Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/130/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 2

10                         10
Touch ws obtained
with 20 Bn on rt but
not with 27 Bn on
left. Left flank ws
therefore refused & L.Gs.
posted. This ws case
till daylight when
touch obtained with
27 Bn. & digging of [trench]
towards Bapaume Rd.
began. This ws completed
during day.
Abt 2 hours after assault
Germs started heavy
barrage on O.G. 1 & 2
from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
barrage ws placed all
along our front.
Wire no obstacle but

11 
quite ½ casualties caused
by our guns during attack
& after in front [trench].
Arty didnt have [shorthand] [trench]
marked — & Bn lost
150 men this way.
Abt 50 prisoners tn.
Objves. O.G. 1 betw. leaning
telegraph post & Bap. Rd.
O.G. 2. on same front.
[Hand drawn sketch, please see original]
The Windmill ws not taken
by 18 Bn but was looted by them

10                              12
21st Aug. Sausage Gully
23 Aug. 4a.m. moved
into line, relieving 20 Bn.
Digging.
6 p.m. Came out on night 26/27.
Marched back at 6p.m.
1 a.m. moved back.
9 a.m. 27^th Aug. came
back again to back area.
——————
There
There ws a smoke
barrage put up by Stokes
[trench] mortars.
—————
Keppel ws m.g. officer of
Bn at tt time, & in bombing
dugouts is sd to have thrown a
rum jar down when he had nothing
else to throw.
—————
Bruce & Porter went across to it -
& heard someone shouting - this was
Keppel - who caught them up - it ws
a very hot shop.

10                          13
Malt [trench]x
24 Feb to 2/3/17
—————
22/3 & 23/4 Feb. a
marked decrease of
activity.
18 Bn ws thinking
of raiding Gird & Gallwitz [trench]
(& along whole front).
On night of 23/4 a
patrol under Sergt.
Maclaren went out
into enemys wire. An
earlier patrol of N.C.O
& 3 men ws nearly
nipped on wire by a
strong German patrol of abt

10                                14
16 men who were
in [shorthand = nomansland], to our rt
of Butte, intently watching
our [trench]x They did not
notice our small
pty behind them.
The N.C.O found a
small G. patrol to
left — turned rt, &
found anor. to right.
One seemed less vigilant
than other - The Patrol
worked back. It ws a
standing order w / Bn.
tt if Germans had a
patrol out a fighting patrol
(1 offr. 20 or & L.G.) wd go
out at once without reference 

10                              15
to H.Q. This under
Sergt. Maclaren went out
at once - wandered for
1½ hrs & found no one,
no m.gs or TMs from
1st [trench] — but flares further
back.  They reported this.
That set Bn thinking at
once. Dummies were
exposed & drew no fire.
Some offrs ^then walked abt
in places where death
wd be certain, & drew
no fire.
It ws certain Germs
had left front line.

10                          16
Night of 24/25 Feb
ws very dark, &
heavy fog wh. made
keeping directn v.
difficult — it ws
very easy to get
lost. A few German
snipers were in
[shorthand = nomansland] in shell holes -
very active.
By midnight C.O. ws
out at the Butte.
Our people were
naturally suspicious
of the Butte & gave it
generally a berth.

10                                  17
The party of enemy
wh first held up
rt of 18 Bn ws
probably in the Northern
o / two rds, Blue or yellow
cut, whichever is N. most.
25^th Feb.
18 Bn had its
left flank on Bap Rd,
20 Bn N. of Rd. They
occupied Le Barque
Switch, but Malt [trench]
m.gs held them up.
They reached Thames
Dip along edge of Bap.
Rd wh covered them
from left but not from

10                            18
right. They got forwd
in 2s & 3s.
Advance agst Malt
[trench] at 5 p.m. from Thames
ditch. V. little arty
preparation. Advance
ws held up by m.g.
& rifle fire almost imd
after leaving Thames.
Ditch. (The Germans had
a trench dug along an old
dry water ditch, &
a switch light rly running
towards Le Barque –
& a few trucks on it.)
2 Coys went over
Left (.C) Coy lost 38 men out
of 98 - any wd man who

10                        19
moved ws shot by
snipers. In trying to get
them in 7 out of 8 sbs
in one coy were hit 4 k.
rest wd. One German
ws seen in L.G. tree near
Battery Copse, & k. b.y
L.G.
After dark a second
attempt ws made -
18 Bn got up under cover
of bank of Warlencourt
Le Barque Rd. & went
over top. It ws abt
60 or 70 yds. Wire
ws ½ way & uncut.
They made 3 attempts

10                          20
(account of this in
Bde. Operation Summary).
Warlencourt Rd ws
enfiladed by mgs
so it ws decided to
withdraw before daylight
Feb 26.
Stokes mortars were
obtained & started
at 6.40 a.m. from
just N. of Bapaume Rd.
[O.C. 18^th Bn got them
moved on 27 Feb to
S. of Bap. Rd onto
Warlencourt Rd.]