Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/170/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 7

89
8
Strong Points ^behind hedges & a ruined empty
house. 17 Prisoners were got out
of 2 of these, & 3 Mgs. (10 of
these prisoners by Cpl Rabey)
These were brought out & sent
back.

Beyond these Strong points 
the Germ. started a pretty
solid m. g. fire. Abt 20
men were left in little
groups of 2s & 3s over a
200 yd front. Lyons & Ham
had gone over the shoulder of /
hill to / left trying (it is thought)
to tackle a m.g. on a ledge
right on the rly Embkt.   They
Lyons ws last seen behind a
hedge close by / rly. They seemed
to get into a trench here. Later
/ Germans bombed down this 

90
8
& got a m.g. to work &
our men were seen driven
out. Ham ws wounded
& got back. The Germans cd
be seen coming down / slope there
& bombing shell holes where our
men presumably were.
5 or 6 men were seen getting back.
The Germs. brought 2 mgs down
there.

The line remained out there
all day in shell holes. The
Germans tried all / aftn to
get down twds the two captured
Strong points & our line had
splendid sniping – Cpl Rabey
w his rifle accounted for a party
of 6, k. 3 (& wd 3 apptly) - This
sniping ws v. keen at intervals.
All day long there were Germs.
Where Lyons had got to & 

91
8
round Assyria –  Also behind
Busy Wood there were Germs.
Walking along duckboards
(or something) w white flags.
Some think they were simply
relieving.

Abt Dusk an SOS went
up from Rhine, far back; so
they imd. pulled back - 15 in
number - to the 20 Bn line.
At / same time as we got back
at Dusk / Germs cd just be
seen coming down over / ridge
in 2 or 3 waves around Assyria
& to Decline Copse. They had just
got down to past where the 17 Bn
had been when our barrage
got on them. They broke & ran.

Probly / aeroplanes did not
see / forward line. The barrage 

92
8
at / same time took in
Decoy Wood & seemed to fill
excellently / gap in / line
there.

The left coys went along clearing
/ dugouts by / rly, getting
a good no. of prisoners (17 &
20 Bn joining up into one).
The Tommies N. of rly were
not there. They seemed to get
to a hedge past Decline
Copse or at a point up the
2nd cutting. Some certainly
got into the 2nd cutting.

Eventually the flank
seemed to be swung back
there S. of Rly facing N.
on tt flank.
[*Welwyn.*]  Capt Mackenzie –  wd. OC D Coy
                   Capt L.S. Allen –  wd O.C. C Coy 

[* 93                                   
k.   w.    m.
4     7    2 1 *]

8                                        94
X Wandsworth:  L^t A.S. Brown wd on this
[*flank
charging a trench
held by Germs.
He had 2 men
w him both k.
He got 10 yds
away & ws hit
but crawled
back*]

Wandsth (Lt Taylor wd.
                   (L^t Hain wd.
                    L^t Lyons missing.

L^t Doig ^OC B Coy ws wd at the start
o / advance.
L^t Smith A Coy wd going down
first slope by shell fire.

L^t New             }  were both k. on the
L^t MacDowell}        tape by shell fire.

L^t Dickens v. badly wd when last seen
up the cutting going for a trench
when shot at.
L^t Verralls k on way forward.

See L^t AS Brown if
possible. 

95
Diagram - see original 
The scrub of Decline Copse sloped
down E. wards & from the front
all tt cd be seen ws figures
moving abt in / scrub.
Capt. Mackenzie ws wd by
a bullet almost after leaving
/ tapes. The Germs got this m.g.
fire barrage v. quickly.  *]

8                                                            96
Sergt Maj. Raitts A/c.   [This Sergt is a
very modest Scottish-Australian –  The account ws dragged 
from him w difficulty –  he blushing to / roots of his hair].
 The pln wh had bn on / left o /
rly ws brought over to the S. Side o /
line on forming up to start. They
formed up in the rain, cold &
blowing  — men very miserable.

The Germans were first met
with on the left at a Pillbox &
Cement dump — broken up bags
of cement smashed by shells –
at A. The Germans had a
m.g. in amongst the cement.
It He  caught / line as it came
over / ridge & caused a
good no. of casualties. There
ws a line of Germs in
shell holes ahead who surrendered
as the line advanced.
The m.g. held / line abt 5 mins
till a party of 20 Bn rushed it.
They went round / back of it   
diagram, see original 

8                                                       97
About ½ way across the hollow
our own barrage held us up.
It ws here that L^t Dickens  &
L^t Brown & L^t Smith were wounded,
Also a m.g. offr, & 2 or 3 offrs of
20 Bn. It ws m.g. fire from
in front of the scrub _∧^{(Decline Copse)}, wh ws
holding us up there. Our barrage
ws not thick & was irregular.
The British were not up on / rt
(they arr^d just as 17 got back
to Defy Xing). We were getting
a good deal of m.g. fire from
N. side of cutting (Decline Copse again).
      The line ws held up at C....C
for abt ½ hour.
     When this barrage went on
the 17 & 20 went along to a high
bank (D) & lined this for 20 mins.
    The wd. m.g. offr ws there
wounded w his arm bound up.
He gave / order to advance
(Probly Birks – who ws wd?) 

8                                                    98
L^t Dickens had told C. Sergt Maj. Raitt
to collect a pty & deal w / dugouts
in / cutting. So he went back
got the pty from under the bank,
abt 40 men – & went up the
cutting & started bombing the
deep dugouts E along / N Side o
/ cutting. The dugout  Germs. as
we bombed one door o / dugout
wd come out at / other.
They ran round up the cutting
& got round behind the scrub,
our pty firing at them as

they went.
         Raitt had abt 6 men w him
by then. A number had bn wd
by Germans sniping down /
cutting w m.g. R's pty climbed
/ right bank o / cutting _∧ under fire from N. side & got
over into a shell hole F abt 100 yds
in front of Decline Copse. There
ws an offr of 20 Bn there who
got wd thro shoulder & arm from by
fire across cutting from left. 

[*99
X The wd m.g. offr ws w them.
As soon as he got there he ws wd
again in / arm or shoulder. He
went back. Abt 3 of / crew were k.
but the wd got down into / cutting - the
Gun had to be left. *]

8                                                       100
Just after R. got to / shell hole
a m.g. party of abt 4 or 5 w a
Vickers gun who came up the
cutting behind Raitt climbed up
the bank to the left & got their
m.g. on the top of the bank of the
rly cutting firing at / Germans
who were getting out o / far 
end o / cutting & getting round
to some old bldgs on / left.
         They were there abt 5 mins
when they were all k. or w. by
m.g. fire. This finished all /
Australians in sight.^× 
         There were plenty of Germans
on / ridge in square outpost
trenches (abt 12 foot front) & their
m.gs were very active.   These posts
were right on top o / ridge at
H. H.
        Raitt ws at F for abt 5 mins -
There ws a badly wd corporal, a man
k. & a man wd. The offr of 20 Bn
who ws wd just before reaching /
shell hole ws not seen again by R- 

8                                                  101
probly went back.
      On rt at K ws a German
m.g. in a shell hole – only abt
10 yds away. He must have bn
there all / time. R put a bomb
into him. 3 Germs got out & ran
away. R. ran after them & got into
a bit of a sap  – A German there
came at him w / bayonet; the
sap ws abt 4 ft deep. The G came running
round a bit of a bend & got too
close to use his bayonet. R. thought
he was coming in as a prisoner until
he started fumbling w his bayonet. Then
he hit him in / jaw _∧ with his right fist,  knocked him
down, & shot him.
           R. then came back into the
cutting. 
          In / cutting were only dead
& wounded. R. got back as fast as he
cd - dropped rifle & ran – there ws a
lot of sniping down / cutting. The
Germans were coming down on
the N side o / cutting, sneaking down
/ hedge of the rly bank (on top o / bank)