Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/159/1 - June 1917 - Part 2

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mins later Germans

strafed heavily salvos

of 3. HE. 4.2 just

where they had been.

On the SE side of Bethlehem

ws a dug out with Engr

material, minnie shells,

etc. (at schnitzel there ws

a huge dugout but all entrances

filled up by our fire).

There were lots of 

dead Germans. German

ws straffing schnitzel

v heavily.
H I order ws sent

tt zero ws delayed - 

to get under cover, & 

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move up in time to

pass Blackline &

follow barrage at Zero

There ws a wire to Zero Bethlehem

by 12 noon.
Touch ws estab. with

47th (order to delay zero

ws sent to them by 3 runners

& came back signed by

all OCs in 37Bn line &

coys on flank. At Left flank

coys (34Bn) had to pivot

only.
Word came back within

abt 20 mins of Zero tt

attack was passing thro

1st line of wire in front of

undulating trench. At time

13

47th wd know abt

the tanks.

 

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when they might be 

expected to be fighting

in Uncanny trench they

were reported in

Uncanny support, &

many [shorthand] were then

returning.
It ws then tt /

word of the fighting took

place. Just N of Huns

Walk in Uncanny trench

the Germans were thick -

N of Septieme Barn.

Capt Grieve got 2 LGs

out then enfilading them

& drove them out here.

Grieve also crept up

& bombed two m.gs

15

This map is slightly wrong

(see Murdochs account of it)

Hand drawn diagram - see original
Grieve ws to put in a 

st. pt at x, but both TM

& ^ V.M.G. were knocked out.

W Fraser in/c of m.g. mended it -

½ his team were blown out. He

went on working it himself. It was

put out of actn agn. He went on w 2

men & bombed German m.g. ^wh ws also betw Uncanny & Uncanny Suppt. from side & one from front. Fraser ws hit in back

of its concrete emplacmt. One bomb from side & has gone away wd.

 

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in a hedge not

shown on the map,

just forward ^of Sept. Barn.

He got bato hit

himself the blast of

these bombs himself.

Grieve went on to

A Coy.

Uncanny Support

wh ws well held.

There ws bomb fighting

in Uncanny Support.

C.Coy was in front of

Junctn of trench (see opp) & had

got into part of Undulating trench

capturing [shorthand] x Lt. Stubbs

ws stopping his men from

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shooting prisoners when he

ws hit thro' shoulder with

m.g.

D Coy 37 had to dig

in open from Undulating trench

towds Ungodly ave. They 

suffered steady casualties

from a whizzbang near

Potteries & a m.g. there.

D Coy 40th had to fight

up Ungodly ave. (Capt

Giblin ws wd there.)
In the angles betw

the trench junctns were

two woods, not shown

on any map, from

wh A & C Coys were

continually sniped.

47 Bn on left of A were

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suffering from this

sniping also.

Betw 6 & 7 p.m.

At 5.20 p.m. the German

c. attd. the 4th Div in

Owl Support from Huns

Walk Northwards.

After this Maj: Storey

sent Lt Roadknight along

line to see 47Bn offr.

on flank & report on

situatn in regard to

A Coy in Uncanny suppt

& trench junctn.
He sd: 47 consolidating

well & holding on.

Our boys very confident,

I think we can hold on

too.
Storey sent back to

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say they were short of

men. He needed

reinfts. & sd unless

he cd get them line wd

have to be shortened.
These did not come.

Carrying pty who were

gn them cd not be obtained.
There were Germs still

in woods & in angle

of trench & The TM wh ws

to have enfiladed this

junctn was blown out.

& so ws the m.g.
C Coy put a block in

on their left in Undulating

trench abt 100 yds E of Junctn.

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(Murdoch ws there)

Sergt Maj. Cumming

ws sent w ½ pln to

Murdoch to fill in

gap between C & A.

(X...Y)

Hand drawn diagram - see original

He ws 

back within

10 mins wd,

& reported ½ pty k by

a shell.
½ pln support ws

still left. Sergt Vear

went up w remainder

of this pln to Murdoch

He ws wd in night

but pln went on

consolidating.

21

B.76.

 

Road k. ws shot abt

mid night 7/8 9 in

shoulder.

 

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40th on extreme Rt on

Douse were consolidating

& doing well (prob. a bit

in front of green line).

[Murdoch got in bombing [shorthand]

left & right.
Roadknights rept ws

back abt 6.30 or 7 p.m.

Prisoners were from

C & A Coys.

Roadk. ws in charge

of A. Coy. He sent in

later in night at p.m.

a note: 47 Bn have

withdrawn. They seem

to have bn driven

out by our own

barrage. Heavies 

Grieve 1st got his men thro

the gas in Plugst. wood

(Stubbs v. good there also).

Grieve went on at 3.10pm

w his command reduced

to 40 & no other offrs (all

wd). He & Fraser went

calling for TM Bty mg

crew & gun. At their

destinatn these were

blown to pieces & they

were there alone. Grieve

came of   on 2 German mgs

with guns & crews in

or near Uncanny suppt.

& personally bombed guns

& crews. Later he ws shot

by a prisoner while receiving

a batch of them - wd in

shoulder. He handed over comd.

to Sergt Rosing & came back to

Bn H.Q. to explain situatn.. &

then to advd dressing stn to get

wd dressed

 

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falling on both flanks

& in rear. What does

this shoot mean?" He

seemed to be in doubt what

to do. The barrage being

behind them & 47Bn

withdrawing from further

left also, Maj. Storey

gave order from left to

right withdraw. D Coy of

40 Bn refused to withdraw

- they were out till after

midnight. D 40 were ordered

to withdraw. Brig. asked

"are all back?". He ws told

40 Bn were still out. In

meantime 40 Bn came in.

44th put 3 coys into line

thinking 40th still there (when