Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/152/1 - April - May 1917 - Part 3

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The Germans must have
got through also S of O.G.1
between 12 Bn & 27 Bn
posts.
The whole original position
ws taken up again &
A Coys old positn ws taken
up & consolidated.
The burnt dugout,
now in front of our wire,
was then well behind our
bomb stop. The stop was
past the dugout where /
Germans were lying dead.
In the CT. from 60 to
66 there were some sigs.
with a power buzzer &
A Coys wd. men. The 

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Germans passed this
throwing down 2 bombs
wh killed a couple of men
& wd xx 2 or 3. The
Germs, then left it, &
after they were driven
back these men came
out.
At 10 a.m. 2 Coys 10 Bn
arrived - one into O.G.2,
& one partly in O.G.1 partly
in C.T.
Night 6/7 11 Bn pushed to
right & relieved 12 Bn;
& 10 Bn took over 11
Bn line & A Coys Sector. 

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They were to cross
road & consolidate
there joining OG 1 & 2.
12 Bn went back to
Sunken Rd.
Went up agn night
of 7/8.
The 12 Bn ws now
organised as a Coy, each
Coy 1 platoon - weak at
tt. Maj. James went
up as O.C. Coy. got up
there abt 11 p.m. They
were from 29 road to nearly
pt 30 in O.G.2 w 2
strong posts at pts where
29 Rd intersected O.G. 1 & 2. 

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That at O.G.1 ws blown
out durg. the night.
Almost At dawn 4 men of
24 Bn came in at Str. post
at O.G.2. They had bn
at the back of the hedge
since May 3. One of them was
delirious — another
badly wd in arm & leg.
No one shd be there &
they were nearly fired
at. They had bn several
times challenged & Newton
ws just abt to give / order
"All right into them" when
one sd "Its all right,
Cobber."
The day ws quiet
& in afternoon Newton came
out to arrange relief.
Relieved night of 8/9. 

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29

Abt 10.30 p.m. tt night
a very heavy barrage came
down.
The Germans had previously
bn using green flare bursting
into 2. The flares this
evg. were single ones.
This was our SOS. (tho'
German ws firing them
as it turned out). Our
barrage came down
- two tremendously
heavy barrages.
53 Bn relieved 12 Bn
at just before dawn on
9th May (3 a.m)
+ 1.

30
8 April
Born in Vic. went to S.A. with
Victorians _^then in police (? in Tas.)
S./Sergt. Maj. on N W Coast
(with Col. Mullen). Came away
as RQMS 12 Bn. Transpt offr.
Adjt. Coy Comdr.
& worked well in
each.
Diagram - see original document
Newland
(under cover of
bank)
B Coy one pln to demonstrate
as soon as first
shot ws fired they lay
down & blazed - 
carried this out to a T.
12 Bn estab itself here by 3 am on
Easter Sunday
Z is German c. attack on
A Coy. at 10 pm
on same night.
Whittle ws with
Newland in both of these -
he led a pln in the
Boursies attack & helped
to repel attack this night
by gathering men when Germs got
into trench & charging & ousting them.
For Lagnicourt see recommendation of Pte Huddle.

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31

12 Bn. Boursies &
Lagnicourt.
Newlands^x ws sent on for
Boursies. He ws ordered
at Boursies not to go
w / attack. _^On 4th After organising
it behind the rd from
Louverval in front of wood
(behind the field bank) he
took a bombg party up the
main road from the front.
He ws abt / first man
into / Windmill.
On evg. of 8th April when
his left flank ws driven
back by c. attack after heavy
barrage by smoke bombs &
t.ms, he rallied his men,
brought a pln of C. Coy. Then
hurried to right & helped to repel
attack there. 

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15 Ap.
Whittle, Sergt John Woods Whittle.
(Tasmanian - 2 in C. remount
(ASC) Depot at Claremont.
Amateur H/weight Champn of
Tasm. Hobart man.)
On 15 April during
enemy attack on Lagnicourt
his pln retired to Sunken Rd.
When establd there Germans
tried to enfilade rd with
m.gs. from the same rd.
Whittle single handed rushed
across / open, attacked /
crew w bombs & killed
them, & also brought the
m.g. back to our positn.

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Ap 15. Pte. Arthur John Hubble.
in / c of L.G. post when
enemy attacked. He ws
in D Coy on left post
adjoining 17 Bn. Having
no orders to retire he
kept his men there till
surrounded; seeing
retirement ws / only
chance he ordered his men
to bayonet their way back to
picquet line. After breaking
thro' he agn brought his
gun into action until
agn surrounded. The
picquet then fought its

STATEMENT BY No.2 620 L/Cpl. A.T. HUBBLE 12th. BATTALION
On night of 14/15th. April 1917 I was commanding a Lewis Gun
team at LAGNICOURT. My Post (6 men) was on the left of D. Company.
About 50 yards on my left was a post of a Sgt. and 12 men of 17th. Batt.
on the right of the creek, and I could see three other 17th. Battalion
ank posts across the creek.
Just before daybreak the 17th. Battalion Sgt. came to me and
asked if I had heard any movement in front, as he thought he could.
We went to the top of a little rise in front but could hear nothing.
Soon after the sentry told me that a party of men were coming
in on our right, between my post and Cpl. PETERS (12th. Battalion).
I had been told about an hour before that a patrol was going out,
but had not been told if it had returned, so told the sentry nott to
fire. Just as they got thro' I saw they had helmets, so warned
the 17th. Battalion post and Cpl. PETERS. Others started to come on
and I opened fire with my Lewis Gun, but they continued to advance
and got within bombing distance when we stopped them with Mills
Grenades.
Cpl. PETERS' post on my right was firing and I heard firing
further on the right. The 17th. Battalion post on my left was
fighting, but the three posts across the creek had gone back.
The enemy were now coming on in such numbers that I told my men to 
retire, and the 17th. Battalion post followed me. We came up to the
enemy who had got thro’ our lines and started to fight our way thro'.
Only an N.C.O. attempted to face our bayonets, all our party of 21 --
being killed xkxxxt or wounded by rifle fire from the Huns coming on
behind except Pte KEOGH and myself and two men of the 17th. Battalion,
who got thro' to the 2nd. Division Reserve Line.
Cpl. A.J. Hubble
D Coy 12 Batt

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Ap 15. Pte. Arthur John Hubble.
in / c of L.G. post when
enemy attacked. He ws
in D Coy on left post
adjoining 17 Bn. Having
no orders to retire he
kept his men there till
surrounded; seeing
retirement ws / only
chance he ordered his men
to bayonet their way back to
picquet line. After breaking
thro' he agn brought his
gun into action until
agn surrounded. The
picquet then fought its 

(McGrath ws wd in
head.)
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15 Ap
way thro to 2 Divn. on left
during wh time Hubble
stopped 3 times to use his
gun on enemy & allow
his men to get clear. He
managed to get his
gun back.
___________________
Refer tt Col Elliott has recd. the
follg Letter arrd from No 5506
Pte G.D. McGrath 16 Pln D Coy
12 Bn. dated Minden
30 May. (Gefangenenlager)
"There is only one other
12 Bn man here with me
who ws also wd, but
in the leg. Sergt Bowles
D Coy. I can give you
some information concerning