Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/165/1 - May - September 1917 - Part 2

10

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Full of dead - one

man alive underneath

all dead.

Finally chucked 

out by head & foot.

The S.P. in Glencorse Wood.
 

45     
11

were taken from inside

& 20 outside. 10 Bn

got 3 mgs there. There

were 3 gas or flammenwerfer

implements there, 50 or 60

m.g. belts (Two guns were

lent to 3rd M.G. Coy) Lieut

Lehmann of 3 mg Coy & most

of team ws k;  but L/Cpl

who ws w him carried

on exactly like an offr.

It took 5 or 6 mins to

reduce this place & / men

once they got to the

emplacements & openings

simply filled place w bombs.

The garrison ws actually

coming out of the dugouts

when out men were over

them. The Germ. morale seemed

to be v. good & their suffering wd were

v. plucky.

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The m.g. ws ^ lying on top of the

blockhouse afterwds. - a light gun.

The line had by now

gone on.  Neligan got

there after X & Y Coys & before

1 & 2 who were spacing

out getting their distance

The wave of the 12^th

seemed to get too far to

left - something or other went

wrong there;  it's not clear

what.  They were out o 

/ way & not in their

place.

Capt. G.C. Campbell reorg. 10 Bn into

original form X Y, 1 & 2 (1 carrying 2 M.O.)

9^th & 10^th lay up fo during

hours pause.  9^th had

12^th & 11^th in front of

them, (on left) But 10^th

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only had 11 Bn ahead

of them.

Nothing startlg between

1st & 2nd objve.  12 Bn

cleared up abt 12 mgs

there later - but no fight

there.  2 old field guns

lying there.

The rt half of 2nd objve

ws not held by anyone

so Neligan decided to hold it

w 2 Coys.   They knew by the

time, & / barrage where they

were.  They were within 40

or 50 yds of barrage (they

were taught to settle their 

positn by this).

The men had sandwiches

w them.  Paper boys got into 

action there - sandbags w

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12 papers in each bag.  Some

were issued at this objve

& some at the third objve.

1 & 2 Coys were used on 2nd 

objve bux & N. decided to leave

them there & go on w X & Y.

1 & 2 started digging at once,

& were nearly dug in when

lift came. German gradually

brought in his barrage - 

he had a fair idea how

he ws losing - on to

Strong Pt in Glencorse Wood,

& then in front of Red Line.

The barrage became

tw many times as intense

(from 1 shot per min. to 4 shots

per min. on lifts - this 

made them obvious -

men were all warned abt

this).

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To 3rd objve -

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

※ These were released when 12 Bn organised a pln

S.P. on its rt.

On hearing tt 12^th had

not reached right positn

N sent to 7 Bn for support.

2 Plns arrived ^※;  the line

had x bn ordered off at once

but these 2 plns when they

arrived were used as a

sort of stand by as authorities

wanted plenty of troops on

3rd objve.  The ground ws

marshy in front of 10 Bn -

but posts went out while

protective 4 hr barrage

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ws still in front, & were

dug in by time it lifted.

It ws from a an advanced

patrol on rt tt they

cd see abt 3.30 Germans

behind the Butte looking with

off their packs - & then issued

without their packs & were

seen moving to abt J 10A 55

where they dispersed &

became lost to view.

The patrols of storm Coys

had small scraps w

German patrols.

There had bn a mg.

at the S.W. end of racecourse.

Whenever it fired 3 of our

guns were waiting for

it & got onto it at once

& it ws shut up.

17 

2 m.gs. were captd in 2nd objve, & 1 mg

ws seized single handed by Lieut Klenner

This ws causing heavy casualties &

momentarily held up / advance.
Shell fire pretty disorgd 12 Bn.
Klenner's gun ws just before

2nd line ^ reached & N.C.O. & 5 men were

taken there.
 

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Our m.gs. put up (probly

21 m.g. Coy) par a wonderful

barrage, & arty also

in hollows behind edge of

slope.   Very few shorts.

Isolated groups were seen

at various times - but

no attack came.  Similar

movemts were noticed & smashed by arty
abt 7.30pm.

That night ^ Pte Inwoods

patrol went our, & found

where Germ. patrol ws

working thro Polygon

wood.  He went down

rt flank of race course

& settled tt the Germans

were still in their dugouts

in / wood - he cd hear

their transport also moving.

This informatn prevented

18a
R45/18
 

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the sending out of

unlimited patrols wh

wd have bn caught.

Next mg. earl he went with a 7 Bn

man located a m.g. & the two went out ^

out after a m.g. wh

he had spotted - in a 

shellhole & bombed /

gun & team & brought in

one prisoner who carried /

gun.

The ground ws heavily

shelled at intervals &
spaces.

At 7.30p.m. 2nd night  S.O.S.

went up from 2 Bde & 2 Divn & later

from 3 Bde O.P.   Both flanks reported

enemy movement massing for c-att.

but 10 Bn saw no one.

The LTM offr & 3 of crew were wd.

But the new offr sent up at Assembly

post did not report during engagement

nor ws gun seen.

45/18
10th Batt.

C.O. recommends Pte Reginald

Ray Roy Inwood. 506   During operations

19/22 Sept at Polygon Wood, Pte Inwood

displayed exceptional bravery & devotion

to duty.

During advance to 2^nd objective, Inwood

moved forward through our barrage alone to a

German strong post & captured it with 9

prisoners, & killed several of enemys.

During evening he volunteered for a 

special all night patrol which went out abt

600 yds in front of our line, & there by his

coolness & sound judgment obtained & sent

back very valuable information as to the

enemys movement.

In early morning of 21^st Pte

Inwood located a machinegun which

was causing several casualties.  He

went out alone and bombed the

gun and team, killing all but one

whom he brought in as prisoner

with the gun.

20 

carrying Coys - get disorg. by

shelling & they will fight w

mates.  Carrying Bn wd be

better.  N. considers storm

troop system worth white. (2 coys

in his Bn).

Slow barrage splendid

Camouflage shd be necessary

for new s. p:

Shell struck actually

in mouth of dressing stn &

k. many of wd.  But

Maj. Appleyard RMO

went on w work tho shaken

& constantly went out

to dress wds under v.

heavy shellfire.

 

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Bullecourt 

9 Bn   May 7

Hand drawn diagram – see original document

The flammen werfer attack

agst 9 Bn came in abt the

Jn (dotted line) & ws part 

of an imd. c-attack made

agst 9 Bn bombing pty in OG1

from directn of OG2 - after our

party had made head down