Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/221/1 - July - August 1918 - Part 2

8

Cutridge to warn them to get off.  This ws / charming
old French Colonel Dozac who ws showing them round 
- he had lost an arm at Verdun - "Oh it is nothing -
it is just / sentry fired a blank cartridge to keep us
off / road."
On night of 2/3 at 3 a.m. exactly / Germs put
down a heavy barrage on our front line & on /
villages of Hourges & Domart.  He kept it on /
front line for 2 mins & then lifted it onto Domart
for ½ hour or more.  He had had an unsuccessful
silent raid ^exactly there on / French just before the 13 Bde
took over.  He ws intending to make sure this
time.  They attacked the centre pln posts of
the rt Coy, S of the Luce.  As soon as they got
their heads up they found / Germs. on top of them.
They tried to fire their L.Gs. but one crew ws
bombed out & / other Gun jammed.  He forced
them back & got into Hourges (20 or 30 ruined
houses).  Then he turned & went back up the Roye
road, & came on / left Pln of rt Coy in /
rear.  They had a fight, very confused.  Pln
Commdr Lieut Fryar ws badly wd by a shower
of stick bombs & Capt Aruso Aurousseau ws slightly wd.
He stayed on.  It ws a very dark night & /
Pln found afterwds tt 5 men were missing.
Sergt Acton, one o / xx old platoon Sergt of
this pln - a first rate N.C.O. & an intelligent man,
was the Sergt.  Abt 8 or 9 germans were found 
dead there.  We had abt 20 casualties - xx 4 killed

 

9
We got one wd German, who died - no
identification on him whatever - it ws an
organised raid.
A few Canadian Engineer officers had
bn about.  The ration parties might have 
noticed Canadians reconnoitering in /
rear areas (a repve o / Army Commdr ws
there next morning - at / Bn - asking fo
if anything had bn known ^by our men.  But it ws pretty 
certain our men knew nothing.)
The German did not raid again.  He
settled down again.  For 2 nights / shelling
was a little above normal, we thought.  But
it ws / sleepiest line / divn ws ever in.
There were not 10 other casualties in / Bde.
51 Bn had no more.  The dugouts were splendid
Our trenches & / Germans were on opposite
slopes - you cd see for miles any movement.
The trenches were good.  They had a skeleton
out ahead & / main line of resistance
ws 3000 yds back.  The French programme
ws to give up / front line & put down their
barrage on it.
On / night of 6/7 a Canadian officer
out pegging / line ws shot.  The 13 Bde ws
then holding over 8000 yds of front w 1600 men 
- & there were saps of several hundred yds.
There ws a very real danger of visiting
officers walking thro.  There ws an
out post line in front (The trenches had bn
dug by / French).

 

 

10
There were two ticklish nights when the
Bde had this huge front.  One Divn ws now
behind each Bn.
2   50  |

1    49  |  →

3    51  |
3rd DHQ took over 51 Bn's dugout.  4th Divn
took over 13th Bde H.Q. dugout.
During these two nights there were
3 Coys in Each Bn in / line & one in support
(wh ws ration carrying - all it cd do).
The Canadians were in / support line.
On the mornig of Aug 8 the 50 Bn ws not quite
out when / barrage came down.  51st ws
out at 2.50 & 49 between / two (3.30 abt).
They had not a casualty.  The German ws
quieter tt night than the 3 previous
nights.  The Canadians worked well w our
people.
Toll 4th Aug 13th Bde ws under 4 Aust Div.
On 4-7 under Canadian Corps
On 8-9 Aust Corps
On 10-12 4th Aust Div
  "   13-18 Liaison Force
  "   19 onwds 4th Aust Divn.

   ____________________

Mouquet Fm is the heaviest fight the 51st Bn

was ever in.  The shelling ws much heavier than

at V/B.  The sniping on the hill opposite the Quarry

was also far heav very fierce.