Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/130/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 5

 49
Casualties in operatn
summary are correct
exc. that 8 offrs were wd;
4 k. (12)
NCOs (correct).
O.R. all only 54 now
unaccounted for - rest
(of 320) wd. or k. (2
turned up). 

10
50
beyond the Commn sap -
[Difficulty ws to keep Rifle grenades
up to them -].
H.Qrs Relieved by 10 Bn. at
4.20 am May 4. in Rly.
2nd Bn took over in line
& took HQrs in Sunken Rd.

Last time Irvine saw
Gilchrist ws abt 9 a.m.
in O.G. 1.  He ws up on
/ parapet a good
several times & his
main idea seemed to
be to get men from
shell holes on rt to
make a frontal attack.
But he ws not known
to / men.

10
51
The ∧O.G. 1 trench to the E of the
Sunken Road was at this time
a trench in good order,
& with fairly clear cut
banks.

There were abt 50 to 60
 men in the area in front
 of O.G. 1.  Wd men began to
 move back & were
 sniped & shelled by / enemy.
who used his m.gs
whenever the slightest
movement showed.
Abt 5 L.Gs were here -
2 of these were in one positn &
of the men there the whole of one
crew & 3 of 4 o / other crew were
k by shell fire. 

10
52
A plane came over during
morning, very low, within
200 feet, at time when
Germs. were shooting wd
men.   He waved at
our men.   Then he dived
5 times at Germans, They
ope firing at them with
m.gs.   The men used
to get up in these
intervals & try & settle
the m.gs. wh were
firing at the carriers
in the bomb attacks.
Germans dropped to this
& after a while instead of
turning all his mgs onto

53
Some of 26 Bn were
in the attacks this mg.

10
54
the plane he used to
keep some one for the
men in / shell holes.
The plane ws trying
to help the bomb attack.

 55
Gen Smith tells me there is
a universal story tt an
An offr in a sam brown belt
gave / order to retire (acc. to
most of bns have this story).
Many o / men didnt know
why they shd come back -
and asked what had happened.

3.42.
Germ Barrage ws
behind them.
They got to wire without
much oppositn - thru
heavy m.g. apptly.  Seem
to have swerved to left.
Most offrs k. or w. then.
Th

10
56
19 Bn.
Germans had a 
searchlight playing from
Hindecourt directn in
light of wh they probly
saw 19 Bn Divn. forming -
light ws sweeping at 3 am
when they were coming up.
They came out in single
file & wheeled –
Col. left them there at 3.35.
There were a few wd came
back in next 2 hrs - hit
early.  From then till 11 p.m.
he heard absolutely nothing
exc. from stragglers.
He tried to get runners
forwd.  Officers tried to

57

U29B 8.6.

The 19 Bn does not really
know yet (May 28th) what
happened.  The men seem to have
been upset by something; they
turned or got into shell holes.
The best offrs or NCOs were
at once hit trying to get 
them on.

10
58
get runners back, but they
were shot as soon as they
tried to go.
Capt. Taylor & Lieut.
McMeekin got into wire
xxx into sap in 30 a 3.3.
wh they thought ws the front
line.  They stayed there all
day – bombing.  A few tried
to get back & tried to get
runners back but they were
imd. shot.  They saw our
people bombing from left.
They cd not take a
very active part in / show
(abt 30-40 men who only
had bombs they carried
w them).  They The bombing
in trench never came
near eno for them 
to take part.  It reached
within abt 200 yds of

59
Lt Fitzgerald ws
taken prisoner.
wd.
Townson,
Forster,
McMeekin - 
Blumer - (running up
signals)

10
60
there.
Some did get into
O.G. 1 a little to left of this
apparently & are now
prisoners.   At abt 1 or 2 a.m.
Taylor & McMeekin came
back.   A few odd details
were in the fighting more
to / left.
14 offrs went in.
6 were k.
1 missing.
5 wd.
& 2 got out unhurt.
Most of N.C.Os. were hit.
As far as is known
most o / offrs and N.C.Os
were hit in the first
¼ hr after reaching the
wire or near it.  There
seem to have bn few

10
61
casualties until then.
Probly the guns were in
O.G. 2 & caught them as
they got over the crest.  The
guns in the mill & thereabouts
were certainly very
active -
The 7th Bde posts
on the right near the
German line were shot
out very early tt morning
& came in.
Later the Bde helped
in forming the rt flank
along the bank of the
Sunken Rd.
It ws not till almost
at / wire tt the rt flank
of 5 Bde came properly
over the right hand crest.

10
62
The morale of 19 Bn was at its
best after the Noreuil show -
But the shooting of offrs & NCOs on 
the wire must have caused a
wavering.
Men who came back
sd they cd see men of 4th
Divn in wire.
The waves were out at
3.15 a.m. lying down in
positn all ready to move.
Col. R. Pye saw them there himself
2-3 mins after Zero hour
heavy m.g. fire cd be heard.
It wd take 11 mins to reach
wire - they wd then be
working thro wire.  This
early m.g. fire probly. did
little harm.
The Sap / men got into ws
that in U 29B 8.6.

63
At 8.50 p.m. Lt Layton Smith
ws sent with 3 offrs & 56 o.r.
to help 28 Bn in their
bombing attack.  They had
gone a short way when an
SOS signal was sent up &
they were halted & formed
by Col. Murphy along
Sunken Rd in 29 A & C.
They dug in along this rd
on rt of 6th Bde &
remained there till relieved
by 2Bn in the morning.
at 4.10 a.m. Bn HQ ws relieved
by 4th Bn.
                                 offrs.        o.r.

Casualties:    k        6.             16.
                        w       5.           216.
                        m        1.            115.
                               ____         ____
                                  12.          347
Went in
abt 550 effectives.

10
64
15^th April.
4.55 - 9 men of 12 Bn
came in to C Coy HQrs
(X) 4 groups put out by 19 Bn in
expectation of some such attack
(tho' in support) as front so weakly held.
On first information the Bde ws inclined
to be sceptical of any attack taking
place.
Hand drawn diagram - see original