Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/217/1 - August 1918 - Part 8

Copse - these guns were firing
over open sights. You cd see
/ gunners open working the
gun. These shells were hitting
/ ground so flat tt they
skidded off the ground - one
man had / butt of his rifle
knocked of by one of these.
The Germans were found to
have run from their posts in /
hedge S. o / rly at /  R.E. Dump.
Doon Mill ws shooting all
/ time & arty ws called
for on Doon Mill at II a.m.
This drove the Germs from their

77. The right ws abt 2 C 5.0.
In front of Lt Maconachie's
post line ws a bit of
a dip in / summit in front o /
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mill - The Germs chased
from the 77s ran forward
into this in rushes & were
immediately driven back by
Sergt Wards post w m. g. fire
This post ws abt 8 A 9. 4.
During / aftn the Germans
worked a post in by keeping
low & dribbling behind Sergt Wards
post & xxxx started firing.  Our post turned a
m.g. onto these & they cleared
out. Abt. 4 times during the
aftn the Germans tried to
work down but they were
driven back by L.G. fire
An officer on a white horse
ws trying to get his men over
there, but when he got them up
to / crest thy were driven back
72

by a few spits of fire.
Our arty ws put onto
/ Germans at Doon Mill abt
5 p.m. &  numbers ran from / mill. The right post ws blown
out & had to go back after /
shoot had finished The German
arty retaliated. The Germ. infantry
ws trying to get into positn to
enfilade / sunken roads all
day. The shooting on both sides
ws heavy.
The Pioneers who had
had some posts pretty well out
in / morning (wh were driven
in) pushed them out again in
/ afternoon swinging abruptly
back.
After dark / Germs cd
be heard digging an a m.g.
post in front of Doon mill
 73

Abt 11 pm the Yankees came
in - very strong but under
officered- 180 Yankees relieved
two post of abt 11 men (in one
platoon). They only had 2 officers
in tt Coy. They had no L.Gs.
Durg this relief a number
of dead Germs were found
in / gully where / Germs
had tried to estab. their
post in / aftn.
The Yankees had no
rations, no water, no
L.guns, no ammn. no
telephones. They had to send
their limbers back to Bellicourt
to get their rations.
One N.C.O. ws left for
24 hrs w each coy.
In / aftn 18 Bn ws
called on to carry ammn for the
74 

6 Bde & reinforce. (50 men
went to rt 50 to left. The
ammn ws nearly expended
when they came up.  Salvage
ammn had kept / guns
going & Germ. prisoners
were carrying it. Everyone
says tt it ws / best day
21 Bn ever had for shooting -
Germans with their packs
on.
Central Coy of / fight ws
Left Coy of 21Bn got clear
of J. O. T before / Germ. barrage
fell. The Bn had come up
from Estrees. The Germs had filled
all / gullies w gas. For
this reason Col. Duggan brought
Bn round on / high ground
without having to put on their
masks - The gas ws very heavy
75 

in / valleys. They had just
got thro Ramicourt (the
first gully they had to cross)
when he put his barrage on
Ramicourt. The Bn thus
escaped a very heavy gassing.
The tanks lost their way in
this gas - they were still
behind Ramicourt before
8 mins after the Zero. Both
tanks went on - the pioneers
tank was up to / tape abt
/ time when the Bn reached
the 21 Bn.
A Coys tank finished at
/ Dump - left there in shelter.
It did good work at / beginning o / village -
put in cannister & brake up to posts
B Coys tank apptly got
knocked out in / town
before reaching / Coy.
76
 

Before / left Coy had gone
100 yds - on / rly^ cutting - they had
3 casualties from Germ shells.
They waited there for our
barrage to lift. On going on
they struck heavy m.g. fire
from the S.W. Corner o / village
where there were 3 or 4 houses
held & some small trenches.
They fired at these heavily
w L.G. & rifles. The coy then
advanced on them more or
less under cover of fire, &
/ German gunners stuck it
right out. Those tt were not
shot were captd.
Capt. O.V Hoad, O.C. Coy,
ws wd there by a shell.
Lt Greness ws also wd
there - to he ws hit agn on his way out.
 77

Lt.  McKeran McKeirnan ws also wd in
finger there but went on till
/ objve & ws evacuated later.
The advance ws then
continued up the village
Main Street as far as /
street junction at / ^other end of /
town. There were Germans
hiding in / cellars.  In
one or two cellars in / village
civilians were hid in / cellars
who showed / troops where
there were Germans in G another house.
The civilians came out to meet 
our troops when they saw /
Germs moving thro / village.
One civilian came out & pointed
to / broken tiles on/ roof where
/ shrap. had broken thro - another
old woman abused / men for
78 

opening / door & coming in.
One civilian ws wandering abt
/ streets, no gas mask, no
tin hat, saying "Anglais Bon
Bon" close to a German m.g.
They were mostly old people except
a dozen girls - They wre Some wanted
to go to Paris - word ws sent
up for them to stop there. At
/ time when we got there the
German barrage ws on our side
o / village and ours beyond it.
The civilians had bn warned to
clear out 4 days before.
There wd be abt 100 civilians 
there - abt 30 went out to / rear
At night some were still in
/ upper stories - & in / aftn
they were drawing water in / wells.
 79

When B Coy got to the
Rd Jn 2 plns went to /
left straight up /
X road. (There were some
24 Bn in the main street
also.) After abt 200 yds
they were fired on. A
Germ. offr & 7 or 8 men were
there leaving a house &
clearing up  /street. They
were all k by rifle fire.
The Coy split into 2 parts.
The left under Lt Roberts & Lt
Eaton D Coy Gibson ^& McTursman went up / road just
beyond / village & estab.
a temporary line thro / 
small copse. in 25 B.
The German went back
into dead ground 700 to
800 yds away & efforts were
80