Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/164/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 4

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attacking on the left. Their line

reached to a pillbox abt 100

yds in advance of Defy Xing on

N.side of the line

Just before Zero, No 13 Pln under

Lt Gay formed up in rear of the

trench.

At Zero our barrage fell

abt 100 yds in front of this point.

Then it seemed to collapse & fall

right on the assembled Platoon.

Lieut Gay & a no. of No 13pln were

k. & most of the rest wounded.

Sergt Maj. Palmer imd. took

charge & withdrew the rest of the

pln ^further to the rear & reformed

his attacking party using No 14

pln to reinforce the assaulting

party. Within ½ minute of our

barrage By this  opening the German

barrage came down on 8^th Bn line.

The German barrage ws a moving

barrage & kept moving backwds

& forwards, moving twds Decline

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Diagram - see original document

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Copse & then back to 8 Bn. We were

in imd touch w / Canadians across

the rly, on left. On reaching the

cutting Sergt Maj. Palmer had

started his party after reforming

them in time to get up to our

barrage. They crossed the rly

to the N. & kept close along it

in file wh gave good shelter from

our own barrage. Agst the rly

line right in the bank abt 450yds

from Defy Xing was a 77 gun in

good order. The light ws not good

enough to see our men - we cd

see Decline Copse all the way.

On reaching the cutting the pty

specialty detail to deal w / dugouts

worked along the Southern crest o /

cutting watching for dugouts on tt side

beneath them so tt they cd slide

down onto / dugout mouth.

No dugouts cd be found on

S.side of cutting as marked on /

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map. A light m.g. ws

pushed out of a dugout opening

on N.Bank of cutting. It ws

imd. silenced by our rifle fire.

within ½ min. The attacking pty

had slipped down / bank &

reached / dugout without loss.

Over 30 germs with 3 m.gs at

once surrendered.

These were sent back to

Bde escorted by one man. This

pty ws caught by / german barrage

on its way to / rear but reached

a german Canadian dressing stn. They were

taken over by the m.o. for use as

s.bs & we obtained a receipt for

17. The others were k or wd in /

barrage or lost.

The rest of the pln moved forwd

on the S.side of the rly & followed the

barrage thro Decline Copse. In the

copse some unoccupied dugouts

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were found blown in by our arty.

In one dugout in the S. part o / Copse

we took 6 men & 2 m.gs.

While the mopping up of Decline

ws going on another pty moved

forwd as arranged (abt 15 men)

to examine what ws shown on /

map as 2 concrete dugouts in

/ hedge at abt D18 A 8.5. This

ws beyond the Copse. These dugouts

did not exist. Along the hedge ws

found a dip bank alongside wh

were a row of abt 20 cupola dugouts.

This line ws surprised & captd.

abt 30 prisoners & 1 mg. were taken

there - bent galvanised iron -

An observatn post ws estab. there

during consolidatn; the prisoners

were sent to / rear without

an escort - they were taken over

to / Canadians as there ws less

shellfire tt way -

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Diagram - see original document

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Abt 7.30 a party of engrs arvd

(2nd Field Coy) & found positn

partly consold. They immed.

set to work & made improvements

After finishing abt 2.30 pm

they left. This ws an entirely

new trench - there were old G. trench 

in the copse itself. On both sides o /

line were our own dead - all 4^th

Divn, a good many of these. Their

boots had gone & any good socks.

These were on both sides o / cutting

& in the Copse on both sides of

cutting. A certain no. of dead

Germans were there also.

(Some were dark blue & light blue -

45Bn).

Mr Macshane took his pty

forwd imd. after the engineers, as

reinforcemts. He took charge of the

post. The Canadians were on the

N side of Decline Copse, arriving at

 

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/ same time as we.

There were no bldgs very

near to the post. Directly in front &

on left front at abt 800yds were

scattered farmhouses. The town

of Moorslede ws not observable.
Abt 7am. a German contact

plane came very low & dropped

signals over / positn. It followed

along / Canadian line - wh ws

in shellholes - dropping flares all

/ way. Our contact plane came

around abt 7.40 but we

cd not give them / flares as

/ men carrying them had bn lost

in / advance. The men waved

helmets & rifles to attract their

attentn & Air the plane answered by

his m.g; apparently satisfied the

plane patrolled / Canadian line &

went away.

At 2.30 a Sqn of our planes

patrolled / line. This plane went

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back & reported fighting in Decline

Copse & tt / pty ws just then

attacking.

The Engr party returned at 2.30.

Their offr as he ws leaving last of the

pty he ws badly wd & died

a few days later.

Abt 3.45 small pties of

Germans were seen moving from

E 7a (N of line abt 800 yds away)

to E 13a (S. of line on high

ground on Morslede side of dip)

These were taken for working or

ration pties. The positn where they

disappeared over / ridge ws

kept observed. At abt 4.15 pm

similar pties were seen massing

on the spur leading from tt

high land to Decline Copse (abt

E 13a 2.5). The Canadians 

were imd. told - Sergt Maj. Palmer

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went across & arranged w

them for m.g. support in case

of attack.

As the enemy advanced in

sections in extended order in short rushes

towds the region of our protective

barrage line we sent up an

S.O.S. our m.g. barrage answered

at once - 2nd Bde m.g. The m.g.

artillery barrage ws not noticeable

on our front - Two more S.O.S.

were fired w feeble response

from arty as tho only a few bties

had opened (4 Div arty this night)

The m.g. barrage caused them to retire.

They then tried to work round towds

Assyria & under the bank where

the dugouts were.

At this point (4.45 pm.) Lt

Macshane saw / Canadians retiring.

C.S.M. Palmer went across &

found / Canadian positn vacated.

They had not bn under heavy

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arty fire but on their left a

withdrawal had taken place.

The troops on / flank of these

retired & so it ws carried

along / line.

By this time they were out of

Decline Copse. There ws not any

attack on their front.

As no further support cd be

expected from / Canadians & our

posts were completely isolated,

acc. to orders Lt Macshane gave

/ order to retire.

Bde had issued orders tt if

/ positn taken by / Canadians ws

not held our troops were to be

withdrawn.

The men at first refused

to leave / positn - they wished to

stay & fight. The 6 German m.gs

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When Palmer went over to the Canadians

he pointed out the relieving advancing Germans to two

Canadian officers in their dugout (an

underground one a little way N.

of the rly cutting). He stood on the top

step & pointed the Germs. out. His

own opinion ws tt / germs were

coming up to build up a firing

line again after having bolted.

The offrs got out called for a pigeon & sent

a message to / arty - & their own

arty put down a fine barrage.

The CSM Palmer ran back

to the Rly Cutting & when he got

back MackShane pointed out to

him tt / Canadians retiring - [First

they ^had retired on / Ridge -these were 1000

yds on / left & seemed too advanced for

Canadians & MacShane thought they might

be germs. This ws before the Germans started

to come cover / Ridge. Next C.S.M. Palmer

ws sent over by him (on sending up SOS) to

as Canadians were not attackg

Canadians. Our m.gs. were brought up then too

out of dugout. Shortly Palmer had told them 

PTO

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captd were destroyed by m.g.

corporal & coy fell back along

the rly taking all wounded.

On reaching the 8Bn line the

C.S.M. Palmer ws immediately

sent over to / Canadian support

line on / left for informatn.

All tt he cd find out from /

offr there ws tt he had prevented

/ front line troops from retiring

further than his positn.

The positn we reported to 8Bn

H.Qrs & Lt Lay M.M.DC.M.MC.Croix de Guerre (who went out

as sergt at Bullecourt & capt

a man unarmed) ws instrd to

take some 6 Bn men & a small

patrol of his own & investigate

He first visited / Canadians who

knew nothing & cd tell him

nothing but gave him a note stating