Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/135/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 8

15    84       
Our rt. ws resting on
the old track from O.G.1
to O.G.2 - an overland
track - you had to run
for it as they used to 
snipe you w shells
from Theipval & elsewhere.
O.G.2 ws  in some places
not breast high - seemed
to be a hurried trench
without proper traverse.
There ws a gap on
rt of 25th  - probly at
200 yds. Vickers gun man
who came up tt night had
this explained to him by H.
so he covered it with
Vickers guns. L. m.g. ws
placed by Healy in crater
abt 30 yds out - m.g. on 

15         85      
right (belonging to 26^th) went
wrong.
Observers  were out
in front.
Several times during
night we heard tt / Germans
were advancing (word from
our left). H. got m.gs to cover
his front w fire during
night (fearing bomb attack)
There were odd 
Germans abt during the
morning - Germans were
firing v. heavily all
round but we had
v. few casualties tt night.
Shots going all around but
not into trench.
Germans  wdnt come
on tt morning - H. is sure tt 

15      86           
there ws no organised
c-attack.
Relieved on Aug. 6
abt 10 a.m. Began to have
casualties before moving 
out. Sergt Gordon (bomb 
Sergt) took a party out
to get water for 25^th.
Germans cd see all parties.
He brought in water under 
fire but got through.
Gordon led the men out
when they were going out -
were shelled in trench but
compared to casualties
in O.G.1 these were light
in O.G.2.
Sergt. Mortyn ws H.'s senior
N.C.O. all thro’. H. ws the
only officer left in 25^th there at all..

87
[Diagram - see original scan]
Adv on night of 
Aug. 8th
Retired in early
morning of 9th.
Got up agn of 9th.
O.G.2 not traceable.   

15      88                                                                                                          
14th Btn
Went in on evg. of 6th abt dusk.
Relief of 28 & 26 Bns completed
by 9 o'.c. without casualty.
Shelling started just after relief.
D. Coy in tramway trench had 
a casualty but O.G.1 
was pounded heavily.
B Coy ws in there O.G.1. mostly
5.9 guns but some 9.2. Lot of 4.2.
Abt 4 a.m. Barrage lengthened to
jumping off trench.
Germans came up from along
Rd n. of Windmill, agst 48^th.
He ws seen as he got over the
hill.
As soon as Jacka saw the
Germans attacking he reported
to Maj. Fuhrmann. Fuhrmann
sent Appleton up w care of the
thro reserve platoon of B Coy.
Appleton took up 2/Lt Gower w
Lewis guns. Shell blew guns &
nearly whole crew up. Gower
staggered back & volunteered

89       
14 Bn lost 405 in this show 
innings.
15       90
almost at once to go out
& look for guns, but cdnt
find a trace of them. He
afterwds went up w other
L. guns but not in time 
to take part in / fight.
Dobbie's & Jacka's platoons were
almost annihilated _∧ shellfire (when relieved
there were abt 3 unwd. men
in J.'s platoon).
As soon as Appletons
platoon arrd. the three
platoons went into Nomansland
& c-attacked to rt front.
The Germans who were
in or near O.G.1 with
& were sending prisoners back
threw it up at once. We got
42 prisoners. The m.gs.
on the N. flank had been sweeping
the Germans & our barrage
ws behind them. They
surrendered with the prisoners 

91
Relief
on Aug. 26/27
Capt Hanson took over.
It ws right after 21st Bns attack.
Hanson sent 15 men & Sergt. Stewart out in
skirmishing order - to find a post wh 21 Bn
sd they believed they held at 77 There
ws no commn with it – 300yds yesty
It ws abt 2 am on 27th - very dark.
They crossed the roadway _∧ w tree stumps ½ doz men
of 21 Bn were in a hole there. This lot
was abt 20yds N of roaday. They
dug in there - sent back
21 Bn men (who divd
straight across Nomansland)
This ws point 77.
[Diagram - see original scan]A party ws sent on night of
relief from pt 55 to find left of 15 Bn.
They got lost & strayed to left of
Mouquet Farm near pt 27 They 
didnt come back & were reported
missing. 3 days later they returned w
2 prisoners & 2 wd men of 21st Bn. They
[*had bn out in a shell hole close under the
Farm & a Germ. m.g. They cd hear the*]
92            
Wilson.
It was abt 5.15. Germans were invisible.
48^th were reld night of 7^th Aug.
by 47^th.
Shelling agn tt night but not
so severe.
Aug 8^th  15^th adv^d. & came back
- 9th 13^th   "     & 14 swung out
& joined up on Courcelette
Rd looking down on Courcellette
Relieved by 49^th Bn on morning
of Sunday Aug. 13^th.
Each night there ws a push
& enemy retaliated on
the O.G. lines & blew our
days work down.
Came in again 26th Aug. Took
over quarry from 21 & 22nd
Bn - abt midnight
From point 81, in front of
Quarry (Skyline trench)

93
Germans talking. When we
raided the Farm they all came
back (9 men & L/C. Bishop) with
the party. They had 2 days rations
& made their water last.

[Sketch - see original scan]

15              94       
Commn trench ws at once
started to pt 77. This ws finished
on night of 28^th.
Night of 27/28
At midnight we went for 54 & 77.
(in order to get straight line along
rd to attack Farm & beyond on
night of 28/29)
It ws made a bombing attack
w consolidating party of Infy.
The bombers (2 squads under Lt Dean
for 27.)                        
(Same under Lt Hayes
for 54.)
1.x. 14 men & n.c.o. in each. party.
There were 2 platoons following
each attack to consolidate
& 2 to dig in betw the two.
The bombg. parties had only
Stokes mortar Arty preparation.
Two Stokes mortars from Quarry did
all the bombt. Zero time 12 for Stokes 

15       95                                                   
Mortars & arty barrage.
At 7 p.m. we opened heavy
bombt on our left & enemy
retaliated on us.
That night B Coy brought to
Toms Cut.
At 12. to 12.4 Arty. barraged
54 & commn trench around Farm
[Sketch - see original scan]
At 12.4 barrage lifted 200yds
N of Mouquet.
At 11.55 attacking line pushin
out into Nomansland &
got up under barrage.
Lt Hayes Left.  Lt Anderson to 77 Lt Quinn 
to 54. &Deane 27  
Each column was complete w Sbs &
1 m.g. with each (L.G.) & intelligence
men w each - like raid.
Bombers work to take place, 

15       96
put up red flare, & then
go out into Nomansland to keep
place clear & act as screen.
After arty Bombers put up red flares.
They had bombed the dugouts.
We cd see Germans day before
moving abt - noted their haunts
& made for these.
Consolidatn parties started
work at once.
Almost at once the
enemy fired his distress
signals. His arty came
down & he launched bombing
attacks at once. We had
bn in 10 mins. The distress
signals went up while our
men were in - from some
dug out. (The dugouts tt we
had were cleared - & sandbags
were already full - but

15        97
there were too many
dugouts.) They Ours were little
Bengal flares wh were
burned from the ground.
One German flare went
up from Mouquet
& one from just behind 54.
In 27 we got into 4 big dugouts
& cleared 4 - These were big
dug outs.
In 54 one dugout ws full
of wd - Germans & ws left
untouched. 6 dugouts were
found in 54 & all exc. this
were bombed.
The Left & Rt cols. were
driven out of 54 & 27
by men from dugout.
Germans almost surrendered