Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/252/1 - 1918 - 1935 - Part 12

Drawing by Lieut Fenton from
Memory May 1935. of positions of his post opp.
VIEUX-BEQUIN in April 1918.
Diagram - see original document
Note by W.D. Joynt.
Fenton's positions here
are not quite correct
see official Map
Marked by me for
Dr Bean
WDJ.

65.
(TAKE IN SKETCH No. 18)
(8-point)   their movements.
In front of the Butte flares and rifle-grenades were
frequently fired.....considerable talking and coughing could be
heard.
An enemy working party.....were using shovels behind their
own wire.
(10-point)  A late patrol (about 2-3 a.m.) stated:
(8-point)   About M.17.A.5.3 (German front line south of the Butte of
Warlencourt) a machine-gun was seen to fire about 25 yards away
(from the patrol).....Fifty yards west of this there was much
sniping fire going on.....Enemy parties were at work all round
this vicinity, but fog prevented the patrol from distinguishing
exactly what was going on.
A hundred yards to the left the patrol saw "a number of snipers'
posts from which flares and rifle-shots were fired."  The patrols
would naturally wonder why there was so much sniping activity in
a fog which hid all targets.  Scouts of the 5th Brigade repo ed
that the German machine-guns were ready to fire upon the least
sound.  A party from the 6th Brigade, north of the road to
Bapaume, came suddenly on some Germans lying out north of Le Sars
and was bombed, and a corporal killed.  On the other hand the 1st
Division, opposite The Maze, found the enemy inactive.  Its
"summary" said:
(8-point) It is probable that a relief took place opposite our left
section (3rd Brigade) last night.  Very few flares were fired,
and hostile artillery was inactive.
Brief precis of patrol reports reached corps headquarters in
the divisional summaries late in the day, and nothing unusual was
remarked in them.  The dawn reports from the 2nd and 4th 
Divisions had simply recorded "Situation normal", and those of the 1st
and 5th "Situation quiet".  The II Corps said the same, and the
Fifth Army "front quiet⁴".  Yet, as will be related⁵, each German
⁴The Fifth Army, however, excepted the front of the 4th Aust.
Division, which had attacked during the night.
⁵p._______.
(2)  regiment on most of the Fifth Army's front had been occupied only
by about twenty men.  Most of these withdrew at daylight.
The day which followed, February 23rd, appeared to all
troops xxxxx on the Anzac front to be absolutely normal.  Reports
from the left and centre stated that there was no sniping, but

9319.
8 July 1935.
I.G. Murdoch, Esq., M.C.,
"Aldie",
Shepparton East, Vic.
Dear Ivon,
In writing the story of the 1st Division at Hazebrouk
one of the first incidents is the marching of a company of
Germans at midnight into a post held by your platoon.  The
post was at the junction of the Rue Du Bois (running east and
west from Vieux Berquin to the forest) with a road leading
south to La Couronne.  According to the German account,
which of course is only very short, the Germans would seem
to have been coming north from La Couronne, intending to reach
the Rue du Bois, and I would assume they were coming along the
road from La Couronne.  Joynt, however, tells me that, so far
as he remembers, they were coming down the Rue du Bois from
Vieux Berquin.
I should be grateful if you could let me have any
recollections concerning not only this scrap, but the fighting
a few days later.
If you see Ted Rule, remember me kindly to himself
and his wife.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
C.E.W. Bean.

Noted.
H.N.
Shepparton East.
13th July, 1935.
C. E. W. Bean Esq.,
Historian,
Victoria Barracks
Paddington. N.S.W.
Dear Charlie,
Pardon my familiarity but I feel
that I know you best by that name.
As I remember this incident fairly
well I might be of some use to you.  My
platoon held three small posts along two
sides of a hedge which enclosed a small
paddock at the junction of the two roads.
The Germans were marching as indicated
by the arrow on my sketch.  We allowed
them to approach to within about twenty
yards of post, marked Lewis gun, and shot
them in cold blood - really nothing to
be proud of.  A couple of us had a
look around later and I think that we
found a narrow road running E. as
indicated on sketch.  Whether the huns
came down that road or not I cannot say.
These huns did not come from Vieux Berquin.

During the following morning my platoon
was moved into a post as marked.  Shells
were falling, as marked with dots, and I
blamed our own guns and sent back word
twice to try to have range lengthened.
Perhaps I was wrong.  During the day a
German plane flew low and machine-
gunned all the posts ^many times.  Later on a shell
got some of us - I could never find
out the number - but I knew no
more until I awoke in London.  So my
stay there was short and I cannot help
you any more.
When I next see Ted Rule I
shall not fail to give him your good
wishes.
Cheers & the kindest thoughts
from Yours sincerely,
Ian G. Murdoch.

Diagram - see original document

TASMANIAN CLUB
1st Aust Div Arty.
Merris. Ap-/1918
1918  [12/1/35 Later - This is probly from Selmes of 1st AFH Bde & is
very inaccurate except as to incidents he personally saw).
Selmes was not less accurate than most others but more aware of
what
was
happening
elsewhere
& more
ready
to
paint
the
picture
of it all.]
Ap 11.  Divn Entrained at St Roche.  8th Bn. 6th Bn,
& 1st Bde (AFA) Hqrs & 1st Bty - in tt order in
3 trains.
Ap 12.  The trains ran up into Borre Stn.
Each train ws escorted by an aeroplane &
all available m.gs were mounted on
top of carriages for A.A. defence.
You cdnt get into Hazebrouck Stn
wh ws being shelled by 4.2 H.V. with
Mustard gas. Germs sd to be at Strazeele Stn
Our trains went N of Haz. thro' Hondeghem.
6 Bn ws detrained at Borre:
8th & 1st Bty at Hondeghem.  All
trains were then a full stopped at Hond.
8 Bn detrained at Hond. at
8 or 9 pm on Ap 12.  They were told
to march to le Grand Hasard
where G. staff of D.H.Q. was.
On / way they were picked up
by Motor lorries & told to go to
Vieu Berquin where they wd get
orders.  When the 1st lorries go to /

TASMANIAN CLUB
2
sawmill in Nieppe Forest
they were met by the Bde Major,
2nd Bde. & told ^by him to get out
of their lorries as quickly as
they cd - tt they were /
front line.  They got orders to
hold a straight line betw. Seclin &
Le Paradis Inn. (Abt small hours
1p.m. or 2p.m.)  Positns were chosen
taking in Le Paridis & Grand & Petit
Sec Bois, & into Seclin.  They
pracly held / gardens of cottages
& ditches.  At 7 a.m. they had
just got into positn & settled when
a pty of Germs ws sighted marching
along / Strazeele Stn road.  They were
1000 yds away coming out of V. Berquin.

TASMANIAN CLUB
3
They had a band & were in
over coats marching in fours
along / road.  At abt 400 - 600
yds the m.gs. (wh. had bn waiting
for them - intentionally not firing before)
opened & they dispersed.  The only
arty then up ws the 1st Bty.
Col. Mitchell ws directing / whole
operation from the nearest house
in Sec Bois, from an attic.
6 Bn had joined their left
flank at Le Paradis, across the
Rly Stn onto the Mont de Merris.
Abt 9 a.m. 7th Bn ws put in on /
left of 6th across Mont de Merris to
Moolenacker.  At tt time / Irish

TASMANIAN CLUB
4
Guards were holding from in front
of Merris to Meteren.  There were
no troops between / right of 8th Bn
& Merville exc. several cavalry
regts in reserve behind Nieppe
forest.  8th Bn ws / right o / 2nd
army; the cavalry ws suppd to be
keeping connection betw. 2nd & 1st
[*Ap13*]
Armies.  By tt time 1st & 2nd
Bdes of Arty was coming up ; 1st
Bde ws coming behind. Nieppe
Forest & the 2nd just S o / Rly
betw. the Haz. Strazeele &
Haz. Aire rlys.  The Btys were
coming up by train abt 1 every
3 hours.  They werent all in till
next night.  1st Inf Bde began to
arrive abt midday.  The detrained

TASMANIAN CLUB
5
at Hond. & marched thro
Strazeele to Moolenacker - a
line in front of Meteren; 3rd Bde
began to arrive abt 5 p.m. & went
into divl feserve at Morbeck.  Betw.
7xx& 11 am. various German infy
patrols advd & came into contact w
our troops.  At 11 a.m. they attacked
from Metern 6 Seclin heavily
supported by artillery enfilading from
directn of Merville.  The Irish
Guards broke & retreated thro 7th Bn,
being Meteren & Mont de Merris.
There were 15 waves of Germans
in front of the 8th Bn.  We hadnt eno'
arty to fire a barrage.  What bties
were up simply selected targets.  The
infy bought them to a standstill w

TASMANIAN CLUB
6
rifles & bombs & in some
instances bayonets.  This
attack lasted - i.e. / Germs were
attacking somewhere - till 4 p.m.
without success.  Our Arty were
increasing all / time & giving
each attack a worse time & many
heavy guns had come up by /
evening.  The Germans had abt
6 m.gs. in Vieu Berquin Church,
& had some in / factory (V/B) wh
looked down into our posts.  Arty
finished these.  (It ws / Irish Guards
who came back from Mt de Merris
thro 7 Bn.  The 7 Bn were to dig a
support line first & then go up &
relieve the I. Guards but / I/Guards
came back first.

TASMANIAN CLUB
The T.M. Bties (light & medium
- Newtons) were / first bties to get
up & they did particularly well;
6 of the/medium TMs were in a line
in Strazeele Stn under Capt Selmes.
That night ws pretty quiet.  The
Germs brought up more Arty.  They
attacked next day an dawn but
got no further.
Abt 3 days later 3rd Bde ws
sent round to retake Merris & Meteren.
12 Bn & 11 Bn suffered heavily.
The only maps they had (the battery)
when they first went into the area were one
1/100 000 Hazebrouck 5A) map for each battery
& a still smaller scale map for
each brigade.