Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/155/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 3

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a listening post
estab. out beyond
rd at night. The
relief. (2 Bn) took over
this listening post (wh
later gave warning of
attack).
Abt 6 a.m. one
of the 22 Bn observers
drew Thwaites attentn
to some men in helmets
coming from our left
rear over the open from
directn of O.G.1.  He
thought they were some
of our left who were
late. It ws seen tt they
They were just creeping
from shell hole to shell
hole when, once, a
helmet ws seen of
German pattern. 

25
They had 18 Lewis guns to
hold 15 bays on left
of C.T. by wh they got
in – & 8 paniers w each
gun ^∧ were collected during day
from betw O.G. 1 & O.G.2 – 
i.e. 32 mags for each gun –
 a tremendous supply.
Practly all 221 21 & 22
Guns for tt sector were in
O.G.2 as others did not
go on. But there were only abt
30 men in the whole sector.
[Probly 4 Div attack had
caused trenches to be widened &
Germs. cut out their firestep
& widened it again.] 
        
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O.G. 1 ws out of sight
owing to slope of ground;
they were abt 100 yds
away.
A party with bombs
ws sent C.T. to extreme
left (newly reached near
rd). L.Gs & rifles
engaged them from front.
The germs dissolved &
were not seen again.
They pty consoldtd
a strong post where the
C.T. crossed the rise
& made strong post
there at B. They had so
few men tt they, darent risk going further.
Fighting ws going
on in O.G. 1 then ^∧ & unt till
3 p.m.  also, stick bombs
going in all directns
in / directn of O.G. 1. 

27
At 7 am. (abt) after the
attack from O.G. 1 ws squashed
Thwaites who cd see men out
on the Decauville behind / bank,
saw reported to Lloyd 24 Bn
& asked if he shd go over.
He had only 8 men of 22 Bn.
Lloyd sd "certainly not. Stay
on w every man you
can" There were abt 8 men
of 22 Bn out there.  Later,
abt 9 they saw men slipping
back trying to get back from
there in 2s & 3s;  one LTM
man Thwaites saw, appty wd,
trying to drag along his heavy
gun beyond the hedge (during
/ morning) He put a Stokes M.

(Diagram - see original document)

shell under it, hopped
into a shell hole -
gun blew up –
Whether he got back Thwaites
doesnt know. But the ammun
(6 shells) did.
After tt movement cd be
seen along tt rd all day – but you
cdnt say what it was –  our wd, or
live men, (or enemy – prob. ours)
 

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From the time Hunt got
down the Sunken rd
the fight in O.G. 2 consisted
of sniping into Riencourt.
The Ge (with exceptn of
this attack in rear at 6 am).
xx   Abt midday we
crossed road into
trench beyond ^∧ rd (bombg
pty under C S M
Horsborgh 21 Bn)
& down it some
distance.  This pty
ws driven out by
heavy bursts of
H E from unlocated
arty — possibly German
minenwerfer from
[*tes*] Bullecourt, or possibly
our own 8in Hows called
for by a German plane wh
went over abt 11 am 

35                                                         29   

& saw our left (by flare
signal) South of rd.
From this time it
was quiet — German
barrage not very
heavy.
Abt 4 p.m. a distress
signal ws sent up from
somewhere in our lines
and a barrage ws
put down abt 250 yds
beyond our O.G. 2.
[During day L.Gs. &
snipers kept down
German reinfts from
Hendecourt directn
crossing Sunken
Rd beyond 29 Road
to attack 5 Bde Sector.]
These Reinfts cd be also
seen coming out of
S.W. corner of Reincourt,
disappearing, & reappearing
near 6 star Rd, at C.T. 

35                                                            30 
Maxfield sent back a message
early stating "No sign of 22 Bn on
left; no sign of 5 Bde on Right;
also asking for Reinfts & ammn."
This got back betw 10. or 11 a.m. to
Greig.
Lt GO Greig  —
G ws in / c of 9 Bn C Coy.
on rt of 2nd wave.
On reaching enemy wire
there ws a tendency to crowd
right owing to enemy wire
being more cut there.
He hit O.G. 2 at 4.18.
after getting in with 24 Bn
he went to left & struck
Germs.  60 or 80 yds without
a soul, bayonet man in
front;  then round a traverse
saw a german who threw
a bomb wh exploded
harmlessly. They threw over 2 

35                                                           31 
mills wh hit him.  Several
bombs came over. G. got stayed
there & sent the bayoneter back for
a few men w bombs &
bomb fight started.  The Germs
stopped at the corner of the
C.T. into O.G. 1  - where
Greig went back to get men
to dig firestep etc.  When he
got back Thwaites ws in.
G. ws in this sector between
C.T. on left & 24 Bn all day.
No c. attack ws made.  The
posts down from U23C04 to U22D9½0  the C.T. the last of whom were engaged- w
abt 5 L.Gs. who 
in the bombing scrap near O.G. 1
The Vickers gun out ahead
ws withdrawn in aftn owing
to our heavy shells.
That evg abt 7 p.m.
3 men came in from in front who
had bn on the Decauville – two
helping a wd man whom they 

32
A pty of 24 Bn ws to go out
at 8 p.m. along road to bomb
down trench on our side of it but
did not join 2nd as Sergt ws hit.
Hunt ws wd in both arms.
He came to Greig after his
Stunt (abt 4.15 4.30 he went out on it)
at abt 5 or 5.30 wd thro both arms
- his 3rd wound - & asked for
more men to have anot go
at the post in the Sunken Rd.
He ws wd in both arms
& G. wdnt let him go out
– had him temporarily dressed
in trench & sent back to aid post.  He
ws broken up at the refusal.  He
almost fainted in G's arms. The
L.Gs & Vickers were put out
afterwds – not by Hunt –

 35                                                           33 
picked up abt 200 yds out.
Abt 3 a.m. they were
reld. by 1st Bde ^∧ 3 Bn & handed
over all posts to the relief.
Shelling ws / only trouble from
/ front during / night.
Rodda visited O.G. 2 at 5. pm.
(sent up from ^∧ Bde H.Q. at Embankt).
24 Bn then holding block on left
of OG 2.   Rest held by
21 -  22 - 24.   7 Bde]
At 5.30 Pm. Major of 7 Bde reported
to Col. Davis in O.G. 1 that
after bombg up OG. 1 to rt
he had bn driven back to
original block (on 29 Rd)
Bombg ws going on at this
block then (Rodda sd).
Block on left in O.G. 1 ws
held by 22 & 24
Then. 22 - 23.

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Rodda & Woolf were sorted
the mixture of Bns out as much
as possible later.
22 Bn in O.G. 2.      Greig       } _{30 men}
                                  Thwaites }
                 OG. 1.       Kennedy } _{25 men}
                                  Robinson }
Woolf & Rodda remained in
OG 1 on Davis orders.
Enemy made repeated
bomb attacks on both flanks
in O.G. 1 durg night, & shelled.
Abt 2.30 a.m. men of
1st Bde began to pass thro' on
relief.  During relief enemy
made a c. attack bombing
on both flanks but beaten
off.

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Kennedy.
Left half of 1st wave
ws slightly caught by pre-zero
barrage.
As soon as our barrage
came down bayonets were
fixed & waves advanced;
but shell holes & enemy barrage
right thro centre of advanced
caused splitting & mixture.
Kennedy entered O.G. 1 at
U 29 A 15. 95.   First wave
worked to left in O.G. 1
& met bombs but cleared
250 yds & estab block
as bombs went short. Then a
lull.   Men sent then to gather
bombs & stragglers.
At this time 12 men
seen "ahead" thought to be
English ∧ bombg from Bullect or own men too
far left. 

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Bombs now arrd & K set
out to get touch w them.
But ws presently stopped.
Lt Robinson from OG 2 &
M Lt Filmer (Bde carrying pty)
w few men helped, &
tried again to get touch
but presently stopped.
Filmer, trying to see, ws
sniped. So trench blocked,
& enemy for some hrs
attacked here.   2 or 3
times x ^∧ we were driven back but
eventually got positn.
24 Bn ws informed
of ^∧ the serious danger here,
& K tried to get Stokes Mortar
but unable.
Pty now very small.
Betw 4 & 5 pm asked 24 Bn
for help. Offr of 24 Bn came
– made some headway agst