Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/281/1 - 1918 - 1933 - Part 12

4 Pioneer Btn
A Coy (Capt Lt DC Jenner) attached to 12th Inf Bde
8 Aug. Nos 1-4 with half of No 2 Platoon
2½ platoons moved forward in rear of 46 Bn.
to P 22 b 62. Then in rear of 48 Bn to
P 24 d 48. Passed through Green Line
in rear of 45 & 46 Bns.
Platoon under Lt Charlton marked out and cleared
mule track from Q 19 d 6.95 to Q 22 c 28. Work
continued by platoon under Sgt Muir to
Q 23 c 41, and finished by platoon under
Lt McRae to Q 24 d 11. Work completed 5
minutes before zero of final phase.
Infx moving forward took 71 prisoners and 3 m/guns
Work completed by 2.30 p.m.
9 Aug Prepared dugouts at Q 21 a? 38 for Advanced Bde HQ
Diagram – see original document
9/10 Aug Moved forward from Blue Line with infy of 46 & 48 Bns
to new line & assisted in consolidation. —
wiring and digging S/Pts between R 13 c 89 and
R 26 d 86.
11 Aug Rejoined bn. 

4 Pioneer Bn
No. 3 Platoon (A Coy), under Lt. E R Bradshaw
attached to 16 Bde RHA from zero hour
8 Aug. to 7 pm 10 Aug. (1 officer & 41 OR)
Moved out a zero plus 30 from P7a in 4 sections
to Hamel X roads. P4d.
"D." Coy was attached to 13th Bn. & Col. Marks
reported that their conduct was splendid. Did
everything required of them. 

4 Pioneer Bn  

[*B & C Coys
under orders of
C.RE. 5 Div to make
two good roads for horse transport-
one for each bde*]
8 Aug. B & C. Coys ^(under Major JB Calder) moved forward at 5.20 a.m. to
V/Bret Line.  An hour later to Green Line -
crossed it abt 9.30.  "B" Coy then employed in
maintaining road from V 5 b 35 to W 11 a 1.9.
C Coy on road from ? P 30 d 01 to W 5 c 27
These roads put in good order by 3 p.m.
[*debris
chiefly fallen
trees.*]
C Coy also erected two 100-gallon tanks at P 29 c 04
and two at P 29 c 9 & sand bagged them.
9 Aug B Coy erected 6 water tanks at various posns
in P 29.
8 Aug x No. 9 Platoon (C. Coy) discovered a narrow gauge train,
engine derailed, on N. side of Harbonnieres. Replaced
engine with lifting jacks and brought it with 11 trucks
to a safe distance behind our lines. 

8/8/18.
4 Pioneer Bn
D. Coy. (Lt Capt HJ Storey.)
Attached to 13 Bn. "as D Coy of that bn"
8.20 a.m. advanced "D Coy occupying the right flank
and connecting with 45 Bn. No opposn. met until we
occupied the road running due S from Morcourt.
At this point the enemy reformed on the ridge in rear of
Dudgeon Wood Wd and with several m/gs temply held up
the advance. Two of our m/gs seeing this pushed fwd on the
right flank with a L.G. and enfilading the enemy line cleared
the ridge.  Three m/gs and 29 prisoners were
taken at this spot.  On the high ground behind
Dudgeon Wood, whilst we were holdg the sunken rd
running SE from Morcourt the line came under a
violent and accurate fire from a field gun on the front
firing through open sights.  Every 3 hours this gun defied
a wide front the frequent attempts made to silence
it by British troops on the Chipilly spur, by the 14 Bn mopping
up Morcourt, and by ourselves.  Eventually the Gun
was abandoned. [Our coy. casualties from this gun were 8K & 18W.)
At 1.40 p.m. we reached our objective (Red Line)
& commenced digging in.  On completn we manned

the trench until leap-frogged by 16 Bn when we again
pushed fwd with the left flank coy, taking up a posn 300
yds. in rear of Blue Line.  I marked out a series

2

of strong posts which we dug that night.  We were then
relieved by B Coy 13 Bn [at dawn] and moved back to
Dudgeon Wd Vy.
At dusk on 9th we again moved into the
line and defended the left flank, our m/gs putting up
an indirect harassing shoot all night.
At 11 pm on night of 10th ^the bn the 13th Bn & attached pioneers were relieved by
41 Bn 

4 Pioneer Bn
The coy cdrs that day apparently were
A Coy (with 12th Bde) Lt D.C Junner
(Major Horne was away at a rest camp)
D Coy (with 4 Bde) Lt H.J. Storey
( B Coy Capt Bingle, with Capt Manning
( as 2/i/command
( C Coy Capt Earle, with Capt Lambert
( as 2/i/command
This half battalion (under
Maj. JB Calder) worked
under orders of CRE 5 Div.
Sgt. Sumner apparently was in
B. Coy.
Capt Earle was told that Bingle & Manning
were Killed by the same shell when
laying out a S/Point. 

xxxxxx
Capt WJ Earle 4 Pioneer Bn says that
Lt^. P.A. Ballard was detached from his
Coy to make dummy tanks for the Aug 8
offensive.  They were to be mounted on put on.
bicycles ^wheels & taken & ridden up to behind the J/O/posn.
Very flimsy affairs.
But they were became bogged in the mud and
in the end Ballard & his men
carried them up.  Earle says it was
a most amusing sight, seeing about these large
"tanks" (abt a dozen of them) coming along. ^with the
feet of the men showing below them. 

1st Pioneer Bn   23/8/18.
"B." Coy ^(Lt. T. Ramsey Miller) attached to 1st Inf Bde. for consolidation of 2 S/Points
at R 10 c 83 & R 17 b 23 to R 17 d 44
Nos. 5 & 7 Platoons (under Lt. Morell) allotted S/P. at R 10 c 83
Nos. 6 & 8       "       (under O.C. Coy, Lt Miller)  "  the other.
The platoons under Lt Morell moved off at midnight 22/23, up "B" track
in sections 30 yds apart & took up posn in old trench at Q 12 d, waiting
until Infy on tape line, when they moved up to R 9 c 20. just behind D Coy, 1st
Bn.  In this posn. at 3.45 a..m.
At 5.15 platoons left trench in Arty formation, crossed road & outpost line
quickly & halted under cover of bank.  Infy then moving twds Robert Wd.
Morell & Sgt. Lissner then went fwd & selected site for S/Point at R 10 c 83.
Platoons then brought fwd & put to work, at 6.30 a.m.  M.G. fire
interfered with work.
The trench was completed 200 yds long 3 ft wide and 3 ft deep by 9.30 a.m.
Men were then given a spell for breakfast.  The trench was properly cleaned up &
party was withdrawn at 10.30 in sections of 6 to cover farther back.  3 casualties,
one of them on the way home.
The platoons under the coy cdr moved up Track A in sections in file at 30 paces
interval bet. sections to steep chalk bank at R 21 a where they rested.  At
½ hour after zero went forward in arty formation.  At halt in opern. caught up
the infy & from there folld on behind the barrage with them. There was no shelling
to speak of, but occasional bursts of m/g fire were encountered.  A halt of
10 mins. was made in a sunken road.
After a brief reconnaissance Miller decided to move both platoons
in succession to left of Malts Wd, as it had not yet been ^completely mopped up.
The party skirted the left edge of the wood with loss & after a few minutes
halt in the brushwood in E Side of gully to await cessation of
"chronic" bursts of m/gunfire, advanced S. along gully and up over ridge
& arrived on posn. at 6.45 a.m. with infy.  Shell fire at this stage was
practically nil.  Enemy planes very soon made things uncomfortable.
Consolidation continued (with short interval for breakfast) till 12.30 p.m.
when the work was finished.  2 casualties. 

(2)
1st Pioneer Bn         23/8/18.
"D" Coy (Lt. A.A. Olley).
Platoons took position.
No. 13 Platoon (Lt.J. Gossip) from R 32 a 0.0. to R 32 a 00.70
No. 14     "     (Lt. H Carson) from R 32 a 0070 to main Warfusee Rd at R 26 c 0040.
No. 15     "     (Lt. T.G Leeke) from road R 26 c 0040 to R 26 a 00 60
No. 16     "     (Lt. L A Kimber) from R 26 a 00 60 to Bde boundary at R 20 a 00 00.
The two platoons S of main road worked with 8th Bn, the other two with 7 Bn
The coy cdr (Lt Olley) went forward with 7 Bn. for purpose of locating
& marking the S/Ps to be excavated  on left bn front, & Lt. JH McGowen
went with 8 Bn for same purpose.
At 5 a.m. coy moved fwd through enemy barrage. No. 14 Platoon suffered
the heaviest casualties having 2 men killed & 14 wounded.
On arrival at posns. of S/Ps 13 Platoon dug & 14 Platoon wired - at
R 35 central & R 29 d 46.
The 7 Bn experienced trouble at St Martins Wd, when Lt Olley collected a
party of infantrymen & after assisting in clearing portion of wood
set them to work on excavating an S/P at R 29 b 32.  Nos. 15 & 16
Platoons on coming up immed. set to work digging & wiring S/Ps at
R 29 a 45 & R 24 d 67.
From about 8 a.m. 13 & 14 Platoons experienced trouble from m/gs &
snipers in the vicinity of Herleville Wd. & on the right of the village, and
suffered severe casualties until posns. were cleared by infy.
30 prisoners, who had been overrun by infy, were collected by the
pioneers & handed over to infy escorts.
Casualties of coy in operation. 10 OR's killed
1 officer & 31 OR's wounded.
On night of 24/25 D Coy (under Lt. Olley) left billets at Q 23 a 54 & went fwd
to erect wire in front of outposts at R 30 a 43, M 25 d 40 & R 36 a 91.
While collecting material at RE dump at R 29 b 22 the ravine in which it was situated
was subjected to heavy shellfire.  On completion of work the three parties were returning to
their billets when, passing through the ravine (abt 3.30 am) they they came under
a heavy barrage of HE & gas, suffering severe casualties. 
[*Lt. Gossip
mortally
wounded
in head.
Died in 10
minutes.*] 

Total casualties during the night's
work were 1 officer & 5. O.Rs killed, 1 officer & 10 O.R. wounded.
Next day 1 officer & 53 ORs had to be evacuated suffering from the effects of gas and practically
whole of coy unfit for duty. 

(3)
1st Pioneer Bn         23/8/18
A. Coy engaged in road maintenance in div area
B Coy  attached to 1st Inf Bde
C Coy  One platoon held in readiness to assist arty
3 platoons in reserve 
D Coy attached to 2nd Inf Bde
24/8/18  

A Coy attached to 3 Inf Bde to dig & wire S/Ps
Series of S/Ps with wiring, left bde sector L 34 b 44, L 35 c 49,
L 35 c 83, R 5 a 87, R 5 b 04, R 5 b 21.
220 cubic yds of excavation with wiring, rear left open of S/Ps.
Left S/P not wired on a/c of enemy shellfire
25/8/18  B Coy digging C.T. clearing & improving old C.T.  150 yds new trench
dug.
D Coy wiring outposts R 30 a 43 to Main road. M 25 d 40.
Outposts wired from M 25 d 40 o/wards for 300 yds.
        "             "      from M 25 d 10 to R 36 a 91.
26/8/18  B Coy digging outposts for 4th Bn at M 14 m 8.  8 Platoon
outposts completed.
A Coy digging S/P at R 5 d 43