Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/140/1 - August 1916 - Part 2
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13
Place ws full of holes from 200
lb. bombs & arty.
A fight took place w bombs
& bayonets. B & C were never
joined up with A. The junction
of trenches running N & S w those
E & W ws never held by us. We
got 2 big dugouts on right &
not the 3rd. There were probly
dugout under dugout, &
probly passages. The Germans
came out & began pelting with
bombs at close quarters, we
used 6000 bombs tt night.
No rifles ∧or Lewis Guns were used at all.
Their rifles were choked w mud
The Germans let us go out
with flags & gather in dead &
wd - we had allowed them
to do so the day before. They also
had 100 men out sorting their d. & w.
How men got over tt
day ws a marvel. A mere
14
Lt ∧(then Sergt) Bradley ws in A. Coy
wh got in on right of Farm.
Capt Harwood - also.
Black landed as
a Cpt. in Gallipoli & got
a D.C.M.
Here he got a D.S.O.
Lt. Linus At the Army School
at Flexicourt.
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15
walk to the Quarry prac.
exhausted a man.
No c. attack except that
on occasion of first innings
were reported ws made
agst 16th Bn. Prussian guard
were agst us -
Bn. ws relieved by
47th Bn. after being in 3 days.
[16 Bn.
Losses on 2 tours abt 700.
Abt 60 or 70 details returned
between two shows.]
V.C.
Two D.S.Os
Black got Croix de Guerre.
8 M.C.s & a bar (9)
7 D.C.Ms.
43 M.Ms.
16
Capt. Harwood
Aug. 8/9
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17 ?8/9
Aug. 9/10. 10 p.m. ws hour
of barrage. Lahore Divns
barrage - a wall of fire
- men were within 50 yds of
it & all speak of this curtain.
The Germans were in Pt 78.
The bombers under Lt Wilton
were with them. The
bombers moved up trench
from K. trench to 78.
D Coy had to take the
Circular trench & B Coy under
Maj. Black had to get
round this trench & go for 78.
Hand drawn diagram – see original
In Pt 78 was a
liquid fire plant,
gas plant, & 3 m.gs
There were said to be 2
m.gs under the trees - The
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18
barrage probly scared them -
But there were men under hit
as soon as we got over
the parapet.
There were a number 3 or 4
of deep dugouts there. The
men were very close on the
barrage (it is a gt. thing to
have the confidence in the arty).
British were supposed to
connect at Pt 78. The Norfolks
had to come up that. The
moment 78 ws taken they
cleared out. The 16 Bn was
lined out into Ration Trench.
for abt 300 yds & their left ws even then in / air.
The Norfolks came over the top.
It is not v. clear what the
[* ?8/9 *] Tommies did on 9/10. but the
A company of theirs had got
into a section of Ration trench
[* ?7/8 *] on night of 8/9 - an isolated
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Hand drawn diagram – see original
Night of 9th/10th.
Capt MacLeod & Lt Wadge saw 3
prisoners out in a hole abt 2,
ducking about trying to get out o /
way of our bombardment -
M. & W. went out to them &
brought them in. They were
only too glad to come. They
had no arms, & 2 were without
hats.
Where W. was there was the
existing trench ∧into wh 15th had bn - (it had to be
deepened & improved for all they
were worth by morning. There
were a fair number of dead
in the trench - not very many - but only
3 alive.
On night of 10/11 a sap ws dug
forwd for a m.g. by A Coy so as
to sweep the valley.
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20
section. D Co The Suffolks
failed (by going out too late
after their barrage) & were
cut up but this section (1 Coy)
of Tommies remained in
Ration trench ∧away on left.
They were there when
16 Bn attacked on Aug ?8/9 9/10.
On Aug ?9/10 10/11 16 Bn went on
from 78, 89, 99 to 61, & dug
500 yds of new trench on summit of hill.
Looking down on Mouquet Fm.
from 78 to 61 trench ws prac. non-existent
except for two German
dugouts containing bombers.
These bombers put up something
of a show but were finished
quickly.
This morning (Aug ?8/9 9/10) the Sergt
Holland wandered by daylight quite close up towards
the Farm & wasnt fired on - (after the mists
had risen - in bright daylight)
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This night - ?7/8 8/9. Cpl. Wootton
& 2 or 3 snipers on extreme
left of 15 Bns holding objve.
They found Germans trying
to outflank 16th or
to
Abt 12 p.m. runner came back from
Moore (Payne w Moore) asking for reinfts.
Lt Wadge ws in Brinds Rd trench. There were
few men there. Capt Smart of 15 Bn ws in the
trench Jumping off trench (Brinds Rd) by this
time. He told W. to take abt 20 men
of 16 Bn. Wadge started & they abt 6 followed him.
Smart had recd an order from Cannan that
Moore ws to come back, so he sent no
more out. W. lost no one going across tho
he stuck for a bit in the wire.
The first runner who reached Moore
ws abt daylight (telling him to retire)
There were m.gs in the ∩ bend near
78 where there ws a clump of trees -
but not (so far as W knew) on the road.
Aug ?7/8 8/9
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22
x A Coy 16 Bn ws
supporting 15 Bn. K trench ws
left to the Tommies (Suffolks)
this night.
Tommies took over to
W of ^Pt 95 on Brinds Rd.
It ws the 3 m.gs in 78 wh did
the damage to the Tommies.
The circular trench ws probly only
held by an outpost. The
Tommies were shot down by
platoons just after they started.
They were a bit slow.
The last wave of the 15th
Bn got the German barrage
too.
Johnson ^15 Bn got in to the
German trench also. The bombers
of A Coy were called on by
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7th Bn Suffolks (from Wadge who saw them)
The Suffolks got out to left of road &
m.g. got onto them as they were
getting over. The Suffolks were over
with the 15 Bn - Their casualties
were not due to their being slower.
?7/8
8/9 They were caught as soon as
they got over - a few on rt
with 15th got across with Capt.
Moore. x
There is no doubt at all tt
these m.gs (W. says) were in front
of the objective,
& therefore, probably, 4 Bde M G Coy.
clear of the barrage.
W. ws watching from Capt. Corrigan's
H.Q. & the Suffolks started at exactly
the same time as Corrigans.
W. found abt 30 Germans Prisoners
& the same number of Aust. (perh 5
more) in the trench. He thinks there ws
a block on the left - on the rt there ws
nothing but an empty trench - w many
dead Germans.
At day break they thought there
ws a German c.attack coming up.
It was a hedge really. W. took the ↓
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24
B Co Brettingham Moore
& did some bombing on the
left. They got up to the
German trench on the right, &
got across without difficulty
Some of the 4th Bde
m.g. coy went out & established
themselves on the left right
of the rd in Nomansland
abt ¾ way to German trench.
The barrage o / follg night
passed over them (they were
very narrow & very deep)
& the barrage did not hurt
them.
On Aug 11 the German attacked
put heavy barrage behind &
on trenches dug during night of
Aug 10/11. The barrage started
25
German lieut. with him & a bayonet
man of 15 Bn & went along trench
for a long way across the road
up to where the hedge (or its remains)
was & then came back. When he
got back the order to retire had
bn recd & Moore was getting his
men ready to go out of it.
They made the prisoners carry the wd
& Mr Payne, & 2 Lewis m.gs.
& had one hit going back (wd.
just as reached / trench.)
The trench ws taken next night
w little oppositn so Germans were
really driven out this first night.
From this trench you cd not see far
down the slope. W doesnt think
You cd see Mouquet Farm from
there the next night (Just a heap
of brick rubbish & chalk).
The attack on Aug 11 was
agst abt junction of 16 Bn w
British.
[* Only comparatively few saw
this attack. *]
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26
abt midday. It lasted over
4 hours. The men were withdrawn
from Ration trench - 30 to 50 percent
were sent back to Brinds Rd
[*?28 to 78*] trench (& trench 26 to 78) - & remainder were as
far as possible put into dug
outs. The barrage made us
anticipate a c-attack. The
observers reported (?abt 3 men says Bde report) men
coming out of M. Farm (in small
columns of 6-10 men in single file & spreading fanwise forming
into line 33 a 81, Quarry, 33 B 55.
L Guns at R34 a x 12 & 13 got
onto them. (L.Gs from 16 Bn HQ specially sent up).
The Germans were not
quick after their barrage. From
Pt 78 - 61 the enemy cd
be seen & trench ws lined.
As soon as barrage began to
ease this trench was lined -
a few casualties occurred.
The Germans came up in groups
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Hand drawn diagram – see original
___________________________________________________________
Losses from 6-14 Aug. K. W. M. SS. P of W.
Offrs 5 39 4 1
0r 188 1294 111 20 1
_____________________________________________________________
Night of 11/12 Aug. Bombing pties worked up trenches
65 - 38; 34 - 35; 34 - 55; 61 - Quarry.
12th Aug. 50 Bn relieved 16 Bn by daylight.
Front line & Commn trenches thro Pozieres heavily shelled
all day
12/13 Midnight - attack. 13 Bn. got R34 a 86 - R34 a 38 -
- R34 B 96½ incl.
50 Bn ws to get R33 b 96½ - R33 b 55 - Quarry
- 81.
13 Bn got objve. 50 Bn reached 81 but not
Quarry or 55 & 13 Bn had to refuse left to link up.
They got some impt. big German dugouts at R 28.C.8 ½
and R 34 b ½ 7. Quarry ws patrolled after
daylight & found unoccupied. Strong Pt &
L.G. was placed at R 33 a 81
At 4 p.m. 4 Bde handed over to Glasgow.
14/15 at 10 p.m. 50 - 13 - 51st Bns attacked R 33 a 81
- b 48 - 27 d.91-73-94-04-28 c.o3-24-36-66-95.
13 Bn say they gained their objve but had to fall back
owing to flanking Bn failing. D ws in a little ahead.
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28
of 10 & 12 - They had got
up to within 100 yds of Pt 57.
Abt 40 gave themselves up when beckoned to. Heavies
were got onto enemy, who, under this fire, were
seen bolting from Quarry & M. Farm.
Aug. 29/30.
Bn had to come from head
of 1st Aus by K trench up to waist in
slush & mud. (coming back
it was sticking). xx
The line was
Maj Black
B Coy had got 2 platoons
into open on either side of
road in front (S) of 48.
Every man ws out there -
Tape had been laid by
Linus. It ws quite clear
to pick up.
B Coys job ws to
take M. Farm.
11 p.m. ws zero hour.
29
The Fm. ws firing at first.
But it ws soon settled. Wilton's
Stokes mortar bombs for settling
dugouts never reached the
Fm
※
Hand drawn diagram – see original
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30
The barrage ws not at all
thorough & not at all like
the other barrage. Machine
Guns started as soon as
we moved. Flares were
going up all the time.
From 59 & 31 - There ws
a mound at 31 - flares
were coming up from here
& there seemed to be
M. G. fire from pt 54 in
R 27 c. The chief casualties
were from 54.
※ As Maj. Blacks party
came up he saw x Germans
head hands come up over
parapet working levers of a
m.g. The man cd have
fired but he looked first
& as his head came
up B. shot him. B. stepped
up onto the mound &
put a couple of bullets
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