Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/226/1 - Folder - Part 3
18
8 Bn 7 Bn
5 Bn
*** Diagram - see original document
"A" Coy. (left support) was about xxx 600 yds. on left of the
main road. Each Coy. had about 500 yds. front - D Coy. about 600
B Coy. about 400. It was in St. Martin's Wood, on the north of
the roadm that the Bn. met its first opposition - the right had
gone on. The line Coys. on theleft (D) had not yet gone through
the wood. This Coy. (D) had heavy fighting in St. Martin's Wood,
and A Coy. came into the fight. The troops who got ahead turned
the flanks of the Germans who were holding up their parties, and
about 100 prisoners were got out of St. Martin's Wood.
The 8th Bn. which was supporting mopped up St. Martin's Wood
while 6 Bn. went on.
There were some guns in St. Martin's Wood or just behind it -
either one or two. One of these fired point blank - and the
gunner was either wounded or rattled so that his shell hit the
ground 50 yds. in front of the gun. This gun fired till we were
right on top of it.
In front of Plateau Wood No. 2, where there was heavy fighting,
6 Bn. was held up. There were two guns in this wood. A Sergt.
and Cpl. of 6 Bn. (Sergt Woodnorth, "A" Coy.), was killed right
close to these guns which appear to have been fired almost to the
end. A platoon of 8th Bn. under Lieut. McGinn turned this position
(and one of the guns was allotted as an 8th Bn. trophy).
From the Chalk Pit one runner, who was being sent back to
Brigade, took with him 87 prisoners.
Battn. H.Q. was by 8 a.m. able to move on to the huts just
below thebank of the second gully, south of the road. The German
was very quick to notice that the woods had been taken, and
shortened his artillery almost at once. By 8.30 he was pounding
St. Denis and Herleville Woods.
At 9 a.m., though the 6 Bn. was well across the second gully,
the Germans were still strong in Herleville Wood in direct right
rear of them. The orders of the men were to push on whatever
happened. When the Germans were underground the men simply pushed
on and if the Germanswould not come up they were left to come up
later and fire in rear.
The Battn. was out of touch with its right - and this made
things look ugly. The Germans tried to get back up their long
C.T's from Herleville Wood but out Lewis Gun fire prevented this.
A German post at the west end of one of the wtwo long C.T.'s was
forced to retire by sniping 6 Bn. H.Q. just 700 yds N. of it.
One Coy. of 8 Bn. was then lent to fill in any gap on the right.
By 11 a.m. - about two hours after our line was established
ahead of it, the Germans in Herleville Wood surrendered to support
Coys. of 6 Bn. and 8 Bn.
By 3.30 p.m. the Coy. of 8Bn. which was sent up was put in a
sunken road on the far side of the second gully behind the right of
6 Bn., so as to strengthen the gap at first and later fill it.
The Argylls
19.
The Argylls on right were then reported from the S.E. corner of
Herleville Wood, 400 yds. in right rear of 6 Bn. right flank
(which had been refused in a defensive flank) and thence southward s
and eastwards bulging round the north front of Herleville village.
B Coy. - the line Coy. on the right -had lost all its
officers.
Capt. Johnstone, hit in thigh on final line.
Lieut. Gaston (just got his commission - R.S.M. - He went in
as R.S.M. attached to the Coy. a splatoon commander. He
was shot through the chest by m.g. His body was found
right out on the far post.
Lieut. G. P. Day - hit in thigh on the final line.
2/Lieut. Palmer - wounded early in the fight.
All these had been wounded in the morning. For a time B Coy.
was out of communication for this reason. Their C.S.M, was
wounded and it was hard to know what was going on with B Coy. -
26 of them were found later but they were found mixed up with other
Coy.; so B Coy. seemed to have disappeared - no reports from them -
nothing. Reports from the right of the line came from C Coy.
commander. This Coy. went in under Capt. Carne (now M.C.).
Carne was wounded on the night of this fight but remained on duty
till next day. "A" Coy. was under Lieut. Cuzens who was the only
officer left (lost all others on tape); C Coy. after Carne had
gone away fell to Lieut. xxxxxx Tutton; and D Coy. to Lieutz Darby.
Aug. 23. The day Battn. managed to reach a line 200-300 yds. over
the crest of the second gully, then bending back on left behind
Plateau Wood No. 2. M.G. fire on the top was very heavy and the
posts could not be pushed further.
Aug. 24. Casualties till next morning (Aug. 23) were 8 off. 170 O.R.
At 11 p.m. Aug. 24, 8 Bn relieved 6 Bn. in front line.
6 Bn. took up position in support in trenches which were on the
tongue between the two gullies (on west xxxx side of Herleville
Wood).
Aug. 25. On Aug. 25 from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. there was an intense gas and
H.E. bombardment over the whole area - Blue Cross being easily
recognisable. From 8 a.m. to 12 noon it slackened but the heat
of the sun in the gully seemed to make the gas rise.
At 11 a.m. conditions were so bad that the men had to be
withdrawn to the western fork of the gully, leaving two forward
posts of one N.C.O. and four or five men in each to keep touch with
the line Coys. Gas helmets had to be worn all the time. The
strength of the four Coys. was now 2 off. 84 O.R. (The two officers
are Tutton and Robb - both got a bar to M.C.). About 8.30 p.m.
that night it rained and gas cleared wonderfully.
In the gas bombardment 110 men were lost. The men could not
get out of the trenches as they were under observation. Capt.
Cockburnn, the R.M.O., worked in the Chalk Pit till he could not
see - and had to be sent away about 5 a.m. About 8 a.m. Capt.
Hamilton from the ambulance near La Flaque Dump (Major Guthridge's
ambulance) came up and was wounded while loading up the ambulance by
a "daisy cutter" - getting 12 wounds. At about noon a third
medical officer, Capt. Lilliford, came up and he lasted till the
Battn. came out.
D Coy. - Lieut. Warne-Smith, wounded about 6 a.m. during the
second part of the advance, xxxxxxxxxxxxxx - he died later of
wounds.
Lieut. Simpson was killed during the early part of
the advancem, or on the tapeline, by shelling.
20. xx.
GASSED. - Lieut. Cuzens (only officer left with A Coy. was gassed).
Lieut. Darby, of D Coy., was gassed.
Both on Aug. 25.
The Battn., going in with less than 400 men, took 800
prisoners, including 20 officers; captured 4 field guns, 69
machineguns, and 20 minenwerfers and granatenwerfers.
Gaston, by where his body was found, must have led his men
with especial bravery.
XXXXXX Tutton and Cuzens did splendidly.
7 M.Cs, 8 D.C.Ms., Bar to D.S.O. and 25 M,Ms, came out of this
fight.
----------------
C.Q.M.S. Kirby, who got his D.C.M. at Lihons, a splendid chap,
was killed at Herleville. (Acting C.S.M.)
Lieut. Stafford, now transport officer, did grand work at
Lihons.
The work done by Stretcher bearers was wonderful at Lihons.
The machinegunner s of the 7th Bavarian M.G. (Coy. or Regt.) fought
splendidly in the woods there and were killed by their guns in
some cases. That was where the German guns also galloped into
action and fired point-blank. They fought so well on their hill
that the men, who found a lot of Kummel there, were inclined to
put it down to this - they were entirely puzzled by xx it.
21.
2nd BATTALION. 193LIHONSx Took over from 10th and 12th Bns.---- The German was by then
8 Aug. 2nd Bn. (with 1st Bds. acting as reserve bde. of 4th Div.)
moved two hours after zero following 48th Bn. The Bn. was to
exploit 48th Bn:s success. 2nd Bn. was to go through them at
Proyart.
In P. 17 the Bn. was waiting (its role of support to 48th
Bn being cancelled) for further orders. About 4 p.m. orders were
received to form an outpost line facing the Somme opposite
Chipilly - from east of Morcourt to east edge of Chipilly, all
south of river. Bn. marched down valley towards Cerisy and
then across country past Thin Wood and took up outpost line at
dusk. There was no observed fire.
9 Aug. The 2nd Bn. held this outpost line till the Americans and
British took Chipilly xxxxxx spur on Aug. 9. On thea afternoon
of Aug. 9 our artillery put down a heavy bombardment after which
Americans and British advanced from north of Chipilly along the
ridge almost E.S.E. or E. They seemed to come under machinegun
fire as they reached the top. Some were going forward, some back.
It became too dark to see clearly - some men seemed to go forward,
others waver and go back. Reports were conflicting from north of
river for 24 hours afterwards, even on Aug. 10. By the following
day the ridge was consolidated. 1st Bn patrols went through the
10 Aug. village on that day.
14th Bn. relieved 2nd Bn. there on night of Aug. 10, when
1st Bde. went to Harbonnieres.
(NOTE.- Check these dates by diary.)
LIHONS. Took over from 10 and 12th Bn. The German was by then on
defensive but shelling Crepy and Anger Wood heavily. He did not
counterattack. The 3rd Bde. had reported heavy counterattacks
on the day on which 2nd Bn relieved them. The 2nd Bn. therefore
expected a lively time when they went in that night. None
happened; but patrols men heavy opposition whenever they pushed
out. Lieut. Binns was out with a patrol. He followed two
Germans through a small wood 400-500 yds. ahead of outpost line.
There a German post saw him and fired at him and killed him
almost on the parapet of the German post. Two men were with
him. One threw bombs into the trench while the other got his
papers, but his body was never recovered. A patrol was sent out
later the same day (2nd day of tour), found post and shot the
two sentries, but could not get in as flanking xxxx posts' fire
was too heavy. They got to a road 10 yds. away but M.G fire
down this road prevented their crossing.
15th and 46th Bns. relieved. The German seemed to be
sparring for time to remove stores. Bn. had about 50 casualties
here.
Aug. 18, Bn. was in reserve - dug in on edge of Chuignolles valley
from St. Martin's Wood northwards along gully towards Chuignolles.
Here on night of Aug. 24 they werevery heavily gassed,
e specially the right Coy. in the flat in the gully, Possibly
the German concentrated on the woods (it was the wood s he shelled)
knowing it must have troops there. The 2nd Bde. in St.Martin's
Wood lost most of a Bn. The gas floated down onto theflats and
B Coy. 2nd Bn had 50 casualties out of 95 men, including 3 xxxxx.
officers. It was the next day that the 4th Bn. patrols got into
Lapin Wood - so it looks as if the German was looking for
target s to throw his gas away at.
Orders were received that 2nd Bn. xxx would be taking over
the front line: but they were cancelled and the 2nd Bn. was
relieved by the 5th and 4th Divisions.
22.
After 3rd Bn. went through Robert Wood it was noticed that
men were being sniped from there. Lieut. Connor, Mt. Offr. 2nd
Bn., organised a party and wemt through the wood. The Germans
were in a xx dug-out with one or two men on top. The men on top
ran down - Connor dropped a MIlls bomb down one entrance and they
came out of the other. Connor did this off his own bat, with
three or four batmen, cooks, etc. They took 18 prisoners and 2
T.M.'s - so it was evidently a German trench mortar battery sniping
with its rifles. (Connor got a M.C.)
---------------
from
Bde. went out/there to Vaux-sur-Somme. After Peronne was
taken it was brought up again and came in west of Joncourt,
relieving 37th Bn. 2nd Bn. on relief went straight through 37th Bn.
to the edge of Joncourt village. Within the next three days they
took the trench system East of Joncourt and the villagei itself by
strong fighting patrols.
In the trench system these patrol fights were in the form of
organised platoon attacks under a barrage of Stokes mortars and
No. 36 grenades (cup grenades).
In these little fights Lieut. Parle and Sgt. Dransfield did
especially well in the fighting with the two posts south of the
village. Parle was working up a trench. He went round a traverse
first and found a German officer looking at him over a barricade.
The German toldhim to surrender but Parle shot first, hit the
officer, slipped back and organised hisplatoon, attacked the post over
the top and took the garrison behind the barricade prisoner.
Dransfield in the attack on the other post advanced over the
open firing his Lewis gun from the thigh. There were eight
Germans found dead in the post and seven others were taken prisoner.
Dransfield was badly wounded by M.G. fire from Le Verguier ridge when
at the edge of the post.
The Germans were apparently holding the old system on the same
lines as our platoon post system - posts of about 30 men. Bn. would
tackle one of these at a time. On the south of the village two
post were attacked - 15 prisoners taken, about 30 killed; and a
certain number were seen getting away. These were two separate xxxx
operations. The Germans were in old British trenches. The
method was to work up a trench till you found a post, then go back
and get a platoon and knock it out. Two sections of 1st A.L.T.M.
Battery were attached (4 guns).
(See two preceding paragraphs).
The village was not strongly held. The first night (on
relief) a patrol with a Lewis gun struck about 20 Germans in fours
marching into the village at the far end. The xx patrol lay up
beside the road and turned the Lewis gun. When they rook the village
they found several new graves, a very bloodstained road, and 18
rifles lying there. The trenchesN.E. of Jeancourt were apparently
practically unoccupied; but were covered by machinegun fire from
the high groundin front of Le Verguier. The trench (circular) at
27A 3.7. was occupied by Germans with machineguns - oneman of ours
patrolling was killed here.
On the left E. of Herbecourt the Germans seemed to be close,
but on the right they were further back. The long German trench
line west of Le Verguier was mostly only a few inches deep - and
pretty old - certainly some months old at least.
One of these German lines east of Jeancourt was to be occupied
by one of our Coys. But on the night they were going in they
walked right over it. (Similar experiences occurred around
Doignies and Hermies in April, 1917).
22.
Bde. wenr out from there to vaux-sur-Somme. After Peronne was
taken
23.
It was at the same time when 2nd Bn. was working at Jeancourt
that 4th Bn was shelled out from the hill in 8 Central after the
last attempt at peaceful penetration.
The 2nd Bn. was relieved here by 8th and 50th Bns. 49th Bn.
had been on right while 2nd Bn. was in the line.
2nd Bn. moved back to some old German stables by Bouchy.
They were there three days and then moved in further north - east
of Herbecourt. The tapes ran across 14A and C Central. The crest
of the hill in C8Central was just beyond. The tape was about 10
yds. behind the part of the sunken road (the part in 14 A and C to
14 A Central.
2 Bn. went in 316 strong to this attack. The prisoners were
over 200 - 26 M.G., 2 T.M. and a field gun. These results are
extraordinary all through. There was a heavy percentage of
Germans killed also. It is quite on the cards that the Bn.
accounted for 316 Germans killed, wounded or prisoners.
The Bn. was having some tea in Hesbecourt about 1.45 a.m.
when the rain came down. About half an hour later the Bn. started
for the tapeline in soaking rain. The rain did not delay them -
they were on the tapes to time. (The Engineers had laid a tapeline
from Hamelet - the best line and route the Bn. ever went in on - `
partly along road - as far as Eoiselle; then across country to the
Hervilly-Hesbecourt Road; then along road through Hesbecourt to
14 C. where the tapeline crossed the assembly track. The tape
was laid along the embankment and grass at the wide of the road.
Across country it was on screw pickets about 18 inches above the
ground - you didn't have to feel down on the grass). The
consequence was that they were on the tape 1 ½ hours. before Zero.
They had a travelling kitchen in the shape of an old German cooker
and two salved mules. This cooker made enough tea for the whole
Bn. (more than ours would - splendid for tea). After the fight
the cooker used to go eound the outposts (support them) in daylight.
Captain Miller, who was with the Tommies as liaison officer,
says the Bde. staff of the British were congratulating themselves
on getting hot tea to the men on the 4th night. He was not
impressed with their staff work.
Our lessons were the advantages of tanks for supplies; and
the advantages of mounted orderlies (Light Horse xxxxxxxxx section
attached to 2nd Bn. - 4 men). Only one horse was wounded by a
shell.
The rain continued till Zero but eased about 4 a.m.
Signaller Jones was going forward with the telephone with V
B Coy. H.Q. and got hung up in some barbed wire beyond Hargicourt
switch on the left of 2nd Bn. sector S.W. of Hargicourt. When he
got free he had lost the Coy. and wandered on expecting to pick them
up. He went away to the left to the Fosses beyond Templeux. He
ran into a German post and was captured. They took his kit and
rifle. About six Germans were taking him away when some Tommies
appeared. While the Germans' attention was on the Tommies he
bolted and got back to the Tommies, got a rifle, and these Germans
and others later thereabouts were later captured. He returned to
the Bn. with two German officers and 50 Huns.
There was no shelling before the start. The left was troubled
by a gun which xxx shelled short throughout.
The first trouble was on the left from Hargicourt switch. A
batch of prisoners was sent down from there and reached Bn. H.Q.
20 mins. after Zero- about 12 of them. This switch was occupied
in very few places - (where dug it was very full of water). One
officer and several men were casualties at this place. Lieut.
Granville wounded. Lieut. Ryan was killed by a shell (a scattered
German shelling was now occurring).
24.
The right met with opposition from Hargicourt switch in xxx
15B. and again at Cote Wood. It was very foggy and dark and the
smoke made it difficult to keep direction. The officers were working
by compass and known objects (quarries, etc.) The chief
opposition was met from a ridge just east of the sunken road from
11A 2.0 to 11A 4.7. Frome one post there three heavy and three
light M.G. were captured, the crews being killed. The fighting
there was heavy. The flanks worked round - while the Lewis guns
engaged from the front the bombers worked round and the guns were
settled with bombs. Lieut. Hillman, who was leading the attack
at this point, was killed by machinegun fire as his platoon came
over the ridge. The first burst of fire killed him. Sergt.
Armstrong to ok hisplace and organised the attack. The brown line
just S.E. of Hargicourt was then reached along 2 Bn. front and it
consolidated there. A field gun was captured in the hedge at
11 A. 8.6. It seemed to be an anti-tank gun - it was not seen
firing direct on the troops. There the 2nd Bn. dug in and 1 st Bn.
went through. In one post on the objective there were men of 1st,
2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th Bns. and Tommies - but all heading east.
When Bn. got on theobjective a body of about 400 Germans were
seen coming towards us and were taken by a platoon as counter-
attacking. They were fired on by the platoon and turned and ran
back. It was then noticed that they had no arms nor kit, and so
presumably were coming in to surrender. This was before the 1st
Bn went through but after 2nd Bn reached objective.
Late in the day the Germans shelled Hargicourt heavily and the
trenches around Cologne Farm, where 2nd Bn moved a Coy. up to
support 3rd Bn.
2nd Bn stayed there and B Coy. supported 1st Bn. in attack of
September 21. This Coy.m under Capt. Collingwood took up position
in Minnow Trench when 1st Bn moved. Collingwood, who had to move
up after the attack had begun, dribbled his men through a heavy
barrage with the greatest skill, a few at a time, and so saved them
losses to a very great extent. It would be easy to lost half the
Coy. in such a barrage. (This is undoubtedly far better work than
could have been done with our want of experience at Pozieres time.)
They were heavily shelled there but were not called on to
reinforce front line. This wasfurther south than where the line on
left came back. 2nd Bn. were relieved night of 22/23 by 8th Bn.
Casualties:
Off. O.R.
Killed, 3 19
Wounded, 1 63
Lieut. Sheen was killed by shellfire while Bn was in support at
Hargicourt just before relief.
_______
This was the heavier of the two fights for 2nd Bn., but xxxx
their casualties were heavie st at Proyart in support (125 casualties
going through Proyart in advance - the stretcherbearers did very
good work in this barrage - and by gas two days later.
Bullecourt was the heaviest fight 2nd Bn. has had in France.
The Germans fought very hard. The Bn. had to fight for every inch
of ground won and then had to fight to hold on. The Germans
there fought better than they ever fought against this Bn.
25.
1st MACHINE GUN COMPANY. 194
Holding line only at Lihons. No counterattacks. Germans
were shelling the crest and Crepy Wood - road - wood on left of
village. The German planes were bombing every night close to the
line. German shelling was all 8 in. or 5.9. When 4th Division
came in 12th M.G. Coy. and another took over. 1st M.G. Coy.
side-slipped to Vaux-sur-Somme (near Cerisy). Were here two days
or so and then moved up to Proyart for the attack of Aug. 23.
Aug. 23, 1 st M.G. Coy. fired barrage from Zero hour, 6 a.m. till 7.50
a.m. and then went up with the infantry. It was fine bright
moonlight. During the 22nd the Germans put down a barrage on
south side of Somme eas of Mericourt but otherwise it was quiet on
this sector and there was a xxx quiet night.
On morning of 23rd German barrage was pretty heavy and quick
in coming down. The guns - some of them - kept barrage on or
beyond th e final line of protective barrage for the advance. As
their angle became dangerous or after 12.40 they went up.
In the afternoon's attack the 1st M.G. Coy. was really working
with 3rd Bde. A section for example was covering the 10th Bn.
which went through the 9th. B Section went forward with the 10th.
C Section was working with 11th Bn. which (working with 9th Bn)
took Beacon Bluff. D Sections went up and took a position on the
left flank to protect the flank from the west side of the valley
S.W. of Froissy Beacon.
A Section was on S.E. of Luc Wood. 10th Bn. went through
by the huts east of the Wood. The Germans started running down
the road along the valley northwards before the 10th Bn. got to
them. The M.G. got onto them here. The Germans were breaking
in small parties. None went up the opposite hill, but some ran
from the top of it towards the rear. Probably the right of our
attack got into the valley first and this started them up the road.
B Section followed 10 Bn which got over the tope of the ridge
somewhere south of Square Wood. When first they and 10 Bn got up
to the ridge there were a few M.G. in Marly Woods - but these were
soon settled. During the advance there were only odd shells and
erratic shooting.
Germans were nostly seen getting back into the gully south
of Cappy. The Germans had to leave one gun on the hill just to
left of B Section.
10 Bn wasout past Square Wood that day but weredrawn back
at dark to link up with 9th further on left.
Just after dark the attack the Germans tried to come in
behind the flank of the Bn (10th) and they themselves were cut off
and 90 captured by 11 men.
C Section fired the morning barrage over the 1 st Bde from
about 400 yds behind front line, then went back to Coy. H.Q.
About 2 p.m. moved up through a very heavy barrage in Luck Wood
(it was very heavy there between 2 and 5 p.m. - oneman gassed),
struck xxxxxx half-right across the road and waited on the flat
just west of the railway line for an hour and had another man
killed by a German shell.
From there they moved onto the railway line and then north
up the valley and finally about 5 p.m. on top of the Bluff. Three
guns were placed there and one in the valley to west to cover left.
There were 11 Bn, patrols only and no one else on the flats north
of the Beacon. There were some trenches just over the Beacon.
The Germans kept a troublesome barrage on the edge of the hill.
Whether there were infantry in 90 and by Square Wood seems uncertain
-possibly posts.
D Section had no direct fire. The line (9 Bn.) pushed well
out during the night and mopped up the flats in 33. Our advance
26.
had been entirely from the high land. Flats were left to be dealt
with.
After 48 hours the 1st M.G. Coy. was relieved.
B and D Sections were in the "peaceful penetration" advance by
4th and 2nd Bn. on September 11th at 6.30 a.m.
Two guns of D Coy. went out to try and dig in with the outposts
of 4th Bn. on night of 10/11. They moved up about 9 p.m. just
after dark. From our own outposts a patrol was sent out. The
Devons were on theleft and the infantry and M.G. were to go out
from the trenches near Hant Woods to the sunken road through
8a and D. The patrol was fired on on the north side of the hill in
8 Central. (The trenches were then old grassed trenches and
intact). It was decided to go out in the morning at 5.30 a.m.
There was supposed to be a heavy barrage but only four shots were
fired.
They got out with the infantry to 8 Central or the hill just in
rear of it. The Germans were holding around Templeux and on the
valley sides with small M.G. posts. The men started to dig in on
the road in 9 8 Central and were shelled out at once. The infantry
went back to the original front line with pretty heavy losses.
The Germans could be seen in posts on the country side and were
probably in houses in the village but could not be picked up there.
The guns got back to the original front line between 10 p.m. and
11 p.m. The shelling was very heavy and M.G. fire also. They had
8 gassed on getting back to the front line.
D Section had four guns on the 10/11th. RTwo were with
Sergt. Davison. Lieut. Ifould. was in charge but was wounded on
night of 10th and this left Sergts. Blackmore and Davison in charge.
Lieut. Cumming came up after that- Sept. 12th.
They came through after 4th Bn. and took up positions in old
German artillery emplacements. About 11.30 a,m. they got word to
fall back as the flanks were in the air and there was no ammunition
with the infantry - no bombs. TheGermans M.G. were pretty active -
also artillery fairly active. They came back to the original front
line - one gun in the railway embankment in 19a and th eother in the
north corner of Hervilly Wood. That night the gun in the wood was
sent up to D Coy. 4th Bn. in Hesbecourt. The Germans shelled
Hervilly Wood heavily and that evening the ledges around Hesbecourt.
B Section was with 2nd Bn on right of 4th Bn. Two guns
moved about 10 a.m. on 11th to the forward position (before it
started). The bombers were sent up a trench to bomb out a German
post which was known to be there - covered by the M.G. which fired
on any Germans trying to get away.
After taking the post at noon they went on about 1000 yds. over
the ridge looking (on its left) into Jeancourt. The Germans could
be seen evacuating Jeancourt. They got past the trenches into a
sunken road. There was fighting to get to this road. There were
a few bombing stunts at night. The 4th Div. then came up and filled
the gap on theright. Lieut. V. C. Potter was wounded and L/Cpl.
Prior killed. They were hit by M.G. fire after the post was taken
in going over the open. They were drawn out that night.
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