Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/225/1 - 1915 - 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 Omnie'court
under / trees; then crossed
at Omnie'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 6 am. After 56 Bn
55 pushed off along / rly
line, in single file, &
then along / rd thro 7 c -
70
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).
71
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
72
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
ws 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
73
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 was / 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.
74
55 ws following 53 56.
[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
75
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 /
76
k. Capt Jhonson M.C.
Capt Wilson MC. both during
German c/attack
up the Le
Catelet System
Lt Althouse: at 6 a.m. First shell fired k.
him on the J.O. Line ws his
first battle
Lt Ralph MM. (on return from his raid)
wd. Lt Thomspson wd in / Le Catelet line
Lt Stinson M.C. During early
bombing attack
up Le Catelet
System
Lt Potts w. early
after / start, slightly.
At 28 Central the C.T.
ws held by / Germs - xx 2 of the
77s were captd there at
28 C. 85. 90.
Rest of this Battle is fully
gn in narrative -122
123
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
and went out.
The 55 Bn then went
to / left to / Sugar factory
wh dominated / flank.
B Coy under Lts Phillips &
Elsmore did this. They found
77
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 10 am eventually
into / Le Catelet Line. Hill did /
Best work here - Ralph's ws a fine incident
The terrace as A 22 Centl
ws v. heavily held w m.gs.
Casualties see next page
122
Germs 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 55 got in touch
w 2 Dvn (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 also to fire
& they just woke / Germs.
Directly 53 Bn passed /
start they got v. heavy m.g.
fire from Cabaret wood Fm &
/ 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 trench
w bombs see narrative.
Lieut Ralphs exploit w 3 men to
121
They then found tt Sergt O Connor
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 towds / woods on / hill.
The fire from Ramparts
had stopped. We were able
to move abt v. freely
& thought / Germs were
retreating. (As a matter
of fact they had m.g. posts).
Wyllie saw 26 & 56 & .
decided to try & advance so as
79
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