Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/160/1 - June 1917 - Part 4

[[From?]]  Col. Imlay.

 

40        40

47 Bn Camped

on Neuve Eglise Rd.

abt ½ mile from 48.Bn

got gas shelled 1st night
- 5.9 ^gas shells - after a big 12 in

gun on rails.

Started at 7.20 followed

X route by Shrine,

Plum Duff Rd, Wellington trench -

.Bn HQrs. corner. of Waikato Ave

& Winter trench.

Bn visited went straight

over excluded from Hanbury

Support trench & formed on green

in Nomansland between Ulna Beak

& Uhlan trench - 47 on rt

45 on left.  They had previously

reconnoitred this at 4 a.m.

& put out bn's coloured flags.

41
 

Diagram - see original document

 

Each pln broke into 4

sections in single file

& went forwd in this

artillery formation.

 

40     42

There ws a bit of shelling on

our front line but they

didnt stay there.

Orig. starting off time ws

1.10.  If they left at 11.30

they reckoned on moving

almost at once with

barrage from black red dotted line.

As far as they know

they were not seen - there

ws a fair amt of shelling

wh may have bn meant

for tanks.

Once deployed

The Bn wd be in exactly

same formatn & frontage

as it wd use on the

attack.

The ground ws pitted

but the formation made

movement easy &

40      43

was well kept.  They

moved thro the NZs

on the black line.  Lieut.

Scott (who had reconnoitred

up in / morning, in/c of

Bn forward Command

post) led them up.

NZs had estab posts

(supposed to be 300yds but

actually) abt 100 yds

in front of black line.

47. Bn got into position

on this line of posts

behind our barrage - &

at this time news ws recd

by Bn H.Q. of the new Zero

hour.  It had bn sent before

but the 2 runners have not

bn seen since & were

presumably killed.

40         44

The Bn waited there &

got as much cover as it

cd in shell holes.  The

Germans saw it & they

were fairly heavily shelled.

Capt Davy, Lt Dixon &

(Bagdad Tasm.Exeter Engl.)  (Qland Brisb.)

Lt Campbell (Cornwall Eng. Tasm. Hobart) were killed

by shells.

Left of one coy ws on

the Zareeba & left of other

on unbearable trench.

They were in touch w

45 Bn all way, & in touch

w 37 Bn on right.

At 3.10 the barrage lifted

& went at rate of 100yds in

3 minutes.  It ws absolutely

punctual & good.

45

Diagram - see original document

 

40    46

B Coy (Capt. Miller) ws to

attack & take Unbearable

trench & form a lodgement

in Owl Sig Trench astride

Huns Walk, right on

junctn with Uncanny trench,

Left Coy.  C. Coy under

Capt Williams had to

move as arrow opposite

& get into Owl trench.

Oxygen trench ws left to

45 Bn.  The two rear

Coys were to come thro

& occupy similar positns

in Owl Support.

They met with very

heavy fire from the bushes

& hedges in Uncanny

Angle (abt Uncanny Trench)

47

Antills nephew

 

40      48

This held them up until

they cd locate it & Lieut

Goode ws mortally wounded

N.S.W.

by a m.g.

Capt Miller O.C. B Coy

said he wd fix them.  He

went out to reconnoitre

positn & locate these guns
- He ws killed.  By this

time B coy had few offrs.

They were just past the

Str pt in Unbearable trench to

(junctn w uncanny)

right of Oxygen trench.  He 

got abt 200 yds into the bushes

& ws shot.

Williams ws held up

by m.g. from the Salient

of Oxygen trench.

C Coy went over Oxygen

trench - they got the m.g. & some

40       49

prisoners there.

B Coy was wandering

to right & got into part of

Owl trench but lost directn

& touch with C. Coy.  It

ws here tt Lieut. Bird

in Septieme Barn shot first

2 germs who came out -

after tt they all kameraded.

& abt 40 came out - B.

standing w revolver at the

entrance & kicking them on

to his men.  They made

these Germs consolidate

Owl trench.  Septieme Barn

is beyond the trees (the little

white cement place betw

it & uncanny trench became

known to many as

Septieme Barn)

40      50

Williams got into Owl -

but B Coy got into

Uncanny Angle.

Salmon of A Coy got

into Owl Trench & got a lot of

m.g. fire there from

Germans on / left - wh

stopped him for / time from

getting to the Owl Support.

He tried to counteract

this by Section fire (covering

fire by Sectns).  D Coy

suppo behind B got as

far as Owl trench connecting

with C.  So owl ws

occupied.

The questn ws 

where ws D B  Coy to go

to not having seen B Coy

40      51

Salmon pushed forwd

on left - 45 Bn -

in a sort of half left

form so as to keep touch.

He got abt ½ way,

while patrols of D Coy

got into Owl Support

on his right.

By this time Germs

were massing near

Gapaard w / idea of

c.attack.  So Salmon

got back into Owl trench

& prepared to push this

c.attack back.

At this time arty barrage

came down - no SOS

called for here but on the

left - The arty were applty

acting on information

52
 

[Capt Williams told Capt. Cumming

later tt he cd do nothing

w the men bid this retreat - he

cdn't manage them - They were

very shaken & scattered.

O/course Col. Imlays acct. does

not take this into full consideratn.]

 

40       53

from 13 Bde.

This arty barrage

came back onto Owl

trench where we were.

It has bn on targets.  It then

in front

came down onto SOS line

abt 200 yds in front of

Green line.

It ws then recalled 

& came down onto Owl

trench.

The Infy reported back

tt the barrage ws on them.

At abt 6 p.m. they came

out & dug a line from

Oxygen trench to Huns

Walk, an excellent

little trench - exc. some

of B. Coy. The left &

right were unknown.