Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/184/1 - March 1918 - Part 3

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The Germans some of them must have

McD. shot back at McD (probably from

up / line) & at / men near him, for

3 or 4 of the G 7 men with him were killed

or wd, & he had a bullet thro his

clothing.

There were 2 m. gunners with

a Vickers gun at / level Xing

but they did not hold / Germans &

/ Germans crossed there & made

their way towds the Dernancourt 

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road or a bit of a bank. If these

men had taken cover quickly &

started shooting they cd have put

our flank into an awkward 

positn. But instead, they were

fired on by us; McD. ∧who ws w / men behind / embankment switched his

Lewis Gun onto them. By this time

his ^left hand was blistered w / heat
of it & he got Sergt Lawrence to

hold it while he fired with

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his one hand. Sergt Lawrence & another

Sergt, one w a rifle & / other w a

revolver, then walked over towds

these Germans to take them prisoner.

As they passed by / back o / embankt

a German offr who was in a

hole scooped out on our side o /

bank stood up & took a pace or

so towds them levelling his revolver at

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their backs. McD shouted to them: “Look

out behind you!” Lawrence swung

round, fired his rifle, tripped, & fell.

His shot made / German swerve &

miss when he fired ; & / other

Sergt shot him dead. The Germans, abt

30 of whom were killed, were sent on

up the hill & apparently 28 of them

wandered in to the 48th Bn &

were claimed as prisoners by them

22
 

The Germans later sneaked out from the

huts near / rly two or 3 times & threw

bombs at our men.

 

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also. This accounted for all who

crossed the rly; 2 ^Germ. officers were killed.

The Germans were now held by our

men lying along the embankment on top of the

rails, and dug  into the top of the

cutting on the right (in slots on / German

side o / top o / cutting).^X In order to

drive / Germans back further left,

Lieut Schulz with parts of No 14 & 15 platoons

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 - about 20 or 30 men jumped up & charged

over the embankt. The Germans ran.

They followed them across / flat & into 

the old British huts, & took cover after

chasing them out o / huts. The German

m.gs soon made it too hot in / huts

& so xxxx Schulz told his men to

get back in ones & twos. He himself

waited & got back about noon.

The Germans before crossing / line

had captured a scout of ours named Pte.

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Beale, who ran into them. Their offr told

Beale to lead them at / weakest part

of our line. Beale led them to / strongest.

They came under a very heavy fire &

Beale got an Australian m.g. bullet thro

his hat. He sd tt he had often been under

Germ. m.g. fire but he ws satisfied  to if

he never again had to face / m.g. fire

wh / Australians turned onto him.

The result o / day ws tt / Germs left

3 of their light Vickers guns & a Lewis gun (taken

from / Tommies ) in our possession.

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On April 5th McD ws with D Coy in

Support on / hill behind our front  line

Coys - in / same trench as / other men.

[A great deal of this corrects Col. Imlay's
version wh ws very wide o / facts].

Not very many men in this trench were

hit tho / fire o / enemys arty ws

very hot. The men in / embankt

were being enfiladed w m.g. fire

from / directn of Albert & from / church

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tower in Dernancourt during all this

fight  Hand drawn diagram – see original  The mist ws too

thick to see / Germans at the rly

(or to see / rly line at all) from D Coys

support trench.  Abt 10.50 ( not clear

as to exact time) Germans were seen

crossing / rly just the W of / level

Xing at 15C 4.3. getting over the

embankt where it was low, &

pouring up / hill. The sound of

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rifle fire & bombs ws continuous up

to then & long after, down by /

rly but the rly ws out of view, except

at this point, from where McD. was.

D Coy (& his gun amongst others) fired

onto / men coming up from this

point near / crossing - & they

swerved round the knuckle of the

hill so as to get xxx out o / view

 of these guns. The guns in / quarry

(McD thought) wd deal w them