Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/275/1 - 1918 - 1938 - Part 5

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advance, but they got the pothole line &
stayed in it. They had no comms with N. of rd except by
throwing messages across.
Night of 7/8.
The attack on that night occurred before notice
of it reached B Coy. Two hours later Nicklin
received not that his company was to [[?]]  an order to withdraw his platoon across
the road to allow the barrage to fall. Actually
the barrage fell on them without notice and
was "worse than any German barrage. " All
they could do was to lie low in their shallow
trench (you could only crawl along this) and
take their chance. By good luck no one was
hit. A composite company (Beaver's) came up on
their right. Some time after this the pioneers deepened
the trench - possibly that night.
On relief (? on night of 9^th or 10^th ) Nicklin
handed over to to Lt Kelsall of the 17^th Bn
who was killed a few days later.
The first night's show ^ May 5/6, with the 35th was a good one; but
the later stunts on May 7 were hurried.
 

34 Bn's Trenches May 9, from air photo.
Hand drawn diagram - see original 

[The 35^th's alt. was very thin. There
were not men on / left. As soon as they arrd
there  they got / left, apptly C.E.W.B]
Maj: H.V. Carr.
35 Bn. May 5/6. 

May 5/6 they went in very light - were to be
relieved next night.
Carr lined his men out at about
7 yard intervals, so that they could just
see each other. They were to rush the
front Germ. line, just jump into it,
& go on, leaving the 2nd wave to clear it.
The Troops kept a very good line & had no difficulty
but most of the Germans were simply
cowering under the parapet - One of their
officers who was captured said that with
his old troops one m.g. on the left & one on /
right ^ firing obligingly shd have kept us out of the   trench - the officers
were v. sick w their men.
The 1st wave went on & so apptly did
part of / 2nd wave under Lt Glossop for he was
found killed a few yards beyond it next day.
The 1st trench was not wrapped up, for Carr
going to place his H.Q. at a prearranged point
found a no. of Germans in the way - they
were cowering & offered no resistance tho' he had only
a couple of signallers & one or two others.
He presently heard that the 2nd line had
bn tn, and went on to see that all was right
there ^ & touch ground on both flanks.  He found Capt Pierce, Duntrooner, out
in post hunting souvenirs. Presently Lt. De Vere
came up from / left & sd he couldn't find any
one down there. Carr sent Pierce down to
help him and probably 2 ptes of the reserve
coy were sent down up by Goddard to Counell
 

2.

Two days later Next day the Germans on the left began to snipe
very vigorously. For the first 24 hours you
could walk over the open to the front line.
Late a m.g. got onto them.
Before the 35^th went out there was
a good C.T. on the left between G.F.  &
support line & a C.T. part of the way from
that towards xx our old f.l.; and there
was a C.T. from Bn H.Q. to the old f.l. before
the stunt.
It was a good show so far as Carr's
Coy was concerned.
[ 9 Bde [[mss?]] / after fight G.ps were evidently on rd thro 13 B & D- definitely by May 8.]
 

Major Arnold  35^th Bn Morlancourt  5 May 1937
The Coy 35^th officers of C Coy were:                         
Connell                    }                                              Other Corp.

Arnold x                   }                                                  Clifford  )

Grace x                     }           Left Coy                        Clifford  )              Bora.  RS

McConaghy x         }                                                       Customs            Arterman.

Burrows x                }                                                       Dept.

Devere. (Newcastle)      

Int. Officer: Buntine                                                 Arnold doesn't know where
Other Coys   Latham.                                              B Coy was. His Coy

                        Hawkins.                                             (Connell) had abt 70 men

                        Major Grant.  2. in. C.                        in the stunt. We were

"Mercy Australia "                                                      very thin.

Our trenches were practically at the Sailly L.-Treux rd.

We had an ^ advanced  post at the bank, 12 D37-9, and could
see it from the front line.

Coy HQ was in fully S.of Marett Wood.

Germans had at ^ least one post in P which was firing

after Arnold was hit.

_________
The left Coy had to clear the bank where the post
was and this caused it to become somewhat threw it out of its order. Arnold
was getting his man back into place when
he was hit by one of our shells that burst
100 yards short. xxxxxxxx Our men were
right under the barrage - their own shells
bursting overhead.
Arnold thinks  the 5 D  ^arty was supporting them
on that flank - he always Chaff's his brother-in-law,
Bessell Browne, for having winged him.
As he lay on the ground with shrap in
his leg a machine gun was firing – he thinks
it was behind his right flank, & our men
 

2
were firing - there was a good deal of scrapping.
He heard Germans calling "Mercy Australia."
He crawled back on this hands chiefly - cd see Marett Wd.
 

Lt Grace. 35 Bn Morlanct. 5/6 May.
Advanced with the barrage in Counell's Coy
(under Arnold). Part of way across Nomansland
Shells began to fall on them: He turned to the
men to hurry them through the barrage, believing
it to be the enemy’s, when he was hit (as be
turned) & had some fingers blown off. He went
on. In the first trench were Germans but
only parties with intervals between. They
went on & took the second line. After taking
it he went back to have his wounds attended
to.
 

Final Position May 9 or 10th
From 9 Bde Dy
 

Hand drawn diagram - see original 
 

FROM. H. F. WHITE
TELEGRAMS: WHITE
BALD BLAIR
GUYRA
TELEPHONE: 38 GUYRA
BALD BLAIR
GUYRA
10/5/37
C.E.W. Bean Esq
Historian
Victorian Barracks
Paddington
Dear Bean
1 duly received yours of 6th inst; I have been trying to
get my mind clear on the period you require information on.
I temporarily relieved assisted Fry owing to illness & found a most
difficult position, it the position was most obscure; I never saw such
difficult country to find your way about, there were no landmarks &a
as all our positions were under observation from the Bosch lines, all
movement had to be delayed till after dark.
I cannot give you dates, & find it hard to place my recollections
in sequence. But 1 took over from went to Fry after the attempted
advance of the line & when the gap existed in the line south of the
Bray-Corbie Road; the Bosch line on the north of the road was well
forward & on the night that we ran into the German ration party, we
had been ordered to push forward a series of posts to form a line
practically in line with the German line north of the road. General
Rosenthal came up to the Battalion Headquarters early & after discussing 
the plan with me we went forward before it was dark enough for the
patrols & parties to form the posts, & went over the ground to select
the positions for the posts, there was to be no fighting, just
peaceful penetration (the Bosch line of posts was well back here).
The General displayed great foolhardiness & took great risks, when
we found a dead Bosch he switched on his torch to get identification
& on my remonstrance he said " they cannot see through my fat belly ",
however we arranged for the posts & I went back & got the Pioneer
guides to lay out the posts (I had arranged for the track up & the
post to be taped as it was impossible otherwise to locate them; I
put each pioneer at his starting point from an old track & indicated
his line to take & then went back to rejoin the General, the patrols
were late in geting up. While we were moving along the line to be
taken up towards the south of our position a party of men came up
from our rear & thinking they were one of the patrol parties I went
up to them to see what they were doing there & could not distinguish
them as Bosch till quite close; I covered them with my revolver &
ordered them tto stand ,( they were unarmed ) but they made off in
different direction.  General Rosenthal grabed one & 1 took after the
 

"2"
other two, but they would not stand, so I had to shoot one in the 1
leg & grab the other; they made some fuss & a Bosch post not far off
opened fire but did not advance & we got the three prisoners back to
one of our own parties. I went back to see how the diging of the posts
was proceeding, I got to the tape the left ^2nd from  the left, that is nearest to
the Bray-Corbie road & ran it along till presently I was challenged in
german, which gave me a shock as I wondered what had become of the
party that should have been wiring there, but there was only one thng
to do & that was get out, so as we sneaked back, I had my runner with
me, gathered up the tape so as not to have anyone else get into
a trap. I then went along to the tape leading to the post on the left
& as soon as 1 started along it & saw that the pioneer had lost his
direction as the tape lead over the road & I found the wiring party
working about fourty yards in front of a Bosch post; I quietly passed
the work to withdraw across the road, & just as the last man was leaving 
the job the Bosch opened with a machine gun & knocked sparks off
the corkscrew posts. It was then very late & I went back to try & xx
sort out the position, but found that some had lost their direction
& others were so late geting up that the project had to be abandoned
for that night.
The gap in the line of potholes was eventually bridged by
patrols working from each end & joining up.
The Bosch ration party had got lost just as so many others
had.
On another night, I cannot tell you which, Mason, the 33rd
Scout Officer & his runner ware proceeding up to the front along the
Bray-Corbie road when they ran into a Bosch Patrol well back in our
lines; they challenged Mason & tried to grab him, but he & his
runner ducked & the Bosch fired but missed; Mason fell into a shell-
hole & lay still, the Bosch evidently thinking him dead went on after
the runner & Mason made back to Headquarters & got a patrol of men &
went back & collected the Bosch patrol, who did not know they were
inside our line.
I am afraid my memory is too hazey to help you much, my
chief difficulty recollection is the difficulty of finding the posts
etc & the number of men & parties going astray.
Yours sincerely.
[[Harold .T.uhith?]]
 

SOUTH MAITLAND RAILWAYS LIMITED
DALGETY'S CHAMBERS.
TELEPHONE NEWCASTLE 733
35 WATT STREET.
P.O. BOX 304C NEWCASTLE
Newcastle 10th May 1937.
N.S.W.
C. E. W. Bean Esq.,
Historian,
Victoria Barracks.
PADDINGTON   SYDNEY
Dear Sir,
Ref. 10191.
Further to your request of 6th Instant I now
wish to advise that on going through my Battalion Records
I found a copy of Narative of the 35th Battalion operation
at Morlancourt on 5th/6th May, 1918. two copies of which
I enclose and trust that same may be of assistance in
helping you with your valuable work.
The Main points in this operation wherein the
Left Flank was not completely captured for some hours later,
being:-
(a) Artillery - Owing to short firing on the Left
Company "C" the Company reached the German
Front line with less than half the men, leaving
in fact only one Officer (Myself) standing. 3
Officers being wounded.
(b) As my position was to try and consolidate working
from the Left Flank towards the centre and connect
with "A" Company on the right an unknown communication
trench was encountered which was defended by an
enemy strong post which again inflicted heavy
casualties on my Company. After Mopping up the
Strong Post we went forward to the enemy’s Second
Line where we consolidated leaving the Strong Post
on the left alone. This Post was destroyed and
taken possession of on the evening of the 6th May
by the Supports.
Trusting that the information supplied will be of
some assistance to you.
Yours faithfully,
 A. Neveres