Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/217/1 - August 1918 - Part 2

all round them.

The German He ws setting to work

systematically to destroy / cover -

It ws now

A mine went up on / 

Rd near Uberalles trench abt

the X rds in I 5 B 3.1.

Holland saw they cd do

nothing by going across / open

& knew tt there were a number

of odd men still behind in

shelter where / advances had

left them; so he went back.

S. of / rly collecting odd men

on / way & got abt 30 men &

2 L.Gs. Got back to Gottlieb -

rang up Bn from there,

& found tt a second attack ws

being made on Mt St Q at 1

p.m. That ws C & B & part of D ws

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there & they were to be supported
by 21 Bn.
H. moved up Galatz Alley
w this pty & got wd w shrapnel
just at / start.
He put Coy Sergt Maj. Berteugh
in charge & gave him instrns to
report to Lt. Addison of C Coy
to take part in / second attack.
H ws then taken to /
dressing stn by a couple of runners.
The attack on / Mt
ws successful & this party of
D & A Coys ws in it.
D went in abt 75 strong &
had 39 or 40 casualties.
A Coy lost abt / same.
It ws drizzling softly most
o / time. The m.g. fire ws / most
intense Holland had ever heard in
/ war. The Germs mostly died at their
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 guns in / early fighting - every
m.g. seemed to have its crew around
it.
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24 Bn Mt St Q.
24 Bn ws concentrated
waiting crossed / river behind
23rd & followed them down by
the river bend
D - C →
B - A →
They were in arty formatn
after Xing N of Clery.
2 Coys got into / big bank
above / river. The other 2
got into / trench near / bank
while waiting for news of 23rd.
23rd ws put in to mop up
what 5 Bde had left behind

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betw. Mt St Q. & / river.
The 6 Bde ^thought it ws going into a support
positn.
The bank ws reached abt
11 a.m. (They were not to cross /
bridge before 8.30 a.m.)
They waited for orders there.
Cap Lt Ingram went fowd
& made a reconnaissance
at Brasso Redoubt - w his
pln. They knew at this time
tt 23 had bumped trouble
more than ws expected.
When a dirs came act this point the two sets
of coys m
While waiting in / bank
(& while / Germ ws shelling /
bridge from Omiecourt where / Engrs were working) they

had a conference of Coy Commdrs
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when it ws settled tt 2 Coys
wd go by / Ravine ^up / rt arm of Brasso, & 2
by / trench or the ^up / left arm of Brasso Redoubt.
They were to get to Gottlieb
trench if possible (when they got
to / head of Brasso). Failing
tt they were to make
some sort of positn at /
head of Brasso Redoubt.

Abt 4 pm they went to
/ Ravine; were there ½ hour
while Coy Commdrs had a look
at / ground; [at this stage 24 Bn
ws really supporting 23 wh
ws exploiting / right.]
Abt 5 pm they moved (as
above) up / two arms of
Brasso Redoubt. D Coy (the left
got into Gottlieb alright without
casualties; as the right  & so did / right; but as each ws getting
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in the Germans put 2 shells
into the trench & a number of
men were k & wd - This ws
intermittent shooting by 5.9s
fair into / trench, & this lasted
till 10.20. In this time
the Bn had lost abt 30
men - & the 5^th Bde lost
some also. The 18th trench contained
a number of 5 Bde chiefly
of 18 Bn.
2 officers were killed by
this shelling -
Lt ^EM. Martin (B Coy)
& Lt C.J.R Newton (A Coy).
A this time the Coys were
more or less mixed - Before
midnight they were pretty well
straightened out.
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xx D) Lt Stuart
C) Capt Bowden
B) Lt Baldock
A) Lt Gow

The rt of A Coy was  S. of
the rly crossing in Gottlieb
trench near right on the road
from Halle. When A Coy
got there the 23 Bn were in
Save trench. ^Lt Short ws there & they had started to give in. Later they moved
out. For some time there
ws no one in / trench; they
didnt tell Lt Gow when that 
they were moving - he had
told them tt 24 wd be
occupying it. After 23 Bn
had left it post from A Coy
were put in there. Most o /
men C were kept in Gottlieb.
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[It ws not - expected by the
C.Os tt 5 Bde wd be in
Gottlieb trench - & when the 24
moved in & came under this
heavy shellfire it looked as
if things wd be pretty
serious w / congestion there].
The 24 Bn. posts were put in
Save trench before midnight after
18 Bn rations came up. It
ws in this directn tt 18 Bn
ration pty went out into
/ Boche lines by an error.
The posts in Save trench were 
in a few holes in / trench
wh 23 Bn had. made
a bit right of the C.T.
junction at 14 B 4.5.
No Germans were struck
on the rt by Lt Gows Coy. During /
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day a couple of Germs had
bn seen running from a trench
some way on their rt front.
Word came tt 18 Bn
party had bn robbed of their

rations. Lt Smythe sent out
a party wh went 200 or 300
yds to the right to find /
Germans whom / ration pty
had run into & to get touch
w / 23rd Bn - it looked to
Bn Hqrs at this time (w this pty
getting involved w / Germans)
as tho 23 Bn was involved
w / Germans & as if they
wd have all they could do in

cleaning up inst. of attacking
next day.
No one else in 24 Bn tt 
night came in touch w / Germs.
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