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

8
were beginning by now to show that man in but a flower that withereth
away. The German machine gunners, facing skywards with what was left
of their faces, lay in a heap, And so too our own lads of that tragic
shell hole of the early morning. There were three who had been with me
on the transport a couple of years before - Frank Walker, Kovalesky the
Russian, and Merritt, the chap whom we left behind at Fremantle and took
back to our bosom when another transport restored him to us at Sierra
Leone. Now they lay in the sunlight, sadly changing colour, awaiting the
merciful hands of the burial squad which by nightfall would have gathered
them in. Next morning,as we came out of the line, I noticed they were
gone.
Belle vVue Farm, it had been decided, would not be garrisoned.
It happened that, across the territory which I have been calling "the
paddock", running east and west, was a shallow trench - more like a gutter
than a trench. Most probably it was a "dummy". In its forward parapet I
found the troops busily scooping out pozzies. One Ppozzy, somewhat more
elaborately scooped out, was dignified by the name of Battalion Headquarters, 

and there sat Cooper and his staff. The staff was George
Francis, the Assistant Adjutant. They had half a loaf of bread and it
suddenly occurred to me that I had not breakfasted. Therefore we held a
tea party, and Hocking, of D. Company, joined in." Where is Bruford?" I
asked. Lieutenant Bruford was a journalist, - the chappie we were all
depending on to write the history of the battalion, after the war - he had
promised to do so. But it has not been written and never will be, because
the answer to my question was a finger pointed to a dark object in the
gloaming half way to the Farm. "Sniped," they said, "sniped from the
Farm." Even before it was dark you could see figures hopping one after
another into the shelter of the walls. And suddenly from close at hand
a gun spoke up. It was the gun which had been "captured by the battalion"
We had made our immortal record too soon.
In the meantime the signallers had connected us up with Brigade
and we were in touch with the great big world without traversing the
"paddock" on foot. Instead, Cooper proposed a tour of the front, and we
spent a couple of hours tracing our way from one end of the battalion
to the other, making sure of the position of every outpost. Last and
farthest out was Dick Whittaker who had esconsced himself and his company
in a German strong point. Two or three of his men were dead in the cavity,
but the rest were in good form and ready to hold on indefinitely.
 

9

It must have been nine o'clock before we got back to our seat of
government. The telephone spoke, and, in guarded and carefully prearranged
language, Holloway disclosed to us the arrangements for the relief to be
carried out in the early dawn. At midnight the C.O. went off round the
posts again, and I was left in charge of headquarters. Once more the
'phone claimed attention. This time it was General Wisdom. He wanted
Cooper. I let him know he couldn't have Cooper, but better still, he
could have me. His instructions were explicit. "There's a gap on your
right," he said, "you must advance your right to maintain touch with the
The nesxt battalion. Hocking and I looked at each other in consternation. The
boys were half asleep. The farm in front of us was chock a block with
Huns. We talked it over and then decided that if we could swear we were
in touch by patrol, the General might excuse the utterly fatigued battalion
from the necessity of straightening the line by a midnight sortie. So
the two of us and a runner crept stealthily along to the right to where
the trench faded out and felt our way towards an old Mill which we had
been given to understand had been captured by the Brigade on our right.
It was an eerie patrol. The deepest shadows hung everywhere.
Once a ghostly pair of figures drifted past, but did not stay to speak.
After what seemed an age we could see the outline of the Beaurevoir Mill
dimly silhouetted against the sky, and soon afterwards welcome Australian
voices fell upon our ears, and "touch" was established. After doing what
was necessary to consolidate the communications we slipped back to our own
quarters more quickly than we had come. We were glad to find that some
stout laddie had gone out to fetch in what was left of poor old Bruford.
The General, although at first inclined to be a bit doubtful, ultimately
confirmed our view that the gap had been satisfactorily bridged, and we
settled down to a shivery night.
How we shivered! October in France is a different proposition
from the Australian variety, especially at night. We could hear one
another shivering. Moreover my shrapnel wound stiffened and ached.
Then good old Rod Mathieson, my friend then as now, walked calmly out
over the parapet, disappeared in the darkness and returned with a great
grey Fritzie overcoat, removed, as he explained, from a poor fellow who
wouldn't need it any more. It seemed like accepting blood money, but
those chaps wrapped me up in it and the shivers gradually subsided.
At ten minutes past five, there came the relief. First an
officer of Devons appeared from the rearward gloom, led by a guide, and
 

10
was introduced. He was full of beamns and full of business - lately from
Mesopotamia, I think he said. I told him exactly where every outpost was,
and he said he would make a reconnaissance in readiness for hopover.
told him of the nest of Huns in Bellevue Farm and of the guns, and the
burrows, and for Christ's sake to be careful, but it didn't seem to worry
him much. He and his mate got over the parapet and went straight towards
the farm. They never came back. Meanwhile his troops began to file into
the trench and ours to file out. The former were a bit lost without their
leader, and so Cooper and Francis and I stayed on to make them feel at home
It grew lighter and lighter and we kept reminding ourselves that the
barrage would be descending at any minute now, and further that if Mr.
Mesopotamia had been captured and the relief detected there would be a
nice little treat for from Germany waiting to escort us home. But Cooper was
insistent that every man-jack must be got clear before he could think of
shifting. Finally we moved, we three stragglers, and as we moved, down
came the German barrage. It seemed that Linudendorff was determined not
to miss this positively last opportunity of annihilating a deputy commander,
an acting adjutant, and a substitute intelligence officer of so distinguished

a battalion as the 26th. It was a grand barrage, and that "paddock"
seemed infernally capacious. The shells fell all over it but not one hit
us. Half way across my leg gave out, and Francis and Cooper, who ought
to have run for it, slackened up and got me by one arm each and, thus
assisted, it was not long before I found myself in one of the concrete pill
boxes by Lormisset farm. There we waited a-while until the storm had spent
its fury and the Devons had attacked, but we took advantage of the first
lull in the weather to follow our troops, and by 7 a.m. we were back in our
old lines at Nauroy. We stood to in supports all day and all the next day
while the sixth brigade took Montbrehain. We counted 300 German prisoners
draggling by. Then the Americans relieved us, and at midnight we marched
out to Bellicourt - myself gloriously mounted on Sugar - out of the line,
out of the area, out of the war. For that was the battalion's last stunt,
 

 

Telegraphic Address:
"Auswarmuse."
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
TELEPHONE NOS.

{F.2597.

{F.2598.
IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE

NO. 7/4/18.HOME AND TERRITORIES DEPARTMENT,
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL.
EXHIBITION BUILDINGS.
MELBOURNE,
19th October, 1926.
Dear Mr. Bean,
The Australian War Memorial has recently received
from Mr. G. Foote, who served as a subaltern in the 18th
Battalion, a carbon copy of a message, despatched by him
                                                              1

from I.2.a.4.3 (Sheet 62b N.W. (20,000)) This is near
Montbrehain and this officer claims that it was the most
advanced point reached by the Australians in the operations
which culminated with the attack by the 2nd Division near
Montbrehain,
Mr. Foote supports his claim with the following
statement:-
"Being ordered to support the 6th Brigade, the 18th
moved up, "C" Coy. (Lt. Dryden, O.C.) skirting the
right of Montbrehain. The Coy, comprised two
platoons. One, with the Coy. Comdr., moved into
square 1 2 c, whilst I was ordered to occupy the
best position available in square 1 2 a. I accordingly

occupied a ditch at 1 2.a.4.3. With me were
Sgt. Flowers and about 17 men of 18th Bn., a C.S.M.
of (I think) the 21st, and about 11 men of 21st and
24th Bns., whom I collected from houses in the village
We remained, occupying two posts, until about midnight
that night, when American troops relieved us. After
dusk, I picked up my flanks, and to the best of my
knowledge and belief, both right and left were to my
rear (the right only slightly so, the left a good deal.)
This seems to be evidence that the point abovementioned
marked the limit of our advance,"
When I get an opportunity, I will examine the
records of the 2nd Division in the hope that confirmation or
otherwise of Mr. Foote's claim may be obtained. In the
meantime I thought that you might be interested to know of
the existence of the document and perhaps feel in a position
to express an opinion as to whether or not the claim is likely
to prove to be justified.
Yours sincerely,
 J. L. Treloar
Mr. C. E. W. Bean,
Official Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
Sydney, N.S.W.
 

xxxxxxxxxx
F.4151.
1821.
4 March 1927.
Dear Treloar,
Re Mr. Foote's claim to have reached the most advanced
point in the Battle of Montbrehain, I have looked up my notes
and find that the 21st Battalion apparently claims to have gone
a few yards farther, subsequently retired (being shelled by its
own guns), and then gone forward again. Probably this second
advance is that referred to by Mr. Foote. There is also mention
of C.S.M. Anderson and Lance-Corporal Hibbins of the 21st having
gone forward to place a machine-gun post in some houses and
finding Germans in them, whom they sent back. It is possible
those houses were in advance of the position mentioned. There
seems also at one time to have been a post somehwre about the
cross-road in I.2.a.5.3.
I would say it is probable, though not certain, that
Mr. Foote was in the easternmost of those posts which were finally

held. At the same time the occupants of some of the posts
at the extreme northern end of the village (C.25.d.7.7½) may
claim to have reached the farthest point, as the direction of
the attack was N.E. and E.N.E.
The fighting was mainly done by the 6th Brigade, and,
as members of 6th Brigade units accompanied the 18th Battalion
reinforcements, this fact should not be forgotten in any statement

as to the farthest point reached.
Yours sincerely,
(sgd) C. E. W. Bean
Mr. J. L. Treloar
Australian War Memorial,
Box 214D, G.P.O.,
Melbourne.
 

[*JMC*]

Send to Mr Carne

To Be returned

R.S.S.I.L.A.

N.S.W. BRANCH

-7DEC1936
R.S.

N.S.W. B

26OCT1936

Mbosi

Iringa Province

Tanganyika Territory

7.9.36.

Th3e Editor

Reveille
Sydney.

Dear Sir,

Congratulations to Mr Carne for writing

a History of the 6^th M. G. Coy. I have many

happy memories of the 6^th Coy. If fact it

was through Capt Drummond that I came to

British East Africa. He had collected a lot of

information about the country.

When Mr Carne says the 6^th M. G. C^oy were

the last in the line I would like him

to include the 7^th M. G. C^oy also. He would be

quite unaware that a section of the 7^th Coy

were in support on the day that the 2^nd Div.

were relieved by the Americans, It happened

as follows.

On the last day Col. Ralston ordered me verbally

to take my section (No2 7^th Coy) up the line &

report to a 6^th Bde Batt Commander (Col. James I

think). This I did & was told by Col James that

he hadn't asked for guns & didn't want them

but as I there to put my guns somewhere

& inform him of my position

 

2

I put them in a sunken road near Joncourt

The Americans duly arrived, knowing I would

not be relieved I waited until the relief

was completed, in case I was enquired for

& found missing. I then sent my guns

back & waited to go back with me, eventually

arriving in camp in daylight next day.

We didn't fire at all. You will note

I was ordered into the line, but never received

orders to withdraw. I might have stayed there until now.

Yours faithfully

H O C Hunter.

 

6th MACHINE GUN COMPANY ASSOCIATION
Incorporating 2nd Machine Gun Battalion
c/o George Batchelor Pty. Ltd.
12 McKillop Street
Melbourne, C.I.
8/8/35
Dr. C. E. W. Bean,
Official Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
Sydney, N.S.W.
Dear Sir,
Re History of 6th Machine Gun Company A.I.F.
In accordance with a promise made some years ago, I am
sending you herewith an account of an outstanding performance by
two gun-teams of this Company at Montbrehain.
The account is taken from the draft of Chapter XXVI of the
Company History which is nearing completion. It is based on the
official report in the Company records and accounts given to the
writer by Lieutenant N. F. Wilkinson who was in charge of the two
teams as well as accounts by Sergeant J. P. Adam and other members.
The accounts have been subjected to much examination and cross-
examination and supplemented by personal interviews.
Both Lieutenant Wilkinson and Sergeant Adam are emphatic
that the Pioneers did not take any part in the action up to and
including the disposal of the I4 German machine-guns on the railway
embankment. They are equally certain that no tanks appeared in their
sector. Neither the report of the 6th Brigade or the Pioneer Battalion
make any reference to the exploit described. Evidently they were not
aware of it. Most probably the writers of the two reports did not
see the Company report which, no doubt, was rendered to M. G. Battalion
headquarters direct.
As my account mentions, I do not feel competent to express
a definite opinion as to the value of the work of the two gun-teams
in relation to the Brigade operation. If you can advise on this point,
I shall be grateful. Please keep the account and the accompanying
sketch if you desire to have them.
I am anxious to obtain a copy of the official establishment

of a machine-gun company but cannot locate one in the records of
the Memorial here, neither can the officials. Can you help me? I am
attaching a copy of a reference appearing in the Diary of the 6th
Brigade. With ordinary luck, I should finish the writing of the history by the end of
the present year.
With thanks in anticipation and best wishes,
Yours faithfully,
[signature] W A Carne
W. A. Carne
 

MONTBREHAIN
Extract from Chapter XXVI
[* Hist. of 6^TH M G Coy

by W. A. Carne. *]

The important task of establishing and maintaining the right
flank of the attack was entrusted to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion.
As a preliminary move, it was to take over a section of the front
line close to the west edge of Montbrehain from the 1st Monmouth
Battalion and 4th Leicester Battalion of the I38th British Brigade
on the night of 4/5th October and cover the assembly - in th its rear
of the attacking 24th 21st and 24th Battalions. When the attacking infantry

moved forward, it was to follow in rear and while its left (A)
company was allotted to "mopping up" work in the village, B, C and
D companies, pivoting on the right of D, were to swing eastwards
and then southwards and make good the right flank. On the right of
the Division, British troops were to advance their frontage. The manoeuvre expected
of the Pioneers was no light task for a non-fighting unit engaged
in its first offensive operation. It need only be said that in spite
of their inexperience, they carried out their tasks as ordered,
established and held the right flank and took some hundreds of
prisoners. Their attendant difficulties were increased by the failure

of the British troops on their right which left their flank
open to enemy fire all the following day.
With the Pioneer Battalion were two teams and guns from No.2
Section under Lieutenant N. F. Wilkinson who had to assist him
Sergeant J. P. Adam and Corporal L. Barrand. Their orders directed
them to move to the right flank with the Pioneers and assist in the
consolidation of the line; Neville's Cross being indicated as an
approximate objective. Leaving camp shortly after 5 p.m. on the
evening of the 4th, they reached the trench system in rear of
Ramicourt about two hours later where they rested. At 9 o'clock
they went forward with the Pioneers and took up a position in the
front line close to Montbrehain. The night was clear, cold and quiet.
Shortly after 5 a.m. on the 5th they fell back with the Pioneers to
the rear of the attacking infantry. Meanwhile Lieutenant Wilkinson
had reported to the commanding officer of the Pioneers and in the
latter's comfortable dug-out on the forward edge of Joncourt, the
details were discussed. The Pioneer officers were naturally concerned

as to their duties in their unfamiliar enterprise and Lieutenant
Wilkinson found himself the centre of many and varied questions from
the Colonel and his various subordinates. All possible information
and advice was given to the enquirers who then departed to their
various stations. At Zero the half-section moved forward and at once
turned obliquely to the right. Round the south edge of Montbrehain
runs a somewhat shallow valley and along this valley they proceeded.
No troops were seen on the right but some Pioneers were close at
hand on the left. Before much progress had been made, very heavy
machine-gun fire from the front held up the advance and the gunners
and Pioneers went to earth among the remains of a wheat crop which
partially screened them. A way out of the impasse had to be found
so taking one of his men with him, Lieutenant Wilkinson worked away
furthetr to the right till he reached the railway line which approached

Montbrehain in a north easterly direction and which lay obliquely
across the line of attack. Making the best use of the available
cover, the two reached the line, unmolested, at a point where it ran
through a cutting. Moving along in the cutting to their left and
following the curve of the line, they saw, to their amazement the
reason of the "hold up" of the attack up the valley
distant, the railway ran across an embankment at the head of the
valley and on the embankment were a large number of machine-guns
heavily manned, and busily firing to their front and quite oblivious
of the intrusion on their left.
It was a dramatic moment. Here was an opportunity which
Company gunners had hitherto but dreamed about; a considerable target,
in enfilade and at point blank range. No time was lost. Lieutenant
Wilkinson, at once sent word for his teams to come forward but before
proceeding, to narrate what followed, it is necessary to record what took
 

(2)
place before the teams entered the railway cutting. In front of
the teams, as they rested, was an off-shoot from the railway cutting
in the shape of a small spur, possibly 200 yards distant. As the
teams moved forward, two machine-guns opened fire from the direction
of the spur. From the right-hand team Sergeant Adam, Private D.
Lazarus and another crept forward and located one gun on the spur.
Dashing over some open ground, Private Lazarus reached the gun first
and shot two of the gunners with his revolver, thereupon six others
put up their hands and surrendered. For this courageous act, Lazarus
received the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Scarcely had
this been done when the enemy gun on the left was located by some
members of the left-hand team. Making use of the cover afforded by
some straggling wheat, Lance Corporal N. C. Hammon and others got
within ten yards and a final rush and shots from their revolvers
induced the five or six occupants of a T shaped trench on lower ground
on the left of the spur to surrender. Immediately they did, one was
seen to tie a Red Cross badge on his arm.
The position of the two cpaptured guns indicated that they had
been so placed to give left flank protection to the large group
situated on the railway embankment. At all events, their disposal
had the very important result of permitting the teams to enter the
railway cutting and engage the numerous guns on the embankment.
The way being clear, Lieutenant Wilkinson then took his teams to the
bend in the cutting and placed his guns guns at a point where the
gunners had a clear view of their targets and at the same time
giving a minimum of exposure of themselves. Then followed a few
hectic minutes. Two belts were fired from each gun, Lance Corporal
A. E. D. Marsh operating one and Private J. T. Bates and Corporal
Barrand (in turn)- the other. Before such a dreadful concentration the opposition
helplessly and quickly faded out. On moving to the embankment, the
annihilating effect of the fire was revealed. No less than fourteen

enemy guns had been put out of action and out of nearly a
hundred men men estimated to have been on the embankment, about
thirty were killed and fifty wounded; the others made good their
escape to the rear. The way being now open, the teams proceeded to
Neville's Cross. On the right rear of the embankment, the teams
came upon two machine-guns mounted in shell holes, evidently so
placed to give right-flank protection to the embankment guns, but the
wiping out of the main line of degfence appeared to have unnerved.
because they retired hurridly to the rear; some of the gunners
taking pot-shots as they ran. Lieutenant Wilkinson fired his
revolver at one fat, ungainly German, who sprawled ludicerously into
a shell-hole with a wound in his hip, but others were firing and
claimed the hit. Other Germans rose from cover and were fired on,
the Pioneers appearing at this stage and joining in the shooting.
The low-lying ground at Neville's Cross did not commend
itself to Lieutenant Wilkinson so he took his teams forward till
he reached the high ground south east of Montbrehain and from that
vantage point was able to command a view for miles eastwards and
southwards. The guns were mounted without any immediate opposition
and feeling satisfied with his position, he sent a message to the
nearest Pioneer officer on his right rear, proposing that he come
forward with his men and establish a line on favourable ground. But
the Pioneer could not be moved. He insisted that he was at his
objective and intended to remain so. Actually, he was correct but
his position on the low ground was not a good one. A quiet period
followed and some of the teams did a little "souveniring" but
presently parties of the enemy were observed making their way up
the valley on the right of the guns so Lieutenant Wilkinson
(Continue)

         x
When the situation quietened down, some of the teams revisited the
railway embankment where the 14 enemy giuns had been. A few. German
wounded were attended to and in conversation with Sergeant Adam,
one of them who had been in Australia said that the men on his side
were all sick of fighting and, had they known that Australians were
attacking that morning, they would not have put up a fight at all.