Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/226/1 - Folder - Part 12

107.

plane came over flying very low - one man looking over

the side. He started M.G. and threw out white flares.

This was just about zero - 8 a.m. 11 Bn. had to

break out into waves and move through 7th Bn.

From the left of the road which ran diagonally

across the front (from behind this road) came a heavy

M.G. fire. Capt. Lenay, C.O. right Coy., was killed.

Lieut. Aitken, his second in command, was killed shortly

after, shot through the head (Lenay through groin). B

Coy. got too far right into 9th Bn. ground.

O'Neill's Coy. in centre had Lieut. Gemmell killed

and Lamerton (one of the originals - M.C. at Bullecourt)

killed (and Aitken was a M.C. from M. and de Merris).

Lieut. Clarke was shot through the eyes and lost his

sight. Captain Griffin, second in command of C Coy.

(centre) was badly hit in the head. They pushed on.

"A" Coy. on left was held up for a time because 23 was

not up. Lieut. Sharpe of A Coy. was killed. Lieut.

Porter was wounded (in the early advance of this Coy.)

Lieut. Naylor D Coy. was killed (support Coy.) at

this stage. Capt. Gostelloe ( M.C. there ) was thrown in

to the fight very early. Gostelloe got into a trench

with a number of Germans in it and took most of them

prisoners with 5 M.G. Also struck four 4.2 howitzers

about 1000 yds. West of Crepy Wood near the Tour Carre.

Lieut. Dale of this Coy. was wounded at that time. D

Coy. was mixed with C. and B Coy. making up towards left

of Crepy Wood.

Left Coy. under Hallahan was held up by M.G.'s and

had to get to work with bombs and rifle grenades to try

and shift these Germans. These Germans were in the old

French trenches on the left. The old trenches made the

field of fire very short in some parts - it was xxxx fair

in other parts.

On right 9th Bn were held up in front of Crepy Wood.

In the afternoon of Aug. 10 Capt. McCann, 10 Bn, and

his Coy. were put into Crepy Wood which was still held

by the Germans. He got in there and held on. O'Neill

was in touch with him in the wood.

On August 11, about 11 a.m., they were counterattacked

by the Germans from the high ridge beyond Madam

Wood. This attack was beaten back. 11 Bn and 9th Bn

pushed on towards the blue line and the Coy. on the left

managed to come up. The Germans who were holding them

up had been dealt with by Lewis Guns and Lieut. McNeil,

D.S.O. (Bullecourt counterattack) with Stokes mortar.

The German counterattack had only been half-hearted,

but the Germans had shelled Crepy Wood very heavily. The

German infantry did not seem to have too much in them.

The 11th got the blue line in front of Madam Wood, and

9th Bn. got Lihons.

About this time there was a gap of about 600 yds. on

the left. Lieut. Riches organised a party from H.Q.

signallers, batmen, pioneers - 20 men all told 0 - and

filled in the gap on the left of Halahan and the right

of 23rd Bn. They tried to advance when 23rd Bn went

forward. He had three kiled and three wounded within

a few minutes, including his L.G. corporal. He could

not advance. So Halahan asked for a Stokes mortar and

Halahan sent a Stokes mortar down to give him a hand.

Under that barrage they rooted out the machine gunners

who were troubling them. The left thus got up onto the

blue line. The line was ordered to stand fast there.

The German still held Madam Wood and the position to

the right of it and the old C.T.'s leading down to the

network of French trenches. He wouldbe about 600 to

700 yards away there.

 

108.

On the night of Aug.11 we had patrols out down these

C.T.'s which struck nothing.

On Aug. 12 a strong patrol was pushed out towards

Madam Wood and xxxxx found it strongly held. They had

two men killed and were ordered back again. (They had

worked their way down the C.T, in two parties under cover

of trench mortars).

That night 11th Bn was relieved and went back into

support till August 13 when (on night of Aug. 13) they

took over from 10th Bn. In the afternoon of Aug. 14

O'Neill was ordered to push out his line in front of Madam

Wood and occupy the old trenches which they did without

opposition.

(From the blue line they had been able to see the low

country to the left and the high ground beyond Madam Wood.

The field of fire here was very good. This was the same

view that you could get from beyond Madam Wood).

11 Bn was relieved by 14th Bn. on night of Aug. 14.

In Aug. 10 the same attack which came against McCann

came upon the 11th Bn., but McCann being by the wood (on

which very heavy stuff was falling) suffered more severely

and had the main brunt of this attack to meet. The

Germans were in behind McCann in Crepy Wood - McCann had

not the whole of the wood and they could come in along the

old trenches or through the cover of the wood.

(Col. Newman, the C.O., is held to have failed very

badly on this occasion, calling two coy. comanders out of

the line to advise him.)

Lieut. Black was killed in the morning of Aug. 10 in

Crepy Wood, mixed up with 19th Bn. 9th Bn. in Crepy Wood

where he had pushed on with them. This left Lieut.

Whitford as the only officer left in B Coy. He

reorganised them and got in touch with O'Neill on his left

before 9 on Aug. 10.

In the afternoon of Aug. 10 O'Neill got touch with

Halahan, putting in portion of D Coy. to get touch with

him. (D had Gostelloe and Evans left). Evans got a M.C.

here. (There were 4 M.C.'s won in this fight - Gostelloe,

Evans, Whitford and Riches).

11 Bn. went in 500 strong and lost 80 killed including

7 officers and about 100 wounded including 6 officers.

In the very first advance the ground was open and most

of the casualties were there.

(At Bullecourt 11 Bn. had 117 killed. At Pozieres

680 casualties but only 34 killed (?).

11 Bn. had its heaviest concentrated shelling at

Fleurbaix - but this lasted only 2½ hours. The longest

shelling was at Bullecourt where they had four days -

practically every man had been buried there one time or

another. The heaviest time at Pozieres was on the Tuesday

but there it stopped dead about 6 p.m. and the relief got

through without a casualty.

 September 18.        (A very accurate account from Graham and Colvin).

11 Bn. was at Hamelet in the reserve line there. At

1 a.m. on September 18, after a hot meal, Bn. moved up to

take its position on the tapes. It was fine at that time

but very dark. The Bn. moved across country as this was

a safer route than Roisel - the country had been twice

reconnotred reconnoitred.

Just as Bn. arrived on tape in front of Hervilly

Wood about 4.30 a.m. - it began ro rain.

 

109.

xxx

At 5.20 barrage opened. 11 Bn. moved forward as

close to the barrage as it could get. Support coys. also

moved as close to front line coys. as they could get. (as at

Ypres). When the German counterbarrage came down they

missed this, it being over them. Halahan was in command

of mopping-up party coy.

                           _____________     ↑          ____________

                          Capt. Tulloch,                      Graham

                                M.C. & Bar.

                                             _______________

                                                    Halahan

                                                   M.C., M.M.

The smoke barrage was so thick that it was impossible

to see. The job of the Bn. was really complete when Bn.

was on tape line. Before the attack a lot of attention

was paid to detail and to the details of the country - the

sound of the barrage was another guide. The men had been

told to keep to the high ground. Those with the prismatic

compasses.

About 600 yds. from the start M.G.'s were heard

spluttering. The flanks moved by sound around these guns.

The first lot consisted of about eight heavy M.G.'s and

two light guns in about 50 yds. of trench. Some of the

men were killed, and being attacked from the rear, at once

surrendered. You could get within three or four yards of

a man without his seeing you - then you could see the

helmet and the gun pointing out over the trench - firing

into themist. Every gun which was found was simply

pointing to the front. There was no organised crossfire

by M.G.'s. This was so both at Proyart and Villeret.

If there had been any defence at all we could not have

got this objective with one man to 12 yards. Graham's

Coy. had a front of 400 yds. (actually 530) with about 73

men including H.Q. and platoon sergts., Lewis Gunners,

etc. (going 2 men together in case of L.G.'s)

Just before they got to Fervacque switch, which came

obliquely up the hill towards Hervilly Wood, some further

M.G.'s were met. The smoke seemed to be worse (until

they got through Grand Priel Wood this smoke seemed to get

thicker) - there was a light drizzle which probably kept

the smoke low. One artillery officer with 11th Bn said

later he had sent back to decrease the percentage of smoke:

there should have been more smoke, he said, but they had

not the shells up. Without smoke, however, the casualties

would have been heavy).

At Fervacque switch a number of casualties were caused

by one M.G. in the barrage firing low. A few guns (one

4.5 howitzer specially) were firing short. In some cases

they sheltered till these guns lifted.

The M.Guns at Fervacque switch were dealt with in the

same way as before. For example - the moment one gun was

seen a shot was put in, one German killed and they were at

the same time called to surrender. They did so at once.

 

110.

(The morale was a lot lower than on the Somme - they were

very frightened running past and asking "Which way?")

After getting over the top they went through Grand

Priel Wood - stumps and big logs with undergrowth. About

here a M.G. party (L.G.) of ours came on a German post

with a M.G. The Germans surrendered at once and came

running out all except one German who stayed behind. The

men were going through thess these Germans for their arms

when the remaining German put a stick bomb into the midst

of them. 

Pte. Strongman was killed by this and the Germans got

away including the man who threw the bomb. Strongman

was attached as the fifth man of the party. This

mopping up party would go in parties - as a matter of fact

the whole advance was by parties of this sort.

About 40 Germans were found in Grand Priel Wood -

Graham's party, which was going throught he middle of the

wood, came in the middle of the wood on about 25 Germans

without arms who had run back and were hiding behind the

logs there. Graham was looking at his map and looked up

the hill too see a line of red capbands peering at him

over the log. He got down and up with his revolver. Up

went a row of German hands altogether. They were sent off

to the rear without an escort (the party only consisted of

5 and the objective was 455 450 yds away still.)

There was another party in the wood, about 15, who

threw away their arms as soon as they saw the party.

The objective was just on our side of Caution

Dugouts. They came under heavy M.G. fire from Caution

digout and Graham got his small party to dig in there at

once, protected from those dugouts by the slope. Graham

went along to his left and found Capt. Tulloch, also with

a little party of about 4 men - in neither case were the

rest of the Coy. with them. All the time the rest of the

Coys. were coming up in little groups.

When Graham got back he found that Lieut. McKinley,

M.M. (M.C. after this) and Lieut. Nicol had arrived and

an attack was going on against Caution dugout. A Lewis

gunner of 9th Bn. (who was recommended for D.C.M. -

Corporal Taylor) was covering the dugouts with his L.G.

standing up an spraying it as he advanced on it. You

could not see the target unless you did this, not even

stooping down. Others of 11th Bn. worked round thee

these dugouts and they got there three heavy M.G.'s, 2

light M.G.'s, 2 minenwerfers and and anti-tank gun. About

25 Germans were got out of the dugout. Taylor got the

other side of the trench, stood on the parados and sprayed

into it. This separated the Germans. Thse nearest

the dugouts dived for them. Others ran up the trench.

By this time 9 and 10th Bns. were in position ready to

move through. Barrage remained on the point for an hour.

All the minenwerfers were and M.G.'s were turned onto the

Germans by a Vickers M.G. section. (Vickers M.G. offr.

wounded there and Stokes mortarmen).

From Villeret and from the old British lime in front

on the hill M.G.'s were firing on the hill M.G.'s were

firing on our troops during the wait. The weather was

clearing and the Germans could see. The T.M. men could

see the M.G.'s and were turning the minenwerfers onto them

to silence them. Some were knocked out and some silenced.

10 Bn. afterwards got a number of heavy guns on that

opposite hill.

(Caution dugouts were on the east slope of the

knuckle - on its right front. On the hill opposite was a 

big gun sticking out - an 8-in. gun. The quarry was

another 800 yds. ahead of that gun.)

 

111.

This was the right flank. Objective was just in

front of Caution dugouts.

On the left the first opposition was met just after

passing Carpeza Copse. There was a M.G. post there

holding them up where a C.T. trench joined another trench.

Sergt. Muldoon who struck it was killed just as he

got to the gun.

Cpl. Nelly took charge of the section and worked

from the right flank with bombs. Neither could see the

other except the flash of the gun. As soon as our L.G.

fired the Germans with his two guns would fire towards it.

We kept our Lewis gun firing in bursts so as to draw the 

fire of these two guns while a party worked round to the

right flank. Two bombs were thrown and the post was

rushed. Nelly was the corporal in charg command of the

section and organised the attack. These guns were

holding up part of D. Coy. and A. Coy. which was mopping up

behind was held up also and joined them.

Halahan had been killed by a shell just before -

part of the light barrage which came down. Lieut.

Colvin was with the platoon of A Coy.

Right on the objective the left came under heavy 

M.G. fire from Villeret and the ridge opposiet oppposite

where the old British outpost line was. Lieut. Elliott

was badly wounded (C. Coy., about in the centre) was

wounded there in the thigh. He died later at Tincourt.

The fire here caused a number of casualties, grazing the 

hilltop.

When Caution dugouts were taken the left was able to

get into its objective just on the cross-roads south of

Villeret.

Lieut. Beasley and Colvin made their H.Q. in Caution

Dugouts. There they found some stretcherbearers (it was

a big dugout with 4 entrances) which had been used as an

advanced dressing station - Beasley could talk French and

the Germans told him that they had been in 11 days - did

not know when they were going to do an attack.

After this 11th Bn. had to take over the Bde. front

in the old British front line, supporting 9th and 10th;

12th Bn extended to left to take over the whole line in

the first objective. The 11th Bn had its line in the

original front line with outposts in front.

That night German planes came over and bombed and

shelled the left with 5.9 and 8-8n 8-in.

11 Bn. remained there two days and on 21st Sept.

relieved 9th Bn. in the front line overlooking Bellicourt

just this side of Quarry Wood. It was a good line to hold

with about 6 lines of old trenches and first-rate

observation.

11 Bn. was here 4 days and was relieved by 30th.

American Division. This was carried out very well indeed -

one American company relieved the 11th Bn. 72 in an

American platoon relieved Graham's coy. of 49.

This was the best fight the 11th Bn. ever had.

During the last 4 days patrols went out 600-800 yds.

without getting to the Germans. By their flares they

were about 800 yds. away. The Germans had gone back to

the main Hindenburg line and had outposts out in front

only at night - they could be seen carrying their guns out

at dusk. None of their patrols at all were met.

The relief was quiet. Graham's coy. was just clear

of H.Q. when the German put down a heavy barrage.

As they were going through Roisel a group of six

 

 

112.

officers had several bombs dropped right ahead and behind

them by a gotha flying low - it was a very bright moonlight

night and the plane could see them. The party was riding

down the road. The Bn. a bit to the right coming out

across country could see this big plane in the moonlight

passing. Major Darell, D.S.O. (the C.O.) and Lieut.

Archibald, Adjutant, were both killed. A piece of bomb

went through Darrell's heart - Archibald died within an

hour.

They were the two last men killed in the 11th Bn.

They were buried with Lieut. Elliott and Capt. Halahan at

Tincourt - all original men in the 11th Bn.

Darrell left as Lieut. at the landing (the last

original officer - his father was a C. Of E. Army Chaplain

in Ireland, and Darrell had been in the Munster Fusiliers,

and had been 3 years in Australia - as an Area Officer).

Halahan was M.G. sergt. at the landing (11th Bn.).

Elliott was an original 12th Bn. man (from W.A.)

Archibald was a platoon sergt. at the landing, a

schoolteacher in W.A.

Elliott was an architect (Elliott had sketched the

Christmas card of the Bn. for the year with Col. Neumann,

who went home just before the Villeret show).

Hallahan was an amalgamator on the Oroya-Frown Hill

mine (in charge of the amalgamator in the mill).

On Hallahan's grave the men put up a very fine cross

and on it "Lovd by all".

Only these 4 officers were lost at Villeret - and

all killed.

11 men killed and about 60 wounded.

 

113.

POZIERES.

Diagram - see original document

After getting a good deal further in the first rush

(some of them) and then coming back on being isolated,

part of 11th and 9th Bn on right got into a straight trench

(A B) (supposed to be its objective) enfiladed by O.G. 1.

The men there under a sergt. of the 11th Bn dug a small

trench parallel to O.G. 1 to stop the enfilade, piling up

the parapet as high as they could. About 40 to 60 men

were there. The Germans shot at them from Z and S with

M.G.'s and bombed them from in front. About 3 a.m. the

Germans could be seen with fixed bayonets in O.G. 1

preparing to attack. The men in the straight trench -

A -B - could see them also, and started throwing Mills

bombs also which fell into our trench, X Y. By morning

the greater part of this party was dead - the sergt. says

that there were only 2 left of a party of 40. This may

be an exaggeration: anyway we had to leave X Y. No

officer was there. He handed over to a Pioneer officer

about A (?) in the morning.

114.

LIHONS - 12th BATTALION.

August 10.

Started at 5 a.m. from Harbonnieres, having come up

from Vaire the day before, and from Poulainville the day

before that (August 8th). (Debussed at Poulainville

at 3 a,m., having detrained at Hangest on 7th.)

They got a few hours sleep at Harbonnieres after

12.20 12.30 a.m. and moved at 5, supporting 11th Bn.

11th Bn. when they hopped off were about 600 yds.

behind on the crossroads by the house which had been a

dressing station.

After 11th Bn. jumped off 12th Bn. advanced to the

position 11th Bn. had jumped off from. Col. Elliott

was about 8.20 a.m. just as Bn. reached this position, 

was wounded. Indirect fire from a M.G. got him as he

was putting the men into trenches.

About 10.30 a.m. C Coy. under Capt. Jorgensen were

ordered to move up in close support of 11th Bn. The

position they took up was on our side of Crepy Wood.

There was a line of M.G.'s there every few yards and many

dead Germans which showed where the Germans had defended

the place that morning when 11th Bn. hopped over. The

Coy. stayed there for the day - digging into the old

trenches there. Part of the coy. was strafed but only

5 casualties. Major Macpherson took the Bn. after

Elliott was hit. No fighting that day.

August 11.

C Coy. was left where it was. About 4 a.m. B.D. & A.

Coys. (back where 11 Bn. had hopped off) got orders to

attack on left of 10th Bn.

                                          ↑

                  ___________________________

                   D                    B                    10th

                                                                   A

in this order. A Coy. was supporting right of 10th Bn.

with 8th Bn on their right.

They had to get out straight away and reach the J.O.

line by 5 a.m. D and B were just about on the tape line

by 5 a.m. A Coy. was behind and got in the barrage.

The left of D Coy. went up the left edge of Crepy

Wood, D Coy. going through the wood. They went straight

through the wood, without mopping up, - through Auger

Wood and beyond it to the edge of Lihu Wood. There was

mist, and our smoke, and German gas. It was hard to see.

D Coy. kept touch with B Coy. on their right but not with

11 Bn. on left. 11th Bn. could not be found. Patrols

were sent out to find them.

C.S.M. Keeling was with one of these patrols. He

went over 1000 yds straight to left (N.W.) and could

find no one. Then he came back and made a second patrol

to left rear. He found 11th Bn. about 800 yds. in left

rear. The posts of 11th Bn. were between Auger Wood and

Crepy Wood. This left a gap of 800 yds. in the line and

the Germans still in Auger Wood immediately in rear of B

and D Coys. These Germans were there all the time. But

they evidently got a message through to their people

outside for a party tried to come up and join them.

B Coy. had tried to send runners back; but these

men getting back had met M.G. fire and hadto get back by

going right around to the south of Auger Wood.

The posts of 12th Bn were in some long French trenches

(probably old front line) from S.W. corner of Lihu Wood

away east of Auger Wood and joining 10th Bn just east of

Lihons village. There were no Germans in Lihu Wood.

Lyons and some others wandered through the old stumps

 

115.

of it (like Delville Wood) and found no one in it.

About midday the Germans were seen massing and getting

ready for counterattack on the flat to the North. They

had a fine view there for about three miles to the village

on a rise which they took to be Vermand Villers but were

not certain. Messages had to be sent back to Bn. asking

for someone to fill the gap - and C Coy. now came in and

filled it. Lieut. McLeod was hit. McLeod was hit very

badly in Auger Wood through shoulder and lung by a shiper

sniper or M.G.

Lieut. Sandy (?Sandie) was very done up. Lieut.

Lyons was sent up to take over D Coy. then. Immediately

after he got up a German escorting 4 men of 10th Bn came

towards the line from the rear. He had been sent back

with these prisoners so the Germans evidently did not know

where we were. He tried to run when he saw us but three

men were sent to cut him off and he was killed.

By the way in which the Germans acted after this they

knew where we were. Small parties from outside kept on

coming up to try and join them but very few got through

the gap. A lot were killed or wounded. Eventually

most of the Germans in Auger Wood got away through a bit of

dead ground behind the hospital. B Coy. rushed a small

post on the edge of the wood and caught the corporal

below above mentioned and this probably set them going out of the

wood.

Parties of 9th Bn under Lieut. Hamilton came through

and mopped up Auger Wood. The position C Coy. took up

was in the old German hospital about 300 yards north of

Auger and Crepy Wood - the hospital was just south of the

road and they were in it. This was a hosptial of huts

and marquees and stores.

Word was sent back to say that the Germans were

massing on the flats to the north (while C Coy. was

actually coming through, and mopping-up parties of 9th bn

at the same time came up). A heavy artillery fire was

turned onto the Germans and this smashed them up. Kelling

at this time took a cuple of L.G.'s out and opened a long-

raneg range fire on these Germans and worked one gun till

he was wounded by one of our own shells. These Germans

had been seen marching up in fours from Vermand Villers

way about an hour before (11 a.m.). A German corporal

who was captured in the wood said that 8 coys of his

regiment had been told off to defend Lihone Hill and that

the few left in the wood (about 150) were all that he knew

of as remaining. He was 21 Bavarian Regt. (4th Bavarian

Division). Their Coys. were not very strong. A parade

state was found on a dead officer. He had only brought

52 men of his coy. in. (many of these men were on leave).

Everything was quiet after that and they were relieved

by 1st Bde. that night. The German shelling was heavy

on Auger and Crepy Wood - but not elsewhere - with H.E. and

gas.

"A" Coy. on right went straight through behind 10th Bn

The advance was very fast. They started through the wood

with right flank on the left of the road. The 8th Bn were

not seen till they got there through onto their position.

It was very misty. "A" Coy. struck no Germans in the

village - which was across the whole of their front - they

went through the centre of the village crossing the road.

10th Bn. stopped in the open about 600 yds. beyond the

village and A Coy. about 20 yds. behind them dug in.

 

116.

About 10 a.m. going around to get touch, touch was

obtained with 8th Bn about 200 yds tot he right: the fog

in the early morning had been too thick to see anyone but

they had been there. Lieut. Glozier did not see the

tanks in the village - he would have been bound to see

them if they had worked through the village but they were

late. The tanks did not reach Glozier's position on the

right.

About 3 in the afternoon a number of Germans were

seen coming up in file to within about 600 yds (coming from

the direct front - about 50 were seen in full arching order.

60-pdrs. were turned onto them and they were stopped in the

old trenches.

About 3 p.m. three of our artillery planes came over

and saw the men there and put down our 60-pdrs. onto Hill

101 and most of the line. It was very hot for three

minutes but they managed to get into communication with

the planes with flag signals and got it turned off.

Diagram - see original document

August 11.      Capt. Jorgensen, wounded about midday when C Coy. were

 getting to their objective filling the gap. He carried on

Late.   and got C Coy. organised in position before going out.

                      Lieut. Macleod, wounded on Aug. 11 in the first

                    (     attack (D Coy.) in the wood.

                    (     Capt. Butler was gassed, badly, going through the wood

Early.         (     on Aug. 11.

                     (

Lieut. Mackay was wounded about the same time as Capt.

 Jorgensen but not with him.