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).

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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

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

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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 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
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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 /

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