Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/222/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
  • Shorthand
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066681
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

S Amajos of Cubo warned D at 223 for 24 centrel to he cd not so over I top the New tanks had got knocked to way. But D. saw it had to be done. Ah hit at 2m as they ablines tot got kere - be 1ank of derecny walking m tise 2Ands DDr Kiniers and back & lay with Lynes tant. so ooeventually arrived sonewhere near otjoe. The tants were too by & to sow - Their sae l I miles on tevel. They adnt see the mss of The roar of tank is soD to you wnist hear gun fire or she explade - if I cnfy co have intel than out they id have blown these juns out easily The Stanks ten remained under the bank. (They have 1/6pd & PHotekins my. Fenrehs all tese had tis sort of Arman Tank Ofs works gun or has a junner he is inavigator ginly but Confy Hs were navizating there ones. Bey ad sit by driver. & touch him on 1 et or left - you
cannot herr anyth some men only rode Covoy ds. Machinery us ry bot owing to diving up down backs. No ma in Kypas trub (18 men & tank. rew of 8, 60000 rds of annu) & 2 offrs - did not faint when he gt only 5 in cone tanks 18 260 a tank crew of Qxore officer- It the lef had for up, the men at have walked outside tanks & tanks c have join to Reroune. But 1Guns dependay Iinfy Ho river very patter out & turned outo 1 tanks 23
16on he Vergaier. The H Ba went for Ivillage 150 or to hop ap I villep G (w 3 Coys in line& case one in suppt to mop up). When they or C7T.G. tro I village thy C F7.V Extended over 1 whole Bde pout on 1 greentine They were well in posite so5 but sathes late. ot by Sertuy It was quite fine Lynas br (acty C.O. of Bn) arranged trt LyaasI n 1 Coy Com andr to be in line at 4.30. Batbetween 14.30 120 hhe time when this ws acrayed [ Sam 11 5 am. it had rained, & this kept the loys back.
One Cy so to tlege I 27t two minutes before Zero. V 8M Whenbarage lifted it as a 4ft perfectborrage. The snoks Mon as veryheavy, & 1Bde, by 1 19 of ta it got to Lept. was a t7L comptete wix up - but I line was thicly held CS troughout N7 the Br H6 wt just behiend H 1Cnfy. J.O. Tape. Sor. No reports came back p 570 for over thous after tinby tape. went forward. This ws thro Transers getting lost in 4E0 1fog. Thne Int. Offr. had to be i2 seat forward to catch 637.t some infantry & t find out what ofe Co1 was heppenery ofw 610
one conperat captan 72820 28 presoners & 6 mss. by Cnep himself. This ws in otr6 centre of village not far TMe from Fort Lees. He gumped 2901 th & put in a coupte of I Fort Lees femptt bombs, & wd have got a V.C. if then hed not been t such very slight nsualties in 17.v Bro. The message came back in to they had reached I Objoe. BnH.Q. moved to a Sunken 11 1 Rd just W. of Left. The BaH totat casnattes for the 7e whole show to th time had 10w7 on 4 men wounded. Fet. I over 450 prisoners of7r were captures 7 60 nigs. to anti 4 aircreft guns on moting 450 torries. tomp 2ad
405 Fabt 4005 7 Orders had bre guby J.L Lynas to no one ws to 8 Sr stay in LefV. Someone came up & drove any te Iibod acguis two A.A. guns wh 168n 1100 had captured - so someons Else has to tropyg p0 0d taks - One man was better ) in Aloy, & one in Cloy diggty in – & tt ws Axt in C whole of casnalties. t killed w for the 2 16th in tis fattle. The 56. prisoners were in deponts 1704 I cellars in I village itself The E0 It ws a commoss they oor C for a deigont to turn out 50 men. 55 t 10
4.7. T.E t.t 130 s 5C t6I 1 to Malasky 2 to ( 110 D27 J. Bn Al ei te 2 said asa only fighting was who std come out of 1 dujout first & surrender. Tere us an Enornous quantity of signal gear captured The 13 Bu had a bit (fighting in the right hens Ent of village Ke hed none. Itw 16 Bn A grand barrys (hyuased) MacCartey there Capturis brigide stef. They looked so inpressise to theywerett ated Tey had all sorts of decorations & Lot down as far as Be Headgss without being sonvenered.
when I advanc as Eho) sat resuned our so i Let plage 101 Tef s tcd on (too of hill. The Hindby line VN. Hindly Canal, St R., Bellecourt c A. Bettenet Cdbe seen, To see + the advancing infantry I. be To foueard asked s Isight Of Was. As 1 f cufy began to close 3: up to fill in 1ep wt the R Bn had made we cd see a lot of 116Bn1 S) ermans runnay out tC of Collins Ruarry with to Cotting their hands up. There ws Quary no arty fire on troops I4 but a very heavy s barrige ws put down in front of Jeancourt Fot w) 12 to 13 mens after Zero. 5 Jcancourt 12. And a lot of German. prisoners 13 22
AD 70s ts 9ot (12 e 7 to p 3 391 Lynes) It No Crowte CL. torcher77 0C Clarke wt od i Cx were kile N. 1416 came thro' as a Rn an artillery fornation under very leavy artily fire. They had 2 men only wounded 5d they might Easely hade lost to their men. It was a most Marvellous sight (Lyn says) to se them, Set round to barrage. Crowthes did splended work today. TuBBn. Lt Orchard ws very badly bod. has since died, & DClarke ws tod - by bouts probly our own.
Ssett tere Sn Lyt Herew I 26 some very fine defences be 2. bott ours & ferman. 2s3ol There let been a very Mas 21 Leavy fight on March 2l. in It held out a good time 19 agst germs - a regt 7 put up a very good fight, -0 athe germantie had 211.6 C I fighting sperit of a louse, hynessd nt one Bnout whot IIde front wd have made it impossible to pforrd t But he never fought an tuch as far as we were concerned St Burroos, CBn, recd FBurrows 16 $$000 his first knock in (was at LefV. Hchad landed at 1 Lp. Ei ds ayse w 1 Bo & had never nht before. This tsa 7 1 day of the fight. It 1S 6 P4174C Ws I last hime be

71
※A major of tanks warned D at ?23 (or 24)
central tt he cd not go over / top -
the other tanks had got knocked tt way.
But D. saw it had to be done. (xx

map to the front line. Dev. ws hit at 2pmas they
got there - he & the tank officer directing walking outside.
& Kennears came along 6 ↓ 9
these 2 tanks (D& Kennears came back & lay with Lynas tank so
6 out of 9 eventually arrived x somewhere
near / objve.※ The tanks were
too big & too slow - Their speed is
only 3 miles on level-
They cdnt see the guns.
The roar of / tank is so xx great tt you
cannot hear / gun fire on the shell
explode - if /infy cd have
pointed them out they cd have
blown these guns out easily.
The 3 tanks then remained under
the bank. (They have 1/6 pdr
& ?a8 Hotchkiss m.g. xxx
All these had this sort of armament.
^Tank Offr works the gun or has a gunner
- he is / navigator genly but
the infy offrs were navigating these
ones. They wd sit by the driver
& touch him on the rt or left - you 
72
 

 

cannot hear anything.
Some men only rode
4000yds. Machinery ws
very hot owing to driving
up & down banks. No man
in Lynas tank (18 men & tank
crew of 8, 40000 rds of ammn)
& 2 offrs - ∧ who did not faint when he
got out. 36 in some tanks i.e.
26 & a tank crew of 9 & one
officer - xxxx
If the left had got
up, the men cd have walked
outside / tanks & / tanks
cd have gone to Peronne.
But / guns defending / infy
No the river were pulled out
& turned onto / tanks.
73 

 

16 Bn.
Le Verquier.
The 16 Bn went for / village

to mop up / village

(w 3 Coys in line &

one in suppt to mop

up). When they got

thro / village they

extended over / whole

Bde front on / green line.

They were well in positn

but rather late.

It was quite fine earlier.Lynas

(actg C.O. of Bn) arranged with

/ Coy Commndr to be in 

/ line at 4.30. But between

the line when this ws arranged & 

6am. it had rained, & this

kept the Coys back.

the Coy Commndr to be in 

74

 

One Coy got on to / tape

two minutes before zero.

when / barrage lifted it ws a 

perfect barrage. The smoke

ws very heavy, & / Bde, by /

time it got to Le /V. was a

complete mix up - but /

line was thickly held

throughout.

The Bn HQ ws just behind

/ infy. J.O.Tape.

No reports came back for

for over 1/2 hour after / infy

went forward. This ws thro

the runners getting lost in 

/ fog. The Int. Offr. had to be

sent forward to catch
some infantry & there
find out what
was happening.

75 

 

one corporal captured
28 prisoners & 6 mgs. by

himself. This ws in /

centre o / village not far

from Fort Lees. He jumped
in & put in a couple of
bombs, & wd have got a

V.C. if there had not been
such very slight casualties in
/ Bn. The message came back
 tt they had reached / objve.
Bn H.Q. moved to a Sunken
Rd just W. of Le/V. The
total casualties for the
whole show to tt time had
bn 4 men wounded.
Over 450 prisoners
were captured -
60 mgs. two anti-
aircraft guns on motor
lorries.

76 

 

& abt 4 or 5 77s.
Orders had bn gn by
Lynas tt no one ws to 
stay in Le/V. Some one
came up & drove away the

two a.a. guns wh 16Bn
had captured - so someone
else has tt trophy.
Later - One man was killed
in A Coy, & one in C Coy

digging in - & tt ws /
whole o / casualties,
(2 killed & 17 wd.) for the
16th in this battle. The
prisoners were in dugouts

& cellars in / village itself.
It ws a common thing
for a dugout to turn
out 50 men.

77
 

 

& (as one man Lynas said, the
only fighting was who shd
come out of / dugout first
& surrender. There ws an
enormous quantity of
signal gear captured.

The 13 Bn had a bit 
of fighting in the right hand
end o / village - the
16 Bn had none. It ws
a grand barrage (Lynas sd)
MacCarthy there captured

a brigade staff. They
looked so impressive
tt they were not
ratted! They had all
sorts of decorations &

got down as far as Bn
Headqrs without
being souvenired.
78 

 

When / advance ws
resumed our objc Bn HQ in
Le/V. ws reached placed on / top
o / hill. The Hindbg line,
Canal, St Q., Bellicourt
cd be seen. To see
the advancing infantry

go forward aftwds ws

/ sight o / war. As /
infy began to close
up to fill in / gap wh
the 16Bn had made
we cd see a lot of
Germans running out
of Collins Quarry with

their hands up. There ws
no arty fire on / troops
but a very heavy
barrage ws put down.
in front of Jeancourt
12 to 13 mins after zero.
And a lot of German
prisoners
79 

 

were killed. The 14th Bn
came thro' as a Bn
in artillery formation
under very heavy artillery
fire. They had 2 men only
wounded, & they might
easily had lost ½ their 
men. It was a most
marvellous sight (Lynas
says) to se them get 
round tt barrage. ∧ Col Crowther
did splendid work
tt day.
In 16Bn. Lt Orchard ws 
very badly wd., &
has since died,
& Lt Clarke ws
wd - by bombs,
probly our own. 

80 

 

In Le/V there were
some very fine defences
both ours & Germans.
There had been a very
heavy fight on March 21.
It held out a good time
agst / Germs - a regt
put up a very good fight.
Afto "If the German had had
/ fighting spirit of a louse",
Lynas sd, "One Bn on / whole
Bde front wd have made
it impossible to go forwd.
But he never fought an
inch as far as we were
concerned."
Lt Burrows, 16 Bn, recd
his first knock in / war
at Le/V. He had landed at 
Anzac w / Bn & had never
bn hit before. This ws on
/ day of the fight. It
ws / last time he [dt
81

 

 

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