Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/180/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 4

10    38
Front of 32 Bn rt flank,
It ws boarded over & had
bn broken in w shell fire
wh exposd it. It had
not bn noticed before.
C.O. found no 32 Bn down
the Germ post (there ws
really a 50 yds gap & /
germ 32 were also some
of them in our front o/ trench
T. placed post along the
G. front trench, & there ws
the party , of D Coy under
Capt Mills digging in
abt 100 yds in (our) front
o / trench. a little in rear of
/ positn chosen. They
held there all night.

10     39
Towds morning it
ws reported tt Capt
Mills ws missing
(A patrol had meantime
located 32 on left, 54
On rt). A wire ws laid
to cass but after 2 wds was up
it went.
Towards mg. a number
of men were seen by
T. (lying on parapet)
2 pties of about 10 on left & 300
yds ^away front moving towds G.
rear. It ws not clear
who these were, but they
turned out to be 32 Bn
prisoners. Before  xxx this time
also Mills heard some
one calling on his left flank.

10     40
He recognised / voice of an
offr of 32 Bn. He left his
trench & ws never seen again.
This offr ws probly wd.
Mills had gone 50 yds
when a bomb got
him (as ws aftwds found)
shattered his hand & /
Germs captd him.
Abt daylight there came
report tt rt flank ws
falling back. Toll got up
on parapet & cd see our
S.Gs ^in nomansland moving abt (wh ws
probly origin of report).
as it xx
First attack ws
held off w bombs & revolvers
Signaller Carew doing

10     41
splendid work The
forwd post had bn
driven back & Germs
were within revolver
distance & were being
A shot over / parados w
revolver - they cd be
clearly seen. They did not
reach bombing distance.
On rt where the
trees came down from
Rd (by wh Toll had returned
after first advance at
9) Germs were reported
coming down / road.
T. thought they saw / 
trees but it ws reported
tt there ws bombing there.
A L.G & one mg. ws covering 

12
X under Lt Trounson
only man left
alive w it, working
it himself
The men coming probly
largely got thro the gap where the
trench ws empty & went on to
our trench
10     43
the covered sap - L.G x
firing into the sap - The
V.m.g ws firing onto the
Strong Post near / Farm.
When this attack before
dawn ws defeated, at
daylight, the shellfire
was renewed heavily -
not heavy in / night.
One early shell now blew
out the Vickers gun &
whole team (partly located
by flash) & oftr. Another
shell threw Trounson,
undamaged to wire &
destroyed / gun.

44
German stick bombs were
at this time coming up /
trench 50 yds away.
Dead Germans were used for
/ parados - in one place
on rt a bombing block ws
made of dead Germans.
10     45
Amun ws short. Men
had bn making across nomansland
- the rot had set in on rt,
Toll ws looking for people
to support them at daylight.
It did not come.
Men were going down in
trench. Toll found more of his
men going. Carew, who
had a hole thro his thigh,
G. Still (I.O) who had bn buried
before the fight during
reconnaissance & afterwds
lost ^sight of one eye) were now
only people w Toll.
The G. ws shelling &
not attacking - Toll &
they got back over
nomansland & all 3 got in. This
ws abt 7 a.m.

10     46
T. found the men in our
trench pretty settled. So he walked
up & down / parapet for
a distance & got / men
into / bays. He ws twice
slightly wd, once in HQ
before / attack, once in
by later.
Lt. Dayton ws in/c of
the light bombing post -
/ commn w / 54 Bn.  It ws
he who had reported Germans
coming down / trees on /
right.
All offrs except 5 Lieuts
& C.O. were out of action
& of these Still lost sight of
one eye, Morisett went
seriously ill next day -
leaving only 3 to reorganise.

47
Still & Trounson got MCs
Law DCM
C.O. DSO.
Pte Wilson (Anc) MM
Before they got to G.
parapet it is estimated
400 were k or w. &
200 later.
10     48
3 reinft offs joined on
23 July & with these the
Bn only 6 offr & 130 strong
went back in / line
for 21 days.
O.C."C" Coy May. Clements died
of wds in dressing stn.
Maj. Eckersley 2 in c. ws wd
during night.
Capt Robertson A Coy ws k
going over nomansland in G. wire.
Lt Spreadborough abt k way across
19 Offrs were k or wd.
Cpt Fisher, Lt McPherson, O'Rooke were
wd before we left our parapet,
just in interval before.
Most were k or w before
reaching G. trench. Only one
ws k on other side -

10     49
58 Bn
Took over from 56 Bn on
23/24. Foggy this morning.
Night of 24/5 German patrols crept up
to within 100 yds of front of
A Coy. These were seen by our patrols.
Flares were thrown onto our line.
The night before patrol
went our 1000 yds but found
no enemy.
The French & Lancs were supposed
to hold the rd inclusive
but they were found only as
far as Carlisle Farm.
The P/B between the two, & a 
little in front, ws unoccupied.
Flintoff walked over to the
Middlesex (who had reld French & L)
On 24/5 to get them to throw
out a post. He found them

10     50
in Carlisle Farm - l offr & post of 8
men - isolated posts were
farther S. on same alignment.
The offr sd he ws only half
strength & cdn't put the
post out. His men sd they
only had 50 rounds apiece.
The offr promised to send
out a post, but it appears
never to have bn done -
A Sergt ^Coltlow ws set out &
search 2 hours & cd nt
find any.
During tt night the Germs
efforts were made to locate
the German patrol wh ws
firing flares in front of rt
of A Coy. Flares were fired
with burst of m.g. at same
time, but the Germ. flares
continued till 2 a.m. When
they ceased F. sent out a