Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/281/1 - 1918 - 1933 - Part 8

9 F Coy

2

Report on bridges (contd) 27/8/18.
G2 G14C9570. Remains of timber lift bridge.  Superstructure
demolished.
G14b27. Timber trestle bridge, 5 bays 12', destroyed.
Piles in four trestles cut with explosives.
G14b29. Timber trestle bridge, 3 bays x 15'. Legs to both
trestles destroyed.
G22a3570. Site of one time steel bridge, stone and brick
abutments, Span 21' 9".
East of above - drawbridge, superstructure demolished.
three bays, pile piers damaged, centre span 26¼'
shore bays 15'.
Bridge over swamp, approach to drawbridge 5 14' bays.
Two bays completely destroyed, remainder smashed.
G16C5515. bridge over watercourse, gap 20', bridge
demolished.
G16C5520. Bridge, destroyed, gap 17'.  brick abutments
shattered
G16C6540.  Bridge, demolished, brick abutments
shattered.  Gap 20'

Report to CRE

7.15pm 28/8/18
F. Arty route through Cappy completed.  5 bridges
built, 1 road culvert repaired. Footbridges completed to
Suzanne from G14C9560. to Chateau, and from Eclusier xx
(G22a36) to G16C86.

Report on bridges 29/8/18 (Lt. R.F. Massie)
Girder bridge across canal lock (on road from Frise to Test Wood
via La Grenouille) has been demolished. Span of lock 21' in clear.
Depth approx 25'.
Notes on Five bridges across Somme Marsh:-
No. I. Small wooden bridge xx intact - blocked by wire.
No.2. Wooden pile bridge - demolished. Central gap of 18'. Two shore
bays - the N. bay in good condition.  Also a girder bridge, 5 bays being
completely wrecked.  Average gaps of 10' each.  Shore bays good. Piles
shattered.
No.3. Two bridges; on left girder bridge, demolished. Two girders intact

9 F Coy
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Report on road bridges (contd)

29/8/18.

26' long. Gap 17' in clear.  On right, wooden pile bridge

burnt and still smouldering .  Gap 37' in clear.  6 sets of piles.

No 4.  Two bridges.  On left Girder bridge, demolished.  Gap 26' in 

clear.  3 trestles burnt.  Two 28' girders intact.

On right, wooden trestle bridge, burnt & smouldering.  Gap 50' to 

solid abutments (gap full of knife rests).

No. 5  Small wooden bridge.  Intact.

Streams are shallow - about 3' deep on average. Track

between bridges is in good conditn and corduroyed throughout.

Little material available for hasty bridging of these gaps.

Sappers will be making footbridges across Somme canal and marsh this aftn

and should be complete by 6pm.
CO's report for month (Maj. G. Drake Brockman)
On Aug 19 & 20 Coy moved into new sector N. of Somme.  From 20th
to 22nd Bn made built fwd Bn HQs., RAPs, Command Post for Bde,
forward MDS.  22nd assault by 9 Bde.  Three sectns of coy kept in
reserve, one section detailed to examine dugouts for mines in captured
area . . . .
On morning 25th attack contd.  9 F Coy bridging Somme as ground was
captd.  As all bridges had been demolished by enemy, Coy had no easy task

but by working very long hours managed to keep commun. open,
first making footways close behind front, about 2000 yds
farther back constructing bridges for F. Arty, and as advance contd
converting footbridges into F. Arty bridges. & strengthening F. Arty
bridges to carry 3 ton Motor Lorries.  By magnificent support of
whole coy commun was restored and maintained along Somme,
despite shell fire.
From 25 to 31 Aug. 9 F Coy constructed 772 ft of footbridges,
413' ^of bridging for F. Arty, 224' of bridging for M/lorries.  Pontoons used in
two instances where streams suitable.
Excellent early training of coy stood test well.  Altho had done
but little heavy bridging for nearly 2 years, was able to do xx "what I
consider very fine work".

9 F Coy
4
Bridges built over Somme River & Canal 25-31 Aug 1918.

Iron girders & timber for road bridges were
salved from demolished bridges.

10 F Coy
War diary
1/2 Sept 1918. ^Erecting Water troughing & clearing approaches to wells and springs in Clery.
4/9/18     ditto (by No. 1 Sectn) at G4d23, G6d86, G12d70.
^Extracts from Report for cos 27/8/18.
Bray ammunition dump nearly cleared of detonators and fuses
installed by Germs for demolition of dump.  38 sheds have been cleared,
leaving 10 magazines to be cleared.
Abt half of timber stacks have been cleared of demolition arrgts.
The arrgts for demolition of ammun dumps were by means of approx
50 lb of perdite for each shed, with instantaneous fuse, junction
box, & a length of safety fuse. Two sheds coupled to one
fuse lighter.
Arrgts for timber stacks was by means of a heap of straw, flares,
and the charges used for minenwerfer. Between the pieces of timber
were more flares and minenwerfer charges
Extracts from
report 28/8/18.  Work commenced on Vaux causeway at 6 a.m.
A coy of pioneers attached to 9 Bde also working on
Causeway and have completed three bridges in G4d for arty.
Wood bridge at G5c2065 ^is complete
    "            "        at G4d8045 been badly demolished. Two
Centre trestles destroyed and consedble quantity brickwork in
stream.  Bridge is being stripped on either side of gap and
three new trestles being made.  Work hindered this aftn by
enemy shelling.
An attempt was made to reconnoitre causeway in
G 6 C & d but up to 1pm Infy hung up by M/g fire.
Infy reported later that one bridge was impassable and Pioneers
were standing by to repair this for foot traffic.
Ammunition & Engr dump L22 b & d now
clear of enemy demolition arrgts.
29/8/18 Report Causeway No 1 through G4d & G5c now passable
for F.Arty.  Three bridges on Causeway No. 2 are 

10 F Coy
2
being repaired.  Roadway over this causeway bad order.
Report
30/8/18 Two bridges in Causeway No.2 through G6C & d completed
Third bridge 60% complete.
1/9/18  100' feet of troughing made, of which 50' erected and in use at
H10d36. Well, depth 12', sunk here and has already
drawn 4' water.
2/9/18  More troughing erected - H10d36, H11c68,
H11b13.
3/9/18 Coy ^(less No 2 Sectn) moved up 

11 F Coy
War Diary  
5/9/18 No. 1 Section (Lt H St A Murray) reported to 41 Bn. In impending
attack section to be responsible for water supply in area allotted to
11 F Coy, also reinforcing No 2 Sectn in case of urgent neccessity in
repairs to bridges etc over River Cologne
No.2 Sectn (Lt Rhodes) reported to 42 Bn. for
reconnaissance of mined roads & booby traps in dugouts etc.
Reconnaissance of and repair of bridges & crossings over Cologne R.
No.3 Section(Lt W H Thomas) responsible for water
supply & bridges in rear area
No.4 Section will be responsible for repairs to bridge in Peronne at
I27b16.
Daily
Report
to 6p.m.
29 30/8/18.
[*? map
refs*]
No. 1 Section Reconnoitred causeway from A29d18 to G5b 75?. Made
tempy crossing over broken bridge at A29d51. (Good footbridge
aftwds made here by Pioneer Bn).
No. 4 Section repairing wells in Suzanne & Maricourt Vy
30/8/18.
No 1 Section Repairs to road H7a52 to H9a44.
No.2      "         Commenced reconn. of fwd area.
No.3      "         Cleared & repaired dugouts
No. 4      "         Reconn. of water supply. 

11 F Coy
Contents of Hem dump. 
Timber
400 shaft sets
6600 mining sets
4500 Poles.
4 500 Pit props.
Girders etc
300 Rolled Steel joists
300 rails
60 Light Railway lengths
Wiring Stores
3100 coils barbed, concertina, plain, tie wire
1000 knife rests
10,000 screw pickets.
6000 steel pickets
Various
200 picks  200 shovels  1000 8" dogs.
200 bags cement.  100 bundles Slats  500 Hay frames.

CRE 5 Div
(Lt Col LF Mather)
War diary
28/8/18  C.E. Corps asked to make light footbridge equipmt available forward, and word
recd from him that suffic for 250 ft of corkfloat footbridge would reach
Fourancourt by 12noon 29 Aug.  Also that two pontoons with superstructure
were available to be sent fwd where reqd by FWD lorry & trailers.
29/8/18.  CE asked early in morning to send fwd the two pontoons on FWD
lorry to O.C. Div Bridging Detachment. These were packed at
N26d with Div. bridging equipment. The cork float bridging
material met by guide on its way up and taken fwd & dumped
in N29d.
Informatn recd that Infy had reached Somme.  Arrgts made with Div.
for 12 G.S. waggons, & with Pioneers for 3 GS waggons to be at N29d at 8.30pm
to carry bridging material forward to bridge sites.  In early
evening bridging operns cancelled by Div. & GS waggons not
sent fwd.
Late in evening instructns recd that Div. was to handover to 32 Div &
wd take over part of 2 Div area to N. of our present area.
Two 3-ton Motor lorries reported to CRE for duty.
30/8/18.  CE Corps was asked to send all available footbridge material
to dump H34a12 and word was recd from him that 450 lineal feet
of cork float bridge, a large number of duckboards, and
scantlings to make manl-driven pile footbridges
[3" x3"x15'] legs, and 2'6" x 6" x 1" transoms loose
would be sent forward, & also a few collapsible pontoon boats.
Arrgts made for 12 GS waggons from Div Train, & 4 GS waggons
from 5th Pioneer Bn. to be at H 34a12 at 8pm & also loading party
of 30 Pioneers, to load this material and take it to bridge sites.
Approx. two sectns of 14 F Coy, & one coy of 5 Pioneer Bn
put at disposal of 15 F Coy which was respons. for the bridging operatns.
31/8/18  In early hours of morning report from 15 F Coy that over 300 yds
of footbridge at each site reqd to cross swamp, on the E
side of Somme Canal, & that they cd not anticipate much
progress during the night.
Report later in the morning stated that a track had been
started across the swamp from 09c8065, where a ^light pontoon

2
CRE 5 Div. (contd) War diary
bridge had been placed on night 29/30th by 1st Div.  Also that a second
track had been started at O3d42. & abt 70yds progress had been made.
During morning CRE visited F Coys and it was decided to disband
bridging detachment as it did not appr likely that pontoon bridges
would be reqd for the present.  Arrgts also made to continue work of bridging
swamp E of the canal as soon as it was dark.
CE asked to send fwd further duckboards & scantlings, by old
enemy light railway, in the evening, for the footbridging work.
F Coys reported 16 horses killed & injured by enemy fire.
1/9/18.  On previous day CRE had arrgd for one coy of Pioneers
to work in conjunction with 14 F Coy in rendering assistance to 14 Inf
Bde. during coming operns.
Early in morning were recd from 15 F Coy that the footbridge
across the marsh E of xxxxx Somme in 03d was longer than
anticipated and that it cd not be completed before daylight.  Div. notified,
& 15 F Coy instructed to continue the work with duckboards
& timber trestles if no more cork floats available.  As this work was to
continue during daytime, CRA was asked to put down smoke screen in

square 0.10 to screen working parties.  Later in the day this was done but

result not very satisfacty owing to westerly wind and not sufficient

smokeshell being available.
Early in aftn GOC gave instructions by telephone that bridge 

3
CRE 5 Div. (contd) Wardiary
Across Somme at I33d49 Main rd Br was to be ready to take M.T. as soon as poss. 15 F Coy was
instructed to make reconnaissance. of route. & requiremts.
GOC rang up again, & said that field guns must be got across Somme
that same night. 15 F Coy notified. However later situation reports
showed that this would not be poss.
During morning provisional instructns given by CRE for 15 F Coy
with one coy of Pioneers to dig drain from the swamps E of the canal into the
Somme Canal which had a much lower water level than the swamps
15 F Coy later instructed to carry on x with this scheme. [But message to Caddy.
informs him that CRE has given the responsibility for drainage "directly to Pioneers."]
Early in evening report from 15 F Coy that the footbridge in O3d was completed
across swamp. Length abt 350 yds.
2/9/18  Early in morning wire from 15 F Coy stating that bridge at I33d49 was now
fit for F. Arty, and also giving informn abt other bridges in vicinity.
15 F Coy reported a second track being constructed across marshes in 03d
& abt 200 yds N. of completed track.
3/9/18  15 F Coy reported an infy footbridge 2 ft wide, with handrail, constructed
over railway bridge at I33d76.  5th Pioneer Bn reported the N. and S.