Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/161/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 3

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26 

hang onto this ^Oostaverne line at
all if it had not bn for
the work of this young officer.
Gates added tt he wd
have / greatest pleasure
in doing anything tt wd
help to bring him a D.S.O.

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27
33Bn. Rt Flank.
Red Route from
Nieppe. Start at 10.20 - Got gas shell
betw 1 & 2a.m. all along 
route - roads & Blanche
Maison & Haymarket
Esp. trenches much knocked
abt -
To be in positn at 2.10.
At 2.25 D Coy (last but 1) ws
passing Dead Horse
Corner & they got into
positn at 3.8.
Last Coy went over
the top from Lone Horse
Ave without assembling.

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At Junction of Broken
Tree H. Road & front line
was m.g. wh had
caused 60p. casualties
the night before in
the raid. The whole team
ws bayoneted – one
had the breech block
in his pocket.
The Bn got over w
abt 8 casualties –
(total loss later 300, 55 percent 
of men who went out).
The mines at
Ultimo Lane, & Factory
Fm. went up at
zero. It ws abt 100 
yds to their  - across their

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inner diameter.
By 3.20 the Bn had
begun to dig while
moppers up went
on w their work.
Four bombg blocks were
estab. & L.Gs went
out into shellholes 
covering front – they
consolidated & joined
up by little saps later 
with front line.
The German practically
left us alone for 8
hours. From tt time
on he bombarded
heavily & incessantly
esp at the head of

30
Early the first afternoon an order
came from Divn tt some units
were reported to be forwd o /
black line & these must be
withdrawn in order to be onto /
barrage at 3.10.
The order ws sent on by /
adjt. (Col. Morshead being up the
line). Shortly after Morshead got
back a Corpl. arrd _∧ back with half a
pln & sd he had bn ordered to
retire. Probly covering parties
had bn ordered to retire (from
in front of the digging pties) – a
most dangerous order. Morshead
at once sent him back &
whipped every man in his reserve
support pln (he had kept
16 from each Coy in with 4 L.Gs.) into 
the right of the line.

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new Support line where
it joined Germ. front line
& also Rt flank
abt where Ultimo
Ave crossed it.
In the moat South
of Long Ruin within
an hour of Zero
9 Germans were k &
a m.g. captured –
mostly by L.G. fire
(Bn got 7 mgs,
2 t.ms (one 9.5, one
6 in) with a lot of big
ammn.
The Germs had
strong concrete dugouts
in front line & were there

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& in shellholes
behind support line.
Their packs were
all ready for
relief. They were all
k. exc. 3, who were
all Red X men.
The Coy C Probly
abt 150 Germs were
k – mostly bayoneted.
The Moat, Long Ruin,
& Jun the Mine
made line v easy
to settle. The siting 
of left flank ws
Excellent. (Col. Jackson
ws taken round by C.O.
& also Maj. T. Williams AG)

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The motto of the Bn
is Strenue Percute -
& they struck hard.
Sniping fire & m.g.
fire from Factory Farm
began quickly but
Stokes, Rifle grenades,
& L.G. met this
& kept at it absolutely
subdued. Snipers were
also out in front with
every L.G.
Morshead had 22
L.Guns – (he had 4
bombing blocks to make)
2 Vickers (one crew
gassed, replaced, 
knocked out by shell,
replaced again –

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from 9 m.g. Coy.).
No bombing attack came
up saps. Germ ws
back at Ultimo Switch,
Ultimo Reserve,
& Ultra Support –
but only during first
night when he
seems to have
retired to Potterie
 – Uncertain –
Unchained System.
On Night of June 8/9
Germs c. attd agst
Crater at Ultimo Lane.
It ws before dawn –
a silent attack. He

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attacked across open
from Factory Fm.
but ws seen & L.G.s
& rifles sent him back
without S.O.S.
Our snipers from
the crater claim to have 
hit 12 men during
these days in 
Factory Farm.
During this time
the New Support Line, 
ws almost too hot
for use & Comm ws
over nomansland just South
of Broken Tree House.
The Russian sap

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ws not joined up
to cross nomansland till
June 8. Nomansland
ws not barraged or
sniped are just south of
New Support Line being
protected by the hill.
German observatn
ws difficult for
Germans because of
Trees & our black 
line ws pretty well
hidden from distance.
(trees in front of moat
& along Ultimo Lane). The 
old trenches being so smashed
made new work observatn posts
diff difficult.