Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/148/1 - 1917 - Part 2

28   9
ws still enfiladed
but fairly good.
Platoon ws sent up
tt night to dig in
under banks in
Gully during night.

Diagram - see original document
Seager had to link
up with 52.
Seager put pickets
as marked X & got
touch.
2 mortars were
sent up early in
morning to see if K J
E cd not be squashed.
Seager decided to attack
by daylight.  Abt 2.30
he went over w
patrol himself to abt

10
Attack 5.15 morning of 2nd April
snowed hard tt night.
Wd men lying out up to 4^th -
diff. to find.
28    111
J & found it empty.
Germans had cleared
early.  He walked up
road to V & left
post there & informed
people in trench who
came up & occupied
the roads. There were big
dugouts in / deeply
Sunken rd near F.
He went into 2 & found
63 of our wd. prisoners
(A) & one of D - left by
enemy.  (Remainder cf Todd)
Line ws in this positn
when 50 Bn handed over.
Seager put a standing
patrol at C11 central

12
119 Regt of German RIR
ws opposite. We got one
officer also.
28    13
[Last night Bde - 49. Bn-
got wk rly cutting to
Queant & bayoneted
enemy].
Seager also sent

2 patrols out to get

touch with enemy -

one went 2000 yds &

one 1700 -
One of wd men from Dugout

reported he had seen Lt Gore

& 6 men A Coy taken away.

Those were only ones

definitely known till this

morning.
on 5 Ap. a man came in

who ws taken prisⁿ with

Todd. in cemetery

He ws a D Coy man

14

Night of 3/4 prisoner (escaped)

of who had escaped on morning

of 2^nd (or during day) heard a

patrol coming. It was Seagers

patrol sent after Germans.

He cd hear nothing (he had bn

lying under the snow) He shouted Merci

[*Kamerad & they sd "who the Hell

are you." He had been

with Capt. Todd's party. Then*]
28    15

taken by Germans in

cemetery (who had

bn in dugouts when

1st wave went thro').

He ws taken by them

along road towards

crater & in tt rd from

crater to J took Todd 

& 24 of his men.
Gore ws on rt of A Coy

when they swung &

opposite E. & ws

probly taken in

counter attack.

Germans were very

thick in Sunken

Rd - coming up from

Gully.

16
m.gs. 6 in all.
1 handed over to
Scottish
1 Held in line.
50 Bn got two.
T.MB. blew crew out. (one smashed)
119 R.I.R.
One Uhlan
Diagram - see original document
28      17
13 Bde.
137 Prisoners incl. 4 offrs.
5 m.gs.
abt 10. ( 4 tins

( Many Pineapple throwers.
Bn H.Q.
were lined up by the Germans
in the Sunken Road abt
F - V. Capt. Todd cd talk
a little German & ws
spoken to by a German
officer. The German sd something
& Todd sd: Right Turn &
moved the men along a bit.
The officer sd something else
& Todd sd left turn - wh
brought / men w their backs
to the Germans. The Germans
then suddenly opened on them
with rifles. The line broke &
ran for shellholes. Todd &
another & this man were
in one shellhole together.

28    18 
The Germans signed to
them tt they must come 
in. The wounded man
asked them to stay w
him - but they wd be
quite safe he thought -
but they gave up. He
lay there tt night. As it
ws snowing he covered himself
w snow to hide from /
Germans. He cd hear them
talking. Later he heard
this patrol & thought it
ws German - He ws very 
ill, & done up. He had
bn wounded before they
took him prisoner.

56^th Bn.
Louverval
Diagram - see original document
28     19
Advanced 5 a.m.
No barrage
Moon down by then
Diagram - see original document
They had not cleared
first crest then rifle & m.g. fire
opened. Scouts were ahead.
They prob. saw scouts.
Flare came up from beetroot factory 5 mins
later. Scouts were into the man who
fired flare & bayoneted him at once.
[*2 mines were                     
fired during the advance 
shortly after rifles broke  
out. *]                                      

20
Diagram - see original document
28   21
Luminous boards were put out by scouts & offr.
about 12p.m. These led right onto wire towards
beetroot factory; & not so far on left.
Beetrt factory ws rushed by platoon. A number (?20)
Germans were bayoneted there.
Wood NW of Louverval had been cut.
Germans held it.
The wire ws to SW of Wood, & SW of Raperie;
They got into Raperie (Beetroot factory) at once. One
man caught in wire & being fired at

Before 7am. Guns were put on to Germans
from Boursies along road over crest.
2. Later in day 6.55 plane put guns onto
c.attack from Demicourt across open.
Plane told bties tt Germans had
gone somewhere else & switched guns onto that.
3.  8.30 am. The ^pushed out Germans came up the valley
from Pronville.
4. 4pm from Hermies - spotted direct by 2 Bties
5. Abt 8.15. The Germans assembled behind the crest
N of road near Boursies.
28    22
Sd [soon?] you [shorthand] you cdnt hit a haystack.
At 6 am. Beetroot trench ws reported by Coy telephone
cleared.
By 5.30 they were on the edge of the wood. They
were held up by fallen trees & got beyond N of
Wood. The men there were overlooked by
Germans on Boursies Ridge.
18 or 20 Germans retreating along rd from
Wood to Boursies saw themselves surrounded
& put up white flag. They were shot down
all except 2. In the wood a m.gunner put

up his hands. He ws shot. The m.g. was
being rigged up agst Germans but ws hit
by him before they got it going.
The m.g. South of the ^Bap road S.E. of Louverval
gave the whole area trouble - it commanded
the village. The whole crew exc. one or two ws
finally shot. Remainder got away w / gun - 
We got up & occupied emplacement during afternoon.
The casualties were almost all in village
& Wood.
(No one had bn hit by mines)
28     23
1 offr & 6 o.r. were captured -
During day Germans got into Louverval
again & into the Wood again & were
pushed out by platoon & coy commandrs.
[*Map from
Divn*]
Imd after 56, 55 went through
The 56th had no touch with them till
after dark.
There were constant small attacks
on N angle of wood - it ws under observation
& there ws heavy shelling there. They 56 ws withdrawn
from edge of wood into a line thro' it thro'

24
Lt Hicks ws on rt flank.
Lt Davies    ) left
Lt. Gordon  ) centre.
28   25
day time. 40 to 50 were k & 150 wd.
chiefly thro the shelling.
The Bde casualties were 484 - there were
7 counter attacks - one of wh ws nipped
in the bud.
A feature of whole fight ws the cooperatn
of arty & aeroplanes - The 3rd Sqn put
the guns on to counterattacks
2/Lt Watt & Capt Maine had coy which got into
Beetroot Factory. Capt Smythe had left flank.
Hit