4  59
ws a lot of shrap. fire
but losses here were
only 1k. & 3 wd.
Beardsmore found
tt / fire on Cellar Fm
Ave ws heavy & decided
to take them along /
duckboards in / open.
Only 1 man ws wd on
way down.
Shortly after 5 p.m. he
took them to 300 yds trench.
& with the 1st wave the 1st
party went out of the
Sally Post, prepared by
Engrs. under Maj. Sturdee. 

60

^x The offr who went out with
Garland came back & sd it cdnt
be done - wire wsn't cut.
Lees sd oh its got to be done
anyway. Come on boys - &
out he went. 

^※ 2ce wounded & three k.

B Coy had 4 offrs across carrying
& none wd.
D Coy had 5 across & none
wd.
C had 5 across - 2 k. 1 wd.
& 2 wd in our front line.
A had 1 k. & 4 wd. & 1 shell
shock (who ws out w
Garland - Orpen.

4  61
Sergt. Garland^x took a
tape across to the G trench.
Garland ws blown to bits
there just after he finished
this.
Lt Lees^※ws / first offr out
& continued to direct /
work after being wd; but
he ws hit agn by a shell
within ½ hr of going out &
ws k. He ws over the other
side of nomansland. The arrangement
ws to dig potholes all across
& connect them up.
Maj. Beardsmore
ws knocked over by a shell
as he reached / front
line - his right ear drum 

4  62
burst & numbers of small
bits of shrap.
He didnt know he ws
wd - Capt. ^Ray Allen, 2 in C.
ws hit ^w bullet in arm 10 mins. later at /
same spot. Beardsm.
asked if he cd stick it. He
sd "yes" & went out into 
nomansland & supervised whole
line for 4 ½ hrs. It ws
not till / end o /
job ws in sight tt he
came in. Meantime
Lt Orpen came in
suffering from shellshock.
so only one offr ws
left - Lt Ke Cadden. 

4  63
½ of each pln had bn
sent out first. They
were to make potholes,
2 or 3 men on each,
join them up, take adv.
of any shellholes &
traverse as far as
possible.
Lieut Farr of 8 Field Coy
Engrs ws assisting w
technical advice & ws
out pract. all night.
He ws B's right & left hand, 
esp after Allen had gone.
Farr had some Sappers
w him; & L/Cpl Chisholm 

4  64
of 8 Field Coy. got a M.M
for his work (or a D.C.M.?)
Abt 2 or 3 a.m. (Beard)
to go along / trench himself)
/ men began to retire.
The ^new fire trench ws made use
of for a commn trench
as night went on - wh
hampered work - but
29 Bn., water, ammn,
& runners went through
it. By / morning at 5am
when last B. went thro'
it was a good trench
to / enemys wire, shallowing
off as it went thro the
wire. By / time we
had got thro' / German 

4  65
wire it shallowed off.
The end ws abt 10 yds
from the G. trench.
The Germans, abt time
when 32 Bn retired,
bombed the working pties
from front line & nomansld.
& pty ws forced to
retire. The orders were
(from higher authy) to dig
& not to fight. The men
were ordered by B. to
have their rifles by /
trench & only as a last 
resort to use them. 
The 32 Bn fell back on
their rifles when the 32 Bn 

4  66
rifles were clogged in
the mud.
All sorts of infⁿ. came 
along this trench - messages
as to progress, requests
for water, ammn etc.
Col. Clark of 30 Bn
ws quite handy in
H Qrs near the Sally
post & got this infn
back promptly to the
Bdier. X Col. Clark
ws keeping his head well
& taking responsibilities
on the spot.
B. got a D.S.O., Allen
a M.C., & Lees ws mentioned
in despatches. Farr 

67

30 Bn think tt Lt. Cay of
32nd who had to put the
bomb stop in failed to do
it, & ws captd. unwounded?

4  68
ought to have got something.
Most of All the Sergts
who got thro' are now
offrs. 
The Coy. had abt 30 k
& 60 wd. - just abt ½ its
fighting strength. The shell
fire in / night on / men
digging, & the rifle fire
from the left, were very
heavy. Most o / men
out there were k & w.
by shellfire. At the
finish the cover was
excellent, as the trench
got down. It ws
never manned as a
firing trench. 

->to German 
trenches - _^the 2 offrs
[*Lts Parker & 
Mitchell at abt
6.30pm carrying
ammn for 32nd*]

were k & many men. 

The left (32 dump)
parties were ^v. badly
cut up - you wd send
10 over top & only 4 get
through. The Germs. put
a m.g. out into Nomansland
on left just outside their wire
(firing on 2nd lot of carrying
pties ^from near the Tadpole). Maj.
Street saw it, got arty _^F.O.O. onto the
gun & blew it sky high.
Later in / night / Germs did
/ same thing & it cdnt be 
stopped.
The British on the left were
asked to bring fire to bear on
the m.g.s. in front & did so; & they
did a lot of good, & the m.g. offr
was k.)
Col. Clarke put L.Gs out into the sap Beardsmore
ws digging, to cover him.

4   69
Capt Marsden of the 8^th m.g. Coy
did great work. Marsden
ws everywhere. He got
pract. all his guns back.
He got a D.S.O.
30 Bn. Carrying parties were
origly drawn from one
Coy. They were absorbed
B carrying engrs mat^l. &
C carrying ammn. They
got into firing line & were
ordered to come back but
did not come. There were
2 dumps estab. one for 32 &
one for 31 Bn. The first carrying
pty of B Coy ws sent over under
cover of some burning bombs in
our own line - & 2 offrs & 40 men
got over without a casualty.
D Coy did / same later.
xx Two sections went across
on left & losing direction Got → 

70 
[Hand drawn diagram - see original]

4  71
30 Bn. Beaumetz.
Night of
21st} 
-22nd} Mar: Relieved 59 Bn who
were on left of Beaumetz.
Left covering Merchies to
Mariet. wood.
Right on Bap. Cambrai Rd.
29 (who had taken Beaumetz)
extended round front
of Beaumetz along
front of Velu wood
& ½ Coy at Bertrencourt
Rt of 30 Bn ws in J8C22
___________________
on 21/22 a patrol order Sergt. with L.Gunner Pte E H Lister
went out 1500 yds & was there surrounded.
Lister got his L.G. onto rear & then front & brought
patrol back. 
22/23 everything quiet
till 4.30 am. At 4.30 HQrs
at Lebucquiere cd hear