Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/130/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 4

10
34  
a similar barrage ^felt several
day before. The Germans
blew up one of our
dumps several days
before - in 6 Bde area
behind the Rly Embankmt,
He probly ^almost certainly expected an
attack abt this hour one day.
At 3.47 the message
came down tt / waves
were all off in good order.
At 3.48 German barrage
came down on Sunken
Rd were HQs were
just behind our men -
v. few casualties.
Art 3.51 Red flares ^(German) were
seen - probly in O.G.2

35
At 4.20 an officer - Capt.
Parsons) came back ^w his men & sd tt
an offr had gn / order to
retire. He is now under 
arrest.
He ws ordered to go up
agn at once - but wn
to 20 Bn

10
36
At 3.53 the first wd man
came in - m.g. bullet in
leg - All waves, he sd, were
moving on.
At 4.8. Red & white flares
in pairs were seen near
junctn of O.G.1 & Road
in 29A.
At 4. 17 anor. wd man
came in from near wire
& sd enemy m.g. fire ws
v. heavy.
A m.g. near Sans Souci
ws causing trouble as
/ waves reached / wire
& there ws probly
a tendency for the rt
to keep away from it.

37
^x This began betw 4.30 am &
5 am.

10
38
Both right & left speak
o / other crowding in.
The shape of the wire
probly caused / men
to lose direction. Possibly
Diagram - see original document
the cause
ws the
shape o /
wire wh
held up
centre a little while.
Each flank tended to
go into it at right angles.
Most o / men of all
units came back x into
the Sunken Rd in 5 ar B
6^th Bde had got in.

10 
39  
Two offrs ^of 18 Bn were sent with
parties to work up
behind the rd in 29
A & C & then cut across
to rt front. They met 
[*Diagram - see original document*]
a pty of 7^th Bde
& went w them,
& some got in near
O.G.1. The rest
lined the Rd in
29 A & C under
m.g. fire. The
rest worked back
from rt to the Rd
& up Rd into O.G.1
Gritten (Liasion offr. of
5^th Bde with 6 Bde)
with Rentoul came into

10
40    
Sunken Rd w party
of men. They started
an advance from Sunken
Rd on rt of 29 A & C Rd..
abt 10 men followed each.
Irving joined them.
Gritten (an arty ^20 Bn offr. - Stokes
mortar man) ws on top
of bank with a bayonet
only in his band shouting
"I'm going to take O.G.1 & O.G.2."
He knew nothing of Infy work.
No-one knew him or got up to follow him
Gilchrist ws seen later
by Irving - in O.G.1 for abt
½ hour, leading bombing, &
jumping upon parapet in
m.g. fire - he had a grey
jersey & a rifle & bayonet
& he ws calling to men in

41
18 Bn lost 64 out of
88 NCOs in this fight
& 12 offrs (out of 22 incl.
doctor & everyone).

10 
42      
shellholes outside to come
in & make a frontal
attack while others bombed.
Col. Murphy got up
& sd to men "Come on
men." Betw 200 & 300 men
followed. Rt flank kept
closing in. There ws only
arty fire (except for
3 or 4 snipers) till waves
reached the wire. Then
the m.gs opened. They
cd be seen, as wave
approached, kicking up
two patches of dust
Diagram - see original document
wh gradually moved in
until they met. They

10 
43 
seemed to be ranging by
observation. The advance
ws just one stroll - a
walk at trail or w rifle
slung - not a rush in /
men. Rt flank (on
rd thro C. 5 B to O.G.1)
began to give. Col Murphy
moved to rt to steady
them. Offrs & NCOs
seemed to be picked
out by snipers.
Men came on agn
with Col. Murphy. Left
began to go.
The cause of trouble on
left seemed to be guns
on Bullecourt Hendect

44a
x Lt Drummond ^18 Bn Int. offr. crawled up at
x & abt 8.a.m. It ws decided
to rush O.G.1 at once.
But enemy ws waiting.
(Before 2 yds in Drummonds case) Drummond,
a Sergt. & 2 men were k.
beside the Colonel, & men
were falling fast. Col.
called out to men to
dig in & hang on & they
dug in on edge of wire.a

10
45
Rd. [This wd be abt 5.15.]
Seeing difficulty so great, Col.
Murphy decided to hang on
near wire. x
The Left got in. Irving
Saw Gilchrist abt 10 mins
after he got in - when he
came over the parapet.
Irving was abt 50 yds
up the Sunken O.G.1 from
the Sunken Rd at / time.
A party got in abt 100
yds further on rt.
Irving with abt 4 men
got in abt 50 yds E of
Sunken Rd; to E of this
ws a commn trench; on
East of this again was this

10 
46 
party of the 18th Bn.
Irvings (left) Pty ws bombed
at once back to Sunken Rd.
As they were bombing Gilchrist
got in. He ws driven back
to Sunken Rd with them; Irving,
Gilchrist ^(without his hat), Davies of 18 Bn.
(who came over with the
left pty with 7^th Bde) organised
several bombing attacks
up the trench. They
bombed / German up
past the Commn trench &
Irving thinks tt they joined
up w the pty to the E of the
Commn trench. Lt. Porter ws
k. somewhere up there,
probly in the 1^st assault.

47
IRVINE

10
48
They wd get up 150 yds
& be bombed back agn -
got into O.G.1, 3 times
Each time driven out. There
ws no bombing in O.G.2
at this time. 28 Bn
ws bombing there in /
afternoon.
Irvine reached a
German m.g. & turned it on
Rienct, but Germans
retook it & removed it
before we reached the
point again. 14 prisoners
were sent back from
O.G.1. Sometime in /
afternoon, after 28 Bn
were in there, Irvine went
in there w them. They got