Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/217/1 - August 1918 - Part 6

met the T head into Tortille.
He organised a bombing pty
to go down Tortille. He himself
went on to see what it ws like
& had just got round & saw th /
trench ws strongly held w loose
barbed wire & m.g. posts. He
turned to come back for his pty
when a German sniper at 15 yds
shot him dead. Acting C.S.M.
H.V. Barker who ws on / spot -
at once took/c of D Coy; he decided
to establish a block in Plevna trench
abt 10 or 20yds from Tortille.
He sent in & gained touch w /
Coy Commdr telling / conditn of
things there. It ws then decided
to remain & hold Plevna trench.
The final dispositns o / Bns were
23 to E & S of Mt St Q. B & C. of 21 Bn
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to the imd. E of Mt St Q w village
in rear of them; D Coy 21 imd
holding Varna & Plevna trench junctn
& 24 on left facing Allaines. These
positns were held till next mg
when 8 7Bde leapfrogged &
attacked Allaines & Haut Allaines
wh left the 6Bde in support.
 

C.Coy.  From Elsa trench C Coy ^21 Bn moved
off 50yds behind 23 Bn & B Coy
of 21 Bn. (i.e they let them go abt
50 yds from same trench & then
hopped off.) They had to cross
/ open to a big brick wall
just this side o / village. They
then went thro 23 Bn some
going rt & some left with 23.
The right part of C went thro
the village & wood. A few snipers
were met as they went thro -
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51
Diagram - see original document
on the housetops near the Cemetery
(only partially roofed w Ruberoid)
They captd 2 of these snipers &
one ran & ws shot.
 

As they got thro / village
to Koros Alley (the big quarry
being on / left) they came
under heavy m.g. fire across /
flat country ahead- Lt Sennitt
ws k. there as they got into /
trench. He ws starting to snipe at once
& ws hit straight thro / head.
 

This pty stayed under Sergt.
Maj. Thomas in this trench till
abt 5 p.m. when the Sergt Maj. went
round & found the rest o / Coy 
on / left & sent word back
to Sergt Ward to bring this post 
join them, wh he did thro a
trench running round to / left.

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52 

The left Pty of C Coy ws with
Lt Deardon. They came
up in suppt. of B Coy.
Going thro / village they got
mixed up w B Coy.
 

They went round through
the wood on / left & came
out by the big Quarry a little
beyond / Cemetery. Just as
they Here there w came out
o / wood they were met
w a heavy m.g. fire wh
ws coming from the lip of this
big quarry.
 

Sergt Lowerson took one
platoon & worked up the straight
NE part of Varna trench. They
captd 2 or 3 mgs here before
reaching / crater, working 
w bombs; the Germs cleared back
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along / trench & made for / crater.
With abt 6 men Sergt Lowerson
jumped out of the trench,
across abt 30yds of open &
then up the high bank imd.
N. E of the crater. They had
bombs w them. All this
time / German m.gs - were
going & the Germs were bombing
them. They threw abt 30 bombs.
The other pln ws attacking /
quarry from / N. also -
w their m.g.s on it. The
Germans started to clear out.
Sergt Lowerson ws wd just as he
got to / top o / bank.
 

In the crater they got abt
25 to 30 Germs & killed another
20. Abt 4 15 mgs were there
some of them heavy guns. It took
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abt ¾ hr to clear the positn
around this crater & the high
bank E of it. The Germans cleared
out due E down into the
low ground abt 800 yds from
Mt St Q. There
 

Sergt Lowerson got a V.C
for this attack. By / time
Lowerson got to the bank he
ws / only man who got there.
He started w / whole platoon -
they had heavy casualties &
L. ws left alone ahead there to
deal w / crater. The rush of this
platoon The German finished the
fight - the crater had bn bombed
previ & this finished it.
This coy finished up in the disjointed
trench just E of Mt St Q Wood
- & these trenches were then joined up
& / positn held.
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B Coy: started from Elsa trench
& went straight thro / centre o /
village, in 3 platoons.
 

They got into heavy thick
brush wood & had to use
their L.Gs. firing from / hip.
There ws heavy mg. fire
from / Germans in / wood; &
in 3 cases they had to be
charged when they cleared
back thro / wood & took
up their positns in a trench
immd. E of the wood. Cpl Staaf
who ws k. there by m.g. fire - took
a L.G to / edge o / wood
opp. this post on / extreme
rt o / Coy. The left flank
ws held up there - Staff ws k.
Another man went to get /
gun & ws wd.
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When Lt Whitbread got / gun
it ws partly out of action.
In / meantime Sergt Allen &
Sergt May Trevascus had
gone round thro / ^left o / wood -
into / trench & bombed this
German post out. It consisted
of abt 10 Germs & a m.g.
(Both got the D.C.M. for this) They
bombed down this trench, ^Southwards abt
400yds - the German party
retreating ahead of them. The
trench led towds Peronne.
 

Coming back they came on
a pty of 23 Bn - Sergt w 2 Lewis
gunners. They went back
there to the mound E o / wood
& reported to Lt Quirk in Commd
o / Coy. They reformed the
Coy & consolidated the positn.
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Abt this time there ws
a m.g. officer by name Towner.
He ws in/c of m.guns wh came
up to support / capture o /
positn. He put his m.gs.
by the mound & had a line
of them by / mound & ^some in /
quarry. He ws very badly
wd in / head by a piece of
shell but hung on for the
best of 24 hours. Both Bns
had numerous accounts of this
officers splendid work - he
ws a 7th mg. Coy man.
 

The Germans in / high ground
imd across the road didnt fight
this ty aftn but ran back across to the
dY trench by the wood abt 30yd.
E of the village & wood.
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Abt 2 -2.30 A Coy came
up from Gottlieb trench &
moved in & connected 21 &
23 S. & E o / village abt
the Corner of Koros Alley. There
ls a C.T. running towds
St Denis. The Germs were
giving trouble there & they got
their L.Gs onto them from there.
 

Betw. 3.30 & 4 a
number of Germans ran out
of near the Sugar Factory of
St Denis & ran back into
the low land on SE side of /
village. They were shot up
by the L.Gs. from the line
S. & SE of / village.
 

From abt 5 p.m. onwards
he kept up a heavy bombt
w gas & H.E. & after dark
with his night bombers. One bomb
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