Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/124/1 - July 1916 - Part 2

10

A Coy.                                      D.                                       C.
Capt DR Brown.     Capt. _^H.C. Pearce        Lt RM. Matthews
                                      O C.                                         O.C.
B Coy
Capt W.T. McDonald.
 

5  11
4^th Bn.
Objective as in Bde Order.

last house on map.

Hand drawn diagram - see original

2 attacking Coys (less on Platoon of D coy) made
attack from trenches on E side of
Chalk Pit Rd (up to bombing post).
1 Platoon D Coy.  attacked from
assembly trenches on W. of Chalk pit Rd.
(into wh they moved after 2 Bn left).
4 Bn ws in X 14 N of La Boiselle S of Ovillers.
Left there at 10.30 good deal of diffcy
in dark.  Last left at 11.10 p.m.
4 Bn reached there before 2 Bn left
4 Bn had dug some assembly trenches night
before in E side of Chalk Pit Rd N of
Bde H.Q.  2 Coys got in there
Other 2 had to wait on road side.
Lost prac. no one there.
Took them along rd past
Casualty Corner. Bn H.Q. where
Dinkum Alley strikes Chalk Pit Rd. 

5   12
3rd wave formed on train line.
Exc. 1 Platoon D Coy.  Pushed along
main albert Bap. Rd.
Not much shelling after leaving
parapet.  Excellent line preserved.
No trenches on main rd.  When
reached rd line of trenches had to
be swung round behind bldgs bec.
of field of fire - & diff. digging.
A few Germans were seen & shot
dodging in dark across rd.
Passed thro line of 2Bn.
Shelling not heavy during night or
Early next morning.  Sniping v. slight
across rd.  C. O. was there betw 7 & 9
& cd walk abt positn. Men were
bombing Germans out of cellars on
N. side of rd. Threw bomb down -
smoke coming out - men w bayonets running
round houses. Men so excited getting
prisoners tt some for got to work &
had to be sent back. Certain amt
of light shrapnel at this time.
German bayonets had bn seen
in K trench & such firing as there
ws came from there.  We had
platoon in trench on N W side of
Bap. Rd running into K trench (borrowd 

5  13
by 2 Bn from 4 Bn.
2.30 a.m. McCarthy C Coy reported by runner
3rd objve attained, in touch w 3 Bn,
trenches then abt 2 ft down
By 7.30 - 9 trenches were 6-7 ft down.
A good narrow trench - ordinary chocolate soil.
It held alright during digging but smashed
when shelled.
Our Barrage had one gun dropping
short wh cdnt be stopped for few
hrs. Until barrage lifted we cdnt patrol.
Men bombing dug outs were getting
informatn of Germans running Nwds.
Then Abt time barrage lifted Germans bayonnets
pound our new trenches.  [shorthand] walking abt
showed them where we were.
Shelling seemed to come first from Courcellete
& N.  Later from N W also.
Pretty heavy on Monda 23rd afternoon.
Coys told to thin out or move forward;
but their tendency ws to hold tt staying
in trenches ws better.
2 more platoons were given from
A Coy to 2 Bn.  Germans had gone up K
trench, established bombing post there barricade some way
up it.  2 Bn put bombing post there &
2 platoons  4 Bn took SE part of trench. 

14

Hand drawn diagram - see original

5  15
24 July all same till afternoon when 4 Bn
C Coy ws relieved by B Coy; & D Coy by
A Coy.  (2 Bn took place of 3 platoons of
A Coy in K trench & Bap. Rd].
Our Hows. were shelling these two last
trenches that afternoon. Took some time to
stop them. Col. Stephens withdrew
the platoons & trench ws empty. Stephens
later put back 2 Bn into these trenches.
This ws situation on night of 24 July.
9 p.m. July 24  Confce. at Bde H.Q.
(etc re attacks postponement).
July 25. Barrage 3.30 am.
Attack started at 3.45 from 2 Bn bombing
post abt X 4 c 5.7.  (Trenches so flattened tt
imposs. really to say).
Attack made by bomb platoon under Lt Boileau
3 Lewis m.gs. under Lt Cooke (from old F Coy 5 Bn).
Supported by A Coy & B Coy under Capt _^DR Brown.
Marched in w all Coy bombers in front of &
Bombing Platoon
L.Guns.
Platoon bombers of
A & B Coys.
A & B Coys. 

5  16
marched in from assembly trenches
Hand drawn diagram - see original
It ws 3.55 before 1st
bomb ws thrown (10 mins
late thro "July 26" mistake)
Germans were quiet behind barricade.  Our
men didnt realise where it ws till bombs
came & caused few casualties & some confusion.
Lt Boileau & Sergt Baxter got men together &
started bombing themselves.  German snipers
began to hamper us from distant parts of
trench (traverses bends etc).
Lewis m.gs. were brought into action. As soon
as Germans were seen sniping & bombers
looking for directn they were shot kept
down - & alld our bombers to get
their bombs in. Lewis guns fired from
side of trench in rear of bombers.
(Trench ws very much as when I saw it.)
As bombers advanced we drove Germans
out over shallow parts of trench & m. guns
shot these down in trenches.
We were then able to get a rapid
move on.  We were using their bombs
& for 100 yds away they were shouting
Kamerad etc. A number broke &
got across E & W - mostly W.
A good number were shot on W side.
Hand drawn diagram - see original 

17

4 Bn only had 2 k.
6 w.
in this attack &
took 500 yds of trench.

5  18
M.gs. were on E side of trench.
We sniped shot bombed as far as tramline.
We had orders to stop at tram line.
All who were not k by 4 Bn
were captured by 8 Bn. who were
a little ahead.
4 Bn took 11 unwounded
4 wounded.
60 dead were counted in trench &
many shot outside.
We got 4 machine guns intact &
3 automatic rifles & any amt of
bombs. There were some deep
dugouts near tramline. Only
stairs had bn completed - abt
½ dozen there.
Tramway reached abt 5.30 a.m.
Improved trench for fire to N.W. & joined
with 8 Bn (over the top) on rt.
2 Bn still had Coy in S portion.
4 Bn had 2 Coys. m.gs. & bombers
in N. portion.
Shelling near tramline ws not
so bad & men by pushing N. got out
of heaviest portion of shelling.
Bn H.Q. moved up to look out
place on rd in orchard X 4c 4.1. 

5  19
The support Coys in old British front
trench on Chalk Pit Rd caught it
heavily.
Night July 25/26  2 Bn ws relieved by 7 Bn.
4 Bn ws ordered to bomb along trench
in X 4 a 4.3. to W.S.W. to join Warwicks
[*Sergt Costin
now 2/Lt ws
in charge of
this patrol.*]
Sent out patrols down trench.  Patrols
sd they saw few Germans who ran -
& few wd. & came to post wh seemed
to be occupied - but noone noticed there.
That ws 400 or 500 yds down trench.
Patrol came back.  By this time order
recd cancellg our attack but saying
tt bombers of Warwicks were coming
in to our trenches to do same job.
Warwicks came up - we put them in.
This attack ws part of a scheme of theirs.
4 Bn ws at this time attached to 2 Bde.
Patrol took bombers down & joined w them.
They took 100 prisoners & cptd. fully
equipped dressing stn.
We linked up on morning of July 26
found British were in trench leading to N of
Cemetery.  We connected up w them where 

20
Maj. Stacey went down
trench & met these
Warwicks & talked
to their officer.

5  21
this joins K trench R 34 c 1.1.
They estab. post abt X 3 B 3.8.
During 26 July shelling still pretty heavy.
There were lulls this day but after dark
started again.
Abt 11 p.m. recd order tt we shd be
relieved by 2 Coys 24 Bn.  Relief finished
abt 3 a.m. 27 July.
In going out we came straight down
main Bapaume Rd & had no casualties.
It ws misty.
Came into billets  bivouac w of Albert
abt 5-6 a.m.
Strength 16 Officers. 471 officers & men.
Losses:        k  .   w.    m.
          offrs.  3      9 
             o.r.  82   327   13
Total 434.
Almost all casualties shellfire.
Lt Cooke ws hit in eye by a bullet wh
passed thro man in front during bomb attack.
______
Officers } Champion hit by shell.
Killed     } Dowling (xxx). shrapnel
                } McCarthy   shrapnel.
All other officers hit by shell.
Boileau all right 

22

Hand drawn diagram - see original
73 men of 2 Bn
were sheltered
there during heavy shelling.
__________________
 

5  23
We got 2 guns 2.77 x(one marked w Bn name) we have sights of both. On E side of S end of K trench
(but S. of Bapaume Rd. near Chalk Pit Rd).
All m.g.s got back. Autom. Rifles were
got ready for use.
A good deal of equipment etc.
2nd & 4^th Bn both got into Cement House.
This later became 2 Bn H.Q.
Got 33 prisoners (3 officers, 30 men 6 m.gs.
in this house.  It ws a Head qrs. Concreted
esp. to resist shells.) 

5  24
2 Bn.

Hand drawn diagram - see original

X-Y 1st objve.
X2A 2nd objve
XB 4 Bn objve.
C D F X Z A final line of 2 Bn
on Sunday daybreak.
Sunday Evg 5.30 [shorthand] move whole
line forwd.
Divn consulted Cdn't on a/c barrage.
Ordered to take Cement Hse
& House next to NE of it.
Sent bombing & Scout platoons
up K trench to G.  Put patrols
out & sent Coys forward
& joined on to 4 Bn at abt
H.
Hand drawn diagram - see original

Germans were in trench x I J &
sniped from there - shot Mather (wd)