Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/218/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 4

also. These Coys on a black
wet night had to travel
a distance to reach their objves.
The order ws v. sudden. Only
2 of the Bde runners knew /
positn of 32 Bn & both of them
had just come back after running
thro / wet & dark. DCoy reached
32 Bn (via 31 Bn HQrs) at 5.40am.
Then informed by Wark of  pit tt
they were attacking, & o / objve.
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Lt Alcorn ws badly wd by a 
^ gas shell in this advance & lost his leg.
[See Capt. T. C. Barber's report in 

diary  Appendix No 2 in Oct war Diary)
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As there ws a chance o /
Germs re-entering Joncourt, Barber
pushed on into it.
[These Coys turned out
remarkably quickly; that w 31Bn
ws held ^ & did carrying in reserve but tt w
Barber took Joncourt & did
well despite heavy time previously.

When these two Coy's went forwd.
X ^Zander's (B) Coy ws relieved by / flank
Bns extending.
Hand drawn diagram - see original document

30
 

At 12.30 p.m. 30 Bn ws
ordered to support 31 Bn in
order to exploit / mornings
success by penetrating /
Beaurevois Line.
A reconnaissance ws
made & orders recd to
stand fast.
At 4 p.m. word ws sent
tt 30 Bn ws to be reld by
a Bn from 5^th Bde.  By midnight
relief ws complete
31
 

On Aug 8. When it got to 
/ final objve on the main E.W. 
Road, 30 Bn had no Germs
ahead of it. The offrs went C.O. road out
riding 200 to 300 yds in
advance o / most advanced troops
exc. / cavalry & armoured cars -
& it wsnt till 4 pm. that Germs
began to trickle back to /

big ordnance yard ahead of

30 Bn.
At Foucaucourt on Aug 27, ?32  37Bn
had order bn arranging an

outflanking attack for 2 p.m. when,
at 12.50 pm. there came word
from Bdier - tt / Germs arty ws
32
 

to put down a barrage at 
1 pm & they were to attack
under it - this ws one
reason for / diffy -
33 

34
 

Hand drawn diagram - see original document.
Str. Pt at the E end of Clery.

 Aug 8.    30 Bn. ws in Albury trench.
Had to cross Warfusee Rd /

other side of Warfusee.
The road thro 13 c & d ws

one thick black mass of arty
(drawn up waiting to move in
assembly positions) tanks moving
up - Bn ws met by a chain of
guides across / rd where Albury
trench crosses it - & turned
into Albury trench. No casualty
Everyone in positn by 3 am.
Men in splendid spirits - never
know to have so much keeness
for a scrap - / fact tt they were
going into Fritz's guns - & /
whole corps being together & /
previous successes made them
in / highest possible spirits.
The shouts tt went up when our 
35
 

barrage fell - & / ^ tremendous a heaviness o /
barrage excited them.
They had to wait till zero
plus 45. During tt time /
mist became very thick. Fortunately
/ tapes were in astraight line w
guiding tapes at / exact angle /
Bn. ws to move on - Every 40
yds a tape - so everyman
got a good push off. Most men
followed / tank tracks to start
w - but eventually / whole Bn
seemed to sweep onto to / main
Warfusee Hamlet Rd.
There they found men of 4^th Div 
& 2 Div.  The Col. of 45 or 46 Bn ws
there w a compass leading
his men. There ws a consultation
They took their steel hats off -
& put their compasses on / rd -

36
 

when in / middle of it ato along
came a digger w at 12 Germans.
They sd "where did you get them
digger?" - He sd in Warfusee - 
They sd where's that - He
sd abt a kilometre & a half
along this road - That settled
it - 4^th Div went off in
single file to left.
Abt at Warfusee valley
/ mist rose & / sight of
/ men forming coming along
w bayonets all flashing, tanks
arty moving up, Cavalry far

behind forming moving up.
The front line coys each
had a tank w Bn colours
on it - & / men formed
behind / tanks in arty

formation. (Just before then
37
 

a number of German planes

came over & opened onto /
infy lying in shell holes, w
m.g.  A few couple of men were hit.
Some of our own shells also
fell short at this time.
At Zero + 4 hrs (8.20)

the tanks gave / signal - a 
green & white flag, & /
second phase began.
For ¼ hr no oppositn exc
a few m.g. bullets.
But on Xing / main
Warfusee Rd at the 
B/Villers X Rd there came a
considerable. There ws a
nest of m.gs. in some huts &
bushes S. of / rd  Abt 20 c or d.

They wd push back w mgs, 
& open up again from / 
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