Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/138/1 - July - August 1916 - Part 2

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He asked for reinfts
& Leane sent him all he
had left exc. Bn bombers
whom he kept for his reserve.
The trench ws continually blown
in & had to be dug afresh
under heavy fire.
Abt midday Foss ws
wd. He sent to Leane, who
sent the Bn bombers forwd
under Lt Browne with
instrns to cover the gap
betw. Foss' party & Kings.
They dug in where they were -
in O.G.2.
The 27^th seem to have
got mostly far away to the
left - very few were on
the right.  It was the
afternoon before we got touch

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time Germans were attacking
- a sort of second attack
it seemed - to the left.
It ws met by Lt King w a
party of 27 who had gone
(as before reported) towards
the left.  There were no
troops there.  The Germans
were in O.G. 1 - he
saw them & charged it - &
took 27 Prisoners.  King found
tt there were Germans in
O.G.2 who were firing
continuously at him & his
party.  He waited till he
saw they had no m.gs.
& then decided to charge O.G.2.
Before he got there (he had
only 15 men) the Germans
came out to meet him w

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Brig. Gen. Paton was very impressed
by a letter from Walker of 25^th when
his bn came in

Dollman & Walker left
the c/attack entirely to Leane.
25^th relieved for 8 hours
27 later early on 5^th
I dont think many of the 25 were in the line.
Saps on right of 4^th were
blocked w carrying parties
of 47 Bn. & Pioneers
owing to the heavy barrage.

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their hands up.  He took
100 prisoners here -
(Got Military X).
Foss ws holding on to the 
left of the Windmill in O.G.2.
He dug about 90 yds of trench
& hung on there.
There were only 140 yds men
in abt 600 yds of front
- but telegrams kept coming
from Bde: "You must
go thin your line -
& get your men into
Jumping Off & Tramway
trench".  But the line ws
already held only by
King - gap - Brown - gap - Foss
in this part.
28^th came in to relieve
25^th on front wh 28^th were

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Acti
28^th were to relieve 25^th
but men were all in line.
& prac. were holding line of
25^th.
48^th were to relieve
27^th & 27^th to come back
into Tramway trench & act
as the Bn in support -
Col. Dollman wdn't hear of
remaining in support
& went off with his Bn
to Sausage Gully.  Walker
left half his men behind
& went off & wrote a
wonderful letter to his
Bdier - but he had
not been out of his dugout
for 8 hrs previously (tho'
a brave man, I believe).
The 48^th during night of

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At midday on 6^th shellng
was as heavy as ever it
was - working up for
c-attack on 7^th.
(No c-attack on night morning
of the 6^th)

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5^th/6^th cdn't find their

trench or fouind the 27^th in
it. In the early morning
of 6^th Brown saw men

coming up from Courcelette
directn & thought they were
Germans coming up the

hill. They were the 48^th

(part of them) who had

gone over their trench
& gone too far.

28^th came out on

night of Aug 6^th, - _^ Relieving battalion was to take
over front held by 26 & 28

(2 Bn front). There ws a
heavy barrage, tho' not

so heavy as before (up to
midday).  A fair number of men were
lost by shellfire going out.

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28 Bn

3rd innings ws night
of Aug 27.

Marched to trenches at
6.30 - relief completed abt

2 a.m.

15 Bn were at this time

holding an enormous front - 

18^th shd never have gone
out until relieved by

28^th - front line ws
scarcely held.

From rt. held a trench

up to Centreway & behind it.

(1 Coy front).

Then big gap to Arty Position
(Big dugouts down in valley.)
The part down / hill ws
not dug into a trench at all.
Germans used to snipe into

tt trench wh ws full of dead

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Bn went in 960 strong.

(over 150 were left w transport

etc. and 100 detached)

Abt 700 went into Pozieres.

(Roughly)

           Offrs   Men

Abt       13.      469

Offrs   Men.

10      167

23     636

It ws:

670

for the two

battles.

Somme fight

altogether   )    758

incl. sick       )

& lost            )

Reinfts: abt 300
 

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The trench ws then only abt
3 ft deep.  28 Bn dug down
to 6ft 6. Were finally 

reld on 29^th by the

46^th Bn. (Col. Lee.)

Cas:

July 28/9

k.     w.     m.

Offrs:

Men:

Aug 4-6.
k.      w.     m.

Offrs
Men.

Aug 27-9

k.       w.      m.

Offrs

Men.

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The 48^th went into 27 Bn.

front. The 27 Bn only had

a part of their right front.

Col. Leane ws ordered by
Glasfurd to put his whole
Bn. in to front line (Brig

probly thinking tt the 27 Bn

had their whole proper

frontage.) The rt 

Leane left on Coy in

Sausage Gully in spite of this.
48^th & their offrs were

very new. Didnt know how

to dig. Simply sat in 
shell holes & were k.

7 Bde staff didnt
really know situation as 
it ws - for they dont seem

to have visited the trenches.
The shelling was v. heavy

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2/Lt King & 2/Lt Moore (together)

were the only other
officers up there.

2/Lt A Brown _^ (senior of two Browns) took over Foss'
party - & ws holding
a line near the
Windmill (another line wh
they had dug in front of O.G.1)
 

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after the Germans lost the
top of the hill.

One officer in OG.2 dug 3 different

lines out (in front of OG1)

He dug ws at last holding

90 yds of trench with 4 m.gs.
only one crew of 1 man,
& the others 2 each.

L. m.g. crew is 7, N.C.O. & 6 men.

He only had 18 men then
& ws holding line in a series

of short saps - he cdnt clear

out the rest. (2/Lieut. _^ A. Brown
& 2/Lieut. R. Brown in this party)

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

In this part O.G.2 caught 

it all - O.G.1 missed

it.

There were none of our 
men in O.G.2 on any

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part of _^ portion afterwds occupied by 28 Bn.

There were some where

Maj. Currie went across

(26^th) right up near

Centre Way.  Currie took
Capt Bond's Coy into place action - 

Currie heard tt Bond's Coy
had cleared so he went
on himself & took Tara

Hill. Bond got a Military
X but it is v. doubtful 
if he deserved it.

11 Bn

Lieut. J.H Cooke Cook was killed on

Baby 700 - with the 11 Bn - 

charging on the first day.

There were several charges
to get the hill.