Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/217/1 - August 1918 - Part 4
ws coming from the Quarry
& the mount & Plevna trench.
When Once / Quarry ws taken& / German the rt flank
had to come back onto /
Sunken Rd (from Varna trench)
this fire became heavy and
kept them pretty well glued to
/ bank.
As they cdnt get forward or
back they started to make a
defensive positn of it.
The Germs at this time
were certainly as far as the
high ground in 27 Central. A
few 3rd Divn men were seen on
the W. slo 27 Hill making
down towards / trenches in the
valley (Scutari trench). They had
not got this trench before 24 Bn made
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its afternoon attack.
There ws ^a nest of m.gs abt
the junction of Fiume &
Scutari trenches wh ws firing
all tt day & all / next
night, & guns from
Haute Allaines. Whe
They were still in this
positn at 2.30 1 p.m.
They knew nothing o / attack
at this time. There ws no
barrage on this left front &
no orders reached them.
Baldock started w B Coy
behind D Coy; from Gottlieb.
As they got to / village a
gun at / X rds which had
been passed over by 1st wave
(in a dugout or something
got up & held / whole of the
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portion o / suppts wh ws
facing / village.
When they got to / road
they found a few odd men who
sd tt there were abt a dozen
out in front but they didnt
know where - & Baldock &
his pty cdnt see them from
/ rd even w glasses. B got
his crowd reorganised &
went over as far as / creek.
From there they went on from
shell hole to shell hole to
/ bank under wh (from /
creek) they cd see a handful
of men. (The creek ws only
a trickle).
In coming from / creek
to / bank they all were
stopped by v. deadly fire
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exc. Baldock & a couple
of runners & 2 or 3 L guns
wh got up on / bank.
They occupied big shell holes
50 or 60 yds behind /
bank waiting for /
oppositn on / hill to be finished.
From there they jumped up - &
gradually went on by dribblets
to / road bank.
As they went thro (the
1st wave) / Germs went into
dugouts on this rd - most
of them got up & walked back
to our lines - dropping their
arms. There must have bn
20 of them. (Probly tt m.g. ws
one of them). They cd have gn the 8
men & offrs ahead a lot of trouble.
These Germs put up no
fight but are not recorded as arriving
back.
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Afternoon attack.
Abt 1. p.m. & Lt Gow ^Sedgwick got
orders fromHqrs (with 20 o.r.
there) to bomb up Varna
trench & continue up / trench
N. of / village & clear all /
trenches in the Sector imd. NE of
Mt St Q.
Barrage went down at
1.30 & Gow & pty started.
A Coy 21 Bn (under
Capt Sullivan) ws on right to
clear / village. Gow Sedgwick worked
along Varna trench. Halfway
along it ws blown in by a trench
& a German m.g. in / cemetery
was firing on them as they crossed
this bit. They put 4 rifle grenades
into him & the m.g. didnt
trouble them again.
33
They moved forwd & got just
beyond the cemetery when
4 German snipers were found
behind a block. They bombed
these killing 2 & wounding 2.
100 yds further ^ws a German mg.
post & gun & crew were captured
They saw us coming & threw up
their hands - / only post wh
didn't fight. On the crest of
the mound where / trench joins
the ^several trenches which junction there to
/ right ws aGerman post of
abt 8. They opened w stick
bombs as pty came up /
trench. They never hit
anyone. 2 Heav Light mgs
& one heavy were in this
same post. Pty had to rush
them - only abt 3 got away.
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This pty ^of Germs ws using its bombs only.
Sedgwick worked half right
down / trench then, clearing them
right thro. Abt 10 c 1. 2 ws
a strong post of 2 light & 2
heavy guns. This ws rushed
an NCO ^Sergt Johnson & 3 men of 24 &
NCO Sergt. & 3 men of 21 st, capturing
/ guns until all / crew ws k.
After clearing these they took
up their positn in 1 / trench wh
circles to N E of St Q.
Sedgwick, Sergt Johnson & 3 o.r.
arrived there - all / rest
were wd or k. The 21st on
their right (A Coy) were in tt
part o / trench abt / same time
as 24 got there.
Another bombing pty under
Lt Smythe & Lt Courtney - 2 ncos
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& 20 men followed Sedgwick
at 200 yds. These were organised
abt 1 p.m. when as soon as / orders came.
They followed to the S.P. by the
mound & continued on to /
left at the Y junction there,
& got into Plevna trench. Abt
50 Germs had gone down there.
They k abt 10 & got abt 30
prisoners & were eventually
linked up w / left of 24 Bn
wh got into / same trench.
In the Quarry by /
Cemetery wh ws just below
/ trench there were abt 50
prisoners taken. (C Coy. of
21 Bn were involved in this)
On the left the first tt ws known
o / attack was seeing the parties
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moving forward on / hill.
As these parties went forward
a number of / Germs were seen
breaking away into / gully. They
were engaged, some of them at
150 yds to 200 yds, & 75 per
cent of them were knocked -
probly 80 were killed & another
40 or 50 wd.
Two small parties ^of 2 men each were sent
out from the left to reconnoitre
Plevna trench.
Cpl Dart DCM. M.M. ws on
/ left. They got into Plevna abt
half way down / hill & workedright left down / trench
towds Tortille. They met a
pty of 40 germs or so coming
down & CpI Dart got shot one
& took 5 incl. an officer, &
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the rest must have gone back
to Tortille.
There ws a Coy of 21 Bn in
this trench at / time. They had
bn near / Quarry & in / trenches
round abt the NE corner of the
Mt. These prisoners were
handed over to them.
(Stuart) D Coy, left in ones & 2sBaldock. (Lts Whitear & Book)
& a bombing pty went at / same
time; jumped into Plevna &
moved up to / left. B. Coy (Baldock)Whitear
formed up & followed them.
After getting into Plevna, D Coy
21 Bn sent in abt 20 men
as a bombing party under Lt
Cope, & Br to bomb to / rt in
Tortille; & B & D of 24 Bn added
a party wh ws to bomb down
to / left.
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