Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/152/1 - April - May 1917 - Part 5

50
7 May.

8 May.
x They were smashed up.

9 May

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51
Digging thro day - trenches deepened
(then 3 ft in places):
& 15 ft wide.
60 bodies buried.

4 L.Gs turned onto Enemy
Supports^x moving up to Bullecourt.
(To attack 7 Divn).
In aftn 4.5 How & 18 pdr shells
from directn Noreuil fell in O.G.2.
causing casualties.  Power Buzzer
& Runner cdnt get it stopped.

53 Bn relieved 12 Bn &
10 Bn by 4 pm.
Casualties:
            k   w   m
Offrs   2    5
O.r.     30.  125   19

52

Diagram -  see original document

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53
9th Bn.
Bullecourt.
6/7 May.
4 p.m. 9 Bn notified tt attack
on Hind. Line from U 22 D 60.00
to U 28 A 75.70 wd
take place at 9.30 . on 6th
8.30 pm.  Postponed to 3 . 45 on 7th
Old stop in OG1 ws just behind
the C .T. at 60.
__________
In OG2 Stop ws across rd
at abt the grid line between
22D & 23C.  The Stop
ws in road but post
other side of it.
The Germs
No bombt on this trench.

54

?  What were the
pits in front of the
trenches.

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55
Bombt all on Bullecourt
& X roads.
At start , going along
trench Knightley's & C Coy
were fired on first by T.M. from
about the X roads.  M.G.
opened there too
The TM ws a pineapple
thrower.
Lt. Browns pln pushed
Germs as far as 2nd Road
Crossing & put Stop a little
further back.  There were
Germs near this pt -
in trench who cleared as
our men opened w bombs.
At same time Lt McTaggart
came down S of Road &
put a post abt opp. Lt
Browns , in a Shellhole -

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56
They then opened from these
positns w covering fire
while Lt Ramkema came
down continuatn of trench.
S. of Rd.
A Pln under Sergt
Porter also went along
S. of Rd.  Ramkem
They met abt pt 63.  They
came into heavy fire here -
TMs , m.gs. etc. from the
X Roads.  Ramkema ws
hit thro' elbow joint
(4th time wd.) & has since
lost his arm. (He ws
one of originals as a
Pte in 9 Bn. & ws first hit
on June 3rd at Anzac by a premature
across the valley .  He
ws in / Fleurbaix Raid
& got MC for it.)

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57
Ramkemas Party came down
from 63 to 60 & linked
up w 9Bn there.
They sent back tt they
were getting a rough time &
suggested tt it ws from the
X Road.  Knightley got
Stokes Mortar onto it &
silenced (in O.G.2) the M.G.  Ramkema
coming in wd told K where
the enemy TM. ws.
After the Stokes opened
(& we open at same time w
rifle grenades) they pushed
on (Sergt Porters pty).  They
saw the Germs running
away, and ran along top
of trench (S of Rd) throwing bombs in
at Germs.
The found over 20
Germs dead - in this part.

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58
k. by bombs & rifle grenades
- no wd - over 100 rifles,
overcoats , new clothing.
They left these & cleared -
cant stand Mills Rifle Gren. &
bombs.  They cleared from these.
Sergt Porter put a post
in S. of Rd, & Sergt Greaves
in CT 63 - 60.
That ws the limit -
abt 250 - 300 yds.  The
objve ws as far as they ,
cd get - K. told them it must
be 250 yds.  The trench Sth of X
Road ws strongly held by
Germs.  The 9th went further
forwd S of Rd but came
back bec. they got they
a better field from where
stop ws placed.

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59
Gs did not c. attack.
The posts were not blown
out by arty.
The night of 7/8 after
consolidating, the 9 Bn
were reld. by 2nd Bde.
(There were no
Germs in the 2 dugouts found)
There were dead Australians
& Germs. in the road.
The losses were
fairly heavily - betw 20 & 30.
The attack ws over in
abt ½ hr. & a runner came
back to say the Sth. pt ws
established
__________
O.G.1 See over.

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60
9 Bn in
O.G. 1 :
B,A,D Coys.
B Coy led.  Stop ws abt grid just short of 60
betw 22D & 23C. (not 60)
Men were all in
dugouts during bombt.  The
arty ws concentratd on
O.G. 1 , not quite up to
stop.  Stop ws held by 4Bn.
Leading Pln hopped over
the barrier (sandbags & earth,
4ft high) & went abt 75
yds when they got a
shower of bombs back.  They
started to put in a bomb
stop.
Lt Henzell & his pln
then hopped over the barrier
& went along trench - bombers

Diagram - see original document

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61
in front.  Germ bombs
were then landing in showers
in the next traverse.
H. got the rifle grenadiers
behind the bombers ; let them
put a barrage of rifle
grenades beyond, bombers
throwing at same time ;
L.G on parapet keeping
German heads down.
They We ran out of bombs
here & Germs tried to get
round Hs. flank.  He had
m.g. firing from abt the
C. T S & W of pt 60. ^pt marked as m.g. on map 28B3½ 9½  He also
had 2 TMs (pineapples).
Germs came out on
either side trying to get
round our flanks &
cut our party off.  This
ws abt 10 mins after our start.

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62
Fresh supply of bombs
now arrd.  The German
bombing kept v. consistent.
Check still maintained,
so lot rushed round traverse
at the Germs.  The Germs
had 2 or 3 men on top
of parapet who saw the
rush , nipped back a
few traverses, & held
us up again.
The rush saw the last
of / Germans getting round
/ traverse , & we opened
up w bombs ; we overtook
here one of their LTMs wh
had bn throwing pineapples.
They held us up there
agn (abt 3 traverses along) -
& H. got up some more
bombers & rifle grenadiers
from / plns in rear.  He