Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/217/1 - August 1918 - Part 11

D B A
on /left of the main Rd, 21 on
rt. Several men were hit
in withdrawing. There ws no
one on the left for 800 yds
nor on the 21st party's rt for
800 yds. Word came from
Sergt Laidlaw tt / Germs
had worked back into / Copse Orchards
behind him & into / Cemetery
trenches (from / left). The Sunken rd
ws still being enfiladed from /
right. Lts Roberts & Gibson &
Clough decided tt / positn cdnt
be held - they were short of
ammn. They came back thro
/ village to / outskirts o / village
& Clough went to advanced
Bn H.Q. & rang up to find out
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Some o / Coys were in their _^∧ gas helmets.
Right.
Everything went well on rt till
within 200 yds o / village. There
they struck 4 Germ S/Ps wh were
just ^70 yds short o / nearest bldgs. The
German ws dropping a heavy barrage
on a little valley on / left wh caused
A Coy to bunch towds / right &
drove B to / left caused a bit of
a gap. Just then a tank wobbled
across / rd, from / rt, it went
across the top o / left post & fired
2 shots from each of its guns at
2 of these posts (canister). A Coy
advanced behind / tank near eno'
to rush / post & captd. 20 to 30
Germs. This post xx as / tank came
up put up 2 single green flares &
/ German arty came down on / position
(evidently signal for "tank approaching").
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find them (from he went to /
Cemetery). At this time Lt
Robinson ws out establishing
connection w 21 Bn on rt
& found tt they were in touch.
Clough left Laidlaws post
to protect / left & took / Coy
on past / Sunken Rd at / end o /
village to / rd wh ws their
objve. Clough had 11 men when
he reached this point. Mahoney
came up there to have a look at
/ position. He was having a look
at it when he ws hit by a m.g.
bullet thro / temple.
The germs were enfilading
this road (18 ins deep only) from
the high ground on / rt; They
had to fall back to / Sunken
rd on / edge o / village 24 ws
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This got the Coy to a small
bank w a ledge in front of it.
They reorganised there before entering
/ village. They had a good many
casualties from arty fire there.
They then moved on into /
back o / houses in 6B - On
getting thro hedge o / bank on
wh they reorganised Lt Clough
knocked his tin hat agst /
barrel muzzle of a m.g. there, & his
[* ?JW Blankenberg.*] 
batman (a Russian) shot the two
Germans for being cowards. They
went straight thro / village to /
rd junctn in / village centre. Where
Capt Mahoney (a famous Melbourne
footballer who used to play for a Public
Service side in Melbourne - Fletcher
and he were both teachers at a technical
School - & lived together at Footscray
& joined together as sergeants & gave
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4 men & an L-G & w /
rest o / Coy went across to
a small trench system in front
o / cemetery. he thought these
Germs might be holding up
B Coy - & went over to relieve
/ pressure, taking 4 men.
They saw / germs run back
into a Sunken rd & Clough
got into the trenches they had
left. The Germs were very
thick in / sunken rd in front
of B Coy. They turned a m.g.
onto Cloughs pty & k. the 4 men.
he had to return w his runner.
he met Capt Mahoney at / Coy -
who asked how things were.
He told M. tt he cd nt see B
Coy. Mahoney then went
off himself to / left & cdnt
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up their stripes so as to come away 
w the 24 Bn.) Mahoney & Coy Hqrs
were there & they took there 2 m.gs.
& a mwfr & 10 Germans & on / rt o /
main rd from some o / houses
on / rds on / N side o / village,
& Sergt Laidlaw took 1 offr & 10 o r
a mwfr from underxx some
apple trees in a garden. They didnt
fight as we got onto them. They
pushed on again into the open on
the N side o / village. In the
houses on / rt of / Cemetery
were a few civilians - they mostly
got into cellars - Some of them were
crying - mostly old people. At this
point (in / open on the grid
betw 1 A & B) Clough finding his
left flank open left Sergt Laidlaw
103