Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/260/1 - 1916 - 1930 - Part 22

They saw 2 Div going up on May 2.   Some of 2nd went over to 

cheer them up.   "Never saw diggers more [[gleeve/glum?]]".

This ws the 3rd "Demonstration Stunt" the
Austlns were in for.
When moving up on 3 May, Doc Henderson ws k.
On top of ridge behind Noreuil was a 4.5 how using 
reduced charges
Wd of 2 div were lying in shell holes near [[Pn?]] trench.
A man of 2 Bn went out to get one in but ws
hit.   Another (Pte later Corporal) Robbins, went
out & got the wounded man (? of 2nd) in.  Millar asked
Milligan if he saw it.    Milligan sd "Yes" but
wasnt enthusiastic.
Lieut. Don Campbell (I.O. of Bn) who came
back to send repts sd tt things up the trench were
"lovely."
"It was here I irritated practically everybody
from Sergt Major up.   Owing to the din, & they not
being accustomed to the telephone could not answer the
Colonel's questions or hear what he was saying."
"It was in this stunt tt we were bothered w
thirst, & the only one in France tt I can remember.
Prisoners came past & were asked by all & sundry
for water (wasser) or coffee.   W arms well up they
said "Nix! Nix!" and increased their pace.
Carry pties were sent for bombs - it ws in
these tt Hurley & Lewis (the man w nerves) came
out so well.   "I am belittling him by saying
he was grand."   Both were k, but Lewis by an
accident - thro' a 2 mules ^∧ in a limber bolting after the
fight.
A wd man aftwds walked over to the Germs by
mistake.
At Ballect where 2 Bn went in the second time the
Gs forced 10 Bn out, but the Bn "put things OK."

(Sunny Howell got his V.C.) when the bn ws going
forwd a H.Q. runner came back & told Capt Millar
to retire (the only time D.I.T. ever heard this order).    Millar
questioned the runner & ws still doing so when
Miligan came up.   Millar asked if it was O.K.
Milligan sd "Yes".    Millar asked Milligan if he ws 
sure" & ^∧ I think if it had been elsewhere our O.C. wd have
been slated.   Still, he had ^∧ our moral support. To my
mind, and to many others, Capt. Millar ws
perfectly right, & even tho' the Col. sd it was O.K.
an order like tt requires thinking over.
"It seemed to me tt altho Col Milligan
ws a fine soldier w some extraordinarily
fine qualities, he ws a bit "cold".   Had I been
in his place I wd have congratulated
Capt Millar on very ^∧ proving tt he ws no Hun's fool."
During the first time in the Hun did not
recognise the Red Cross in any way.
                     _________________
(Sergt?) R.G. Treseder
Croydon RS. Hurstville.
"We had not gone v. far before the Huns used their flares wh. of course,
revealed to them our coming, & almost instantly the report of their
rifles sounded, wh ws v. soon followed by the "click-click" "clack-
clack" of their mgs which swept along us.   In face of this we
charged forwd w fixed baynts, for even bullets were not to
stop us. ... I thought every minute I wd be hit, but only a poor
fellow here & there ws struck.   As we got closer to their trench they
started throwing their bombs.   I cd dimly see their heads thro' the darkness
moving abt.   At this stage we ourselves opened fire, & almost
imdly the voice of our officer gave the cmnd "Charge" & then a roar
went up amongst us as we charged ford.   I can tell you, Mum
the Huns did not wait for us but beat a hasty retreat, & so by
this we gained entrance to the village. even then I cd not help but laugh
at the pace at wh the Gs ran, for we could not catch them."

There were still "respectable ruins" left, not like
Pozieres, where nothing left.   Passing thro G ^∧ village ws not
easy - for all kinds of things barred our passage...
over ruins, piles of bricks, broken fences, & barbed wire
& hedges we scrambled thro' until we reached our
destinatn where we were to dig in.
By this time it was break of day, & we were
hardly on the other side o the village before the sound
of G. rifles & mgs was heard "for we had reached one
of their S.P.s. ... some of our brave chaps fell at
this stage, but the Huns got the worst of it for they
were lying dead everywhere, and soon we got them
over the hills."   After digging in had begun a
crowd of prisoners ws obtained "tt we had found hiding
in the village".    They came out o the village w their
hands up.   They were then formed in 4's & marched off to HQ.
"One of them called me Kamerad & offered me a
pipe, but I was disgusted w them & completely
ignored it."
                    ____________________
In this fight we burnt ^∧ used some of their  
^∧ captured mgs. on the Gs.
after w
                     ___________________

HN
2nd Bn. Hermies.
Notes of interviews with Mann, Murphy,
Taylor & O'Connell, Oct. 1929.
(after dinner at Taylor's)
            _______________________
Diagram - see original document.

Behind A Coy as they were lying out
a G. flare set fire to aheap of stubble or
straw & showed up the men on the grd.   They
were fired on & had first cas^s there.
Capt Millar gave word to A to move.
& got B to move also.
D & C struck diffics in the open at least 500^x
from trench.   The Gs, were along a shrubby line of
trees - a field abt 75^x & ^∧ line of abt 150^× of scrub.
C Coy meeting this lost all its remaining officers.
(Robbins ws k early.)   It ws v. dark.
Wd run 20^x - 50^x.   C Coy in front.   D lying
down cd see legs of D. as they ran.
C wd then follow - G. flares constantly going.

2.
Cooper ^∧ (d of w) & Barnes (of C) hit there. C overran this
opposition.   (It ws here tt the auto. rifles were)
After this a dip in grd. for 150^x. At point X
C coy appeared to be [[?massing]].   This ws pt
from wh trench ws to be attd.   Mann went
thro them & found offrs  hit -  Sergt Brew
gave him the positn (& one or two other NCOs)
(D Coy only had pltn Sgts left.)   These straightened out the Coy.    D Coy also
ws straightened ready for assault.   Plenty of
time to reform - D hadnt suffered heavily.
Just before zero (5.25 zero) they
heard a cheer from A & decided not
to wait.    C ^∧ & D rushed the backyards
opposite X.   There were ^∧ a few Gs along the hedge
yet when got into trench found men sleeping
in billets - surprised.   The bldgs had bn
smashed up by Gs & they were occp
cellars & odd rooms.   We ran thru trench.
Reformed again in fold ^∧ Y free from
fire - Mann's Coy ws to hold from
Demict Rd to rly temply to capture
Gs in trench.   And later to hold Demict rd
to Chalkpit rd.

3
Reforming at Y, Mann sent each pln
towds its objve
 
 Diagram - see original document

First plns had practly no difty.
But No 16 ptn struck resistce at the Quarry.
Daylight ws now breaking
Coming up to Qy in sectns 16 pln
had to adv. over good field of fire - (Auto
rifles) Each man hit thro head.   Kenny
got into rd on rt & found sniper under a
tree  From Q & bayoneted him.
This ws 40^x from pit.   Kenny ran the 40^x
to Quarry throwing bombs into Qy.   We
found 6 auto rifles
nearby & Offr & 6 Gs dead
 

Diagram - see original document

The place ws apptly a Coy HQ.
There ws a string of posts from there to rly
line.   Sgt Murray took a trench
D Coy got thro to rly.   Others came thro

trench gradly moving out.   Many Gs driven
out prisoners.
2 Bn fired at Gs retiring in front of 1 Bn later

4
Cpl Harold Murray.
Pln CO & Sergt wd.    Led pln agst brigade
& led bombing pln against brigade near rly & took
hold of it.
Kenny. crawled to flank. Captd mg. Qy ws
good positn.
Pte Bradshaw ws w Kenny.   He ws k quite close up.
Sgt. Grintlnton ^∧ Grinlinton had rt pln & reached positn on rly
pretty early
Lt Paviour ws hit in knee & later hit by [[G?]] on
side of head.
Mann had in this show only one ^∧ two offrs (Paviour & T. Smith)
P. ws hit before daylight.   Other plns under Sgts.
None exc. lieuts in this show.
C.S.M. Brown. took ch of men in his sector as offr throughout
Teesdale  Smith also ws in Mann's Coy but ws
hit early.
Brew (C. Coy.)    ^∧ No offrs in C Coy xxxx Disorgn might have been
disastrous but Brew took ch. and carrd on.
Mann's Coy got M.C.., 4 D.C.M's, & M.M. 

A.
When A moved they met barbd wire on E side of
rd.   It was protg a small trench.   A fired on trench
but took & when got it they cheered.   Took
no further notice of it.   Xd rd ½ rt
& moved up till reached some high grd.
When struck this we were fired on
w mgs & had cas.s. They doubled up
this & got some way up when fire
got too hot & they dropped to grd.
We were also being fired on from rt,
LG Tom Keith was shot in ankle but contd
firing on crowd on rt.
We had passed some applty dead Gs
on hill but when 1st line passed these
fired.    2nd line coming up hill saw them.
2 jumped up & kamaraded - made
prisoners - rest k.   Here Coy ws held up.
At top of hill you cd see, agst sky,
dust whipped up by G. mgs.
Patterson & Murphy (No 3) moved out
to [[were?]] w Basil Swain & Harry White,
We got them to put rifle grenades over
crest if hill whence fire coming.   Patterson
ws shot here thro head (talking to M).

2
Here news spread tt Gs behind firing on
S/Bs taking wd back.    A pty ws sent
back under L Cpl. Armstrong.   They were
firing from ^∧ the trench wh A Coy had passed. Armstrong
fired on this trench & Gs surrendered.
Owing to other xxx Coys going thro' village on the left
the Fire from front & rt suddenly ceased.
A Coy went forwd & met no oppositin
Just over rise ws brickyard - w
dugout & 6 Gs. all dead exc. one.

Diagram - see original document 

Coy moved as shown & found
G positn along rd at Z
w dugout - German mail
in dugout.

A Coy came to rly line.
On rly line a mg fired from
S side somewhere, but no one hit.
A then travelled thro G & came to
a paddock w high banks.    Dugouts along
bank w wooden doors.   One ws dressing
stn. found one of our men there.
Wyatt. bomber ws hit there & [[tn?]] off
in door of dugout (w Ex prisoner)
Dug in there.   There ws a trench S of rly there w
some Gs in it.   White & Swain cleared 2 dozen Gs
from there w rifle grenades, backed up by Keary
the m gr.

Gs evacd trench but werent fired on.
During night 3 Bn came up & occd this
trench from A. Coy.
In rd W. of stn were a no of Austr rifles.
Gs were surprised there.
                    ___________________
A Coy went round the wire.   It ws the
recruits tt cheered thinking the war
ws over.

Get B Coy Laver.