Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/225/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 6

thro / rly yard towds / stn

(NE wds).  Our L.Gs & Vickers

Guns got onto them & swept them

down & scattered them in

all directions.

At / rly stn ws a 77 gun

wh went on firing all day till

it ws removed at dusk.  We

silenced it w snipers at

times.

Several patrols as soon

as they arrived at / Swamp

tried to cross the Causeway

to Flamicourt - but / Germs

held the rly stn v. strongly w

m.gs. & it ws impossible to

cross it.  The first attempt ws

just at / time when our

L.Gs got onto / German pty.

The German m.gs. cd fire right
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from Flamicourt Station up to /

Square.

In / street next to SW of

the rly street, a Sergt ∧Bartier w

a mopping up pty looked

into a house ^ found a German

Officer, & a pty of abt 20 men,

w mugs of coffee poured out

before them.  The offr asked if

he cd finish his coffee &

invited / Sergt to join - wh

he did.  The Germs were

then marched off.  Our men

finished their coffee.  It w

The 54 Bn had had no
breakfast owing to / rush
w wh they had pushed off
from / rendezvous.

Patrols were sent along /
NE end o / town & cleared
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the houses on / S. side o /

main Rd there.   But Capt

Downing & Capt Mitchell decided

not to occupy / N. part o /

town as they only had 120

men altogether for over a 

mile of front & / whole town.
 

They started w abt 240 but ½ were

by this time hit.

They then made their

line (1) Post S.E. end of

causeway from x Quinconce

(2) in centre of town

where this X Rd ran into it

(Capt Wilkins took a photo of

this)

(3) At the far S.E. corner

o / same street.  (These at

right went down to / Flamict.

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Causeway to prevent a Xing.

(4) Another 300 yds S.W.

down / bank o / swamp.

(5) at / first Bristol Bridge.

(6) at the Rly Bridge.

These posts were estabd after

Bn had reorganised & remnants

of A & D Coys had bn withdrawn

under ∧Lt Harvey & Lt MacGregor for a sleep.

near / cemetery by Quinconce.

(Abt 50 men were now garrisoning

Peronne - C 20, B 30 -)

There ws no attempt at C/attack.

 

The Germs filtered into the

NE end & / town during /

night & were seen fixing

up m.gs. there during aftn

abt 5p.m.

 

Sept 2.  There ws another

operatn next day carried out
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by 58 Bn assisted by A Coy. 54 Bn.

in which the remainder o / town

ws cleared & occupied.

Our barrage for this attack

blew out part of A Coy before

they got into / fight, & wd

part of a post in / town &

inflicted a no of casualties on

58 Bn coming thro / town from

directn of Bristol Bridge.

Cpl. Hall carried out a badly

wd man thro this barrage &

got him attended to then

went back to his post.

 

Abt 100 prisoners were

taken out o / NE end o /

town tt m.g. w m.gs. &

some mwfrs.  There ws not

heavy fighting this day.

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The further island of town

(genly known as / Ramparts)

ws cleared also by 54 Bn

& a man ws k up there -

Cpl Hall had this patrol; but

/ Germs got back into it again.

That is / part. They got back

into (as mentioned above).

 

[That must explain how

Mann 56Bn ws able to get to /

positn which he reached first mg.]

In this second operatn

Lt Adams ws wd. on Sept 2

Lt Small ws wd in clearing

the SE part o / town on Sept 1

Capt Mitchell ws wd at / Xrds

in / centre o / town by a m.g.

bullet from / rly stn on first

morning abt 11a.m.  Some Germs
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cd be seen filtering back

into / town & a m.g.

ws to be fixed up to deal

w them.  Downing & Mitchell

had just bn arranging this.

These Germs got back only into

/ Ramparts end o / town - &

not into / main town. (The

Germs came back abt midday -

not as stated above, later).

In / night a W.O.

of ordnance attd to Bde from DADOS

& 2 men bicycled into / town

w gas helmets for 53. Bn

They showed a light on the

Flamicourt xxxxx river front,

having lost their way - &

got a burst of m.g. fire.

One of our posts halted them on
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/ embankt.  It ws very quiet

indeed tt night - till next

day.

15 Bde reld 54 on

night of 2nd.

Another 77 ws tn in / rd

abt 27 D 2.7.  The gunners were

lying dead by it, k. by

m.g. fire from our men. The 

gun had bn recently fired.

Bn ws abt 110 strong

on coming out - lost abt 130.

Bn picked up a dog on /

way in - he attached himself

to / Coy & came w them

to / moat - a big French

dog.  He ws running up & down

amongst / bullets.  He

ws missed later.  He cd nt make

out / bullets.

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The C.O. claimed abt 600 prisoners

& 60 odd m.gs.  Receipts

were obtained for 59 m.gs.

The hardest part o /

fight ws getting thro / wire.

 

54 Bn Bellicourt.  (Capt Benson)

Sept 29.  Bn got as far as G 8D 6.7 on

Black Rd when fog lifted.  Rd ws

crowded - transpt on rd,

Bn on side of Rd.  Tanks

a bit to N going same way.

First came A.T. fire from Nauroy

& N of it & a little m.g.  Then

after a few rounds of A.T. (which

came fair into them) a battery

of 4.2s got onto / area.

Lt Toomey ws hit & d. of ws,
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Capt Shaw wd, Lt Gilligan wd,

Sergt Maj. Redding k, & abt 82 men

hit.  This caused Bn to

scatter & get into / trenches

of front Hindbg line.  The 54 Bn

ws in reserve to 14 Bde wh

ws in reserve to Divn.

This firing ws quite unexpected
- / reports all were tt /

villages were cleared & /

Yanks going on well - L.Gs

were w transpt & Bn in 4s.

54 Bn sideslipped then

into / trench on S. side of Black

Rd & waited there for 2 days.

Oct 1.  On mg of Oct 1 abt

2 a.m. Coy Commdrs were

summoned & operatn explained.

2 tanks attached.  54 Bn ws to

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