Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/225/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

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※ Capt Benson (54) who ws
there sd tt he conferred w
Watt.  Some of / people there wanted
to inform our Arty before they
pushed into / village; but
Watt pushed all that aside
at once & sd it ws to be done
at once - no good wasting time -
& took / risk of our arty!

56 get on to its proper objve further
N.
^※Lt Watt went forward - a
tank had gone down there &
come back saying tt / village
ws lightly held.  Watt went on
w Lt Pte Colburn, a sniper,
& found they cd get into / village.
Then he came back & brought /
Coy on.  They cleared / Estrees
Cemetry - got a few Germs there
& abt 30 altogether in / village
- they fired a few m.g. bursts
but were obviously trying to
break back into / Beaurevoir
line.
The flanks were not up at
all - so Watt came back to
objve on rly line till a definite
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divl order came thro abt /
flank.  Then he had to move
thro / village again & establish
a line.  Shelling started again ^by then but
/ Coy got thro without casualty.
The 56 Bn cd probly have
got into / Beaurevoir line
if / whole line had gone
ahead at once.  But /
delay caused / Germ to
organise in / Beaurevoir Line.
56 got at this 2nd advance
into Trench imd N of village
as 26 D 3.2.  Thence patrols
across to H 2 B. 7.7 - joining
31 Bn in / Sunken Rd in H 2D 50.95
Supports in trenches in ^imd rear of
village on both flanks.
The 54 Bn cdnt come ahead
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They were pulled out of the
positn on flank for another
job - so flank ws refused
to point of trench near cemetery.
There ws only one man k. by
fire of enemy - abt 25 casualties
from our own arty.
In Hindbg line before starting
Lt Heath & Lt James ^were wd & several
men were k. by one shell in /
trench.
Passing thro Bellicourt before
this ^attack ws v. heavy work under
mustard & chlorine gas & heavy
shelling.
In Estrees village as they were
going up / street Cpl. Burrage ws firing
his L.G. on / shoulder of Sergt Davidson
as the Coy ws going up / street - spraying
from side to side - men were pretty [[lively]] tt m.g.
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54 Bn. Peronne
(Capt Downing)
Lt Wadal
Aug 31  Bn came from Barleux
across country, across / Omiécourt
Chord Canal & over / Ommiécourt
Bridge.  There were Engrs by /
bridge - every now & then they
had to get out onto / Bridge
& mend it.  It happened tt
54 Bn struck a ½ hrs lull
& all got across without a
casualty.  They had to go in
single file, by sections.  It
ws then abt 3 p.m.  They camped
under the big white chalk
cutting bank, 6th & 7th Bdes
were there too.
54 Bn Coys were placed there.
They O.C's had read general instrns as to
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/ idea of an attack.  The
attack ws to be on Peronne
(this had bn told them before Xing
/ rises)  They reconnoitred trenches
short of Halle wood w a
view to an assembly positn.
& returned to Coys.  In /
mean time this attack had bn
cancelled.  Bn ws instrd to
hold itself in readiness to move
at any minute.
[* Aug 31 to}
    Sept 1      }  *]     They camped by / bank
where they were for / night.  They
had a lot of shell fire till 9 p.m.
& one offr (Lt Palmer) ws wd & abt
10 men (2 k).  Abt 3 a.m. xxx instrns
were recd to report to Col. Marshall
Hqrs were in a dugout close by.
They recd ^Col then wrote read Bde operatn order for an
attack on Peronne.
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Zero ws to be at 6 a.m.
54 ws to take Peronne.
Their assembly positn w / then
front line from the road thro 20 A & C
to / River Bank.  The boundary
widened like a funnel till
it reached from part way thro
Quinconce Wood to / River
at Radegonde.
Sept 1.  Bn moved abt 4 a.m.
along / rly line, then off x
to / rt across the gully by a
track leading to Halle.  They
were to meet guides in /
cutting _  but Bn providing
them had only just taken over
/ line & their guides had at
once to come all / way back.
They didnt arrive in time
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they got there abt 5.20 am.
It ws fast getting light
& movemt in / forwd area
in daylight ws v. risky.
53 preceded 54 in single
file (only cd cross tree across
stream in single file) &
55 followed last.
53 came up / rd thro N
middle of Halle & got into trench
on left of Rd.  54 got into trench
on rt of rd.  Last Coy of
54 (D Coy under Capt Mitchell)
reported in positn at 5.55 am.
During / progress of 54
into positn they had bn under
direct observatn for last
100 yds -  This brought down
shell fire wh ws rather erratic.
Casualties on way in were
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abt 10 men wd.  The ^OCs of 2 front
Coys had just sufficient time
to explain boundaries
dispositns objves etc to
pln Commdrs when Zero
arrived - (watches were synchronised)
& they hopped over.
The men hadnt had
a xxx fight in / whole 7 9 weeks
& / men were eager as cd be
to get at / Germs.  They
had in front of them - unexpected
- 2 lines, a double apron
of barbed wire in good repair.
It ws very thick knife rest
wire, & on good pickets.
The men didnt hesitate a
moment.  L. Gunners rushed /
wire & resting their guns on it
fired point blank at Germs in /
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trench 30 yds away.  Others
crept thro / wire - /
Germs seeing this determinatn
went for their lives - others
made passages by pulling
up / pickets.  From here
on it developed into a
running fight w occasional
isolated points of resistance.
(? Florina trench ws / trench from
wh 54 started).
Cpl A.C. Hall singlehanded
rushed a m.g. post in /
German second line wh
ws abt? 200 yds behind /
first - This gun ws holding
up / advance there & had
hit a no of men.  Cpt Hall
stalked it from a flank, shot
4 men w his rifle (He is a
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son of a station owner near
Nyngan & a good shot at
a kangaroo) -  & captured
2 m.gs. & 15 men - & this
let / advance get ahead.
That didnt hold them long -
the value ws largely in
destroying Germ morale &
keeping Germs on / run.  He ws
on / left.  On / rt flank abt /
same time Cpl Buckley
did / same sort of thing; w
another man he rushed a
m.g. post capturing 2 guns &
22 men -  Both these men got
V.C.s Corpl Buckley ws k.
2 hrs later.  [Hall had to
work thro' / wire, - there were
occasional small gaps - before
he got at his gun]
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