Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/274/1 - 1918 - 1941 - Part 5

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066712
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

a rasth & down I trech came 20ss w 9 awd rifles at the high port. Idrappe his revolves instantl & the leading Han dropped his rifle & beld this hands up, & all ress folld suit. (T& pty were feeling their way up I truch cautiously The t5 men following behien then went through ws 1gs for watches – one dipes had 6. Igot one of these & Ores afterds put his haw in pocket & foun it smashed by a bullet wh he hadnt noticed. T the took the ply on to Nw cornevo
wood (dujout prisss had be shoo-ed back) a a couble of nen to see them parto f way, the trench stopped abt soyds from Wood. I was pazzliey what to clo, & cd see more s's coming up to refee those who were holding (edgeof wood. The ly broke into a V & the 15 were satered over 30-4ogds. I called a halt to plan his attack. I mens (proble) passed, when a red headed diger sd Let's rush the blly then. Isd. 20 os pear. T. had 10
to order them not to as he kaww there ws a G. wt in the wood. I worked back up the other branch of the V & found it led up tol wood; so he went back & brought mee up 14 - a very phicky chap going first: at one corner there were 2 go to a mis & they knew whoever went round first wd get the Mg. However for some reason the Gs. broke - There ws a shout "Theyr ennaing o the pty went on after them. The
5B2 12 b onIedgo (wood in a Lip 2 So Je 7 6 T o ply rushed this S.P. abt 20yds (no losses so far? The S.t had bee firing on the 5th when I rashed it
there ws a depont & outof djout came 12fs to hands up, sarrenderng. As soon as they had cleased the SP. Toynt went into the wood & found, 107ds in front of the M.G. te sergeant of the 6 Br. No man of his ba ws within 180 or 200 yds. I went at once across to Permezel & told him of his positin betw. 515 & 6th Two days later the whole line went formed. Or rather & Bu went on, 5 Bu dibit – I got 2 wile out 13
t no one on flank. He went out to recomnoitie & while looking round ws hit to a pragment of 5.9 in the thigh. The I was stelling there heavily On Aug 23 ma I estable a line E of Plalean Wd. (ater reashing toe wood) - Eslabld a line to of the wood in an ot 2 (15ofown & att 50 of 6Bn) I T. returnd abt 8.30 to his own Du H E (after cally then cagld on EBr) & foundhis (Findley) had bu K. Sehad to morehis ply up a bit o was hewity find on by
ss in Herleville wood. A pty of some 200 ps. being brought in as prests by 3 or 8 Scots was here mercilessly fired on by the J. M. guns & cut tobits. T. took his Coy fartinr back; & was then ordered E of Peatean wood (the past wh he had captd,) w his Coy. He remaned there reportig to the C.O. of the St. two days later rest of 8 seld the 6th.
N.N. Aug 22, 1918. Letter Carrie: - to Monash 22.8.18. on leaving 4 aeney. There are no tho who have given us as loyal & effective cart as 1 aetts and I am sure I speak for all cdns when I say to we wa like to finish I wer figsity sicle by sick you.
E REVEILLE August 1, 1838 in the Sydney Showground, and we sailed together in the Anchises. He came from the Northern Rivers of N.S.W. During the evening we moved to a new position at MERICOURT the other end of the village, and just as the transport left the quarry another big shell landed there, and the debris completely covered the dead men. AUGUST 22, 1918 The transport returned to Morcourt early next morn- ing, and we were only a few hundred yards behind the front line at Mericourt. A day or two later we went August 22, 1918, wll be long remembered by Diggers to Cerisy Valley—3009 Pte. E. J. INGHAM, 21st M.G. of the 2lst Machine Gun Company. Cov. A.LF. 2 Lrton, Stuart Are, Manly. The company left the billets at Hamelet about 10.15 p.m. on the 2lst, and marched about ten miles through Vaire-sous-Corbie, Hamel, Cerisy, Morcourt, and arrived at Mericourt about 2,30 a.m. on the 22nd. After the long march the troops were ready for a rest, and camped in holes along the hillside overlooking the main road and the river Somme. The transport section and mules were located in the quarry, near a sunkep road at the end of the village. When we awoke later in the morning, we found the hill alive with 18-pounders, and directly in front of us were Fritz’s observation balloons. 57100 Our guns were giving Fritz a bad time, but we soon found the balloons had spotted our transport, for, when the mules were taken to the river for a drink, enemy F BTEE shells began to come over. The first shell landed about fifty yards beyond our sleeping places and we were showered with dirt. The next fell just near a mob of A artillery horses, as they were trotting along the road. After that the shells came in showers; one fell on the road directly in front of a motor transport full of troops and the vehicle ran into the hole made by the shell, and it was some time before it could be placed on the road P again. Some of the shells fell close to us and some in the river Somme, so we hurriedly vacated our positions and went into the village, to shelter among the ruins. The shells dropped close to where the transport limbers and mules were, and some of the buildings near us were hit. The situation was becoming desperate and we were chased all over the village. During the afternoon the shelling was transferred to the river, as Fritz had prob- ably observed the mules being taken for water. We decided to shift to the sunken road just outside the village, as the shells were continuously passing over our heads and bursting in the ruins of the village. About 6 p.m. the machine gun sections were preparing to take up their positions for the big attack in the morning, and just as No. 3 section had assembled in the quarry a 12-inch shell landed there, near where some of the men had been resting, and burst over the 30 men comprising the section. Pieces of shell, chalk and stones were thrown over them. Three men were killed outright and 17 were wounded, three of whom died later in hospital. Only ten men were left in the section, which had to be reinforced to complete the required number. This occurrence upset everyone, and no one felt up to the task required of him the next morning. The sunken road was like a dressing station, men lying about covered in blood, having their wounds dressed. Some had legs and arms off, and face and chest wounds. The three men killed were Privates Pat Harrington, Campbell and Robinson, and they were buried the next day in the cemetery at Morcourt. Pat Harrington was the life of the section; he had enlisted in the 8th Reinforce- ments of the lst Pioneer Bn., and was camped with me asS AbhOboffr Eo
H.N. 1 35 Aug 23 1918. Proyart, from LT Dollery, 12Bn. The 12th did not begin really to attack until they passed through the ist who had got up onto Froissy Beacon. Part of the ist had got away to the left there, and had apparently left Germans on the heights immediately opposite 7Chuignes 7Chuignolles who fired heav. 1ly on the 12th as they came down into the valley to attack - cut- ting about the wheatfield through which they were passing so-that they had to creep on their stomachs with the mcgs cutting the blades above them. The German Shrapnel was badly burst immediately overhead and just failed to lengthen sifficiently. Then the 12th pushed thro the ist Dollery was next to Tulloch of the 1ith and they want more or less together. Hhe Germans were beaten and were faffly ready to run back:Dollery pushed on over the open top of the ridge until he came to the Bois Carre or near it; almost to the edge of Olympia Wood. His men had some shots at the German gunteams which were racing off with guns from Olympia Wood, and over the next rise. At 1100 yds he does not think his L. Gunners hit any, Hdjor Foster, who was with the Bn that day was due for his Anzac leave. He was an officer who had been much tried, but he had come back to the unit after wounds, and asked to go into the fight of the 23rd. Just as he was leading his menmout from Froissy Beacon he was shot through the head, by mg or Sniper. Lt. 2L..... carrying a bomb with a pin out was hit, and fell and the bomb exploding killed him. There were no troops for 100 yds to the left of the 12th. Section rushes (to whistle) were used at Froissy. Aug 25th. On Aug 25th, owing to the advance of the 3rd Div it was thought that the ist Div might push on and capture or cut off Ger- mans who were in a pocket formed by Olympia Wood, Cappy est: Accord ingly 2hh 12th and 9th (Tany others) were ordered to advance. There. was no barrage and they were to start at 3pm. (7) Dhelary was ordered first tosee that the guarry near Olympia wood was clear of Germans & that they could not be enfiladed: This he did fairly easily and afterwards went on into Olympia Wood. Something went wrong with the 9th and they didnot advance for two hours after the 12th. The 12th had to go over the top, and they did so in one continuous advance - not by section rushes. The Germans had as usual a pickectype of machinegunner in his rearguard posts and they cut the 12th about terribly: It was a hopeless ad- vance; and the losses were pitiably heavy. When the lith came up the party under Dollery was having be withdrawn from Olympia Wd, and the 11th taking fnx them for Germa Tired on them: That night the Germans retired fron the ositions whie the 12th failed to reach.

9.

a rustle & down t trench came 20 Gs w

rifles at the high port. J. dropped aimed his revolver

instantly & the leading Hun dropped his rifle

& held his hands up, & all t rest folld suit.

(J & pty were feeling their way up t trench cautiously)

The 15 men following behind then went through

t Gs for watches - one digger had 6. J got ws gn one of

these & 10 mins aftwds put his hand in pocket

& found it smashed by a bullet wh he hadnt

noticed. J. then took the ply on to NW corner o

 

 

10

Wood (dugout prisrs had bn shoo-ed back)

w a couple of men to see

them part o t way.

The trench stopped abt 50 yds from wood. J. was

puzzling what to do, & cd see more Gs coming

up to refce those who were holding t edge o t

wood. The trench broke into a V & the 15 were scattered

over 30-40 yds. J. called a halt to plan his attack;

5 mins (probly) passed, when a red headed digger

sd "Let's rush the bloody thing." J sd no - fear. J had

 

 

 

11

to order them not to as he knew there ws a

G. m.g. in the wood. J worked back up the other

branch of the V & found it led up to t Wood; so

he went back & brought t men up t trench - a

very plucky chap going first: at one corner there

were 2 Gs w a m.g. & they knew whoever went

round first wd get the m.g. However for

some reason the Gs. broke - There ws a shout "They're

running" & the pty went on after them. The

 

 

12

Gs xx had bn on t edge o t wood in a S.P.

 

Hand drawn diagram - see original document.

 

J & pty rushed this S.P. abt 20 yds (no losses so far)

The S.P. had bn firing on the 5th - when J rushed it

 

 

 

13

There ws a dugout & out o t dugout came 12 Gs w hands

up, surrendering.

As soon as they had cleared the S.P. Joyut

went into the wood & found, 10 yds in front of the m.g.

the a sergeant of the 6 Bn. No man of his bn ws

within 150 or 200 yds.

J went at once across to Permezel

& told him of his positn betw. 5th & 6th.

Two days later the whole line went forwd.

Or rather 8 Bn went on, 5 Bn didn't - J got ½ mile out

 

 

14

as no one on flank. He went out to reconnoitre

& while looking round ws hit w a fragment of 5.9

in the thigh. The G was shelling there heavily.

On Aug 23 evening J establd a line E of Plateau Wd

(after reaching the wood) - establd a

line E of the wood in an SW trench (15 of own & abt

50 of 6 BN).

J. returned abt 8.30 to his own Bn HQ (after calling

on 6 Bn) & found his Captain Commandr (Findley) had bn k. J then had to

move his ply coy up a bit & was heavily fired on by 

 

[* hand drawn sketch - crossed out *]

 

 

15

Gs in Herleville Wood. A pty of some 200 Gs. being brought

in as prisrs by 3 or 4 Scots was here mercislessly fired

on by the G. m. guns & cut to bits.

J. took his coy farther back; & was then ordered

E of Plateau Wood (the posn wh he had captd,) w his Coy.

He remained there reporting to the C.O. of the 8th.

Two days later rest of 8 reld the 6th.

 

         _________

 

 

 

H.N. Aug 22.1918.

Carrie :- Letter to Monash 22.8.18. on leaving 4 ceremy.

"There are no tps who have given us as loyal & effective

suppt as t Austlns and I am sure I speak for all cdns when

I say tt we wd like to finish t was fighting side by side

w you."

 

 

August 1, 1938          REVEILLE              13

MERICOURT

     ______

AUGUST 22, 1918

      ______

August 22, 1918, will long be remembered by Diggers

of the 21st Machine Gun Company.

The company left the billets at Hamelet about 10.15

p.m. on the 21st, and marched about ten miles through

Vaire-sous-Corbie, Hamel, Cerisy, morcourt, and arrived

at Mericourt about 2.30 a.m. on the 22nd.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kimberley Hayes Kimberley Hayes
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