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

8            21
freeing Partidges platoon. They had bn
bombfighting all / time while consolidating
& were pretty well flat out. Partridges
platoon ws put to rest in junction of
Black Watch Alley & O.G.1. at 7 p.m.
it ws dark eno' & Giles took the
unused platoon & rest of D Coy (exc.
partridges) round to rt of 12 Bn
where they dug in all night establishing
right of 3rd objve - From rly across
a road to xxx Pozieres trench near its
junctn with O.G. 1 thus making good
the 3rd objve. The Germans [Shorthand] attempt
the next morning & were beaten
back from there. (Partridge's platoon
had rejoined)
The 12th went forwd & dug in along /
rd while 10th were consolidating to
Pozieres trench.
A Coy ws bombfighting for abt 1½ hrs. & failed.
D Coy ws another 3 hrs & lost abt
50% - they had no failure.
There ws a Stokes gun which assisted ^(near where road crossed
O.G.1 wh got onto the Strong Post.) The
artillery observer there got his heavies 

22
D Coys bomb fight ws in daylight. They had to keep
very low or they suffered from m.g. fire.
(Diagram - see original document)
X Supported by 2 platoons of
C Coy under Lt Inglis.
They went over after 5th Bn.
(who left no men behind ^in O G 1. to mop up).
It was in the German attack down
O.G. 1 behind the 5 Bn that Lieut.
Inglis had to bomb up O.G.1 agst
Germans who were now in O.G. 1 to
junction of old Pozieres trench & actually
behind 10 Bn in the captured
strong point. They had to be
driven. Inglis ws wd in that attack,
shot thro' the cheek & mouth. (Still away.)
8      23
onto the strong post too, by request ^(he ws wd); but
the shells fell near the trench & about it
& even in it (the margin being too small)
Giles ws knocked over by a shell in
his reconnaissance.
The next night the rest of the
regimental bomb team (the other 2 teams
under Lieut Melville x (bombing officer) who killed 4
Germans himself in a dugout) took the 
Strong Point betw. the trenches finally.
B & C Coys, after 2nd objve had bn
linked up, dug a trench from O.G. 1 to
link up w British in O.G. 2. Capt.
Hooper (O.C. B Coy) ws k. there.
Maj. Shaw ws responsible for B & C
Coy's work in this part.

24 Indexed
10 Bn Apr 25 1915.
(Diagram - see original document)
Quinns Gully (in front of Quinns)
ws 30 to 50 yds wide &
fairly shallow - dead ground.
You cd pretty well
see into this from Quinns.
In Quinns for 1st 5 days all
tt there ws was a N.Z. m.gun.
From Mortar Ridge it cd be
seen tt Baby 700 ws finally lost -
by abt 4 or 5 - or dusk the line on the left had
left Maj. Giles left in / air & he had
to go back - arriving at Quinns abt
dusk & there they dug in, & at Courtneys.
Maj. Carter(16th) ws killed there at rt of Courtneys.
Walsh (15th) ws k. on Courtneys next to Giles. Lt Mountain (164)
was k. there & another Capt. Maj. Lamb(3rd) ws
very busy up there. Giles ws abt / only
offr who went thro' on Courtneys. Maj.
Steele (14th) ws there from 3rd day until
RuL1 relieved them.
8   Landing      Indexed         25

[*10 Bn.*]  Ap. 25. Maj. Giles was sent to link up
left of 3rd Bde with 12 Bn.
They tanks came acxx  were most of 1st
day on top end of Mortar Ridge. Lear (3rd) ws
k. beside Giles & Cowie (3rd) ws there. They afterwds
dug in at Courtneys Post.
[*?Tues*] The Turk attack on Monday ws made
in long lines formed up before they came
into view - from Chessboard right away
across to part of Mortar Ridge.
Our Dead had to be left at Mortar Ridge when
we retired on Sunday. One subaltern ws
k. at Mortar Ridge besides Lear. There were
N.Zs there & all sorts. We left abt 50 dead
out there but got all wd back. 

8  26
17 Bn.
(Diagram - see original document)
Welsh attacked through us (we held X to Y) on
afternoon of July 26.
Herds of men attacking on afternoon of
26 cd be seen from Pozieres trench.
Trenches A & B were crowded with
Pioneers, Welsh & others.
17 Bn were at first passing
bombs up etc - or rather officers of
17 Bn were organising the Pioneers & ^Welsh bayonet
men etc. Abt dusk 5 p.m. the 17 Bn
bombers took over the bombing
part as Welsh were exhausted
& worked 2 hours or so when they
too were casualties or exhausted.
They put up 2 barriers & got up a
m.g. but cd not get it into a
good positn for keeping Germans
back. Abt 8 pm they began to be 

27
(Diagram - see original document)
(Z) On morning of 25^th at first break
of dawn (?3.30) the 17^th (who had just
taken over in O.G. 1 & 2 & around
Pozieres trench saw a party of abt 25
men coming across from German lines
near where tramway crossed line.
They did not fire as these were few
- & Lt Harper came into trench very
much done & shot thro' the head &
w nearly all his men wd. The
attack was unknown to
them & it is lucky that the
party ws not fired on.
8      28
driven steadily back - an orderly
[*8 pm 26 July*] retreat. Germans were probly bombing
from outside trench as well. 18^th Bombers
came to relieve 17^th; & afterwds
20^th. All in turn were casualties
or too exhausted to go on. Finally
volunteer bombers held the post
from O.G. 2 till morning when
[*mg. 27/7*] attack ceased. T.Ms were not
available or cd not be brought
into positn owing to want of
reconnaissance - no c. attack
cd be made over top for same
reason - & it ws not our show.
(British were in O.G. 2 but
they were further to the right
& not in touch w our postion
(X Y marked in map on
previous page)). The Germans
swept whole front S. of Munster
Alley with m.g. fire as they
advanced & by sniping, & used
rifle grenades wh caused many
casualties in O.G.2. 

8    29
Capt. Fussell ^x ws in/c of B Coy wh first joined in
& in command of strong pt. in O.G.2.
Sergt Lyons ^x. bombing Sergt of 17 Bn. - the first in.
Lt. Fay (now wd in eye in London). Lt MacKenzie x, D Coy,
(this coy under O/C Maj. Mougham ws not in
the show but th these two offrs were there).
Lt. Maynard B Coy;  & Lt Lowther (who ws k. at
the point in O.G. 2 from wh the big
stand ws made.).
^x Lt Matthews, bombing officer (2nd Div Bombing Offr. now)
 x Try & see these.
18th Bn under Lt Docker (who ws wd that night)
20th Bn under Lt Broadbent - who ws wd (?)
It is sd tt 60,000 - 100,000 bombs were
used (ending with a barrage). A dump
ws found ^in a small trench near O.G.1 of 30,000 bombs.
Bombs had to be carried from Gordon Dump
(by 20 Bn carrying pty). 

8      30
The Welsh Border Regt started
at 2.30.
The day 17 Bn took over from 5 Bn.
(on 25/6 night) a party of the Welsh
Border Regt had apptly been detailed
to attack a point marked 40
0n the map - wh they did.
They were seen coming across into
Munster Alley - dropped into it
and worked up to O.G. 2 & found
it occupied by Australians!
The next day, going on this
[*26 Jy*] experience they organised
a bombing pty of abt 25 w 3 offrs.
to xx bomb up M. Alley from
our end. At abt 2.30 to 3 pm. they
came thro the Australians.
M. Alley was a small commn trench
running from O.G.1 thro O.G.2 to
the German trench in front o / ridge.
There was no definite block in
it & it had never bn exploited 

8      31
from this end. The end of it ws dilapidated.
The Welsh started off well - running
along the top & / parapet in daylight.
The leading offr ws k. & the leading
sergt. (was sniped) a good way up - 150 yds
at least. Dead Germans were in the trench &
Germans fought well. [Snipers on either side
were going for each others hands].
They worked for abt 1½ to 2 hrs
steady bombing. So far they had only
asked for permission to go thro the Australians
& if necy. cd they get some more bombs.
First a message came back for
more bombs. then water (excitement
produces an intolerable thirst). Then
they wanted "Anzac Reinforcements"
as they called them. Never did
Australians respond better. It ws not
a square traversed trench.
Capt. Fussell sent up his own
supply of bombs first; then sent
down for supply of bombs & bn
bombers who came up under
Sergt Lyons. This ws abt 4 pm or 

8      32
earlier. All down O.G. 1 you cd see
the fight going on & it was realised
tt help wd be needed (chiefly bec. of
the exhaustion o / bomber from thirst
fatigue & shock). It ws a v. hot day.
The Australians (bayonet men &
bombers took over the whole show.
(The 17 Bn bombers ran up to reinforce
& practically took command of the
show - incidentally proving their 
superiority as bombers over / Germans)
They must have gone 80 yds past the
original point where British were
held up - a lot of Germans were k.
They were out in [[shorthand]] & shellholes
& on parapet, working along side
of trench.
The Germans started to use bombs
which threw up a very heavy smoke.
(or a great shower of bombs)
A shout of Gas was raised. Lyons ws
prac. blinded for the time with a
bullet wound & bomb splinters,
& bombs ran short. The men
were suddenly seen leaving /
trench & coming back. The 

8       33
Germans seemed to come on,
make a stand & start to throw.
Our men were reorganised - bombs
began to come up a chain of men
(batmen Sergts everyone) for ¼ mile
were passing bombs & water.
Lt Matthews went up & found
(at abt 50 yds past our original
sentry ^post in trench) at a curve in the trench
abt 7 to 10 australians & 2 Welsh
Borderers still going - all just
about done. All 17 Bn bombers
had bn finished by this, & a call
ws made for volunteer bombers.
The men coming w Matthews (abt
10) were ordinary men who may
have thrown dummy bombs.
The trench ws littered with our own
dead & Tommy dead & a few
German dead - abt 2 Germans
were lying on top o / parapet showing
tt they had tried to rush the place.
Bombs were being thrown. M. got
water up & the 10 men. They got to