Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/185/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5
45
At 10.30 a.m. it ws observed tt /
troops on / right were withdrawing.
Leane imd. conferred w Capt Caldwell of
D Coy & decided to hold as long as possible
in hope of a c-attack reestablishing / positn.
Later It was seen tt / enemy were strong on
our right & rear & it ws decided tt /
positn ws untenable. The Enemy had
established himself on the rt & 1000 yds in
rear. We with drew platoon by pln,
the last pln of each coy forming a rear
guard to cover / withdrawal. Lt Potts ^had arrived
w support from CCoy at 10.30 am – he took
word to B Coy of what was happening. Our
posts were withdrawn in conformity with
B Coys right. Both Coys in withdrawing
had to pass quite close to / enemy
posts well established in dominating
positns well in rear of our front line &
manned by m.gs. The withdrawal ws
most difficult on / flanks – the left
pln had to come back w B Coy across
high ground swept by enemy fire to wh
we replied w L.G. & rifle fire & on the right
/ L. G. of / rear guard, posted on an
exposed but commanding positn on / ridge
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[[shorthand]]
46
47
in rear of & at rt angles to /
embankment impeded for half an
hour / penetration of enemy to our
immediate rear. (This gun ws
at abtE9B A 7.4 firing SSE. marked
Z on my 60D map). As soon as / retirement
started ( on / part of 47th Bn) Col. Leane
sent Maj. Brearley to organise
the 48th Bn on the line 2 central 8 centl.
The Orders had previously been to
hold / front line at all costs.
The post on / left under
Lt Shepherdson (one pln) continued
to hold tho' Shepherdson ws shot
thro / lungs; & fought on until
S. was ordered back by the
Colonels direct order.
[" The next passage adds some details as to
the journey o / Bn southwards from Meteren.
From Souastre onwards they did not know
where / enemy ws, & marched w a
flank guard out on their left.
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48
People very windy at Souastre & Bn had been
going from Meteren all night.
As it ws not known where Germs
were on March S. the flanks were
protected by flank guards moving out
on flank.
"The only instrns were – / Germans
are in front of you, you have
rifles & bayonets — at him"
A few British troops were
in positn & were relieved. They were
along / rly embankt – there were
no trenches — & apptly no supports;
4 Bns were holding / line wh
Leane & Imlay held.
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49
Attack of March 28.
On March 28 Germans attacked at
5 am. with little shelling but much
trench mortar. The enemy came
with full packs, British field boots,
some Australian Comforts fund socks
w letters from women in Aust trench still
in the socks, Brit. cigarettes etc.
They came on in pretty close
formation not expecting much
opposition. Their orders( a prisoner
sd) were to keep moving forwd –
tt other troops wd follow in
rear. [ They had bn told tt all /
Australians were finished]
9 attacks were made by /
enemy trying to get through betw
Dernacourt & Albert – 9
efforts to form up. In / first
attack they got thro near / level
Xing E of Der in 15 central &
moved up towds / high ground
N W – the orders being to push
50
The narrative of Apr 5t continued.
The 48 Bn ws relieved ( after a rest)
on / night of April 3/4. On the
day of Ap4 the activity of Trench Mortars
made Leane think / Germ. ws registering.
L. was anxious abt his left because /
German held / rly there, & with the
hedges & / deep ravine there, he cd get
in behind / rly line & assemble unseen.
Therefore Leane strengthened his left.
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51
on whatever they penetrated
& tt other troops wd follow
thro / gap. ( These were / invariable
orders to Germs in this advance).
Lt Mitchell w men of
48 Bn C. attacked w. up hill
( w a part of his men)
from abt 9 central on rly Bank
& they cameraded without
trouble. All were captured
(abt 30 or & an offr.) These
[* These
men
were
apptly
those
already
dealt
w by
47 Bn
and Sergt
McDougall.*]
men who got thro didnt
fire at our backs – it ws
misty & they probly cdnt see
supports.
The L.GS sent down crept carefully
down along the banks when sent
to reinforce – Only 2 L.G.s were sent
all day/
52
Abt 1 am / Germs were seen ( by patrols)
on / road parallel to / rly. The registrn
along / rly had made Leane think tt they were
going to attack next day. Also, informatn
arrived during / night from / French.
The German ws putting T. M. on
to Capt Cumming, B. Coy, on / AmiensRd
during / whole bombt; but the TM barrage
on / front line did not begin till
8 am. The bombt. continued w /
heavies on / back area.
HQrs of 48 Bn ( 47 Bn next door)
ws in an open trench just near /
Amiens Rd at / junction w /
Millencourt Rd.
The Germs had a moving
barrage of field gunsworking backwds
& forwds all / time. (Leane clearly
thinks it ws not as heavy as Pozieres & Col.
Imlay says tt at Pozieres & after Messines
in Jun or July they had heavier barrages
–but this ws very heavy). The time o /
actual attach ws 9.25. Leane had
observers out & at 10.30 they reported
tt the 13th Bde ws falling back. The 45Bn
ws then sent from D 12 to the rt flank. At
10.45 Capt Imlay of / support coy(48Bn)
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[[shorthand]]
54
Sent back informatn tt / Germans were firing
on him from / quarry in Bxx E 14. When
When the left Pln retired they cdnot attract
attention o / British on / left before doing so. A
Sergt (?) volunteeredxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
to go across – & tho
he fell several times
the English brought
him in to their
post & got ^ some message, because they signalled up
our pln at once asking what it ws going to do.
[The 48Bn is now nominally S.A., but abt
½ the men are W.A. The 5th 6th & 7th rfts were W.A.
& reinfts have bn recd. Since this battle from
WA as wall as S.A. They have got them from
reinfts for 32nd, 10th, 27th & other Bns since
this battle – i.e. our available reinfts are being
quickly used.
The 48 Bn lost no guns exc. 3 blown
up early in / action ( The 47 Bn lost a fair
number).
At 4.45 the 49 Bn arrived moved forwd on
rt. The Advance took place at 5.15 w / assistance
of arty. The 48 Bn ws already on
the front necy to be held
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
With the 49
(wh ws on right)
Bn the remains of 47, all 45, & one Coyof 46 were
told to cooperate. Leane spoke to Gelly, saying
tt it ws impossible to back to / valley. The
Germans had the sunken Rd thro 8 centl to
14A. & / c-attack ws to psh them off this.
We had strong Points there & / intentn ws to
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55
[[shorthand]]
56
push / Germ. back from these. We got
to abt 100 yds this side o / road &
possibly reached / road itself just
where / rd thro 13 B & 14 C crosses it.
& we dug on there opposite / Germans,
not far from / point wh it ws desired
to reach. This attack, actually nominally in
waves, actually went forwd in one
line or throng.
The British on / left, N. of /
Amiens Rd, who were always well
behind our flank, had fallen back
to conform w our new line at
2 Central. [They originally had the
Quarry near the Millencourt Albert Rd,
but / Germans at some time obtained
this & were in / Quarry when we ^on a later day sent
out a post to E2 D.]
The German losses were much
heavier this day than on the 28 March,
2 Prisoners taken in E 8 sd tt 4
divns took part in this fight — Naval
Divn, 9 Divn, 50 Divn & 60 Divn; ^ (if Leane remembered) – They
belonged to 50 Dvn.
The ravine on / left is very deep just
S. of the Albert Rd. On the other side there is
a sheer drop down to it of 50 or 60 ft. The
road thro 8 & 13 is much of it sunken.
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[[shorthand]]
[ Germs had the Quarry on the [[?Douzinet]] Rd after this when our
post ws xx moved to E 2D.]
The 2 Plns of C COy wh were sent to DCoy
at 10.5 am got there w no casualties.
They were dribbled up taking advantage
o / ground, in small parties. They were
under Lt Potts, a W.A. offr ( son of a parson there).
[ N.B. McDougall & Lawrence sergts of 47 Bn
noticed tt / German method of dribbling men forwd
ws slow but much less wasteful than "ours." ]
58
[ A lot of this narrative is inaccurate].
47 Bn. Led the 48 Bn part o /
way down. After marching * c-marching about
the Hebuterne district in search of
Germans ( they were one of / many who
reconnoitred Hebuterne & found no Germs)
they marched all night & reached Sentis
abt 7 am. where they marched into /
first sign of Germs - a few shells of a morning
straf - probly not aimed at them. Betw.
Millenct & Henect abt 11 am they broke into
Arty formation. ( They had done exactly /
same in their last field day in / same place).
The Germs cd see them here, &there ws
a fair artillery fire. Coming over / high
ground they saw a crowd of men on
Edgehill ( E 13 & 24) They thought these were
probly Germs but they were Tommies. They
were mostly Scots. They sd / German ws on
them –but a word or tow " not to be — fools"
& the Scots came back w / Australians.
The C.O. left the Bn in E7 central (48
ws not there yet) & walked down Albert
Rd. It ws quite empty. As he went dow
/ slope towds Albert a m.g. started on him
from / directn o / rly. He turned back,
places pots at 2,8,& 14 & then went
got orders to place Bn on line thro 2 & 8
N. & S of Albert Rd. (just over / crest looking
towds Albert). Abt 5 .pm 48 Bn came
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59
up and took over / line N of
the Amiens rd. 47 Bn ws posted on /
ridge in 8 & 14 E.
It was at this time an English offr came
up & sd they were to relieve his men at dark. He sd
he left Dernanct, owing to / Germans entering it, at
[*11 a.m
There
was
no
fight so
far as
we
know.
At Senlis
it had bn
told us tt
/ Germans
were
already
in
Dernancourt.
This officer
had left his lunch on /
table ^uneaten - so
this settles
the time. *]
[[shorthand]]
60
These troops belonged to the 9th British
Divn. 2 & 6th K.O.S.Bs, 9th Seaforths, 8th
Blackwatch, 4th D. L.I., 6th & 12th Royal Scots,
19th Northld Fusiliers & some South African
Scottish — 8 Bns altogether. We relieved
them ^some way on our side o / rly line & our line
brought / line up to / rly line. [This is not
altogether accurate. Some o / Tommies were
certainly at / rly] The British were not
on / rly line.
The line of 47 Bn this night ws
fixed from 15 to 20 central. The 48 Bn
was on its N. The 106th Bde ws on the
right but were not in a stable condition.
Next night Capt Stabell of the Northld
Fuslrs. came along & sd tt we had
taken too much line. Their left shd be
on / level Xing E. of the village. This ws
/ night of March 28.
On / mg. of April March28
/ Germs attacked. Their bombt ws w
5.9, & whizzbang & they put up a smoke
screen (McDougal says all this is wrong).
The smoke of smoke bombs ws so high
tt our S.O.S. cd not be seen. But a
German plane, flying low, fired
a green signal flare over this smoke &
this curiously eno' brought down our S.O.S.
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[[shorthand]]
62
The Germans knocked out the Vickers gun
at the Crossing in 15 D 3.2. & then moved
across ^ / rly line & spread out both ways ( This is
not what M'D says). These storm troops had
slept / night before at Vivier Mill – they
were the leaders of their battalions attack.
Among / men o / line ws Sergt.
S.R. McDougall ( a Tasmanian youngster) who ws in
/ ditch by / level Xing w / men. He rushed
out o / ditch when he saw / Germs. coming
through. He charged them w / bayonet –
he ws not more than 15 yds away. All
these Germs. had their packs on. McD. stuck abt
6 of these w / bayonet. Then he took one of their light
m.gs & turned it on / second wave coming
over / level Xing. This put these men in
disorder. When he had exhausted all / ammn
he went after the front wave & got a Lewis
gun wh they had taken from / British (McD
told me tt a British L. gun was taken by our
men on / rly line a little way to his left!) during
/ advance. He fired all / ammn of this into /
front wave. It ws soon exhausted. By tt time
the L.G. Offr & Scout Offr. came up from / right
& joined in. A German officer ws abt to
shoot the L.G. Offr when McD. got him w
his bayonet. [ The whole of this story is completely
inaccurate – the facts are in the report
of my talk with McDougall 15/4/18]
Another man w a L.G. had now joined
/ party. McD. got onto / Germs. w this (scorched
his hands) & onto some more Germs who came
across / outlay Xing & chased / Germs up / hill
These storm troops had
slept / night before at Vivier Mill – they
were the leaders of their battalions attack.
Among / men o / line ws Sergt.
S.R. McDougall ( a Tasmanian youngster) who ws in
/ ditch by / level Xing w / men. He rushed
out o / ditch when he saw / Germs. coming
through. He charged them w / bayonet –
he ws not more than 15 yds away. All
these Germs. had their packs on. McD. stuck abt
6 of these w / bayonet. Then he took one of their light
m.gs & turned it on / second wave coming
over / level Xing. This put these men in
disorder. When he had exhausted all / ammn
he went after the front wave & got a Lewis
gun wh they had taken from / British (McD
told me tt a British L. gun was taken by our
men on / rly line a little way to his left!) during
/ advance. He fired all / ammn of this into /
front wave. It ws soon exhausted. by tt time
the L.G. Offr & Scout Offr. came up from / right
& joined in. A German officer ws abt to
shoot the L.G. Offr when McD. got him w
his bayonet. [ The whole of this story is com–
– pletely inaccurate – the facts are in the report
of my talk with McDougall 15/4/18]
Another man w a L.G. had now joined
/ party. MsD got onto / Germs. w this (scorched
his hands) & onto some more Germs who came
across / outlay Xing & chased / Germs up / hill
– with their hands up.
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