Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/178/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 5

2  53
48 Bn Oct 12.
In the Battalion account (with diary)
Dead Line Copse shd be Decline
Copse.
The 9 Bde on left did not
leave their support trenches in time
to reach J.O. trenches by zero. They
were nearly 2 hours late at
the J.O. line (of 48 Bn) - & abt
level with Red line 3 hrs late.
The 48 Bn itself ws very nearly
late - it as to have started at
12 (midnight) but ws held up
by a message from Bde saying
tt it ws not to start until a
runner reached it bringing a
message from Bde. The runner
lost himself & / message when
at last rec^d. turned out to be
something abt a smoke barrage.
The 48 Bn ws on J.O. trench 8 mins
before zero.
 

Evidently From Lt Pritchard:
 

2 54
Lt Pritchard ws w. D Coy.
They saw their first Germans
along the wooded bank just S. of the
beginning of the cutting. He & Lieut
Murray were taking 47 Bn as
well as 48 Bn along at this
part. 47 Bn had to send a
mopping up pty up / rly but
it ws not there – probly
47 ws more to the right.
Lieut. Murray ws hit abt
60 yds before / bank, blown up
by a shell. (when he ws being
carried back by 4 Germs all
were k. by a shell).
Just before they reached the
bank / Germans there came in
w hands up before they were
rooted out. A m.g. in front of
Decline Copse now got onto
them, but this soon cleared out.
 

2  55
They stopped on the Red Line
wh ws on the top of a rise
well overlooked by Vienna
Cotts in front of 3rd Div on
main ridge, & by Assyria
beyo on a big ridge beyond
a slight depression on right.
The Germans, at this period
were seen coming out from
some dugouts in / gully Decline Copse
straight ahead & abt 60
of them were lined up in
2 ranks - A L.G. ws turned
onto these ^many shot & they scattered
& some were afterwds captd.
There were little shelters in /
side o / cutting & these were
searched but no oppositn
ws met. Germs had probly
fled.
Lt Guthrie ws wd & missing 
(some saw him coming down on
 

56

[hand drawn sketch-see original document]
 

2  57
a stretcher, but he was
not traced).
After 48 Bn had been on
/ Red line abt half an hour
the 9 Bde ws seen coming
over in very wide extended
order working along / level
hilltop - They were not up
with 48 Bn when Pritchard
left. P. ws hit thro / shoulder
shortly after / Germs had bn
seen lining up, & he went
down to / aid post.
[The lea attack of 48^th on left
waited abt 10 mins - before starting
(8 mins ws the time all^d) & then followed
up our shrapnel. Our heavies
passed thro' them while the
show ws on, but our shrapnel
ws ahead. The state o /
ground made H.E almost
harmless unless it dropped
on you.
 

58
[diagram-see original document]
 

2  59
The Red line ran from in front
of Decline Copse. across the ridge
to Assyria (i.e. across the saddle
of the ridge - the final
contours are forward of
Assyria to ESE.
Vienna Cotts were broken down
buildings - and in Assyria
/ Germs cd be seen running
abt & manning / windows.
The Germs. P. first met w us
in Decline Copse. When P. ws
hit they were 60 to 80 yds
ahead of this, waiting for
2nd phase.
When the barrage moved on,
the right Coy & part of right
of centre Coy moved on,
gradually settling on a line
facing abt NNE reaching from
 

2 60
rly line on left, in front of
Decline Copse, to the top of
the ridge beyond Assyria.
There ws a weak connection
with 47 Bn on / right, &
much interference w sniping
from there. The left ws
particularly exposed to Vienna
Cotts - & for 400 yds behind.
The 3rd Div started on left 1 hr
& 20 mins late & advanced
covered by LGs of 4 Div. to
a pt. abt 300 yds from
J. Off. trench.
There ws fighting at Decline
Copse & Assyria. The Germs.
ran from Assyria but seem
to have taken shelter further
back & came out later & were
firing during the retirement.
Assyria was a broken down
house, very strongly reinforced
 

61

[hand drawn sketch-see original document]
 

2  62
Assyria ws a big house, much
knocked abt but with a roof a
good deal knocked abt.
The shell holes into wh they
got were at once consolidated.
All the fire came from Vienna
Cotts, Assyria, & Rly Embankt.
A m.g. ws also during morning
brought into action on / rly
& ws blown out by a L. Gun.
The line ws there from 8 to abt
4 p.m.
The rly line we used by
runners behind in rear of Decline
Copse; but forward of that
it was swept w m-gs., the
summit being there.
A party went across the N of
rly as liaison with 3rd Divn.
The Germ. made 2
separate c. attacks on Lt Carters
(B Coys) front. The first was
 

2  63
abt 3 p.m. in splendid well
ordered waves issuing over
the rise from what seemed
to be a line of trenches along
our whole front. The attack
made a good target in arty
formatn for an extended
order attack. This ws broken
up.
2nd attack ws stronger
but less orderly - It came
out on / same frontage
abt 1 hr later. After abt
½ hrs fighting they forced their
way round behind our
foremost posts in front
of Assyria (A Coy -
Capt Menzies had bn badly
wd). Capt Carter These posts
were withdrawn under
 

2  64
their section leaders abt 100
yds & fight continued.
The attack ws strongly
reinforced - working from
shellholes - you cd see /
reinfts coming in bunches.
Germs lost very heavily.
The S.O.S. ws sent up but not
ans^d by artillery tho' contact
had bn made with our
own planes at 8.20 & positn
ws known at D.H.Q.
m.g. barrage didnt answer
either - the explanatn ws
tt they didn't know where
the posts were - didnt believe
they were where they were
as 3rd Div. reported themselves
on Blue line.
Not long before 5 retirement
began. They got back abt

65
 

Evidently from Capt. Anderson -:

Some of our men were placed along /
rly to face this fire.
 

2  66
5.20 to J.O. trench working almost
entirely along / rly. The
9 Bde at tt time ws right back.
The attack ws from opp. Assyria
to Rly in first instance -
(& N. of rly as well, enveloping, in
2nd instance).
Capt Anderson ws w D Coy
on rly. Germs were struck
The Germs were first met firing from
[shorthand]
the left of a biggish mullock heap N of / rly near
[shorthand]
Defy Xing, where the high ground slopes up. They
[shorthand]
had m.gs there. There ws no oppositn
[shorthand]
from the front right thro to / red Line.
[shorthand]
When they came up to / Cutting it ws lined
[shorthand]
- just within / Red Line by dugouts in wh there were

[shorthand]