Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/274/1 - 1918 - 1941 - Part 12

On the morning of Saturday, 31st August 1918, we, C. Company of

the 21st Battalion A.I.F. crossed the Somme and had dinner behind artillery

After dinner we moved up to a chalk pit and had heavy shelling while 

going. Corporal Les. Baker was wounded in the leg by a piece of shrapnel

St 7.30 p.m. we went into supports for the night.

 

On Sunday, 1st September our barrage opened at 4 a.m. German

artillery retaliated with scattered fire for half an hour. About 6 a.m.

we received word that the 22nd and 24th Battalions had been counter-

attacked and driven back. At 7.30 a.m. we moved out in sections to get

into positions. About 10 o'clock we reached the railway line half way

up the hill, crossed the line and got into an old sap leading up to

an old brick wall on the tight. At 1.30 p.m. we attacked and advanced

over first road where there was heavy machine gun fire and a good deal

of bombing ^on both sides. We forced the German right wing back, causing the left to

withdraw, and we reached our objective about 3 p.m., an old sap about

100 yards beyond the village. Private A. Walker was killed in sap

above the village after our objective had been taken,

                                         Private A.E. Crawford.

                                            21st Battn

                                                A.I.F.

 

2/9/19       Orbost

                  East Gippsland

                                                            Docts of Record

 

 

 

 

                         WITH COMPLIMENTS

                                 FROM J.G. ROBERTS

                                     "EUMANA",

                                        17 HASTINGS ROAD,

                                            UPPER HAWTHORN.

                             Photographic montage of soldiers killed

 

 

 

                        To the Memory of

                 FRANCIS WILLIAM ROBERTS

          AND COMRADES OF THE 211ST BATTN. A.I.F.

       KILLED IN THE CAPTURE OF MONT ST. QUENTIN, FRANCE

         ON SUNDAY, 1ST SEPTEMBER 1918.

       BURIED TOGETHER ON THE MOUNT, AND AFTERWARDS AT PERONNE.

BLACKMORE, ALBERT HENRY- Lce. Cpl., M.M., "B" Co., No. 2116,

              Age 24 years. Son of J.A. and E. Blackmore, North Maldon.

 

BOTTOMLEY, WILLIAM JOHN - Pte., "A" Co., No. 7199. Age, 39 years

             8 months. Son of John and Mary Jane Bottomley, Echuca.

 

CHANDLER, DAVID GEORGE GREGORY- Pte., "D" Co., No. 6781. Age,

             20 years. Fourth Son of David C. and Emma Chandler, North

             Williamstown.

 

COPE, ARTHUR LINDSAY- Lieut., "C" Co. Age, 28 years. Second Son of

             Edwin and Jane Cope, Strathmerton.

 

DOWELL, WILLIAM FRANCIS - Pte., "A" Co., No. 6747. Age, 20 years. Only

              Son of Frederick and Margaret Dowell, Thornbury.

 

HUNT, COLIN EDWARD- Sgt., "B" Co., 6817A. Age, 22 years 9 months.

              Second Son of James Jupp and Martha Jamison Hunt, Surrey Hills.

 

KELLY, ALBERT EDWARD - Pte., "C" Co., No. 6833. Age, 40 years. Second

               youngest Son of Thomas and Ellen Kelly, Essendon. Husband of

               Mrs. Belle Kelly, and father of Gracie and Albert.

 

SMERDON, ALFRED ROY- Pte., "C" Co., No. 6390. Age, 25 years 7 months.

                Son of John James and Ann Smerdon, Murrayville.

 

STAAF, GUSTAF WILLIAM OSCAR -Lce. Cpl., "C" Co., No. 5413. Age

               27 years. Fourth Son of Andrew and Frances Staaf, Echuca.

 

THOMPSON, EDWIN WERRETT -Pte., "B" Co., No. 664A. Age, 25 years.

               Second Son of William E. and Mary A. Thompson, Drysdale.

 

THORBURN, WILLIAM HUGH- Pte., "B" Co., No. 6178. Age, 35 years.

               Youngest Son of Hugh and Lois Eliza Thorburn, Newton, N.S.W.

 

WALKER, ALEXANDER -Pte., "C" Co., No. 6398. Age, 23 years 5 months.

                Only Son of George and Janet Waker, Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire,

                 Scotland.

 Photograph of grave site.

 

 

                                       1.        Peronne

                                                   Sept 1, 1918              H.N.

                                                       54 Bn

                                                        AC Hall                           Gundooee

                                                                                                 Nynyan

                                                                                                      27^th Jan 1941.

 

Dear Dr. Bean.

Thank you for yours of 21^st inst

with map & extract from your notes.

The ma leaves no doubt in my mind that

it was B reached by my patrol.

Your notes say "About 100 prisoners were taken

out of the N.E. end of the town that morning with

M.Gs & Minnewerfers. Does this refer to the

morning of the 1^st or 2^nd as to the best of 

my knowledge my patrol were ^was the only one in that 

end of the town that day & while we took

action we only succeeded in putting out of

action one M.G. as far as I remember.

But I have always understood that the

58^th Batt. took about that number of prisoners

the next day.

As far as the fighting at C & D was concerned

I do not think I would have been quite so

far north as that. ^Unless C & D are meant to

refer to the trenches

& not the particular points. I have pencilled in the

approx line of my advance. Though I may not

be quite accurate about the starting point.

My diary says we hopped over at 6.15. A.M. but

I cannot say if that was [yend?]] home or the

                                 2.

actual time we went on. Things were a bit

rushed. I think I saw two of our own shells

& not much enemy artillery fire. Enemy M.Gs

were fairly active as we were getting close to

the first belt of wire which was practically

untouched & looked impassable. The first 

trench put up a fight until we got well

into it but the second was tightly held

& only one or two posts seemed to put

offer much resistance.

From there the going was easy for a

while but MG posts became active as we

got nearer the town but they appeared

to have been hurriedly organised & badly

placed or I do not think I should have

been writing this now.

Of the three posts you marked, I was not at the

one on the left but the other two were both

B Coy posts for certain the one on the right

was mine. There was also a post somewhere

about 27 d & 9 where I have put a pencil dot, but

I cannot remember if it was held on the

1st or not. The position is only approximate

as I only visited it at night, as the way

to it along the Boulevard would have 

been unhealthy in daylight as Flamicourt

                                    3. 

was strongly held & in this case the M.Gs

seemed to be remarkedly well placed.

By some error we got both our own & the

enemy barrage on the morning of the

2^nd. I believe some of the other advanced

posts were withdrawn for a while but the

order did not reach us.

Hope you can sort what you want out of this.

I know you must be used to wading through

thousands of words to catch one or two that

may possibly be of use.    Best wishes.

                     Yours sincerely.

                              A.C.Hall.

P.S. My sone aged eleven starts at A.S.B. this coming

term. A.C.H.

Map of Peronne

 

 

                                  H.N. Sept 2. 1918 

D^r C.W. Bean                                                      Tallyaha

Official Historian                                                  Quigne

Victoria Barracks                                                  Jan 31st

Sydney.

Dear D^r Bean

I am afraid that I am not going

to be of much use to you in respect to

the fight of Sept 2^nd 1918.

Here it is! out of a hazy past and perhaps

some of it may dovetail in with

information you already have.

We moved off with the 43^rd on the

morning of the 2^nd under what I seem

to remember as a "bitzer" barrage &

more or less followed down a line

of shallow trenches untill held up at

a bomb stop by the hun.

We exchanged salvoes but were

prevented from crossing the gap by

a machine gun or guns firing from

over our half-left. They had us

pinned down in the trench for quite

a time but over on our right we

could see some enterprising individual

bombing his way up in their direction.

In a lull a couple of us made the 

gap & with bombs at the ready

proced along the trench encountering