Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/223/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 7

v. close indeed to our trench
& tore / bags on / parapet.
The Arty also fired into us
& behind us - & Lt Jackson
(adjt) ws hit by our own
arty in / foot.  The shells
were bursting just behind & over
/ parapet.
The Ts. got in in a half moon -
& were at once cut off &
surrende bombed & surrendered
& abt 17 were taken prisoner.
The Ts on / left came on massed
in this attack.  When a man ws hit
he seemed to scramble up on his knees
hold his hands up like a man
diving & be shot so.
One T. lying on our parapet wd
push his rifle over & fire - you cd see

59 

/ bayonet coming & it ws easy to
dodge.  A Cpl Lynch, as soon
as / T. had fired jumped to one
side & shot him.
After tt this sqn ws reld.
Sqn had Lithgow rifles - after
25 rds they jammed.  S had
4 rifles going per man - 
as soon as one ws passed down
a man ws there to slosh oil
on it & pass it out into /
air current to cool & then
pass in again.  The bolts
were too tight - no room for
expansion.
The rest of the Sqn ws
coming up / valley as / troop
went out.  The Ts had a barrage
on / valley.  There ws a gt friendship
betw 10 ALH & 13 Bn after tt.  Diagram - see original document
60
 

Quentin

May ? Date
30/5/15

Write to _^ Tom Kidd, Geraldton WA
Major Late 10 ALH.

Diagram - see original document

Colpitts attack.
We had bn badly
bombed from somewhere & it
ws reckoned tt this ws from
the crater the Ts had blown.
C. & abt 4 men ws sent out
to occupy it.  They got in
& were badly bombed.  All sorts
of rumours came back abt them. -
fighting v. hard & cut off.  A request
came for 6 men _^ to volunteer to go out &
relieve C. w Lt Kidd.  (Kidd had
gone over agst a sap at / same
time as Colpitts went agst /
crater.)  Kidds pty however
had come back from / sap
(? on / lip o / crater) & just
as S. ws going up he heard tt
61 

both pties were back.  The relief
ws stopped for / moment but
they went out into / crater
at dawn - nipped over / top.
There ws nothing doing there.
They had orders to do nothing.
Next night a T. walked close
past and they cd have
bayoneted him but had to
let him pass.  They were
all in / bottom o / crater
wh ws abt as big as a
small room.
Our people dug thro to
this pty in / crater tunnelling
& it ws handed over next
day to NZs.
62 

62a

Diagram - see original document

43rd Bty at Lagnicourt
on Apl 15:  when / Germs were
coming towds Noreuil Pybus
had his guns abt / curve of the
Ecoust Vraucourt Rd.  When
/ Germs came over P. cdnt get
his guns onto them as he had
the deep bank o / rd ahead
of them on / on their rt.  The guns
were on / crest so tt they
were almost under view &
P ws advised not to fire at
night.  When / Germs came
over he pulled his guns
out (to B) & pulled them up onto /

back from where they cd see /
Hindbg. line -
The Germs had balloons up
63

& cd see him direct.  They
put a v. heavy barrage down -
Pybus kept every gun in action.
Men were being knocked - guns
put out of actn as crews were knocked
but others took their place.
Dump after dump went up beside
/ guns - & every rd tt remained
ws fired.  Only then Pybus
ordered them all back behind
/ _^ road crater 400 yds behind / bty.
Pybus saw _^ almost all / men off & he &
Lt Clark were just starting to
get away when a shell k. Pybus
& wd Clark wh crawled into
a dugout & died there.  A
medical orderly Freeman
went up & brought Pybus' body
to / crater.  He brought some of

64 

P's papers _^ running back to H.Q. 11^th Bde
& this ws / first Bde knew of
P's death.
41, 111^th, & 42 all
turned their guns round & fired but
were not under observatn.
Saunderson went up as adjt from
Bde - there ws. a tremendous
barrage round / guns & Padre
Stevenson ws there - they had to
keep round / outside o /
Bty.
Chipilly Aug 8. 1918.
?A.N. Lintoth   Lt Lintoff, commndg section
38^th Bty, ws supporting xxx a
Bn of 4th Bde.  He found tt
it was impossible for / guns to
65 

65a
Diagram - see original document
The fire ws all from Malard
Wood - you cd see / guns
firing.  The Germs had several
bties there, but 2 guns were
firing over open sights at /
fore edge o / wood high up
on / hill.
 

go into action owing to / fire
of 2 guns from Malard Wood.
The Bty had bn attempting
to go into action on /
fore slope o / hill facing
Easau Wood - but it ws
impossible owing to fire over
open sights from Germ. Arty in
Malard Wood.  Lintoff took his
2 guns into action on / rt o /
rd just opp / farm house bldg.
on / shoulder S.W. of Cerisy
(or W of it).  He fired 2 shots
from one gun & 2 from / other
& / Germs put a shell straight
into _^ one of the guns.  It ws wonderful
work o / Germ guns at 1200 yds.
66 

66a
Diagram - see original document

Dernancourt.
43 Bty -
When Germs started / attack
/ Huns put down a heavy barrage
on / guns.  (Col. Waite ws then
C.O. Bde _^ a v. fine C.O. - (Col Spurge now C.O since
Aug 8. incl)
The 41 & 42 Bties cap. were
heavily barraged all day.
111^th Bde 111th Bty got 160 ? casualties
& 10^th Bde many also.
The barrage ws kept
going / whole time - sometimes
only 2 of men on each gun,
offrs helping  (Same thing
once at Paschend. - 8 men
ran 4 guns w 2 offrs.).
At one period infy
67 

began to come thro towds /
guns - but they went back
agn without offrs on knowing
tt they were leaving / guns
open - 4 Pioneers probly.
Lagnicourt.  The bties were in / habit
of salving m.gs. off aeroplanes

etc (before they were issued)
& practically every _^ Aust. bty had
a m.g. but these were genly
at / horse waggon lines to fire agst
planes.  Waite always told his
men to keep a m.g. on /
flank in case / Germs came over / top.

(Capt Saunderson 43 Bty Claremont
W.A. wd be usefully referred to for
any info as to 4^th Aust D.A.
68