Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/217/1 - August 1918 - Part 9

then w rt & to join ^∧ with 24
on left.   They had bn held
up & commn cdnt be
estab.   They cdnt be seen.
Abt ½ hr later Capt
Mahoney, Lts Clough & Robertson ^Robinson
came thro / village w abt 20
men.   On reaching Lt Roberts
positn Capt Mahoney
ws k standing up full in
view o / Germs getting his
coy into position to link
w 24 further left.   This
pty of 24 cdnt get commn
w / rest of their Bn.
 

We got a Germ offr
& 34 men out of a dugout
outside / village a few
mins later.   A German
m.g. from 500 to 600 yds
81
 

ahead opened & wd 2 or
3. we collected & sent them
back.
 

They now met w
heavy mg fire from front
& both flanks & were driven
back to / Sunken Rd on /
edge o / village.   Covering
fire ws gn by Pte. Gilmour
Pte Meakin w Lewis guns
from / Sunken Road; & Gilmour
knocked out 2 German m.gs.
The German was creeping
up from dead ground ahead,
from Brancourt & from
due left w his mgs. &
establishing them.   A At  
number of casualties were
there.   Stretcher bearer
Sinclair of 24 Bn did very
82
 

fine work bring 4 or 5
wd men of 24 Bn back
over completely exposed
ground & / men cheered
him as he brought in (
fourth man, a little Lt Cpl
on a L.G.   He carried him
in on his shoulder (others  he
went back forward w his
stretcher but finding he
ws alone brought him back
over his shoulder.   They
withdrew to / Sunken
rd at / extreme N end &
/ village beyond / last house.
They were driven out but
reorganised in / village,
picked up all / men
they cd get & went
back.   The line rested there.
83
 

The German ws making
these rds very hot w enfilade
fire - creeping w his m.gs.
into positn to do so.
 

During / reoccupatn
o / rd C.S.M. W Trevascus
personally led a L.G. team
wh rushed a German m.g.
post in a house on / edge
o / village - they had
got back there.   He got into
/ house first & captd 2
guns in action w 5 or 6
Germs. after that there ws
gas & shooting & / two posts
accounted for 50 or 60 Germans.
This ws / last house in / village.
One of these guns ws used in
one of our own posts to
replace a L.G. knocked out.
84
 

The Yanks reld these
posts abt midnight.
 

The rt of this coy went
straight on up / continuatn
o / main road.   There ws no
oppositn there.   They got
to / Sunken Rd at 2 A 4. 7.
& estabd 3. posts on a line
w the left posts o / coy - &
a bit ahead.   Late in /
aftn our own arty fell
on this area & they had
to shift in a bit but they
went out & reoccupied
them later.   There ws heavy
enfilade & m.g. fire from /
Mill & the 77s at Doon Copse
were firing from  at them.
 

C.S.M. Anderson & L/Cpl
Hibbins went out reconnoitring
85
 

to place a mg. post in
some houses ahead.   They
found under one a
dugout full of Germs.
Abt 15 or 20 were got out
of this & were sent back -
they didnt fight.   The two had
one rifle betw them only (L/Cpl
had nothing.   These 3 posts were
handed over to /  fo  Yankees.
abt 3.30 a.m.
 

In front of A Coy abt
50 Germs ran in in / morning
to surrender from  ^∧ near an out P. of W. Coy.
[* C S W Stewart*] Lt Stuart went out to a Sunken
rd. beyon  in / Gully but
ws wd & cdnt get back.   A
German prisoner ws sent in
by Sergt Hoyle who ws w
Lt Stuart to say he ws wd.

86
 

The Gen  Lt Stuart ws brought
in by a white flag in /
aftn by 2 S/Brs.   The rest
o / post got in after dusk.
The Germs cdnt get at them
down / rly cutting bec. of
our m.g. fire.
 

(There ws a shed by
the Sunken rd w stores
in it.)
 

On / rt of B Coys front
Pte W.H. Dixon carried
messages continually across
open ground thro heavy m.g.
fire.   This alld A & B Coys
to keep up commn. &
so helped the 2 Coy Commndrs
to secure their front.
 

1 offr & 130 or . Yankees reld
70-60 of xxxx  B Coy on the left of the Bn.  Over
87
 

100 were taken in.
 

One pln of D Coy
supported 24 Bn on the left
of B Coy.  (^∧ behind where Mahoney ws k).
 

D Coy wh ws in support
sent one pln each to A & B.
 

This left 2 plns & Coy Hqrs
as suppt under Lt Hardwick.
They had to be in readiness in
/ rly cutting (1st Halt.)   There
they stayed till 11.30 as a relay &
Commn Centre.   At 11.30 they
heard / front Coys were having
a rough time.   The Support
pln had to be sent up then - This
coincided w a Germ bombt but
/ pln shook free of this on
leaving / cutting.   They moved
to / w. outskirts & / village
88
 

past / cemetery where
section commn [[?]] made a
run for it over / enemy
in order to get close to him.
This they did.   Sergt Montgomery
ws wd in doing this.   They
dug in there & had good shooting
at once.   N o / cemetery ws
a German trench system w
many German Troops wh
L/Cpl Murray on / left fired
on.   They kept down / enfilade
fire on B Coy.   Cpl Torney
in/c his section led this pln into
a copse within 60 yds of a
Germ. m.g. in action N. of /
village.   He had w him L/Cpl
Savage who employed this gun

& succeeded in k & w a lot of
Germans.   His fire ws such th /
89
 

Germs had to leave this
post eventually (there ws
a 77 gun in / copse).   When
/ Germs ran from / copse
10 were shot there.   The
rest of / section led by Torney
kept up a heavy fire on /
Germs quitting the copse &
orchard N. o / village.   Then
Sergt Edwards reported to
Lt Gawler O.C. the Coy  ^∧ one pln
& ws instrd to gain touch
w Lt Roberts of D Coy.
He got touch & found a
pty of 20 Germs betw rt of
D & left of B.   Gawler gave him
11 men & Edwards went back
for these Germans.   They got 3
prisoners ^∧ in the cellar & abt 20 were k.
They placed 2 posts, one where these
90

fired at / tank.

Lt  Gear ( as above.)
Lt Forbes wd just as they
got on to / hill by m.g. fire.
Lt Baldie ws k ( w his section
all k or w exc. one man).
Lt White ^A Coy ws wd with A Coy
abt 700 yds from  J.O.
Lt Ellis ^A Coy ws wd in / middle
o / village near / church.

640 prisoners were taken by 
the Bde – pioneers were
collecting most of them as
they were sent back. In / rain
must have got 60. 
122
 

It ws later th / posts there
were established.
 

Calvert then took over
D Coy where all / offrs had
bn k or wd.  Lt West took
charge of B Coy (centre).
[West shot his German  Germans
in / cemetery

in 2 m/g/ posts]
 

B Coy handed over to /
Americans in / Quarry abt
11 p.m.  

 

D Coy ws at dusk abt 6 A 8. 7
to 5 B 90. 65.  After dark
posts were put across to 23
Bn post (wh cd be seen from Vickers
Gun positn) at 5 B.3.4
Capt Fletcher ws k by a shell
121
 

withdrew again. ( The Pioneers
went into / village).
 

The Germs now began
to shell / village cemetery &
rear o / village w 5 .9.
It ws too hot to stay in /
cemetery.  Calvert & West went
back to / centre w /
remaining men & to /
quarry.  From here they
cd command / ground we
had obtained, but not look 
down onto / enemy as  from
/ cemetery.  They had tried
to attract / attentn o /
centre before this, & get some
help ^ as it ws such a good position – but / centre ws
too weak to assist.

 

There ws no one in /

Cemetery at all at this time
120
 

broke / caterpillar – the
crew got away –
 

In / cemetery Calvert
got 6 mgs. but you dont 
stay in front o / cemetery
by day. Two 77s were firing
point blank from the high
ground NW of Brancourt
(m.gs. wdnt reach them
from / top o / village).
 

Lt West found 6 pioneers
in / village – he only had
one other man, the others
had bn k or wd or were
w / centre.

 

He went down / slope
from / cemetery. The left
ws now in / quarry.
The tank began to fire on him
( before it ws put out) & he
119
 

having enough men he
retreated.
 

Calvert then went on
w a Cpl. 3 men & m.g.
& came on this positn
in / cemetery.  From there
they went out thro / cemetery
in front where 2 m. gunners
were killed.
 

From here they cd see
all that ws holding the
centre up – they saw the
tank come into action agn
to help B. Coy – the Germs
began to clear out from
the  shell holes & Sunken rd
half left o / cemetery –
& the m/guns had fire a lot
of targets.  The tank ws
hit there by a shell wh
118
 

come round & shoot the
machine gunner.  The crew
of the mw/fr went ran
back thro into / village N E.
Here West went on w 2 or 3
men towds / cemetery.

 

Calvert moved formt
& found, lying out in
organised shellholes, abt
20 Germans.  They didnt
try to fight & were captd.
While C. ws there  W. returned
w 3 prisoners from a 
m.g. positn at / cemetery.
He had got thro a hedge &
saw them firing on our
centre.  He shot 4 & took
3 (they didnt see him) &
took the lock o / guns. Not
117