Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/166/1 - September 1917 - Part 6

64
Hand drawn sketch - see original
This fight ws practically in our own
barrage - even a few big shells.
 

One 8in gun ws
always falling short -
first & last it must
have hit 30 min. M.
withdrew his men in the
first objv till I range
cd be altered.

46                    65
This ws a curious
shaped ∧cylindrical thing w a small
hole near I top thro wh
a m.g. ws playing.
The barrage passed this -
& the pillbox saw them
before they reached it.
Murdoch & abt ½ doz others
were wandering ahead
of the crowd when
a bomb exploded
a few yards away -
They looked up & this
Pill box loomed out o I
mist abt 30 yds away.
There must have bn
some Germans in a 

46                      66
shell hole near it. M.
got the men to open up
on the loophole & put
abt 30 rounds into it
keeping down the m.g.
 

In the meantime
Lt Glanville (who won a M.C.
for it) had arrd & was
in the back of the Pill box.
The first our men knew
of it ws I Germans coming
out of it & he kicking
their bottoms & sending
them off. They were all 
k. - 9 of them. 
 

Blackman was over
on the right by Fitzd. Fm

67
2nd objve
46                         68
& he got his men firing on I
loopholes too. A couple were
lost while doing it. They
got behind the Germans &
40 were xxx put out of it. 
Many of these were killed.
Blackman got a M.C.
 

They did not reorganise
till they got to I next
objve. The barrage ws
very heavy & you knew
where it was all I time.
There ws no oppositn
going to 2nd objve. You
cd not see far on acct.
of the smoke - not
more than abt 50 yds.

46                         69
The 6 Bn had bn left
behind - they dug in
quickly on 1st objve.
 

On 2nd objve 5 Bn
dug in. The 8 Bn ws
taken ahead abt 100
yds, & there organised
ready for 3rd objve.
The 2nd objve ws a line
just our side of Black
Watch corner & by Lone
House wh ws abt on the
2nd objve.
 

Verbeek Fm ws behind
it. The 7 Bn ws to take
up abt 2/3 of front but
as a matter of fact
each took abt half!
 

46                             70
This ws ^some hours a good while 
after the attack started. By 
this time a ∧ slight breeze wind ws up
& ws blowing the smoke
away. This allowed I
Germans to see them;
abt 300 yds ahead
were abt ½ dozen Pill boxes
--(about on the trenchline
NW of W of Carlisle Farm

& both N & S of it).
 

Mxx M.G fire ws opened
--in the corner, of the 
wood at  ∧15 B 25.80 5B1.9, wh is high,
Germs cd be seen very
active, getting their mgs
into position by a Pill box

46                        71
--one man brought out
a gun, & abt ½ dozen
others ran abt getting ammn
out o I pill box, tho they
were being heavily shelled
with heavy shell - they
were working most
gallantly. The barrage
had eased off but ws
heavy & good. The heavies
seemed to be onto these
pill boxes.
 

A mgun cd be seen
firing from an embrasure
in a Pillbox ∧100 yds NW of
Carlisle Farm SE of
Bl. Watch corner. They

46                     72
cd see the fla rush
of the gas. A Lewis
gun ws put onto this &
kept him more subdued,
& another onto the mg.
beforementioned.
 

All movement here
had to be carried out
very quickly. If I 
German had bn game to
shoot boldly & take all
risks he cd have done
immense damage there.
 

The Bn ws got pretty
well into order. They
waited there 2 hours
praying for I barrage to
lift. They expected a 

46                73
very heavy fight; but
the pill box garrisons
ran out except the
one at I corner o I
wood. This ws on the
sector of 7^th Bn.

Errie ws intelligence
offr of the Bn & ws not
tied down to any men
to reorganise them at
the halt. He found a
Pillbox where the m. gunman
fired at him from the top
depressing his gun, till
he ws 10 yds away,
& then he put up his
hands. Errie shot him

46                     74
& from th Pill box they
took a Bn Commdr
his adjt. & abt 30
Germans. This ws
probably a point 100 
yds ahead o I objective
on I edge of the Reutel Valley.
Errie got a DSO for
this the day th he ws
killed on Broondssinde
Ridge.
 

This comprised
the fighting - there were
a few individual
fights round pill boxes.
M saw no Germans
running- but saw a

46                   75
number from then
onwards in Cameron
Covert. It was thought
th they were organising
for an attack.
 

The line in front

pf Carlisle Court ∧Farm

Hand drawn sketch - see original
ran abt like this ahead
of the objective (dotted
line). But on the left
the 7 Bn, after clearing
I Germans from I nest
at I corner of I wood,
left it again.

Hand drawn sketch - see original
 

The Germans came