Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/223/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 3

found a complete lane,

100 yds in width, where
/ wire was destroyed so
as to be no obstacle.
He didn't realise tt /
Germs were doing anything.
The man w him sd "I think
we're done, Sir."   P. & he

ducked into a shellhole
under m.g. fire abt
9 B 8.5.   P. despatched

/ man as a runner to
say where he ws.
Abt then / Germs
began to c/attack from / reed
beds & / long grass to N.W.
They crawled along twds / Tunnel
bank & held from Le Catelet
to the N. end o / Tunnel.
19

19a

At abt 9 B 8.3 he saw
some Americans returning.
They were in abt 6 batches
of abt 10 men each -
50 to 60 all told.  2 were o /
Bn he ws looking for - 
ration carriers who had lost
their Bn & got tired & dumped
their rations.  The rest
sd they had got their objve
& had come back as
they had lost all their offrs
& didnt know what to do.
At abt 9 B 75.10 ws /

106th Regt & a Coy of 107th wh had
attacked been in / early attack & been
smashed.  Some offr there tried to organise
them on / German side of the bank - there wd
be abt 600 or 700 under a Lieut Milne.
They were cut to bits by / Germs 

P. realised it ws no good

go to stopping there.  A

German m.gunner ws within
a few yds of him.  He had
fired 5 mins continuously.
P. held him up w an
empty revolver & he kameraded.
The Germ. hopped up & turned
out to have one foot shin
completely cut off - He hopped
abt 40 yds before one of
his own people brought him
down.
So far P. had gone down
/ last part past / tunnel
hopping from shellhole to
shellhole.
Clearly no troops were
betw Catalet & / Tunnel

mouth as / Germs were there .
20 

From there P noticed American
troops in 11 C.4.3 attacking
in a thin line (abt 300
they seemed to be).
He imd beat it in
their direction as he might
have helped them.  While
he ws following they got
to abt 11 D 8.8.
Since / start o / advance
they had done absolutely nothing
to mop up.
The Americans still
attacked till abt 11 D 4.2
There ws a bank there.
From it P saw abt 100 Americans
go past 11 D 8.6 across /
road.  P cd see Am Germs
& m.gs.  coming down from
21 

 / North - / Germs attacking
from there from Le Catelet
directn.
Abt an hr later P. ws
abt 10 D 8.2.  There ws a little
trench w a ½ prepared dugout
there.  P. met some American
troops there.  They sd tt they
belonged to / 105th 3rd Bn.
That they had captd Gony &
bn sent back for rations -
they sd their sergts sent them
back.  They thought all /
rest of their men had bn
captd.
Abt 4 p.m. P came
back to abt 9 D 6.5. &
showed himself, getting out of
a trench to try & read his map, &
22 

ws fired on from every side.
He had bn working from
shellhole to shellhole.
There seemed little trouble
S but a tremendous m.g.
fire N.  At 9 D 6.4
he began to realised tt he

ws being fired on by Australians.
P. got back as far as

Gillemont Fm & a Major of
3rd Divn told him tt he ws
holding the front line.  P didnt
believe this.  The Maj. sd
tt he had already seen
19 German m.g. posts troubling
him.  He ws trying to
attack to shift these m.gs.
Col. Henderson ws asking him
if ∧one of these were a German m.g.
23 

& P. sd he it ws.  H looked
over & ws shot thro /
head at once.
(After send ing his own
runner P. had sent to
When P had first got to /
Knoll / American offr there
sd he ws being c/attacked.
P. sd it ws impossible.
This officer of 107 then went
straight ahead - as he
shd have done - but
/ flank ws quite open
from Le Catelet to Vendhuille.
The 106 Infantry when fallen
in on / wrong side o /
bank didnt flinch in /
least when / m.gs. got onto
them.  The 10 whom P found
24 

left at / end of this went
forward, at his suggestion,
to help some troops ahead.
The Americans This day
ws / hottest P had known
as far as slaughter ws concerned.
Some o / Americans
had bn told while P. ws there:
Dont mind / men - take /
ground.  Someone else will
do / mopping up - go
as far as you can.
"Dont be afraid" they
sd in one Coy  "The Aussies
are behind you."
25 

(From Capt Saunderson 43 Bty)

The Baby 700 Nek.  10th A.L.H.  Aug 7.
 

Diagram - see original document

10 ALH went out - in 3rd & 4th
waves.  In 4th wave only 2
troops went out - the other 2
(B & A) didn't get / order.  The
4th wave went out 3 or 4 mins
after 3rd wave.  T
10 ALH had marshalled
behind / 3rd wave.  3rd wave
26 

had its feet on / pegs -
(A sqn) & 4th wave (B sqn) ws in
/ front trench behind just below them when /
wave went out.  The men
had all seen the 8th ALH
wiped out & knew
what / job ws.  None cd be seen
getting to / trench.
After the 2nd wave had
gone out Col. Brazier wdnt
carry on / operatn without
written orders (see Brazier
abt this).
The Chessboard had not
bn bombarded / day before -
abt 2 how. shells fell there -  This

ws  an alteratn of ∧not in accordance w / previous
arrangements & ws part of
Brazier's justification.
Brazier went back to see
27 

Antill at forwd Bde Hqrs
wh ws abt White Lane -
& ws sent over  given some sort of order.)
When / 8th LH went over
/ Turks evidently had some
word o / operatn - possibly
thro listening sets.  They were
clearly waiting.  From /
Chessbd / moment / first
men jumped over there ws
a rattle of m.gs. & rifles
so tt you cdnt give an
order.  Most o / casualties
fell straight back into /
trench - more than half /
casualties were just on /
parapet or men who dropped
back dead or wd into / trench.
There were a lot of wd in / trench
28