Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/135/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 3

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[Hand drawn diagram - see original]

 

[*18/19*]  

 

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6 Bn. 2nd Innings.
When went in (abt 13th Aug)
relieving 48th Bn. by daylight
cdnt hold 0.G. 1 in any 
strength. Put 4 platoons
in 1st day, but 90 men
of these were hit 1st day. So
garrison reduced to a few 
posts w. L. guns.
0.G. 2 cdnot be found.
Left ws under observation
from Thiepval where most
of shells came from. All
trenches, esp. commn trenches, were
levelled off in many places.
Ration parties were hit
up going in & out & whenever
ration parties or runners
passed thro commn trenches 
They were followed with
whizz-bangs. 
Bennett got 1st Pioneer Bn

 

15                                                  29

to clean out Commn trenches.
They got it down to 8 ft deep.
Casualties were immediately
reduced & men cd go without
being observed.
2 nights before / combined
Show 2 parties of Engrs &
Pioneers were suppsd to
sap out from 0.G. 1 forward
towds the Road junction
beyond the windmill.
They started were to start from
the angle of 0.G. 2 (Broken
Nose - I call it) The covering
party ws out but Pioneers
did no digging. Engrs
pegged out part o / line.
Bennett offered to dig
the line the next night.
Put A & B coys ^6 Bn out - one
Engr offr turned up. The 6 Bn

 

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dug a trench to 35 D O 4
from the Broken nose &
commn trench from 0.G. 1 to
B.Nose. They got it down 5 ft
tt night - There were a few
sniped. The scouts & bombers
covering it got / most losses
(shells etc.
Next day orders came
tt 7th & 8th Bns were to
attack trench from Road Junction
to Munster Alley.
There ws a Stn. pt behind Road
Junction [Hand drawn diagram - see original] 
7th Bn ws to capture this
& 6th Bn to dig forwd & link
up with them. (at 9 p.m.)
This wd mean tt the attack
wd start at 9 pm. Zero.
Abt 5 mins before 9 the

 

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arty barrage, particulars
  were sent along twd
  it ws seen arrived at
Bn, & it ws found, for
first time, tt / barrage bombt
ws from 9 to 9.1.
i.e. Infantry wd be for
1 min in their own bombt.
One *small officer sd tt 4
of our "duds" fell all round
him. xx
At 8.59    A Bomb Party w scouts &
a L. gun under *Lt Rauert
went forwd from new Dot
line (end of it) straight across
towards the Str post to be
taken by 7 Bn.
Rest of C. Coy under
Capt. Eller (now since Maj) moved

 

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from 0.G.1 behind
the windmill at 2 mins 
to 9.
(The 3rd Platoon carried
picks & shovels & the
rear platoon sandbags
wire etc.).
On reaching the
position (the right not
quite up to str. pt) they
noticed the left party of
7th Bn rushing forward -
to the strong point. This
party crossed the Rd.
They arrived at the trench
but were driven back.
Capt? Kozminsky ws wd & 
died on being brought in,
& other offrs were hit -
Men were apptly bombed
back. They fell back to their

 

33

 

   x one coys length 

 

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jumping off line.
Rauert & a N.C.O.
went back, rallied them,
& brought them forwd, &
connected our right from
a little x in front of end of
Dot Trench to the road
& across the Rd. Capt Oates (7 Bn.)
jumping off line by digging back
parallel w / road.
This made a trench round
the Windmill.
Capt Moncur & Capt.
Thompson dug a commn 
trench linking up 0.G. 1 with
new Dot line at the point where
they finished digging the first
night.
We then evacuated 0.G. 1

 

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exc. for one post on the
extreme left as it ws
being continually shelled.
All tt ws left of 0.G. 1
ws a no. of German dugouts
mostly broken right in. It
ws used as a Coy H.Q.
& Dressing Stn. This trench
ws completed during the next
day - quietly (this ws not shelled
for days bec. the Germans did
not know it ws there tho' they
shelled 0.G. 1 incessantly)
to 6^ft (or 7ft in places).
On the right where Oates was
they worked by day & were
shelled & had casualties.
The only shells wh fell in
the line were German shells
wh fell short.

 

36

[Hand drawn diagram - see original document]

 

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The plan next day ws to
sap across from a salient
in Dot line in 7 Bn area
to the Dot line on the road,
& then go forward from this
towards men of 7 Bn supposed
to be seen in German trench.
The cross sap was a 
long business & the forward
sap ws apptly never started.
Bennett ws ordered to
bomb down the old German
trench dotted on opposite page.
Bennett reported tt this
ws not there. Patrols
were sent out for a
considerable distance
& there ws no trench discernable.
The nearest Germans
were at the Strong Point.
They came up at 5 am.

 

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every day early, probly
from Martinpuich. We didnt
snipe so as not to give
away the trench. We might 
have got a few of them;
they wd have pounded
scores of us. They were
pounding the 0.G lines & we
wanted them to go on pounding
them. White ws a bit chary
abt leaving them alone but
I'm sure B. ws right.
The 8th Bn got really
smashed up - from the
right. German trench came
down in his way.      
[Hand drawn diagram - see original document]
It shd have bn a simult.