Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/274/1 - 1918 - 1941 - Part 8
10.
bullets were flying around. There was much sport that morning
firing at the retreating Huns, and "Nimmo" Smith does good work with
the Lewis gun.
At night the men were all placed in the dugouts and the line
was held with machine-gun posts, who were relieved every two hours
or so. Fritz bombarded, and the enemy planes came across and dropped
many bombs that night. Of course No. 2929 was in it all. At
night No. 2880 was out with the machine guns with Bill Brown and
Herb Heathcote and assisting in patrols. Nobody expected any food
to be brought up that night, but it came along for all that, thanks
to "Hector Blanchmange" (Sergt. Sutherland) the quarter master.
That night or rather early next day the 2nd Division came
through, and the battalion was relieved, and went back as far as the
Hindenburg Line and stayed there for a couple of days. This was on
2/10/18. The dead lay all over the place, and some of the large
dugouts were full of hun dead, with a notice at the entrance to
that effect.
On 4/10 a move was made to Rosiel, and four days later Doignt
was reached, and the men entrained at Peronne to go right out to
Oisement for a well earned spell. Though they knew it not, they
had done their last stunt...........
Hist Notes.
Some date Aug 23- 28, 1918
Lieut Christian
Battle of Proyart. Christian's company
of the 59th was about 25x from the German
trenches. They had been promised (or were
expecting) relief when they were told they
must stay in longer. They were then ordered
to attack the Germans ahead of them. Christian's
sergeant, who went along, told him that
they would not. The men simply said it
couldnt be done & they would'nt do it.
Christian said "it has got to be done" - "Well they won't do it".
Christian said "send them along to me". He
got a trench ladder, & after telling the men what
he thought of the matter he said "Well, I'm
going myself". He had nearly reached the
top of the ladder - he was a little actor about 8 stone weight
& small in all dimensions - when a big hand
got him by the pants & pulled him down &
the men went over. A number of them were
scuppered.
28 Duff St.
Turramurra
27/11/40
H.N. Cappy Aug 25. 1918
Historian
Victoria Barracks
Paddington
Dear Sir,
Re your queries of 14th Nov: 1940
you have everything correct. Exact date
of birth was 16th April 1883. Enlisted
at Townsville but was working & living
at Duchess via Cloncurry N.Q. My work
was copper mining & contracting on the
Sulieman Creek railway.
Yes; I was definitely in charge of
'B' Company, 9th Bn on 25th August 1918.
Captain Farmer of the 9th Bn led the Coy
to the front line but was wounded badly
in the hand in the forenoon. I being then
2nd in C'md took charge. Major James was
in Command of the 9th Bn. He and I made
a daylight reconnaissance to the outskirts of
Cappy village. I kept my Company concealed
by daylight. I then made an early morning
personal reconnaissance about 4am I decided
to advance through Cappy & disregard orders
to 'disengage' that village. I rang Brigadier
Gen: Gordon-Bennett direct & told him I was
going to disregard the order with his permission
He said: "What is it like in front". I said
Gibralter, but I expected to advance on this
route with little opposition. He replied.
"Alright do you best King". I advanced
through Cappy to the chalk pit taking a
gun & several machine guns I was then held
up. As this was the 9th Bn objective. I
reported "all well" to the Bn comdr, I had
posted a Sergt & patrol on my right & a
Corp'l & patrol on my left. The Germans
were surprised as they expected me to flank
the village to the right or left instead I
went straight through the middle!
If possible I would like to pay a tribute
to Major James in the Daylight reconnaissance
He was the bravest of the brave.
The official photographer too was
wonderful. I had never before seen one
in the very front line.
I trust your queries are answered
satisfactorily.
I am a poor writer as I have very
little practice.
Yours faithfully
J. W. King
4 February 1941
HN. 3rd Div
Aug 25.1918
My dear Charles Edward.
Thank you kindly though I am sorry to hear there was no meeting
the lad before he started his adventure with [[Plauty?]] - moreover I would
dearly love say 36 or by the lord many 168 hours with you over the
present war and our share in it. I am grateful that the
old lot did not have a special section of the A.B.C. to [[queer?]] the pitch
for history and possibly despatches.
Touching the first part of your letter I have only my recollections
and impressions and no stimuli in the way of records &c. here.
The period ending with M.S. Quentin was one in which Monash
airily drove of his somewhat one sided [bayalus?] " I am leaving your
division N of the River without relief and later you will have a long spell.
You must keep level with the Main body of the Corps".
The placing of Headquarters was always a bug bear to me. 9th & 10th
seemed to me inclined to ride the storm at a distance and I
remember playing the old hand at pow wows on distances from
Bde to Bn. I wish I had spent time after the armistice in recording
statistics - Not after proof. The thing that cemented was found H.Qrs
provided that it was held strictly manned.
I remember very well the complication 2nd & 5th Divn communications
& my chief [[recreation?]] of [[medicalls?]] was his eviction of the 9th & 11th.
liaison officers! There are so many factors to be taken into account in
referring to a Brigade Command system. [[Since?]] a decent cost Bde Major
a Bdr. can afford to go up as Robertson did. Without taking undue [[will?]]
but you could not [[recommend?]] this with an untried near
I was more than interested to hear your views about USA at [[Bony?]]
and I dont envy you your task in the shrine of history
You can imagine my feelings when I got back that day i.e.
as soon as it was clear the USA failed. "that I must be mistaken
because the U.S.A. had definite reports etc". There ought to be on
record (3rd Division) a very heated discussion between Monash
& myself. Les asked me next day if the transcript was
to be recorded ( in the 3rd divn. a shorthand lad always listened
in to record H.Q. interviews - to which I said let her go Gallagher!
It must be a curious feeling that you will soon write "finis"
to a life's work with the proud satisfaction that it is not only
well done but that nobody else could have done it that way.
I used to think that the really happy man was the lad who
built a decent bridge or laid out a good road. But I now
realise the power of a clean pen, driven by a seeker after
truth. "intune et tenaceu?" and I reckon the writer of even
one worth while book is IT. - now apply your mathematics.
My health is very queer - I sleep very badly & get I suppose
I average 5 hours (not all at once). - eat enough and keep my
weight at 13 1/2 stone. Sometimes I puff going uphill, sometimes not.
I have not been working with my little hands but shall soon
start again. I can do 5 miles comfortably and possibly 10 if asked and the weather is cool. Temper runs a bit hot over A.B.C. politics
government extravagance and my own [Brull?] balance. I
find the role of a mere spectator very hard & see no chance of
being allowed to do anything.
Love in the family from mine
Yours ever
J Gellibrand
abt Aug 28. 1918
Capt. Mahoney at Clery Wood
Sergt Masterman's account
Clery Wood had to be
taken & Mahoney's Coy of
the 40th was given the job.
It was to be a barrage
but they waited & as no
barrage came after about
10 minutes (after the apptd time)
it was decided to go on with
the attack without it.
The Wood was approached
by a trench running thus
Clery Copse
Diagram - see original document
They went
up XC a
& at
C Mahoney
detached Sergt
Masterman
with abt 5 men
& a L. Gun to
go up CA while
the main party went up
CB. Masterman went
up to A & got his gun
goind (?to cover the other party)
He could hear a German
Machine-gun in action, from
the front of the wood, which was
obviously well manned. The gun
was clearly firing at
the other party. Ptesently
they observed men of the
other party going back wounded
-they could see them passing
along a shallow part of the other
trench. Masterman saw
one officer - Lt. C__________
(I forgot the name - ? Craik)
going along it nursing a
wounded arm.
Accordingly either he
sent across to the others or
they to him - I think a
messenger from them came
to him & begged him to
come over & support them
as they were in a bad way.
He crept along a cross
trench (shown in the sketch)
& found their trench dreadful
with dead men. As he got
there one man next to him
fell shot through the
head. Sergt Grey was in
command of the other party & told him
that Mahoney had gone
ahead to reconnoitred,
along the other branch of
the trench, to B, & had
been shot & asked Masterman
it he would go out with him
& bring him in. They
crawled up the trench -
Grey and Masterman - M.
crawled over Mahoney's
body & they began to bring
him in. He was practically
dead. After they had gone
a little way, Mahoney
being dead, it became
clear they could not get
him in, & they left him &
decided to go back alone.
Masterman being beyond
Mahoney had to crawl over
his body, which mad
him slow. When he got
back to Z, he found o
one there but in the trench
were a number of rifles.
He looked out to see what
was happening, & saw
just at that moment a
number of Germans coming
out from the wood, counter
-attacking, in extended order.
He picked up a rifle,
(thinking that his own people
were somewhere about) &
began firing, but presently
it jammed. He accordingly
began to make off along a
trench, when a stick
bomb fell in front of
him. He turned back
before it burst & bolted
the other way, when two
more fell just in front
of him. He jumped out
of the trench into a
shell-hole, & lay quiet
when another bomb fell
on the lip of the crater.
He waited to be blown to
bits, but the explosion
only dazed him. As he
recovered and looked up
he saw two Germans
making towards him to
bayonet him but an officer
or NCO said something
about "gefangener"
& stopped them from killing
him.
He was kindly enough
treated in all the prison
camps. The German command
ant of his camp, one his men
discovering on him a
camera, which he had
managed to carry through
to his prison camp (M.
had a special pocket for
it), took it away, he
never expected to see it
again, but it was recorded
& returned to him at the end
of the war.
Note.
43rd Bn. Clery. (obtained at Bn Hqrs on day of battle.)
43rd Bn took over line along Mt St Quentin Bapaume
rd along the whole divisional front. The order was:-
42
41
43
44
42 already had company in with the right Bde.
There was very heavy fighting in the Bouchavesnes trenches.
G ot old Quarry and Q Farm - lost it again. German c/attacked
10th Bde 3 times (according to their account) and they knocked
him back.
Fiumi and Scutari trenches (?present position?) 174 Bde at
angle.
Tommies started at 4.45. 11th Bde at 5.30. 2nd Aust.
Divn at 6am. Tommies came along well and took all their
objectives, and got through with heavy casualties to old line
beyond Bouch avesnes. The 3rd Divn ot to Allaine.
The Germans enfiladed the 43rd Bn from Mt St Q. But the 2nd
Divn took Mt St Q. at 2pm.
The 43rd were on their objective by 7am. The barrage was
5 minutes to 100 yards. Most of the prisoners were of the 2nd
Guards Divn One German said he owned 500 acres? near Chicago
and reckons that this is the best day of his life.
He was asked what abt our artillery fire. Very good!
How abt our aeroplanes? Jesus!
They had pretty modern news:- they thought the Germans
were going to retire to the Hindenburg line. They knew it had
been reached up at Bullecourt. But they wd nt believe
that the allies had taken 120,000 prisoners. They simply put
their heads back and laughed at it for a wild exaggeration.
We got 6 whizzbangs, brought up to fire point blank.
The 42nd got 6 and the 43rd 2 others (?) The Germans cd nt
get them away.
The Germans said that they found our troops too good this
morning. "We heard the barrage going up north, and we thought
the attack was there. Suddenly the barrage came down on us and
the Australians were all round us." One German officer said
he thought the Australians were the finest troops fighting
not excepting the Germans themselves. He said that the Guards
(2 Guard Divn) were nervy.
Our men reported that they had actually seen one German
officer shoot 6 of his men.
The Germans also praised the Australian sniping. "They
said that it was either heart or head - pointed first to
one then to the other."
The 43rd went in 9 platoons strong and one bn 5 platoons
The 40th Bn caught it very heavily in these old trenches. The
Germans had 2 m.gs within 12 yards of the road where the
43rd Bn started. They wanted to go out and get them.
At 2pm the 43rd cd see the 6th Bde on Mt St Q. They said
it was very fine to see. Our men came up the commn trench. One
pln lay on the road held up by m.g. The others worked round to
the right. Finally a stream of Germans came back out of the wood,
and got into a big quarry abt 60 of them. Our men lay down. One
man wd rush forward lie down throw hi bomb and get back - then
another. They outbombed the Germans who were bombing back - and
the German streamed back our of the Quarry and down the hill
to the N.E. An artillery officer saw them and got guns on - into
the trenches - a number of him out from there. Prisoners can
be seen coming back, now. At one stage the Germans cd be seen
coming back - abt 20 - with their hands in the air. The Germans
fought for a bit on their way back. Our men didnt seem to get
many casualties. The Germans were immensely pleased with out
white bread which the diggers were giving them.
Note from Casey.
The 6th Bde took abt 60 prisoners at
Frise which they attacked in the evening (one day towards end
of August.) The 8th Bde took prisoners from Belloy of the
Konig Alex & Erste Regt., 2 gds Divn, Flack Mine at M28D
1. Copy from Lieut W.H.G. Guard 20th Bn
File with History Notes 31 August 1918
ATTACK ON Mount St. Quentin - 29-31st /8/1918
The Battalion advanced along the Somme in
artillery formation by a road which eventually
ran into a tow path parallel with the
river on a course that would compel its
crossing at a right angle bend south of
Clery.
I cannot remember our operation orders
but the company commanders were mounted.
As we neared the bend opposite Clery
two company commanders' horses bolted back
wounded and later, while passing through a
cutting on the tow path, a salvo of "whizz
bangs" killed my horse.
The head of the Battalion had progressed
as far as possible and all troops
took what cover was offering - we occupied
a very old and shallow trench system on the
forward slopes to the river. We were
subjected to continuous artillery fire throughout
the day including some of 8" calibre;
one of which made a big crater in the centre
of the path.
The following morning we were withdrawn
and returned by the same route to a
wood on the river bank. Here the troops
were given a good meal, reserve rations etc.
and a new operation order issued.
The Battalion crossed the Somme here
on a pontoon and advanced on Clery via the
north bank with the object of fighting
through Clery, thence turning south. This
would place us directly on the opposite side
of the river to where we were held up the
previous day. As we approached Clery the
artillery fire was particularly heavy but
we entered the enemy trenches and forced him
back steadily.
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