Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/226/1 - Folder - Part 11

97.
200a

9th BATTALION
9-11th August
23rd August
18th September
11th BATTALION

9-11th August
23rd August
18th September
12th BATTALION  - LIHONS
Check all these carefully,
as to times and place
by the diaries.
9th BATTALION LIHONS
(Accurate account from Captain Chapman).
Battalion came up from outside Corbie - leaving about
4.30 p.m. on first day - to Hamel. Then at 7.30 a.m. by
compass bearing to a position S.E. of Harbonnieres (to
support second brigade).
At 8.30 p.m. on night of August x ?9th 7th they reached a
position in the open about two hours' march from the front 
line. Bn. was ordered to dig in a defensive position.
They had no sleep - no shelling - digging till daylight.
(The men had their meals all through the Lihons fighting).
At 6 a.m. Bn. moved again to the attack on Lihons
Wood, marching by compass bearing the whole way. On
reaching J.O. tapes (through 5th Bn) the men were given a
slight smoke and rest. No fire up to then. It was
about 8 a.m.
A German plane came over, while they were smoking,
dropping flares and firing site M.G. He hit about six men.
You could see the faces of the men.The battn, was in
shellholes and old trenches.
August 10 At 8 a.m. barrage opened (two guns may have fired -
Chapman was through it without noticing). It was followed
by a very heavy M.G. barrage, the M.G. barrage being much
the worst.
The left flank was completely exposed and the
German was firing completely enfilading 9th Bn from the left
and inflicting heavy casualties.

Diagram - see original document
xxx. The Bn. had one Coy, held up by M.G. fire. Counter M.G.
fire was brought to bear on this flank.The German M.G.
fire was direct. Chapman saw one gun open on Penrose's
Coy, which had been left support but was now on the right 
he could see the whole crew. The German M.G. fire was
largely direct, but indirect also. The German went through
about 50 yards away at the start. The Bn went through
the wood in parties. It was heavily wired, with strong
dugouts and barricades
The men who went through this wood - Lieut. Gower
M.C.. was through the left edge of the wood. There was a
heavily-wired position about 30 or 40 yards down the edge
of the wood from the lefthand corner of it - it was in the
undergrowth on the edge of the wood not far from the
 

98.
hospital (in a sort of continuation of the wood onto
Auger Wood).
The Germans counterattacked after a very heavy
barrage and drove our parties out of the wood except that
there were two posts on the right-hand side of the wood.
The 9th Bn was so depleted by casualties that Bde.
was asked for another Coy, to reinforce and retake the
wood. The Bn. Command3r of 10th Bn placed at 9th Bn
disposal his best Coy. under Capt. McCann (D.S.D., N.C.).
They worked from south to north through the wood and
managed to take about 60 prisoners. In conjunction with
Major Ross, who was O.C. line of 9th Bn, McCann established
posts on the N.E. side of wood, making the whole Bde.
frontage as one continuous line.
There were troops of 11 Bn on the left flank.
The posts which had been established were - McCann, Morgan,
Chapman, Knowles, Thompson, Wrench, Myers, Thomas, Pickford,
Diagram - see original document
The loss of direction was one of the great difficulties
of all units. The 2nd Bde, were away to their right and
the last three posts of 9th Bn were in the area of 2nd Bde.
The Germans counterattacked again twice in force but
were each driven off leaving a lot of dead. In each case
an extremely heavy barrage was put down fast - heavy,
especially 8 - in. - and most of the shells blue cross, gas
with H.E., till the wood was reeking with gas.
In the second of the three counterattacks the Germans
came to hand-to-hand fighting. There is a lot of small
undergrowth and the place was a maze of trenches. The
Germans came up partly through these and partly in
skirmishing order, and got into hand-to-hand fighting with
some of our posts. In this counterattack McCann lost a
lot of men and was fighting himself with revolver and bombs.
The third counterattack was smashed up by our Lewis guns
and trench mortars.They ware coming from the direction of 
Lihons.  As they began to deploy the L.C.'s and T.M.'s
(3rd L.T.M. Bty.) got onto them and this attack was stopped.
After this the German gave up. The field of fire of
our front line would be about 500 yards at this point. On
the right towards the second bde. it was possible to get a
peep down onto the low ground to the right, but otherwise we
had no observation over the crest. Neither  had the German.
The impression was that the German was putting in his
men as fast as he could.
The 9th Bn had a rumour that the Germans were coming
down the road from the Bois de Crepy in thousands. Chapman
went up the road but saw none. The rumour that the Germans
were in behind them was unverified as far as the 9th Bn
was concerned.
Chapman would not think it possible that there were
Germans across the road on the S.W. side of it.
The Germans were still in the strongpoint (mentioned
above) on the evening of this first day.
 

99.

Diagram - see original document
{The country on left of 11th Bn was very open and pinned
left of 11th Bn down)
The sniping noticed from the rear would come from guns
at C.T. Two or three M.G.'s were firing there the whole
time.
All that night, 10/11 August, there was intermittent
artillery fire.
The following morning, 11 August, the 10 and 12 Bns.
went over. When these had got to their objectives the 9th
Bn advanced and dug in about 300 yds behind them. The
tanks which operated with the 10 Bn went round this strong
point post and settled it.
Major Ross was wounded early on morning of 11th by
shellfire.
Captain Penrose wounded by M.G. fire on Aug. 10 during
the early stage of the attack.
Capt. Monteath (same).
Lieut. Butler, M.C., D.C.M., (from S.A.), I.O., just
completing reconnaisance on first day just after the end
of the counterattack wounded through arm.
Lieut. Chester wounded at the hop-over.
Lieut. Gower wounded after going through the wood in
the first attack. He was recommended for the V.C.  He
went ahead with his platoon (about the centre platoon).
went into the wood direct from the front, working from
shellhole to shellhole. They found the Germans strongly
entrenched inside the wood. He worked round them and
captured and killed the crews, leading himself.  Another
German M.G. then opened from further in the wood. Gower
(now returned to Australia) went on by himself, charged
the post with a L.G. rod in his hand. He charged the
crew and they surrendered and he got the crew and gun. He
then went forward to find out the best position to take up
and was wounded. His platoon took up a post in the wood. 
He went back to see the doctor and wanted to return again, 
but he had a bad smash in the arm and the doctor would not 
allow it.
On Aug. 10 the gap on the left of the 9t Bn was due
to 11th Bn or part of it losing direction and coming in
behind xxxx  9th Bn. This resulted in a gap occurring
on the left of 9th Bn which was filled by a platoon of 9th
Bn and afterwards by a Coy.  of 11th Bn, which was taken
over there from behind 9th Bn on right. The 11 Bn had a
very rough handling from M.G.'s on their unprotected left
flank which was very open. They suffered heavily.
On Aug. 11 there was a gap between 10 and 12 Bn. A
party of about 300 Bavarians came in through Auger Wood
this day and worked through till they met 9th Bn which was
digging in in support. The Bavarians tried to close - at
first 9th Bn thought that the front line was complete and
did not know who these could be. This was about 10a.m.
after a heavy bombardment of 8-in, and gas shells. At
 

 100.
first they were imagined to be a party not mopped up;
then it was found that about 100 had crossed the road and
got into some old trenches quite close to 9th Bn. The
Germans started sniping and firing with M.G.'s.
Diagram - see original document
A small party of about 30 Germans with 3 M.G.'s and an
officer rushed out from the brushwood where the old
trenches were and tried to get into some trenches occupied 
by a small party of 9th Bn. This German party was all
killed - the officer alone was left wounded. It then
became a hand-to-hand melee. The 9th, who were
Capt. Armstrong, O.C. Line, rushed the trenches in which
the Germans were, and got into them. Sergt Walker and
2 other men closed with a party of about 23 Germans.
They bayonetted 5. The other 18 surrendered (they were 
in these trenches). There were a good many Germans back

in Auger Wood (through which they had come up).
Lieut. Penman, M.C., was there and Lieut. Cork, and
they and their platoons were with this party which made
the rush and did very good work.
Two platoons were then detailed; and these about
11 a.m. cleared the wood ahead and filled the gap and the
wood was reported cleared. These platoons were under
Lieut. Myers. Two other platoons (Lieut. Chataway) were
sent over to the left to protect the left flank.
Diagram - see original document
This filled the gap which was later on rectified by
the line battalions.
This was the end of the fighting. The Germans were
reported massing again but were broken up by artillery fire.
Lieut. Morgan) Killed.
Lieut. Smith.   )
Morgan killed by shell on afternoon of lst
day.
Smith killed by M.G. soon after the start
in attacking a strongpoint on the right of
the wood over by 2nd Bde.
Lieut. Thompson, Aug. 11, just before the counterattack
by shelling.
Lieut. Corke on Aug. 11 during the counterattack was
shot in the face by a sniper.
Lieut. Knowles was gassed and wounded on the second
morning in the strafe before the counterattack. It was
duringthis strafethat Major Ross was wounded.
2/Lieut. H. Walker was also wounded on the fir st day
early in the attack by machinegun fire.
 

101.
 In the afternoon of the second day (Aug. 11) 9th
Bn H.Q. was shelled with anti-tank guns from the left
flank - clearly firing direct - you could see the flash.
The British artillery major took a cross-section onto
this gun and put his 4.5 howitzer battery onto it. It
did not fire again. Bn H.Q. was then in the sunken
road by the quarry west of Crepy Wood.
9th Bn. worked on compass bearing for about 14 miles.
Mullins got quite out of touch with his Bn. in this fight
and claimed to be in Auger Wood on first day.
August 23.
FROISSY BEACON ATTACK
(The following account is less accurate, and
covers the protest of 2 officers against attacking
near Cappy)
After Lihons the Bn, was put back in Vaire for 6
days. They were then ordered up to be prepared to attack
a point of the line to be notified later.
Moved up by march route over fairly familiar ground,
and spent one night and the balance of the next day at
Hamilton Wood Spent rest of the day and next day resting.
Moved off at 10 p.m. night of Aug. 22 in support of
1st  Bde., and made as rendezvous St. Germaine's Wood.
Bn. reached this half an hour before 1st Bde, started
from their J.O.T. The 9th Bn had no casualties, but the
Germans put a strafe down on St Germaine's Wood and the 
other battalions lost a good deal.
9th Bn, was to pass through 1st Bde, after third
objective taken and go on to an unlimited objective. In
consequence liaison was maintained between 9th Bn and 12 
and 3rd Bns. All sorts of reports reached Bn. as to
progress made, and news was definitely received that Bn.
would go to assist lst Bde, and pass it for its unlimited
objective. Zero was 2 p.m.
Bn. left St. Germaine's Wood at 12 midday and on
reaching Luc Wood encountered a very heavy German barrage.
of 8-in, and gas shells - a very heavy barrage indeed.
Lieut. C. H. Ryan showed great initiative by carefully
observing a break in the barrage and got his platoon
through without a casualty. Meeting this barrage coys.
were disorganised to some extent, but fortunately they got
through in time for the attack at Zero.
Capt. N. G. Armstrong and Lieut, C. H. Ryan were the
first to go to the attack, closely followed by the left
line support coy. in charge of Capt. T. W. Farmer.
They got over Froissy Beacon in one bound and dug in
on the line allotted to 9th Bn. Our barrage was very
good and they were able to keep up to it. (R.H.A.)
From there on it became an individual operation.
G.H.Q. had directed that no one was to worry about his
flanks
The Bn. consolidated the other side of Froissy for
the night and rested pending another advance.
Instructions were received from Bde, that the whole
line would advance and capture Olympia Wood and Earl's
Wood. This was on Aug. 24. This was to be at 4.p.m.
In the meantime the Germans had strengthened their position
and got their artillery settled. The Coy. commanders
misunderstood the difficulties of the attack and two of
them reported to Bde, that it was an impossible feat.
 

 
102.
owing to the right flank of 3rd division being well in
rear (They were not men of great experience).The
attack was then postponed till Aug. 25 and these two
C.O.'s were relieved of command.
At 3 p.m. Aug. 25 the whole line advanced. Olympia
Wood was captured. One Coy, on the left, under Lieut.
B. G. King, took Cappy and dug in on the outskirts to the
East. This operation resulted in the capture of five
77's and many M.G.'s.
This day the Official Photographer, Capt. G. H.
Wilkins, was away out in front of the infantry trying to
get snapshots of Germans retreating. (The quarry where
Wilkins's patrol was is N.E. of Cappy - he would be with
B Coy. under King.
Captain T. Farmer wounded at hop-off, but waited till
after Froissy Beacon was taken.
Lieut. Hamilton, wounded at hop-off, Aug. 23.
Lieut. Bomford,   do.      do.
Lieut. Avery.          do.      do.
(All wounded in the heavy shelling at the start at Luc Wood).
The following a/c from Capt. Chapman is probably
not very accurate in details.
August 23 - September 18.

VILLERET
9th Bn went back from Cappy to Cerisy and rested about
two weeks. They then went up by bus to Mont St Quentin and
rested there a week. They were then warned for an attack
at very short notice and shifted to Tincourt.
Rested at Tincourt and practised - the attack being
postponed once or twice.
On Sept. 14 orders were issued from Bde, that they would
pass through and capture 3rd objective and proceed to the
line of exploitation.Bn, was practised in this manoeuvre. 
All ranks were lectured by C.O., Lieut.-Col. Mullen, by the
aid of a big map. On the evening of Sept. 17 about 11 p.m.
Bn. marched to a position near Hervilly Wood and rested till
6 a.m. on xx Sept. 18. A hot meal was served to all ranks.
At 6 a.m. Bn, went to the attack with Lieut, Myers' Coy. on
left as follows
Lieut. Myers     Lieut. Salisbury
Captain Armstrong
It had been raining through the night. They
breakfasted in the rain at 4 a.m.
When Bn. advanced it was frightfully foggy and direction
was most difficult to maintain. 9th Bn, had to move through
11 Bn near Fervacque Farm. They met no opposition till after
passing there. They then went on with 10th Bn on right.
In this advance M.G.'s from the right were troublesome
as they got to the road to Villeret. Wounded men had come
through, very cheered as to the progress of the attack. They
informed BN. H.Q. that the Germans were running.  By this
time it was clear. The advance was only temporarily held up.
There was no delay. The 9th Bn, captured Villeret - our
barrage was very good. There were a lot of Germans in
Villeret, but the Germans did not hold us up in Villeret -
they were through though the village. One tank attached
to 9th Bn did fine work in this village - it had a direct hit
which shook the men inside but they carried on. The tank
 

103.
was helped a lot by a dummy tank which two pioneers
dragged there with a rope and left. The German shelled
this tank for two hours - it was a very good decoy,
About 37 prisoners were got out of Villeret and many
killed.
The 3rd objective was reached in a bound and they
went straight on to the exploitation. The Germans were
demoralised, but in two instances in Quarry Wood parties
of an officer and about 15 O.R. each attempted to stand.
Both these parties were dealt with by Sergt. Bentley
(M.M. and Bar - D.C.M. for this). Bentley did much as
Gower had done - bayonetted himself the first three he
met and shot the two officers? The others  immediately 
surrendered. Bentley (-like Gower) went straight at them.
The 9th Bn. advanced in lines of skirmishers to the
line of exploitation in the Hindenburg wire. They got
through it with wire cutters or going over it. The
artillery rendered a lot of assistance towards cutting
the wire.
This brought them to a position from which they
looked down on Bellicourt and Nauroy.
About 11 a.m. a patrol on the right (it went through
the line company at once) captured what is known as the
Xxx. Knoll on 9th Bn.'s right and engaged about 200 of the
Germans who ran. They got a battery there with H.Q. of
9 and 10 Batteries and all their documents, codebooks
and instruments. The personnel had mostly gone.
While this patrol took up a position at the Knoll
(the spoilbank from the quarry) the Germans sent up two
teams of horses to get the guns out of the quarry. They
did this twice but each time the horses and drivers were
shot down by our Lewis Gunners and lay there without
reaching the guns. An officer first rode up to within
100 yds, of the guns but was fired on and cleared.
The 9th Bn. reached at once the final limit of its
exploitation. The troops on the flanks got up to position
later.
Alcock, wounded going to 3rd objective.
Chataway wounded going to exploitation.
Bailey wounded patrolling in Quarry Wood,
Maddox killed outside Villeret after it was taken.
 

104.
11 BATTALION - AUGUST 23.
(This account is accurate - from (?) MacInley).
11 Bn reached concentration point just two minutes
before barrage opened. They had to get into a sunken
road. There the German counter-barrage descended, and for 
5 hours the German barrage kept up. The Bn, was to have 
moved through 1st Bde, at 8 a.m. But news arriving that

3rd  Division had not attacked that day caused Zero hour
to be altered to 2 p.m.
Lieut. Gudgeon and Lieut. Ross were hit in the
Sunken Road and both evacuated. There was a lot of gas
and about 30 casualties including several killed.
The cookers (along vth the tanks) came up with the
dixies to this sunken road and the dixies were handed out
and cookers drove back.
7 German aeroplanes came over about 8 a.m. at breakfast
time and dropped several bombs but hit no one. Prisoners
were all the time arriving through the barrage without escort -
tearing back for their lives. Mounted police came up and
took them over.
At 2 p.m. 11 Bn formed up on a line W. of Chuignolles
about 2500 yards ahead of the sunken road. Our line then
was about the Cross Roads going into Chuignolles and from
there round the slope to the river including Luc Wood.
(McCann's 10 Bn. Coy, was in Luc Wood facing 3rd Division).
I1 Bn had three Coys. to move this far in support of
12 Bn. on right. 10 Bn, was supporting 9th Bn on the left.
Before reaching the existing line the whole 3rd Bde. Bns.
were involved in the front line,
The whole of the right was hung up by heavy M.G. fire
from the ridge in front (Froissy Beacon). There was whizz-bang 
fire from the Plateau - at very close range.
Diagram - see original document
There was supposed to be a barrage at 2 p.m. but it did
not really start till 4 p.m. 11 Bn, moved up into Luc Wood.
Capt. Tulloch and Lieut, Candy, who were near Chuignolles
sent a report which reached 12 Bn. H.Q. that they were held up
by M.G. fire from Froissy and Chuignolles and required the
support of tanks. The tanks were not available - they had
got knocked out and were burning near Luc Wood. A barrage
was specially arranged to be put down on Froissy Beacon and
the ridge south of it and the yard.
Our 18-pars. and 6-in, howitzers put down this barrage
about 4 p.m.
(In the morning, while 3rd Bde, was in the sunken road
and the 1st Bde, was xxxx finishing its fight, a brigade
of 18-pdrs., R.H.A., galloped up into action on the reverse
side of a pimple about 50 yds. in front of the railway on top
of the hill above Luc Wood. They ran their guns up there
and waited to support the 2 p.m. attack. They were under
direct observation and.M.G. fire there. They came in very
finely and were ready to support the troops as they moved
over Froissy Beacon. These guns waited until 4 p.m. to open 
up. When they opened then the German got onto them immediately
with artillery fire - until he was cleared off Froissy Beacon
by 11th Bn.).
The artillery came down at 4 p.m. The 11 Bn  had to
support the 12th Bn through Chuignolles until they reached the
far slope below Germanine Wood and then turn N.W. and work
 

105.
along the slope of the hill towards the river so as to clear
the way for 9th Bn. which was advancing on the left sector.
In the gully was a railway yard full of small buildings
and stacks of timber and material with many M.G. nests. One
officer  took 30 germans and 2 M.G. out of one of the huts
in the valley.
There were a number of M.G. nests on the hillside
opposite where there were a quarry, several folds, huts
stacks of timber, etc., giving lots of cover. The same two
coys. - Tulloch on left and Norrie on the right; Lieut.
Norrie covering Captain Tulloch by keeping on his right
along the crest.
9th Bn. came up in close formation and did not open
into artillery formation till they got to Square Wood.
The two coys, of 11th Bn, then stopped on Froissy
Beacon - 9th Bn. passing through towards Cappy and Square
Wood. The 9th Bn. got past Square Wood but came under
direct artillery fire and that night they came back, to the
line where 11th Bn. was holding at Froissy Beacon. In the
morning Major Phillips going up, as 11th Bn was in the same
position as 9th, withdrew the 11th Bn to take up the further
task which it was then set.
These two coys, very much depleted were now wit hdrawn
to a support position close under the brow, of the hill a
little S.W. of Froissy Beacon (Aug. 24).
This day a mine laid by the Germans went up. He had
a dump of 77's shells in the valley. 9th Bn. had its aid
post about 10 yds, from the dump of shells in a German log
hut. During the day the German shell dump blew up with a
mine and 6 men in the 9th Bn aid post and 2 horses were killed.
(The coal dump 150 yards away had been set on
fire by our barrage. The valley was a warm place all day).
From here on is. 
Major Phillip’s account - acting
C.O. at time
On Aug. 24 Major Phillips was ordered to get in touch
with Colonel Neligan and co-operate with him in advancing 
 10 amd 11 Bn advancing through 9th and 12th Bn.  Zero was 
fixed at 8 p.m. It was  found that 11th Bn could not
be in position by 8 p.m. and Zero was altered to midnight.
At 10.30 p.m. an order came from Bde, cancelling the
attack with instructions to relieve 12th Bn in the front
line. This was done without incident except that 10
prisoners were, brought in - the night was so dark and rainy 
that they had lost their way. A hot meal was taken up and 
served to the troops in the front line at 12.30 p.m. There
was no rum and so two cases of whiskey were sent up by C.0.
From 2 a,m. on 24th till 12.20 next night they had been
moving and scrapping and were very tired.
The line of xx 12th Bn ran on our side of Olympia Wood
but not far away from it.
About 2.30 a.m. C Coy 11th Bn (Lieut. Graham), while
reconnoitring in front of the line, came on a M.G. post in
a trench. He had three men with him. He finished the
Germans with bombs and bombed up 700 yds, of trench running 
on due E. and W. All our bombs had run out and they used
German stickbombs for doing this. A bomb stop was put in
and a post made and the trench held. (Graham got a bar to 
his M.C. for this individual effort). At 10.30 a.m. an
advance of the whole line was made over the top and went
forward 3000 yds., finishing at 12.30 p.m. This advance
was in conjunction with 10th Bn which had been postponed.
The dispositions were B Coy. on the right.
Lieut. Charles
Lieut Graham
B (Norrie)
(23 men)

D Coy, was in support. 

 106.
They were cut about by M.G. fire and 77's. The advance
(which was made by covering fire and by platoons), was held 
up by heavy M.G. fire from the sugar factory near
Dompierre (S.W. of the village) and a M.G. post west of
Dompierre.  Artillery support was called for and after two
rounds were fired on the Sugar Factory about 30 Germans
with M.G.'s were seen to run out of the factory towards
Dompierre. (They evidently cut across the road into a
trench there).
After a meal the advance was continued till finally
held up by M.C. fire from A, B and C,
Diagram - see original document
We put  down artillery fire on A. B.and C. We worked
out to X,Y, and Z. Listening posts were put out to J, S
and T. Orders came for the relief this night and the 
trench was consolidated so that it could be handed over.
(Halahan's father was a mining man. One brother in
16th Bn. killed at Gallipoli; one killed at Fleurbaix in
51st Bn.; one prisoner in Germany taken in 111th Bn. at
Lagnicourt; and "Wally" Halahan killed on Sept. 18 at
Villeret).
August 9th.
11th BATTALION.
(Captain O’Neill’s account)
Marched to Harbonnieres on afternoon of 9th August.
Not wanted that afternoon. So went forward and dug a
defensive line, a new line on a new line on high ground
East of Harbonnieres. They dug there from about 1 to 4
a.m., and were then told to knock off as they would
probably have to attack that morning. (August 10). They
had a hot meal and got orders about 5 a.m. to go through 2nd 

who were holding the line - 9th and 11th attacking and
12th and 10th supporting. They moved off about 6.30 in
artillery formation - to attack at 8. They had to push
through the red line and take blue line. Lihons was
11th Bn. to go beyond Crepy Wood and
objective of 9h Bn. 11th Bn. to go beyond Crepy Wood and
make objective on left. 1 23rd Bn, were to be on left of
11th. Bn, and to conform to their movement.
To be supported by a barrage. But this was very poor
as too few guns were up.
It was misty till 8 a.m. Then the mist lifted and a