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

5      25
He ws siting trench at time w O.C.
This wo abt 6.15 (order recd at 5.35).
Left ws still in air so 4 Bn ws asked
to put platoon in M. This made
final line on Sunday.
Diagram, see original document
K trench at this
time ws a fair
trench. Abt 4-5
feet deep. an old
Commn trench w
rough wood-shored pozzies but no
deep dugouts. Wire blown away –
stakes showed where it had bn.
Monday afternoon onwards heavy
shellg began. Gilder had charge of

Diagram, see original document
got blown in &
sh. shock on mond.
Afternoon.
It had been a 5ft trench _x
sand bagged & well
built but Earth
v. soft w pounding.
4000 sand bags put in.
B & C Coy were worked up towards
4^th after their attack when shelling
ws heaviest. When two other Coys
were getting it most heavily
C.O. put them in cellars – all 

5      26
in Cement Hse.
Diagram, see original document           

Bn put abt _^75 to 100 men in there. 6 direct
hits wh from 5.9 while they were
in it. Bn H.Q. ws in log hut dug out wh
ws afterwds blown in - Bn H.Q.
had shortly before shifted to
Cement Hse.
This had bn a strong point.
On Sunday morning patrol
under Lt Waterhouse went out.
He had seen a man go into
white reinforced concrete Hse (abt
10ft high) just N of Rd. They sang out
& out came 2 officers & 23 o.r. One offr.
inside ws wd. & died after being got
out - hit thro abdomen w bullet.
Waterhouse brought these men back
as barrage ws too close. Germans
tt afternoon seemed to be creeping up K trench
toward this post. C.O standing by post
Concrete House giving company O.C.s
directns for siting of line N. of Cement H. 

5      27
(Germans cd be seen in little
trench to N. from this pt & were sniping).
Orderly rushed up & delivered
message "Urgent & Secret-
"Abt men having failed to Salute the
"G.O.C. going past in his car.
"("Gen Gough)" C.O. sd  "open it quick!"
[on Mond. morning. 2 Bn had
arranged to meet British abt X 4a 4.3.
Bombers started off under Troll abt 3.30 a.m.
Met Germans almost at once. They
had dug a T trench & barricaded.
Our men extended on surface behind
sort of mound & in craters & bombd.
Pretty good practice. Germans threw
the first bomb - our men walked
onto them before they started realised it.
It cd be seen from village tt there ws
nothing moving in British trenches so
Xxxx ws ordered to build barricade.
German arty. later in day shelled tt German
T trench tremendously.
On Sunday morning looking back 

 5      28
towards our lines as day broke
thro' / barrage – those in / line cd see
/ stretcher bearers looking walking to & fro picking
up wd. & bringing them in -
On a Later ^day from top of Cement Hse,
2 S.b.s cd be seen right up on top
near cemetery.
[on day 4 Bn made their attack they 2 Bn cd see
smoke of English bombs coming up
trenches on left this side of Ration trench.]
1st Day. 5 pm to 9 pm our bombt. heavy, after 9 eased a bit; got
heavier from 11 p.m. onwards. His shelling increased also then so
he possibly ws called up for retaliation or precaution.
Barrage at 10.28 to 0.30. Crept out
at abt 12.10 a.m. Abt 12.20 a couple
of bursts of m.g. fire started. Flares
were coming up from / trench along
 / edge of wood abt in ordy numbers
& some It seemed as if our chaps
might have bn seen; but it ws
only ordinary nightly shooting.
1^st line ws within 60 xxx yds of objve.
when barrage started. When barrage lifted
(this ws hard to judge owing to lift not
being sharp cut) line rushed forwd –
Whistle blown – (but not heard) officers
jumped up all together seeing barrage
lifted & rushed – Reached trench just 

 5     29
as m. gunners were getting gun into
action - had got a shot or two off when
bayoneted & shot. Along most of line
no shots fired. Trench had few Germans
in it. 2 m.gs. in trench; one ws captured,
Ammn of other found but it ws not
there German ws buried there probly
by shelling. In some places trench  ws 3 ft
deep, in other places no trench at all.
It had been abt a 4ft trench w pozzies
– abt as good as ours. Seemed as if
chiefly used for night observn & m.g.s.
Some Germans there had bn dead 4 or 5
days – Tommies were seen lying up
to wire but not beyond. Seemed to
be no recent wire.
1st wave stopped in tt trench _x No
Few went close up to barrage in getting
in. Barrage lifted onto wood. 2nd line wave
went over almost at once (were
very went in w 1st wave line _x But
after getting in   2nd wave came over 4 to
5 mins later & went to barrage &
waited under it_x 12.30 barrage lifted. 

30
One _^off chap w heavy dark moustache
got lost & lit fire in bottom of
crater - first night - within 20 yds
of objective taking it quite easy. He
had collected a few fellows abt
him - a thin wizzened chap w grey
hair -   

5     31
At 12.30. 1 a.m. A & B had to take line behind tramway
to Rd. Had great diffy in finding trench.
They started digging & then some found a
trench _x (Probly smashed up)
On rt there ws some diffy in
recognising xxxxx even 1st trench was at all.
It ws on edge of wood & amongst stumps
of trees they found it. There were
[*xx*] not many Germans here - but some
were shot prob running away - tremendous
craters among trees - still some semblance
of a wood. Trench dug here
too. 4 Bn went over.
While still in 1st trench message came
"Germans are attacking on Rt." This
ws for: "Germans are Evacuating
on right." In morning men were
chasing Germans in wood
7 were found in dug out wh had
bn H.Q. abt X 4C 4.2. This ws a deep
dug out. There were 2 big rooms 20 x 20 with
beds. [This ws blown  Dug out above w
logs _^on top ws blown in. Used later as
2 Bn HQ. Cellar below undamaged
w 2 or 3 rooms. 

5       32
Monday night they chucked in a lot of
lacrymatory shell. Men were looking for
Germans & Souvenirs all morning - 
being a little sniped at. Only got a few Germans.
Tues - afternoon 8 p.m. Germans ws
attacking
4 m.g.s in Cement Hse., 2 kettle
drums, helmets, 4 or 5 field glasses,
14 revolvers, 2 range finders
Well by Church. (A Coy got all
water there).
In first line - ws a water bottle.
There ws hot coffee in it.
One man sd "Dont drink it,
It's poisoned!"
Finder put it up - "Well here's
luck!" & drank it.
Lots of rations found. 2 good telephones
in Cement Hse. Prisoners here were from
157 Regt.
They know we were Ausralians
where 2 Bn got in. They sd men had bn
shouting over at them -
2 Tommies (Durham Light Infy)
came in on Friday night having bn
out since Sunday night as covering pty. 

 33

508
116
——
392          
 

5      34
Germans told us an Engl. officer
had come over to them & handed
in his pistols N of Bapaume Rd night
before we attacked.
            k.    w.         m.
offrs    3.     8          -
o.r.      87.    392.    17.                    

507 total casualties
Went in 730 rifles.
went in abt
Some casualties from shelling before attack.
111 casualties
K. Capt. Cotton Lt Host & Shorter (d of w).
Shorter ws  w ½ way over - went
on into trench & ws hit a second time there.
Got 6 mgs. all in working order
exc. one.
35 prisoners
Reinfts. since abt 185 (a good many old men to)
Regt state now 622.