Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/224/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 8

55. Peronne
(Capt Wyllie)
55 Bn on morning of
Sept 1 came from Clery
(crossed _^ canal only at Buscourt, then
filed along to rt to Ommie'court
under / trees; then crossed
at Ommie'court over one bridge
& so to near / big bank (wh ws
crowded) & _^ thence up to abt 6 central.
The 55 ws to be / last
to push thro - following
behind 56, round E of
Peronne & then onto /
high grd.
Abt 6am. After 56 Bn
55 pushed off along / rly
line, in single file, &
then along / rd thro 7 c -
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thence to / left (from abt
7 c central) on a short
cut to / rly (wh they had
planned to follow) at
14 Centl.  They hit / rly
abt 14 A Centl. - there
was a v. heavy barrage
on / lef low grd &
Coys lost men - went in
single file.  Thence just outside
NE side of Halle wood to /
Peronne Rd.
The Germs were now
firing at them w m.gs. from
/ bldgs of Mt St Q. (S. corner)
so they took what advantage
they cd o / cover afforded
by / slight bank o /
rd (working SW of it).
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They met / first Germ prisoners
moving back this road,
each little group under
a white flag & they more
or less covered us.
Near Quinconce wood
/ Rd runs thro a deep
cutting _^ over 6ft. Here they got
touch w 56 Bn wh ws
strung along / rd ahead,
& wh ws in touch w

53. wh were hung up.
The Germs had got into
Mt St Q again.
55 Bn then formed a

defensive flank along /
rly line in 20 B 5.7 to 8.5
& thence to the rd where
it enters / wood.  From there
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they completely covered / flat
towds Mt St Q.
2nd Divn withdrew, reorganised,
- & then worked up thro' /
trench systems agn & attacked
Mt St Q.  They cd be seen
dodging up thro / houses &
were pretty firmly estabd.
When this happened - it
wd be abt 4pm, 55 went
out & took up a defensive

flank just E W of the Mt St Q
- Quinconce Rd.  The Rd is
lined w old dump & rly
yds - & 55 ws in
positn abt 200 yds
short of it w a clear field
of fire to / Rd.
Wyllie went up after
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dark & found rt of 2 Divn
abt 15 D 7.4 5.2.  Their flank
overlapped 55 Bn a bit.
being in front of it.
That ws / positn at

night; with 53 just ahead
o / cemetery, then a Coy of
56, then 54 into Peronne.
Sept 2  Abt 2a.m. orders
arrived for a fresh attack.
There ws just time to tell
everyone what ws going
to happen, & it ws off.
This day objve for
55 Bn ws / high ground in
Q I 35 B & C from rly up
to / road Xing S of Doingt up 
to / ridge.
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55 ws following 53 55.
[53 Bn & one Coy _^ (A) of 55 wh
ws attd to them had had
their attack on aftn of
Sept 1 from Cemetery].
56 Bn moved thro. 55
(on rly) & took up line on 
Rd.  56 led - / road
is on a rise from wh
you then pass over / crest
& down into / hollow by /
rly to Sugar Factory.
55 folld when 56 went thro.
As on / previous day /
Germs had excellent barrages
down.  Our arty ws a

preparatn for ½ hr before
zero each day - & so by
/ time zero came / Germ
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ws also barraging heavily.
There ws a barrage on tt
Mt St Q - Quinconce Rd.
One pln of 55 lost most of
its men, & Bn lost pretty
heavily.  they got down
onto / rly bank & found
rear coy of 56 still there.  The first
Coy of 56 had gone over but
there ws v. heavy m.g.
fire from Ramparts at
NE of town.  There ws
a terrific m.g. fire on
bank & flats ahead from
there.  55 lay under /
bank for a time.  Then
Capt Pinkstone's Coy (left)
went over to try & suppt
56 Bn.  They cdnt move on /
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123
122
K. Capt Jhonson M.C.  
Capt Wilson MC.  "  "
[* both { during
German c/attack
up the Le Catelet system*]
Lt Althouse:  At 6 am.  First shell fired k.
him on the J. O. line in his
first battle
Lt Ralph MM. (on return from his raid)
Wd.  Lt Thompson wd in / Le Catelet line
Lt Stinson M.C.  During early
bombing attack
up Le Catelet
system
Lt Potts v. early
after / start, slightly.
At 28 Central the C.T.
ws held by / Germs - the 2 of the
77s were captd there at
28 C. 85. 90.
Rest of this Battle is fully
gn in narrative -
flat / other side & they had
to withdraw again over
/ embankt.  Lieut Inglis
ws k. there.  The whole
low ground ws also under
direct & immediate arty
fire from / wooded hills
due E. - at slightest
movement this fire ws
immediate & ws therefore
direct.  Capt Pinkstone
ws wd & most of his men.
They withdrew behind / bank
& went out.
The 55 Bn then went
to / left to / Sugar factory
wh dominated / flank.
B coy under L^ts Phillips &
Elsmore did this.  They found
77

122
left rt of Le Catelet line abt
300 yds across open to settle
a m.g. in some dugouts there
ws after this during further
bombing advance.
Centre & left of Bn ws on
tunnel making its way N.
Rt in Catelet line.
Lt Hills who got DSO for
his work on / Tunnel & throughout
ws on / Tunnel - but ws
forced by G. c/attack _^ at 10am eventually
into / Le Catelet Line.  Hill did /
Best work here - Ralph's ws a fine incident.
The terrace on A 22 centl
ws v. heavily held w m.gs.
Casualties see next page
Germans in it - there ws
direct mg fire down / back
o / Embankt from a mg
there.  At this moment
59 Bn got in behind / bank
also, from Peronne way.
Scanlon saw Capt Wyllie &
saw how things were.
B Coy SJ got in touch
w 2 Divn (26 Bn) just on
/ other side o / rd.  From /
Sugar Facty sniping tactics
were then opened on /
broken bldgs across / rd -
we had fine cover in / Sugar
Factory & they sniped /
Germs out o / bldgs wh
continue down / rd to
St D.
78

calibre were alld to fire
& they just woke / Germs.
Directly 53 Bn passed /
start they got v. heavy m.g.
fire from Cabaret wood [[find?]]
/ Tunnel - & tt fire ws
supplemented by field guns over
open sights.  The Germs made
a determined stand at
A 29.c 5.4 near / Camp
Signal Stn.  2 field guns were
taken there.  As soon as Bn
got out of the J. off C.T. they
had to get into the Catelet trench
& bomb along as / fire ws so
hot.
For German C. attack up
w bombs see narrative.
Lieut Ralphs exploit w 3 men to
121
They then found tt Sergt OConnor
of 26 56 Bn had a little line out
betw. S. rly & [[moat?]]
26 Bn post ws not in
touch w rest of 26.
The Germs withdrew
from / St Denis Rd houses. -
& there ws a genl movement
of withdrawal noticed from
behind the Aziecourt Rd &
Darmstadt trench _^ towards / woods on / hill.
The fire from Ramparts
had stopped.  We were able
to move abt v. freely
and thought / Germs were
retreating.  (As a matter
of fact they had m.g. posts).
Wyllie saw 26 & 56 &
decided to try and advance so as
79