Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/143/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 3

28

Elder saw two men jump out of

the trench on his left & cut for home.

He called them back. Six more

jumped out behind him while

he did so. He ws pulling out 

his revolver when xxx the other

men appeared followed one after

another.  He then left with them.
23        29

Men _^probly saw other Coys

on left going back

(offrs. all killed). I suppose

they considered it impossible

to hold right of trench being 

isolated - so order

we retired.
From 11 a.m. to 6.30 pm.

getting in. Germans got

m.gs. going again

- many men got in

by day.  Capt Elder & 

Lance Cpl. remained

abt 25 yds from German

trenches w some bully beef &

bits of biscuit. Dug in

w entrenching tool handle

& hands - & got deeper

down. There ws no fire

on them as they crawled

in after dark.

30

Playford ws grandson of

late Hon. Tom Playford,

late Premier of S.A.
23        31

160 went over in C coy.

abt 40 now left (excl.

also of sick etc).

At 5 p.m. Germans put

up a barrage (?under

idea tt we might be

attacking again).

Oliphant ws killed -

he ws coming back & saw

Measday, bomb offr., wd

in shellhole. He seems to 

have stayed w Measday

& a shell blew both up

- prob. both k.

A Coy.  Lt Guthrie ws A Coy ws

shot thro shoulder, Sergt

Colbey thru heart & Corpl

Playford thro stomach all 

as they jumped from our

trench.

31A

Pozieres. 1st attack                

12 Bn  On Mond morning A B C had been dug by

12 Bn with 11 Bn digging on left.  There ws also

a commn trench (not shown, abt to B)

A & D coys were over there –

Brine & 2 n.c.os went out on Sund. night

to reconnoitre towards Windmill – along road.

Brine came back with one n.c.o.  Other had got

lost.  B. went back to find him - other n.c.o 
meanwhile had got in - B. never came back

but ws afterwards found to have bn taken prisoner.

Margetts ws lying ^at 4 a.m. on Monday morning (hit previous

night) in a shellhole at about X (place has

now been marked). Clarke Sergt JAN & Brown

(both of L.m.g. section) were k. by same shell as
 23     32

Diagram – see original document
Margetts.

12 Bn on Sunday had 

come up from original

trench behind the guns

to occupy trench Z  X  Y 

to N. of hedge. The 11 Bn

were crowding into this

& Margetts stood up

behind / trench moving

them along to left

- telling them where

there were gaps. While

he was standing there a big H.E. shell

exploded some distance away &

he ws hit by a fragment thro the body. xxxx He sd, " Look after

the boys" – & asked to be pulled down out of shellfire – he knew he ws done.

23       33

12 Bn (cont)

when O. Connell went up the parties for str. point

at D were just being prepared.  Vowles ws in

the Dressing Stn dugout. The Ambulance was at J.

There seemed to be 3 stretcher cases inside &

one man had fallen forward from the back door getting

in. There were at least ½ dozen Germans lying

around it. The two horses were lying dead, harnessed.

A big shrap. burst had caught them apptly as if

they were just starting for Courcelette when a

shrapnel shell burst & got them. They seemed to

have been dead since Frid. or Saty.  Vowles showed O 'C.

where the party ws to go. They were to go out at

3 a.m. on Tuesd. Vowles ws to send 30 men, rear

Coys 70.  5^th Field Coy. were to dig Str. pt & 12 Bn

to dig trench on either side.  Just as 12 Bn 70 from

23       34

12 Bn cont.

"B" & "C" Coys in Z X Y were abt to move out 5^th

Field Coy who had been out apparently to

D came back & got into trench completely blocking it.

They moved thro' the trench. Vowles party of 30

(D Coy) went out under Lt Lang. Some way out they

were met by a very heavy burst of m.g. & rifle fire.

They left 19 out there. Vowles sent over to the xx

12 Bn: "You are too late now - dont send your

party out - heavy casualties. "

12 Bn hung on - started to link X Y up

into A. B. C. along the N & S road. The shelling ws

very heavy indeed. The part of 12 Bn in X Y & digging

new trench ws moved into A B C where it was

23        35

12 Bn Cont.

more or less out of the line of barrage wh went

over it.  Two Captains (Nicholas & Margetts) &

Lt C. D. Lucas (formerly Rev. C.D.L.) were killed in  X Y Z 

trench.  The xxxx barrage ^ just caught the Dressing Stn every

time in this trench xxxxx but one shell filled up 

hole last shell made & so on. The men from

under the barrage were put down in the deep dugout

for a couple of hours – Two platoons of B & C 

had bn previously bn sent back to behind the captured

German guns to another trench wh ws less bombarded.

On Monday morning Germans were only

throwing shells onto Pozieres promiscuously &

barraging across Chalk Pit Rd. They did not

begin to barrage thickly until Tues. morning when it

23      36

12 Bn Cont

began after repulse of their c. attack at abt 5 a.m.

From after tt attack it went till 1 pm without

easing – They knocked off then & simply went for the 

village & dugout Dressing Stn dugout.  A German during

the morning while bombt ws on was firing white flares

into our trench from abt D.  Probably the Germans had

seen the digging party moving out to D & called for

barrage thinking it an attack.

Mond. night ws particularly quiet.  Barrage

from 5 am to 1 p.m. Tues. Then let up almost completely.

The greater part of the ordinary shelling was over

Chalk Pit Road.

12 Bn ws relieved on Tuesday night by

19 Bn. Moved  Lt T. C. B. Moore (Duntroon boy) who

was ^brought up to take Margetts place was wd. on Tues.

23        37

12 Bn Cont

afternoon by a fragment of shell thro' his

tin hat in forehead while looking over / parapet.

He ws only wd.  ^ Capt K Heritage ^(who rowed for Austr) of 19 Bn ^(in New G. Expⁿ) ws afterwds

killed in same place — he ws looking over with

his helmet off.

On Aug 21/22 (or thereabouts) when 12. 11. 10 Bns

attacked near Mouquet

Diagram – see original document

German prisoners were found

by 1st Pioneer Bn in dugouts

at A A A.

12 Bn attacked from trench

betw. OG. & 55 .

They bombed up trench from

23       38

12 Bn Mouquet Farm.

55 to Mouquet past Apple Trees – killing

many Germans ^ - they were caught in dug outs & trenches very full of dead) - into Mouquet Farm.

They got through Mouquet Farm – but did not

find many Germans – They were very fast – did

not spend many bombs on Farm.  Newlands

found it quite difficult to call them back.

He held S. side of Mouquet–Courcelette

Rd & dug a new trench there for himself.

On left he sent back parallel to Apple Tree trench.

Shortly after N. got a message _^ from O.C. saying: "If you

are holding the Farm, come back 60 yds (or

something to tt effect) H.A. are going to shoot on it."

We cd see the Germans coming in in small

23      39

12 Bn Cont.   

parties into the Farm. Lt AJ. Hearps ws wd.

through neck & ws carried into dugout in Farm

(They shot one German to get down there - &

found two dead Germans there bound up -

evidently used as a prisoner station - it ws a big &

fine prisoner stn). Hearps ws left there & messenger

ws sent back - but ws guided to rear

& Hearps ws not recovered bec. arty started

& Germans were in there later.     

A m.g. ws captured at str. pt where

O.G. crosses Courcelette Rd. Pte (now Cpl)

Mancer (of Hobart) when line went over ws on

right. He saw several Germans at this point & went