Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/252/1 - 1918 - 1935 - Part 8

Austlns cd get an
opporty to show other
units what they cd do
they wd stagger the
onlookers -up to then
they had always bn
put in after other units
eg. Poz, Passch.
Now we were
working alone as an
independt  unit under
our own offrs - & the
other Austln units in /
South immdly before this
had demonstrated what
they cd do, & the 1 Division
ws quite sure tt it cd
do equally well.   This
feeling, combined w a
feeling of absolute superiority
indivly as a fighting man
to the Hun.   Their self assurance
tt, man for man, they were

worth 3 or 4 Huns.   And,
up to that stage, the Austln
units had always bn on the
offensive.   But now / time
had arrd when we were
" to pick our own line of
defence & wait for the
Fritzes" (as they had bn told
by J.) & they sd "By Cripes,
this will do us !".
That they were right
ws proved by / fact tt
we held / enemy on our
own positn, without
losing ground meant to be
held & later / superiority tt
our patrols obtained over
/ enemy became so marked
tt by July 1 every digger in
the 1st Divn looked upon
the Hun as an animal to be
hunted a treated him w contempt.
(this is J's view, stated to me)
 

They also had wonderful
confidence in their leaders.
-they knew tt / best pozzy
wd be tn up.   The knowledge
tt  / sitn ws critical - we had /
notion  By cripes we are going
to be licked.   We had / feeling
tt there ws nothing between
us & / Chauvel Ports & we
felt "Its on us." -  Where J.
later walked at
The Col & Adjt, every now & then,
by carefully shaded torches examined
/ map at X rds & turnings- 
they were working entirely by it.
The men of J's Coy wd gradually
break into whistling.  After much
discussion arrived a Xrds, where
J's coy ws to dig in.   Joynt took
bearing by his compass & then
directed his 4 plus in several
directns & told them to go forwd
1000, 600, 400, 200 yds respectivly

& dig in.   His Hq ws in a
farm by side of rd leading
from / forest.

Diagram - see original document

I left the two rt plns 
to dig in by thremselves 
& went along w /
left plns & placed them.
When he came back he found the two
rt plns had gone forwd 200 yds further
than the genl line to take adv. of a copse &
some bldgs. & had thus formed a salient.
Dawn ws breaking, shells began to fall
near- J. thought / bldgs shd be held, so
agreed.   Mgs. cd be heard in / distance
Coy H.Q. in a big " slap up" fare - plenty
of good rooms, poultry potatoes, cows -
Boys had bn milking cows, peeling
spuds, cooking eggs for a feast
(hadnt had a meal for 24 hrs).
C.O. ws out inspecting J's posts,
& withdrew ^∧ a little they left post which he
thought too exposed.
Our front was V. Berguin
 

w large bldgs & a church tower
dominating whole froot.   J. walked
down its main street where his
l. flank joined it.   It ws v hard
to defend, & C.O. had here withdrawn
the left post 200 yds.   The Gs were
already shelling it & it ws pitiful to see
/ French inhabitants coming ^∧ slowly along /
street - old men & women who had
evidently bn left in / first mad rush.
They were helping themselves along with sticks,
& G. shells fell within 50yds.  "Some
might have bn G. spies dressed as old
women but I had no time to examine
them''.    Already stragglers from / Engl.
divn out in front were falling back
increasing numbers, & m.g. bullets
were falling.    Joynt therefore hurried along
to get pln commdrs to stop stragglers
& put them in their posts.
It ws then nearly 11 a.m. &
J had breakf.
Pln commdrs now were sending 

in messages tt the 31, 29, 40 &
50 Divs were falling back in disorder.
J sent out patrol from Fenton's post
to see how things were going & keep touch
w Brit & Germs - & the news sent back
constantly by this patrol he sent on to
Bn HQ Copl. Whitton in/c of this patrol ws
aftwds k.   He did good work.
At 4.0'c. Pitt repd from L. tt 29 Divn
ws falling back over his sector thoroughly
demoralised & tt he found he cdnt rally them.
Joynt went out w (a runner) a K.O.Y.L.I.
boy, who sd tt he felt a alright with us.
"He had never had decent offrs or NCQs.
in/c  of him before".   J.  found the plain
to be alive w Tommies all over / place
digging in for their lives on instrns of
a Major of 31 Div - "a very gallant chap"
who wd insist in digging in in front 
of Joynts line as he sd / Australns
were there for support.   Another {’s) major
ws riding up & down on horseback, till his
horse ws shot, stopping / stampede.
 

The Divn repd tt the  Col, Adjt & Int offr
of the 1^st Lancs Fusiliers (29 Div)  were in his
post So J went out to see them.   When he got
there he found tt the Col & Adj had gone on
w his adjt & a few runners to see if he cd
retake / village.   He ws disgusted w his offrs
& men, who had retird for / 1st time in /
Regts hist.   All tt night fighting ws
heard in / village, & in / m.g. it ws learnt
tt / Col. ( 1^st Lanc Fus) had found / village
unmannd, & had sent his I.O. back to
get a few men & c/attack.   The O.C. got
a lot of his men himself & fierce m.g.
fire cd be heard all night on / left of /
village.  The I.O hadnt bn able to get
near it for heavy m.g. fire.   It ws
assumed tt Col. was K. or captd.
Js farm ws full of Colonels ,& offrs
& tyes tt night.   But first 40 Div was recalld
then 31 & 50 & be ws left, by mg, w only
29 Div men.   Just before dawn word
came for / men of 29 Div so
J sent to all his posts to have them
 

sent to ^his HQ, & put them  into
Kitchen, wh ws big & held many &
the Austlns gave them hot tea & a
feed. "They were quite knocked out
by fatigue & hunger "many hadnt
had a [[call?]] for 3 days. They were then sent
to barn & were soon asleep in straw.
Here J found he had missed a
day; the 29 Dis men were left for
1 day in our trenches (Ap. 14] & were
not withdrawn till Ap 15.
Ap 4 mg.  The Germs during mg. of 14^th
opened w field gun firing incendiary 
shells at all farmhouses along /
line & burning them. But Js
farm had a tiled roof, & after a few
shots Germans left it. J & his people had
a scare, & J. ordered all out of it
to dig a trench 100 yds in rear. behind a
hedge. He found fre the farm had a
callar cellar & put sigs & Coy Hq staff in it.
Quite safe exc. for direct hit from heavy gun.
The day ws interesting as Gs showed
 

themselves so boldly - L.Gs & riflemen
got a harvest, Coy of Germs at 600 yds
machine in fours along / main Vieux Berquin
road - Germs in busses, debussing at /
church, 800yds away. Some came to
within 40yds of / posts.   The post of C
coy on rt of Joynt caught a Coy of
Germs marching 15 yds from their
L.G.-post & opened fire & K nearly
all & ^∧ then sent out a patrol & got 6 mgs
& many actual papers from / offr
who was dead at their head.

Hearing tt Germs were using 
armoured cars J put 20 Tommies
under his C.S.M. to block / rd by
overturning a farm waggon & a dray
50 yds up rd from his post commdg
the rd.    He then used ^∧ the Tommies as a
patrol to maintain commn. laterally
betw the two rt postn, as [[Fact?]]
ws exposed.   It might easily have bn
outflanked in / dark.
 

Ap 15 mg / Gs shelld J's HQ. so he
ordered the 80 men of 29 Divn whom he had
there to get under cover of the hedges in
rear.  The only 29Div offr - the I.O.- ws there
w them, but a very good Sergt Maj.01
Lancs Fus superintended / movement.
They had hav ^∧ were sent 3 at time at 50 yds intervals.

Imd. after,  wd came tt Gs were
massing in front, so J. rang up for /
arty & directed them / place.   They soon
opened, & word came back tt / fire
ws splendidly effective, shells bursting
right over the Germs, who scattered.

J. then sent off the 29 Div men
who were glad to go.   Joyn Their offr ws v.
apologetic for them, & spoke of [[G?]]
They were sadly charged, & dropped in /
eyes of our men.   But allowances had to
be made as they have had a rough time.
These men had hardly gone when a