Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/251/1 - 1915 - 1936 - Part 28

ACACIA AVENUE

LEETON

I should think he would be able to give

you quite a lot of information in regard

to the actual fight should you desire it.

This scrap really was a classic and

I hope you have been able to collect all

the necessary data.

Cheerioh and best wishes for the future.

Alan. F. Folley

HN.V/B ap. 4 1918

VILLERS-)BRETONEUX.

Following are a few facts supplied by ex Sgt Wood of the 35th Battalion,

in connection with the Villers-Bretoneux Stunt.  Sgt Wood was hit

during the first day, but has given everything of note he can remember up 
to the time of his evacuation.

The attached rough sketch, is given in the hope that it may help to

illustrate the opening phases of the battle on the first day as described

by him.

On the 21st March, the 35th Battalion with the other units of the 9th

Brigade, were at Boulogne.

We moved at short notice to Hazebrouk, and after spending two nights there

we moved at instant notice to a position behind Arras, where after only

a few hours, we were rushed to Doullens.

On the 26th March we moved into Bonney.

On the 27th March we moved into Sailly-le-Sec.

On the 28th March we moved into Cachy, and on the 29th March we moved into Villers-Bretoneux.

A hectic week of packing, moving, and general bewilderment.

The place was fairly quiet at this time, and we assumed our positions in

the village, in comfort.  There were an unusual lot of Hun planes about,

but we had no idea of the actual whereabouts of the enemy line.

On April 3rd, heavy shelling commenced.

On Thursday, April 4th, at about 2.a.m. we made our first contact with the 
enemy, when two Huns, very drunk, wandered into our posts and were taken 
prisoners.   At 5.30 a.m. on this morning the Hun laid down his barrage.

I was up with one of the front line posts, of about 40 men, at the time,

(The front line then being only a series of these posts, about 30 to 50

yards apart) when the barrage started.   It was intense, and he laid it

on our front line with a striking degree of accuracy for about two hours.

When daylight was advanced, and some of the smoke and dust had cleared a 
little, we found dense masses of Huns streaming down the road on our left. 
At this time they were also streaming down the Railway line on our right, 
in dense formation.   One of my chaps calculated them in millions, and it 
certainly looked like it.

From the left, they cut into the aerodrome behind and amongst us, and were 
apparently right up to the outskirts of the village, when the right

advance along the Railway, were caught by the 36th Battalion and the right 
company of the 35th, and definitely checked.  On the left the Huns

swarmed over the 33rd and left section of the 35th, and most of the posts 
retired to the village.

At about 10 o'clock a.m. a counter attack, by the re-organized 33rd and

35th with some Scots Greys, swept the Hun from the Aerodrome, where some 
bitter hand to hand fighting took place.  It was during a duel with a 
batch of Huns, around one of the huts, that I was hit, and my interest

in the scrap finished.   I understand I was carried out with much

difficulty, and was for a time in one of the cellars, with Capt Thomas

(previously mentioned).

I might mention, that the day before the scrap commenced, a batch of Scots 
Greys wandered into the village, and finding nobody to report to, attached 
themselves to us, and fought with great courage alongside our chaps, 
during the counter attack.  They suffered heavily, and I have no doubt 
that, of those who were with us, very few survived.

Major Connell, (previously mentioned) went right through the whole stunt, 
and should be able to supply you with valuable information in connection 
with the later phases of the operation.

Diagram - see original document

Rough Sketch of

opening of Villers-Bretoneux

Battle:

(not drawn to scale)

If the Huns had broken through at Villers-Bretoneux, I think we

certainly would have spent the rest of the War in  Germany.

Allthough splendid work was done by every man engaged in this stunt,

efforts of General Rosenthal, Lt Colonel Milne, a corporal of Lewis

Guns in the 36th Battalion, and numerous other individuals, are

among the epics of the super-miracle performed, by keeping the Huns

in check here.

A tremendous amount has been said of the 14th and 15th Brigade's

fine work later, but organization was complete at the time of their 

stunt, whereas on April 4th and 5th, there was no organization to

speak of, and in cold fact, it was only the wonderful initiative

and commonsense, together with the splendid fighting ability

displayed by the Australians, that won them the day, as on many

occasions they were split up into small batches, and very often

without officers.

It always sticks in my memory as the best stunt ever performed by

the Australians, as they were all on their own, without artillery

support of any kind, and in spite of the tremendous odds, and an

enemy with his tail up, through sheer tenacity, and exceptionally 

heavy casualties, hung on, and even at times assumed the offensive.

It is quite certain that had the Hun broken through, he would have

had miles of valuable country, and many important centres entirely

at his mercy, without apparent opposition.

I was an eye witness to the retreat of the English Troops.   They

were exceptionally pannicky, and moving back as fast as they could,

without any attempt at order.

Our fellows seemed to be just the opposite, and were eager for the

impending contact with the Hun, allthough they had no idea where

the enemy were, or what was going to happen.  The sight of

troops, guns, and all manner of transport moving back in such

disorder, seemed to inspire, and often amuse, more than depress

them.

The Australians had rather a poor opinion of the English troops

at this time, and the impression gathered from what they were now

witnessing was not helpful.

I am just a little hazy after fifteen years, as to the actual dates

but no doubt, these will be available to you.

About March 27th, we had instructions to move over to Gentelles

during the night.   At daylight we saw the retreat in full

blast.

That day, the 9th Brigade, moving forward, made contact with the

enemy at Hangard Wood.

A couple of days later, both Cachy and Gentelles were heavily

shelled.   Imperial troops came from everywhere, apparently they had

been sheltering in the cellars.  They were completely disorganized

- no idea where they were, or what to do.   On calling at the

English Divisional Headquarters, (or where they were supposed to be)

in Gentelles, I found they had gone.

Later the Hun attacked Villers-Bretoneux.

How many Divisional Commanders there were controlling the 9th

Brigade, during the period from March 28th to April 5th, I have no

idea, as we seemed to have nobody to report or refer to.

About this time, the Australians moved across from Hangard to
Villers-Bretoneux.

On April 4th, early in the morning, Bois L'Abbe came under severe

bombardment.   We, in this wood were not aware of the gravity of the

situation until the afternoon, when the Ambulance Orderlies informed

me, that the Gremans were in Villers-Bretoneux.

(2).

At this time, English troops, guns, ambulances, and all manner of

transport, were still streaming back as fast as they could towards

Amiens.

A few lost 9th Brigade stragglers from the flanks came wandering

in along the road, and as they arrived at the advanced dressing

station, they were collected by us.   On General Rosenthal being

informed, he sent Staff Major Paine, to take charge of them, and

lead them back into the scrap in the village.

Thomas and Mailey, the M.O's of the 35th and 33rd Battalions were

on the outskirts of the village, with a cellar full of wounded.

They sent word back to the 37th Battalion H.Q., for information,

but found they were gone.   At this stage the Germans were less

than 100 yards away from them, as they had ever-run the 33rd and

35th, and our fellows and Huns were all mixed up together in small

batches in a glorious hurly-burly of private scraps.

Thomas was quite satisfied, that he was going to stay with the

wounded, no matter what happened, and when I saw him a little later,

he only complained of having no cigarettes.

It is possibly common knowledge, the business like way the 36th

Battalion cut into the advancing battalions of the enemy, along the

railway line, and allthough outnumbered by probably 10 to 1,

stopped him, and finally forced him to retreat.  I often think

the Hun Commanders thought they had been led into a trap there, but

had they known the real state of things, there is no doubt they

would have probably overwhelmed the shattered remnants of the 9th

Brigade in the village, had they as vigorously persisted.

Lt Colonel Milne was at his Headquarters at the time, when the

C.S.M. came in and reported that they were surrounded.   The

Second-in-Command asked Milne "What is to be done Sir", who without

hesitation replied "Well, when in doubt, attack".  This, without

question saved the whole situation, as the whole village would have

been completely surrounded in a very short time.

It was as Milne described afterwards:- "Like pushing a full hand

out of a game of poker, with a pair of twos".

Milne told me afterwards, that during the advance, an Officer

dressed in English Uniform, rushed in among the troops of the 36th

calling out "Every man for himself".   A corporal of Lewis Guns

without hesitation, promptly shot him with his revolver, and then 

turned round and enquired, quite sincerely, "Do you think I did

the right thing".   When they later examined the body of this man,

they found his pack filled with straw, and no identification disc:

He was apparently  a German.

Sgt W. Wood of the 35th told me, that during the engagement on the

old Aerodrome in front, he saw Capt Sayers being escorted back by

two Germans, when he took off his Tin Hat, brained one of the Huns

with it, knocked down the other one, and made his way back to his

own men, in full view of everybody.

Major Connell (now Member for N.S.W.Parliament, Newcastle) second

in command of the 35th, when things were extremely hot, ran up and

down behind his men singing out "Remember our motto boys", "We

bend but do not break".

The Tent Section of the 9th Field Ambulance were situated in Boves

during this engagement;  When Major Smeal found English Troops

deserting the village, he himself went to the English Headquarters

and found them gone also.   Before long his Section were the only

troops in the village.   As Boves now seemed in danger of being

isolated, it was decided to move to a sounder position along the 

Amiens Road.   Unfortunately this movement had to be carried out

during the evacuation of the wounded during the night.    But, in

spite of this, not one man was left, and no inconvenience caused

the wounded in that sector.

(3).

The question of handling the numerous casualties from Villers-Bretoneux 
was now becoming acute.

Word came down during the afternoon, that the 33rd and 35th R.A.P's were 
isolated.   Capt McLean immediately galloped up on horseback, through 
the dense barrage in the village, and made necessary arrangements with 
the Battalion M.O!s, to clear the casualties with bearers to a point 
on the outskirts of the village, where they were to be picked up by 
a specially organized column of transport that night.

After dark, a train of every available vehicle, horse and motor

ambulances, G.S. Waggons, limbers, and two English three ton lorries.

(these had been stopped going back and commandeered) went up through 
the village to the R.A.P's and cleared the whole of the casualties from 
the line, before daybreak.   (They sounded like a column of tanks when 
they all got going).   There is no doubt, that this saved about 75% of 
the wounded, as it was an extremely difficult, and hopeless task getting 
the men out by these splendid, and overworked bearers, on account of 
the heavy shell, and machine gun fire.   Many of the casualties had 
been been lying in cellars and other places for some time then, tended 
by their wonderful Battalion M.O's.   The greatest difficulty 
experienced, was the broken glass and debris in the streets, which 
punctured the tyres of the motor vehicles, in fact, most of them

finished the trip with all tyres flat.

After getting them clear of the village, the casualties were transferred

through the advanced dressing station to suitable positions off the

road about 4 or 5 miles behind Villers-Bretoneux.   Haystacks were

pulled down, and the men covered over, and made comfortable for the

night in charge of orderlies.   At daylight all these cases were

transferred on to Amiens, and the whole position cleared.    As far as

I can remember, about 700 casualties were cleared from the village in the 
abovementioned manner, that night.

As far as we could see, there was not a soul on our right flank, and

had the Hun decided to go through there, there is no doubt it would have 
probably been the end of us all behind Villers-Bretoneux, as it

certainly appeared as if he could have walked into Amiens without any

trouble.

After the main stunt, order was restored behind the lines, and some

system of organization appeared.    The Ambulance arrangements certainly 
improved.

About the middle of April, the 33rd Battalion was drenched with Gas

while in Villers-Bretoneux, and suffered heavily.  The remnants of

the Battalion were brought out in two three ton lorries, and taken to

Boves for a bath.   For a short time after they came out, two of my

Medical Officers, were acting C.O. and Second-in-Command of this

Battalion's remains, as they had not one officer to take charge of them,

until the transport officer came up and took them over.    The Adjutant

ofthe 33rd, a very fine soldier and gentleman, died of the effects of

this Gassing.

A few days later we were releived.

General Rosenthal expected an attack while the releif was going on,

but fortunately for us, it did not develop until a few days later.

One of the outstanding impressions gathered during the heavy fighting 
here, was the wonderful spirit of our fellows, who at no time seemed 
at all anxious or depressed, and it is a pity one cannot remember all 
the splendid things done by them.

I am sure, that the success of the stunt here will always be a

tribute to their wonderful courage.

[*Note for Chap. XI (in proof.) *]

Amanda

Deane St

Narara

4-7-36

Dr. Bean,

Dear Sir,

Memories

of Villers-Bretonneux on the 4^th April

1918.    On the afternoon of the

4^th April we had been laying

down in a wheat field and

after a considerable time word

was given that the Germans

were sending over Pineapple

gas, I might mention it was

a cold miserable showery 

afternoon when all at once

Colonel Milne saw British

Soldiers retreating followed

closely by Germans.   We were

on the left of Villers Bretonneux

and the British and Germans

were almost running.   The

Colonel waited until the 

Germans were coming up the

rise and then gave the word

to charge.   It was a most

2
imposing sight to see the

dear old 36^th in extended

battle order.   We soon were

in action and immediately

the Germans saw they were

up against Australians

they started to retreat closely

followed by us.    On arriving

at the bottom of the hill

we met our first real

obstruction a Hawthorn hedge

with barbed wired in it and 

[*(1)*] it was there.   The Germans

put in some good work with

machine gun - fire from a

chateau.  But it would have

taken all the machine guns

in the world to stop the

troops.    We then went through

an old deserted apple orchard

[*(2)*] and again the enemy

was busy with machine gun 

fire from a Haystack but we

were through Villers-Bretonneux

3
and consolidated about half a

mile in front of Villers Bret.

I had charge of a Lewis gun

section and had a bullet
put through the barrell of the

gun whilst firing at the

enemy in the Haystack also

had a wound in the lip from

part of bullett that struck 
the gun but I carried on and

stopped until we were relieved.

On the 6th April I may mention

I got a Lewis gun that had been

abandoned by the British and

put in some good work. It 

was the most imposing sight

to see the men in this charge 

and it proved their superiority

over the enemy. It did

not seem long before the battle

was over but whilst it

lasted it was sharp.

Hope that this account has

been able to help a little

Yours faithfully

A.M. Midson
[*P.S. If you ^have any further details I would

only be too pleased to give any

further information. A.M.M.*]

Dr Bean

Gascoigne-Roy rang up to correct any possible

misapprehension that you may have regarding Frewin's death.

The arrangements were that a carrying party was to follow

them after a certain time, but as this did not turn up

Frewin went back to fetch it as well as to get a 

Lewis Gun.

AWM

9/7/35