Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/218/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 5

dumps S. of the main road in

33B.  so far Bn got abt

120 prisoners - / tanks

as they went on frightened

them.

As they neared / valley

/ oppositn became heavier.

The tanks were all going well

(exc. one wh ran hot & had to

wait a little.  An A.T. gun

had bn dealt with by m.g.

fire & cleared out.  He ws abt in

27 8 C South o / rd.)

The Germans had all mostly

run back into Morcourt valley.  Our

barrage ws still on this valley & infy had to wait for it for

10 mins.  Tanks & Infy were not held

up by / m.g. fire. The men

were so widely apart tt

very few casualties occurred.

If it got too hard the men wd

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get down & / tanks go at

it - / men were up again

as soon as the m.g. had bn 

quietened by / tank.  Out

of tt valley xxx 180 Germs &

40 m.gs. were taken - one

digger of 30 Bn ws sent back w

 100 & one w 80 to / cage.

The m.gs. were in / old

bivouacs  in / wood - or had

bn dropped by running germs in 

/ bottom of the / valley.  A dozen

wd Germans - wd by m.g. &

rifle fire ∧of tanks & infy - & 6 dead -were found in /

valley.  The prisoners were

in a state of abject submission.

The tanks went 2 of them down

/ road - but / others crashed

down thro / brushwood &

up / other side.

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after sending back / prisoners

we searched / timber &

rounded up another 20

prisoners lying doggo here & there

to frightened to come out.

(i.e. another 20, & 180).  When they

were lined up one German in

English asked if they cd go to

their QM store.  Our diggers sd.

As long as you dont run away

you can do what you bloody

well like - The Germs went over

& ratted their QM store &

got new uniforms & underclothing

etc.  We also got a regimental

canteen full of best Rhine wines,

beer, cognac, cigars, cigarettes,

soap (wh ^∧ it ws especially noted ws of good quality despite

/ reports) toothbrushes - &

plenty of boot polish.
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This ws all eventually supplied

to Bn.

On top o / next ridge

w glasses the front line cd

see / Germs manning setting off as

hard as they could up towds

/ ordinance store & La F.

dump.  Bn then made its

way to / hospital - on / red

line.  There / men were strolling

abt - waiting for orders.

The bds plan o / day ws to wait

for / tanks to exploit /

success to / Amiens line but

Colonel decided not to wait

for / tanks & / parties w

them.  The other infy rest o /

Bn xxxxx reached this line

first - C.O on horseback.

The Mark 5 x tanks dropped their

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m.gs. & left their parties later.

Ammn was also dropped from 

planes, & they got it.

Abt 11 a.m. (ahead of

schedule)

As Bn ws moving thro

28C or d a few armoured

cars went thro - apptly they

had to wait in / gully

for these or others moved

thro abt / time Bn reached / 

Blue line.

The hospital ws well equipped

w useful drugs & appliances

wh the C.C.S. aftwds sd they

found most useful.  The Bn

M.O. ws able to get Aspirin

etc wh he hadnt seen for

months.
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next day a shell landed in /

[[waste?]] of Hqrs in / hospital

- a 5.9 - & k. & wd 12

(^∧ killed the R.M.O. Maj. Wells;xx Transpt offr

of 18 Bn was wd - only C.O. Adjt

& Lt. Harold, who were away, escaped).

Aug 9. Next That day we got some

prisoners. The officer w them

sd tt they had come in busses

from Mons en Chaussee &

reached their destination

(abt 700 to 1000 yds ahead)

at 4p.m. on Aug 8.  For 4 or 5

hrs there ws no oppositn.

Permission ws asked to go on

but / reply ws tt / authorities

were satisfied with / result.

The line held ws / front

line of / old Amiens line.

On Aug 9 - the patrols of 30

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Bn went out & located

m.g. posts in / dumps (& got / offr

& 17 men prisoners) & gave / informatn

of / positin o / m.gs.

18 Bn went thro in

aftn.

Bn lost Lt. Haig k. in front

of our outpost line - reconnoitring -

k by a burst of m.g. fire

abt 3 or 4 pm on Aug 8. by

a few Germs who were left.

He is believed to have bn chasing

some Germs in /  ordinance

yard amongst  / huts.

Major Wells K.

Liaison offrs at Hqrs all k or

wd by / shell mentioned above.

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Faucaucourt - Aug 27. -

For a good account

see Appendix 16 to 30 Bn

dairy for Aug. ( C.O.s rept.,

Coy Commdrs Reports, &

messages sent & recd).

Took over previous day

from 3 Bns of 2 Bde wh were

v. weak -they were 80 or 90

strong.  30Bn abt 350 strong

Bn had one Coy on each side

of main E & W Rd.

Diagram - see original document

Germs were drenching Herleville

valley w gas - any movement

brought down a concentrated

shoot - & me a.g. fire was v

severe.  Both flanks were

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able to get on a bit - 32

on N, & people on S. also.

Col Street & Lt. Harold went

up forward on Aug 27 &

C.O. decided to push left Coy

as far as as possible one

pln at a time & try &

envelop / village.  He had instrd

Coys (Left Coy to do it)

He saw Col Davies of

32 Bn & arranged tt a Germ

m.g. post in front of 32 Bn

wh ws causing 30 a lot

of trouble wd be put out

of action by 32Bn - tt ws

32 Bns part.  This ws all to begin at 2.

At 12.50 wd ws recd

tt Foucouct must go & tt

at 1 pm a concentrated

shoot wd start on a it.

the smoke screen ws to be

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put down & / Coys were

to envelop / village under

/ b smoke.

Runners were at

once sent out to Coys -

phones cd nt be kept going

owing to shoots.

The shoot & smoke screen

were of no value as

preparatns were not in

hand - & by / time pln

commdrs had bn told what

ws wanted all tt had happened

ws tt / Germs were properly

alive.  At 2pm Coy on left

started to envelop / village -

pushing forwd to get into /

trenches in front of / NW o / village.

They met concentrated m.g.

fire from the village & from left flank. The

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