Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/151/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 2

31     11
The guns were covering
the fronts of other posts,
& did it v. well.  The
right & centre platoons of
left Coy were most
engaged - (Leslie & Dill).
In Dills case when they
got within 20yds our
men threw Mills bombs
- the Germs stood this for
a few secs - their order so
far ws very good. Then
they ran for their lives &
never got anything like so
close again.  Some tried
to dig in quite close
to the post. & one
pty of 20 or so tried
to dig in on right of 
left Coy, & left of rt Coy

31     12
between / two posts. 
They were behind a small
bank, abt 20 of them, 
abt 60 or 70yds from
Leslie, when 2 rifle
grenades lobbed right
amongst them & then
burst - they squealed
& ran as fast as they cd.
Leslie sd the L.Gunner
wd have got the whole
lot if he had not
laughed so hard. 
They tried to dig on a
line abt 40yds from
Leslie - & were digging
there till after daylight.
Finally rifle grenades got
them where / Lewis Gun

31     13
couldnt & they
retired altogether.
The telephone was working
to Leslie's post till
4.15 & then broke.
It was down till abt
5 o'c.  The first thing
Leslie asked for was
more ammn. Men
were sent out in pairs
with bandoliers hung
all over them, to
Leslies & Dills post, former
of wh especially ran very
short. They took abt 5000
rounds. Leslie was v.
short indeed when the
fighting ended.  The
men w / bandoliers
got thro' by crawling.
One runner made
the trip 3 times -

14

Smith of B Coy went
up, but reserve
ws not otherwise
used at all exc.
for carrying ammn
etc.  Some of his pln
of(carriers) stayed
with him

31     15
i.e. 3 times from the
H.Qrs. of B Coy at Hermies
to Leslie's post.
Towds / end o /
fight Dill ws moving
from one small group
to another when he
got a bullet thro the
groin - nipping over. 
Dills Sergt ws wd, &
a Corpl. k., & one Corpl.
wd.  They had no
NC.O left.  They were
like this for ½-1hr. Dill
ws able to command
tho' he couldnt move.
An ammn carrier
came to Coy HQrs w
this news.  The Coy
Commdr sent out 2/Lt
Colin Smith, M.C., with 2 or
3 men carrying water
& ammn - & he took
over Dills post. 

31     16
Smith who had bn RSM
sd tt from 300 - 400
yds they rushed as in
attack - working in
rushes ; but last
200 yds they had
to crawl - it ws
broad daylight.
Abt 5 . 15 the Germans
had given up the fight
& went back behind
their wire. Our guns
opened & did some. good
work on / bluff, but
most of it cd not be
observed. 
There were abt 200
dead in front of the
battalion front in
front of the left company.
The Germans came
out under Red X flag
to carry in their
wounded & Leslie 

17

The 3Bn took 2
prisoners - grabbed
for identification purposes
2 Germans ^who got close
eno' - & killed all the
rest.
The Bn had
  offrs    or.
k.  -         7
w. 1       26
inclusive of tt Dvn etc.
Only 12 were in the
fighting. The rest
were mainly the band
wh ws for the first
time hauled up to
carry rations. They
got into the barrage,
& 4 were wd. No one
had an breakfast tt
mg. They were half way up
to / post w pork & beans & did
not waste much time dropping it.

31     18
let them for a while -
& sent off Dill & our
own wounded. Then
they saw a party digging
as hard as they cd - &
on another stretcher
they thought there ws
a m.g.  So Leslie
opend with his L.G.
& / German at once
got onto him with one
m.g. near the Bluff
& one near the Canal bridge
or rd w. of it. This
wd abt 6 men in /
post in as many
seconds. Till then
Leslie had not had
a Casualty in his post. 

19

These posts were
out of Commn by day -
w HQrs.  But a signal
ws arranged e.g. putting
up of a rifle at slated
intervals; & by night
patrols went across.

The Germans have never
bn as active as we in
nomansland as they let us patrol
until we run into them.

Le Barque
Thilloy Mar 2.

31     20
The cd not get onto
this gun or place it
sufficiently for / arty
fire to be effective.
That gun pinked any
man who showed 
himself - L.G. &
2 riflemen got pinked
as soon as they showed.
The Germs did a good
deal of digging ^& all /
time ws carrying away
wd. men. The follg
night they dropped this
post back abt 50 yds
to a better site.

B Coy ws the same
Coy wh bore the brunt
of the attack in front 
of Thilloy & lost one

21

In this action there
were 28 German dead
& 10 prisoners in
Scrap on left.
There ws no fighting
on right.

31     22
post. This ws /
extreme rt Post near
Knotty Corner.  The
Germans came along
from the left -
either along the Bap.
Road or further N.
They got past / front
line & bombed a dugout
where one 4 Bn Coy
HQrs. was. - shooting
/ Sentry. Leslie ws 
in / dugout. The Germans
threw down a bomb
wh k. Lane, & wd
Boileau (brother of B. of
3Bn). Then the
Germans ran without
waiting & went off
with some of 4Bn & some 

31     23
of 3Bn intelligence
section attd to this Coy.
These were in a dugout
or shelter. 
On their way out
they ran into the
left post of 3Bn. on
or near the Bap. Rd.
That post spotted them, 
& got into there at once
with rifle fire.  The
Corpl in charge o /
intelligence (who ws a
prisoner) shouted to /
men with him to
"get" - & they 2 of them
escaped, but he
was shot.
As soon as the
Germs. hit this post
3 of the 3Bn posts 

31     24
came to / rescue,
& some of 4Bn came
up.

The rt post ws
captd by a difft.
party & its absence
ws not discovered
till tt night. No traces
of them were found.
Probly they were grabbed
from behind
In the fight at Thilloy
-Le Barque the 3Bn had
4 k. & 6 wd. at the
left of the line.
In the post on rt wh
was scuppered the Germs.
got 15 prisoners apparently.
This post was under
a good corporal - an