Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/128/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 2

8
11
abt same time - & the firing suddenly
stopped.  11 Bn handed over trench
N of hedge to 8 Bn & dug in to connect
12 Bn & 8 Bn.
This ws Monday night.
Tuesday morning the heavy
bombardment came down.  11 Bn
was in semicircular trench.  Germans
hit this constantly - but 8 Bn in new
line further out only had two casualties.
(Semicircular trench) ws on lines of an
old German trench
Bombt stalled abt 6.45 to 12.
Eased for an hour.  Then started till abt
4.30pm.  Metcalfe ws wd twice -
got away abt lunch time in the ease
up.  The 12 Bn sd they saw Germans
coming - Vickers guns in B. watch
alley stopped this, for 12 Bn. saw
Germans falling over & they themselves
(12 Bn) were not firing much.
After tt the fire ws very steady
& slow till 11 Bn ws relieved by 19 Bn
tt evg.

8
12
There ws not a coy commdr of 2 in c. left
when 11 Bn came out - (except Lt Aitken -
wd. but stayed with Bn)

11 Bn Aug. 22/23.  The Bn ws on working pties
& did not know till 21 Aug. it wd have
to be in an attack.  Colonel did not have
a man left at La Boiselle - First
working pty to get back to L.B reached
there at 3.15 on afternoon of Aug 22. & the

8
13
stunt ws at 6 p.m.  They had to be fitted
out, get food, go to Chalk Pit & get 3
bombs each.  Last pty left La Boiselle
at 4.15 - only had 215 the Col. cd
scrape together.  At time when attack
started Capt Lenay got there with 40 men.
Clarke ws buried (Bde bombing offr) &
Hallahan ws buried 2ce & didnt
get there till 6.45.
Lenay started out in command
of his pty.  Lenay _^ ws wd during our
barrage - Halahan ws next & ws
not able to get there till 7 6.45
Clarke wsnt there till 6.30 -
5 offrs went up  Lenay, Clarke,
Prout, Cook, & Halahan.
Cook got up there as Lenay ws
wd - Halahans men went over him
while buried & Clarkes went over him
but men were late - It ws nearly
11pm before men were organised &
got over.  They went up abt 3 a.m.
& abt time when Casey & I were up there
had connected with 12 & 10.

8
14
10^th Bn
Pozieres

14
Sund. morning 5.30 a.m.
A Coy went over with 9 Bn.
D Coy. were to attack up O.G.1 in
the morning at 3.30 a.m.  There were 1½
platoons of them & 2 regimental teams of
bombers (2 sectors of 10 Bn bombers).  They
were after the point 2 when Pozieres trench
joined O.G.1.  We had a stop where marked
1.  They bombed around 1 & to 2
until they linked up w 9 Bn in
Pozieres trench.  The Germans were sniping (w rifles
back.  They later _^ (½ hr after) came at us. w bombs
but cd nt shift us.  The 10th made
a strong post at 2 & two teams of
bombers were put in there.  Blackburn
who ws in charge reconnoitred up
to No 2 pretty well before the party
moved out.  He had a couple of
bombers with him & another.  Scott
(then Sergt) went in in charge of 34
men.  Sergt Maclaren (who ws sniped thro
the throat) had abt 20.  This w / two
teams of bombers (14) made abt 70.
They lost abt 40 out of these.

8
15
10 Bn. Pozieres.
A Coy went over with 9 Bn.
Diagram - see original

8
16
At abt 1 p.m. same day (July 23) they
were relieved by N^o 15. Platoon of 10 Bn.
(D Coy.)
The Coy ws then taken by Maj. Giles over
to strengthen 12^th Bn flank & to connect
12 Bn with 11^th Bn (on their right)
where dotted trench shown.  It ws at dawn
on 24^th tt the Germans c.attacked
in this directn.  Maj. Giles had gone away
wounded.  Lt Blackburn ws in command
o / Coy.  The Germans seemed to be
trying to get round the right of the salient
there.  The Germans came over extended
but in 4 or 5 lines - one behind the other.
A few seemed to get across the tramline
when they gave up abt 100 yds from
our line.  There were heavy casualties.
Afterwards they cd be seen worming their
way back.  Two Lewis guns of 10^th
got onto them there - Cpl Boomer won his
military medal there.  One of the guns
ws on the road.
After this attack - on July 24 -
the German bombardment began.

8
17
It ws mostly just behind the trench - H.E.
5.9 & probably some heavier.  Fortunately
this ws not really on / trench - only abt 3
killed.  The 12^th Bn came right under
this barrage.  (There ws m.g. fire from the
O.G. lines - the road ws too hard to cut thro'
at first & a m.g. was playing on the any men as they
hopped over it.
D. Coy ws in this trench until
relieved by the 5^th Bde.
The 5^th Bn when they attacked O.G. lines
came across this trench from rear to
reach their starting point & later _^ some came
back into it.  The 7^th Bn lost direction
also.  The 10 Bn. bombers (regimental)
went up from the stop in the O.G. lines
in this attack.  They were severely
handled but after abt 3 hours bombing
they got the strong point.  This was just
after the 5^th Bn failed.
The Bn ws then relieved by the
5^th Bde.

8
18
10 Bn ws in Sausage Valley.
Bde attacked
11      9
12.    10
Half of objve for 9^th ws parallel to
front; other half was up O.G. 1 & 2.
British agst Munster Alley.
3rd objve of ^9 & 11 Bn was Road - tram - OG1 & 2.
up to Windmill.  Windmill was Right Point.
11 & 9 went over at 12.30 - 1. am.
11^th took 1st & 2nd objve  x 12^th took their 3rd
objve.  12^th dug in between tram & road.
9^th Bn swung to left but got Pozieres
trench to abt 100 yds from O.G.1. & O.G.1
to 5 at central.  O.G.2 was occupied by
British to abt 12 a 3.9½.
10 Bn (A Coy) reported to 9^th Bn.
& started bombing up (& working along
shellholes at side of O.G.1.  This was
a bomb fight.  Enemy m.g. caused
casualties.  They cleared Germans
out of 150 yds of trench but he
drove them back (they ran out of
bombs).  _^ Capt M. Cann (A Coy. Commdr) ws
wounded.

8
19
Abt day break we were as we
were with A Coy wasted.
Coys went in A.B.C.D
[*approach*]
10^th had to get gas helmets on - there was
a block in Bailiff wood - took 3 hrs to get from
Sausage Valley to Assaulting Point.
2 platoons of 12 Bn were lost ahead of
D coy - & there ws a block.  The 12 Bn
ws pushed up - 10^th ws lying on road on
causeway - under shellfire.  D Coy lost 3
men there _^ (2 gun 1 shrapnel).  It was heavy shelling.
[*Intention:  |A
|C
|B
|D*]
D Coy got up Black Watch Alley as
dawn ws breaking & were told tt
A Coy had bn used & failed.  (C ws
to be behind A.  D Coy behind D B which
was to go over Pozieres trench .
[*O.G.1*]
When D arrived - 1st objve ws all
right; 2nd objve (Poz. [trench ) ws
not linked up with O.G.1; nor
was 3rd objve.  D Coy then had
to clear up O.G.1 & link with
Pozieres trench.  Maj. Giles had 2
regimental bomb teams & 1½
platoons under Mr Blackburn.

8
20
After 3 hrs fighting it ws successful,
& some pioneers were obtained to
short circuit the corner into Poz. trench 
which was untenable owing to
German m.g. in strong post.  There ws
a very small tunnel - x the tunnel
may have bn under the rd.  They
broke this down.
Giles then withdrew Blackburn's
1½ platoons and put in a fresh one
under Lt. Partridge to consolidate
this link.
Abt 1 p.m. got order tt D coy
ws to support rt of 12 Bn in 3rd
objve - Giles only had one unused
platoon then & remnants of others.  Giles had
to go off & find his way - telling coy to
stand by.  He ws 4 hours away.
The rt of 12^th ws on curve of rly &
left ws just on E. of wood where guns
were.  Germans were shelling Pozieres
trench & edge of copse over heads of
11 & 12 Bn.  Giles got back abt 5 p.m.
C Coy took over positn wh Partridge's
platoon ws holding at the link with OG1.
& Pozieres xx  C Coy took this over