Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/225/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 10

in to fill / gap.  They cdnt
get 23 at all.
On / rt flank on /
edge o / cemetery were a
N^o. of open graves dug by
/ Germans.  They consolidated
these.  From / time they broke
cover from / wood they were
under arty fire from open
sights from guns on / three wooded
hills NE of Peronne.
On the St Quentin Quinsconce
Rd ws a sort of good or
ordnance yard & a n^o.
of huts.  E of this ws a Coal
dump & abt 9 a.m. this
Coal dump ws exploded by a
mine (abt I 21 B 4.7.
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Imd after 53 pushed off
55 moved off in arty formatn
as above.  They got abt 200
to 300yds when they came
under heavy m.g. fire from
Cabaret Fm, Bony System
wh ws on high grd, & up /
valley ahead of them. The
left ws on / tunnel, /
fire ws so strong tt they all
kept to / rt o / tunnel (3rd
Div got well stopped there in an
attempt later) Tunnel protected
left. They advd till they got
to / trench thro' 28 Central.
They found 53 Bn still there &
some of 58 Bn still there.
Then 53Bn wh ws there
moved on. There ws a valley
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just N of tt trench.  55 covered
them by an arrangement
as soon as they moved into
this dip, seeing tt they were
getting it heavily from Cab. Fm.
Lt Chadwick C Coy then got in tuch
w Capt Goldrick O.C. C Coy
to left in same trench & he ordered
them to move round / trench to /
left & get form up on / rly
cutting in 28A near / tunnel
so as to be in positn to attack
E at / original objve.  Capt
Giblet of a & B Coy ws getting into
positn at / same place for
/ same attack.  Just as they
were abt to form up for /
attack Lt Diggs Hill of 53 Bn
told Chadwick tt he had got into
v. hot water - a S.P. of Germs
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back at them.  Also pties
of Germs were still in / wood & they
our men were getting shots
from / rear.  These Germs
were mopped up without
much trouble (parties of
men who cdnt get away
quick enough.
They then got touch
w Maj. Murray just N. of
/ Cemetery in / Sandpit
N. of / rly back.
They cd see tt Mt St Q
ws still in German hands &
decided tt it ws unwise to
go on further for / time being.
D Coy had swung back
on / left to link w / 23 Bn
& linked with ^a coy of 55 Bn they x wh ws put

109 

A man behind him..
From there they changed
directn imd right to push
thro the Quinconce wood
(Anvil wood).
There ws no stiff resistance
in this wood.  (Currie's W.M Curray Gun
ws just on the 5th class Rd
on the NW side o / wood at
21 A 25.15.
After passing thro /
wood & getting into / open
they saw Germs running
away in front (7.15 a.m)
& were quite out of touch on
/ flanks.  The Germs saw them
pulling up & he too pulled up
& began to rally abt / St Arnis
Rd & / Sugar Refinery & to come
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on top o / tunnel mound -
abt 20 yds past where / rly crosses / tunnel.

& then it ws reported tt

Germs were coming in force

up / top o / tunnel bank

to C/attack.
Capt Goldrick imd ordered /
Coy to move back to / trench running
out o / C.T. up / N side o /
Canal Bank in order to deal w
these posts first before advancing.
Half Coy went along / trench on top of
mound (crossing it) - the Americans
held this. The S/P ws 200 yds out.
The Americans asked for infn
knew nothing o / fight.  Lt Chadwick
then went out w his batman to /
rly cutting - crawling along without
being seen.  He cd see / m.gs. but
no Germs at / moment.  He came
back to / trench on W of mound to get
a L.G. & 4 o.r.  Just as he got back 

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On crossing this trench they
found fire coming from
/ left flank from another
trench N of / rd & parallel
to / rd.  They had to change - a S. Westerly continuatn of Save trench
direction left ^(further continued than shown on / map).  The men
lined / road & then at
once passed over it -
thus changing direction
& facing this obstacle.  There
ws no wire in front of of 
this trench.  Lieut W. Smith
ws wd in front of this trench -
the Coy rushed & took /
trench & one o / germ.  Prisoners
shot Lt Smith w an
Automatic revolver in / back.
Smith got in w his garrison
& had / garrison bailed up w
their hands up & was shot by
107

Lt Jackson & Sergt Sullivan D Coy
came up & asked where S/P ws.
They were told & crawled along
w side of bank, & C's batman.
They got along / bottom o / bank
till opp the m.g. post.  Just as
they were crawling up to attack they
were shot dead by a m.g. abt
20 yds away on their left in
a bit of trench.  This wsn't known
to / patrol.  The C & 4 or went
out & got past / rly cutting towds
/ gun S/P when the same m.g.
opened on / patrol & pulled them
up.  They got out L.G. & fired
on it.  L.G. kept / fire down
while they managed to crawl
round to where Jackson & Sullivan
were found both dead.  It ws
impossible to get  at this m.g. as

93 

L. Gunners' got up & sprayed
their guns over / wire &
Smith & a number of
men made a rush &
got thro' / gap in / wire
on / road wh ws abt
/ left centre & / Coy.
When they got into these
strong posts / m.gs. were
still boiling there - Smith there
found tt A Coy had lost
all its offrs ^except Lt Young & took it
from tt time under him.
Capt. Evers  wd.
Lt Tofler  wd
Lt Lamerton k.
Lt
Lt Young ws at tt moment
away on / rt flank.
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some a little to left covered it
& fired on them: Fire also came from
along / mound & from Bony.
They came back & reported
to Goldrick how things were.
During this time Goldrick had
got / dispositns of 53 from Capt
Johnston Jhonson (53) & it ws arranged
tt 55 shd connect across
space to Nauroy line wh
they were supposed to be
holding at to abt  22 D 5.2
Capt Goldrick gave orders for
the Coy to form North o / C.T.
abt 28C & advance to join. This
ws Woods of A Coy ws in touch
on / Nauroy line abt grid betw
22 & 28 just W of / line.  Coy
got abt as far as rly without
much fire but as soon as they
got over / ridge going down / 

94

abt 250 yds after.
A Coy got well away &
were held up w two heavy
belts of strong unbroken wire
in front of Johannes trench,
Capt Smith noticed tt they
were held up & closed up
to give them Support.  There
ws an intense m.g. fire
on & Capt Smith found tt
/ men cdnt force a passage
thro / wire.  They were
held up for abt 30 mins.
This ws m.g. fire from / trench
& enfilade from Mt St Q.
Capt Smith got up to /
front Coy.  He told them it
wdnt do to be held up -
they had to get thro.  The
105

valley came under v. heavy
fire from ab right along Canal
bank, from Bony, & from
rly ridge - & close range
LTMs & Whizzbangs on / far
ridge - & L.T.Ms wh they
cd see firing from down in /
valley.  The Coy ws getting towds
22 C & D.  There ws no one
on left & Lt Chadwick on
tunnel bank ws trying to get
some men to cover the left -
& / Germs were got being passed
on / left rear, W. of / tunnel -
When / order ws gn to get back,
& into / trench ^close under / ^E side of / Canal
bank; Capt Goldrick & Lt Cohen
had bn wd out there.  The Coy
reported tt it ws impossible to get
out tt way.  So they moved back to

95 

find / way into it & there ws a
nasty fire - so both got into
Florina.  They got into Florina trench
15 mins before Zero, when it ws
broad daylight.
On left it ws Lt Eastment

※ In this attack Sergt who got
down / rly line further than
any others.  got a sight of members
of Germs down / valley in a
sunken rd - & got into
A & B Coys positn & got a LG
out again onto them.

who bombed up Florina trench,
finally got a gap in / knife res
wire & moved / knife rests.
On rt A Coy (Capt Evers) led
off.  B Coy (under Capt Smith) folld
104

/ trench - There Lt Chadwick ws badly
blown up by a shell -
Lt Pye reported to Capt
Giblet. It wd be abt? 10.30 then.
There were a lot of casualties
out there.  The Coy stayed there
for / best part o / day.  Then
abt 3pm.  Half o / Coy
went down across to A& B
Coys & then owing to heavy m.g.
fire into / Le Catelet trench
where A & B were.
Abt 4.30 pm / Germs
cd be seen massing in A22 A &
B in numbers massed in a
Sunken rd, & in advance of
them apptly patrols.  A barrage
line ws laid down by obtained
by Bn from A 22C. 1.6 to A22
B 7.2 to A 22D 8.6. so as to

96 

they took / trench along /
rly.  Guides ^of 23 Bn were to be
for each Coy - one came
for Bn, to time.  He wsnt
too sure of / way so
Maj Murray had to send
out a patrol.  This patrol
found tt Germs were occupying
Florina.
Bns route lay (as marked,
up / rd to Prague trench & then
Coys had to turn into it.
C Coy (Maj Murray) had to fight
from / start.  This made them
abt 25 mins behind right in
getting away.
The right got into Florina
trench - the Support Coy ws supposed
to get into Prague, but it cdnt
103

protect extreme pt of 53 at /
bend o / trench.  Stuttsbury
spoke to Giblett on / phone & he
sd he wd be able to deal
w anything by L.Gs.  No C/attack
ws made.  Germs cleared out
very early next morning.
The only c/attack ws tt Germs
tried to bomb them out down
the Le Cat. line – Here Pte
Ryan 55 Bn won his V.C.
The Germs were in / trench &
also behind Ryan in the W. of
/ trench - (see description in V.C. award)
This attack had bn made
abt noon when A & B Coys
were in / trench before C Coy got in.
That night instrns were
recd to form an outpost line
from Canal at A 22C 2.7 

97

going over / ridge in I 7.
Waited there till
midnight.  Confce of C.O.s
at Bde Hqrs at I 17 c
at midnight.  C.O. got back.
to Bn abt 2.30 am. & had
to arrange to relieve 23 Bn
in Florina trench, get Coy Commdrs
together, promulgate / scheme,
waken / men & get them to
JOT by 6 a.m.  The Bn had a
hot meal abt 3.30 a.m.
The led off, C & D leading
as they had furthest to go,
A & B & Hqrs following
Diagram - see original document
102

to A 22 D 5.8 & keep touch
w 3rd Div.  This cdnt be done
owing to dark till 4.30 am.
When it ws done fairly easily.
The night ws pretty quiet.
In / aftn we ^had bombed / Germs
down back into their country.
It ws a bad place for him
to attack into w us in both
trenches.  There ws a barrage tt
morning early for 15 Bde &
this frightened / Germs.  This
day Bn ws instrd to move
to a line from A 16 Centl
to A 23 centl. keeping touch
w 3rd Division & 54 Bn on
rt.  This ws a case for patrols
& Coys aftr.  They captd a few
prisoners.  From there they sent patrols 

98

Lt Jackson  k.
Sergt Sullivan  k.
Lt Dillow k on Sep Oct 1 by shell
just before / advance.
Capt. Goldrick  wd  as above - Captd several
mg. posts
CSM Cantwell ws k leading a
pty onto a m.g. post abt
10 or 11 on Sept 30. during /
advance along / mound ^near where
W Chadwicks , Lt Jackson ws k.

on reaching Clery, as shelling
ws heavy put Bn in /
reentrant in I 1. where
it ws v steep.  There they
^reconnoitred & found tt I 7 & 8 were
full of 6 Bde & secondly they
wd have got v heavy casualties
101

by daylight right into St
Martin's village.  In one o /
houses they caught a German
patrol & the Sergt - an Alsatian
- gave us good infn as to Germ
intentions.
55 Bn ws reld there - on its
line & relieving units (6. Inniskillens)
were able to get patrols in country
S of  Gouvy & St Martin where we
were.
On 30 Sept. a Bty of 4.2s cd
be seen on Prospect Hill firing
just after Bn had gone over / hill
at midday in / attack where they
had to come back.  These guns
later cleared out.
On Sept 30 they knew v little
as to positn of 3rd Div on flank.
& heavy fire ws coming from Bony &
/ heights there.  29 mgs taken.

99