Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/129/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 2

Sat.
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the morning incl. some heavy shells.
It looked as if Germans had
blown up the cellars & dugouts.  There
ws a crater in village just South
of 1st cutting of Red Cut - wh had
bn blown up some small time as there
had been foot traffic round it.
C.^↑Coy D^↑Coy were on right.
They went up Blue Cut at same time
as left (A & B).  There ws no bombt.
Towards end of Le Barque as it
was getting light they found a m.g.
ahead.  It opened up the road as
C. Coy ws coming up.  You cd make
your way thro the houses.  The
m.g. ws in a house on W. of road.
No one ws hit - the gun ws high & the
party on road got into houses.  It ws
abt 150 yds away - you cd see the
flash (they must have seen / party)

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The road ws very much broken up
- trees across it.  They tried to out flank
the gun & bomber.  One German ws killed
- the Germans cleared out. running down
the track (Blue Cut) & got gun away
tho' fire ws opened on them.  Some may
have bn wd as they went.
This 1st gun ws at N. 7 A½ .2 - an
old Bn H.Qrs.  Held up only abt 2 mins.
The advance went on & a
m.g. ws next fired at them thro the
trees from abt. N 7 a. 5.5. & also from
the crater across Red Cut at entrance
of Ligny.  The right gun hit a couple of
men but most of fire ws high.  The
line ws still extended (whole advance
this way).  They cleared back to the
houses to E of road abt N 7A3.8
- both guns - fired from there as troops
advanced but cleared before they were

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reached.  The advance ws in
extended order going steadily ahead -
Germans cleared when we were
[*Lt Gould. G.F.
ws with C
Coy., & Lt Hart_x*]
abt 150 yds away.  They were
too bustled - throughout the show he
ws firing too high probly by excitement.
[*Allen ws
with D*]
In Ligny they our men were sniped &
began clearing houses - cellars etc
with bayonets & bombs.  In the
whole operatn abt 4 o Germans
were probly ahead - 5 or 6 were
afterwds lying in Ligny.  They had
bn killed by bomb & sniper.
After clearing village (abt ¼ hr)
(he cd be seen running up grass
slope at back & Red Cut - m.g.
ws placed on slope of Red Cut &
got some Germans).  Finally dug
in from Red Cut to Quarry Chalk Cut, at
H.Q at Quarry deep.  Line ws properly

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organised by between 6.30 & 7 a.m.
They had started to dig & got into shell holes
& thrown up a bit of earth - There were
few shellholes, xx and a few rocks sticking
out of green.
Germans retired across open
to Trap Trench & trenches at N 1 A 7.6.
& along Bapaume Rd.  They did not
sniped during day (m.g. fire) from
Thilloy - We had 6 Casualties,
3 from our own (2k. 1w) arty & 3 from Germans.
(looked like 4.5 how H.E.)
At 7 a.m. a patrol ws sent up
Chalk Cut to near N 1 central to try
& get touch with Germans.  They were
fired on from Trap Trench.
Day ws quiet & the consolidatn
ws completed of a continuous trench
(exc. on extreme rt)
Capt. Webber ws hit in 12B8.9.

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visiting A Coy.
Newland ws hit in rushing the
strong post on Misty Way.
xxx D coy went thro' Le Barque
on rt of C Coy.  met a m.g. in Ligny
firing thro wood from houses [arrow symbol] abt from
N 7 A 6.7.  Lt Bensley ws hit in eye
arm w a piece of bomb from German
some where near O.P. marked at 7 A 9.4.
11 Bn m.g. came up with 12 Bn,
& put in Red Cut; & part of the 11 Bn ws used for mopping up
cellars in Ligny.  The 11 Bn on rt
worked thro Ligny at 20 mins after
C Coy ws in position.
Abt Dusk 12 Bn estab. posts
abt N 1 C. 8.6.  N 1 D central &
on Red Cut at N 1 C. 2.6½.
were relieve by 4 Bn abt 8p.m.

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(Capt Houghton & Lt Allen were also there, Allen in/c. of rt
flank, & Capt Houghton to Centre to take
charge of line at abt 9 a.m. Feb.27).
The work up malt trench on Feb. 26.
was from left of Blue Cut.
Abt 9 a.m. 12 Bn. (D Coy) linked
up with post of 5 Bn on right.
The evg. of Feb. 27 capt Houghton of 11 Bn
went uoto Trap Trench road junctn ^x
near Trap, & Lt Haurtley went
Diagram - see original document
thro' part of Thilloy.
11 Bn occupied Thilloy tt night.
You can see Warlmcourt Trench from
near Trap but not Till Trench.

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Diagram- see original document

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5 Bn Pozieres.
5 Bn.  Night of 24/25 July.  were in B field just x S.
of Bailif Wood ^all 23rd. moved up.  abt 6 a.m. to this arty B.Woo positn.
Left Bailiff wood 8pm 24/25.  Up thro' B. Watch
Tear shells all this day.
alley by xx night, slight barrage.  Went across
Walkers Trench. as marked opposite.
Tape had been laid out by Lt. H.A.M. Gray,
imd. after dark this night.
Started 8 p.m. due to begin filing out
at 11 p.m.  Started up to time as far as known.
But there were delays somewhere up head of
column.  Last Coy. (C Coy) got into postn
at x1.55a.m.
Bombt ws due at 1.58.  There
ws a very shattered bit of ground ahead &
the 8 lines were not exactly formed.
Abt 1.45 enemy probly spotted reflection
from mess tins carried on haversaks & opened
sniping & m.g. fire.
C Coy ws lined out in time.
1.58 - 2  Barrage on O.G.1.
2 - 2.20  on O.G.2
2.20 to lift off O.G.2

22
Diagram - see original document

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At 2 a.m. the waves moved.  The men lost
direction owing to want of reconnaissance,
bunched a bit, & ran round nomansland
looking for the enemy.
At abt 2 . 5 they found first objve.
- no Germans in this.  M.G. fire from Str. pt
to N of railway _ & from somewhere near
Munster Ally.
Tramline to Poz. Trench & M. Alley
ws boundary.
Order ws given to consolidate
O.G.1 preparatory to going on to O.G.2.
x xx  Orders were tt if it looked very
risky to go on to O.G.2 they were to be
content with O.G.1.  Lilly on right
flank gave order to Stop in O.G.1.  Leadbeater
on left ordered advance to O.G.2.
At abt 2.25 after barrage had
lifted from O.G.2 the left flank moved.
Right saw them go - & it ws necy
for right to move forward also.

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Fire ws coming from strong point.  There
ws the same confusion between OG O.G.1
& O.G.2 as before & the men & offrs
didnt know whether they were in their
right trench or not.
O.G.1 & O.G.2 were little more
than a shallow pit at this time.  There
ws equipment there but Germans had
gone.  There were no. dugouts in
O.G.1 where 5 Bn got in nor in
this bit of O.G.2 - but there were
more to the N.
Abt. 2.40 a.m. they found far
definitely ascertained tt they were in
their objective , & reported to C.O.
There ws nobody in on right or left.
There ws only the mopping up
party in O.G.1 (abt 40 men) & bombs
were heard behind left in O.G.1.  Lieut
Fitzgerald ws sent there by Capt Lillie

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to O.G.1 on left & bombs & sand bags
were sent back to him from O.G.1.
The Battalion bombers were at the
junction of O.G.2 & Munster Alley.
Lieut Fitzgerald took good bombers
from O.G.2 w him.  He sa Lillie
sent back a message to C.O. asking
him to reinforce O.G.1.  (Bn H.Q. ws
in a dugout near junction of O.G.1
& Poz. Trench (abt 5 mins by runner).
German Barrage  ws well in rear.
Lieut. A. V. Carter ws sent back to
Bn H.Q. as no reply recd.  to report
on positn.  There were no reinfts.
to hand or to be had.  Lieut Carter
came back abt daylight with orders
tt if O.G.1 ws not clear they were to
evacuate O.G.2 & retake O.G.1.  It ws
on the way back to H.Q. Lieut Carter
found the Commn Trench continuatn