Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/186/1 - 1917 - 1918 - Part 4

85      36
heaviest on the Northern sector
in / morning & on / Southern
sector in / afternoon.
The Germans bombarded for
some hours before they
attacked.
The attack when it
came out ws beaten back
opposite the 35Bn at least
twice. The men had orders
to hold tt positn to / end;
but, as Goddard says, when
men find others running
& / line melting - & their own
officers or N.C.Os are shot -
then they are very apt to
get caught in the panic.
The German attack
suffered heavily at / hands of
our m.gs tt morning, Goddard
says - he asked all his
m.gunners, & he had taken

37
Towds / end o / morning the
C.O. of 6th London Bn wh was
in V/B (& had abt 100 casualties
in / town) offered his clean
Lewis Guns to the 35, taking
back their muddy ones &
cleaning them. He did
everything in his power
to help.

85      38
/ opportunity of putting all
his guns right up in /
line. Villers B. ws a
bad place for bombt &
therefore there ws an
excuse to send them all up:
& Goddard argued: Even if /
Germs. do get them - if they
have killed, 50 or 60 Germans
first it is worth it - that
is what they are there for.
The change in / situatn
ws when / Rifle Bde, wh
ws on / left o / road, suddenly
melted. The 35 Bn hung on
for a time & then withdrew
its left flank as / Germans
were getting round it.
The Coys were now -
↑                 ↑             ↑
33          35         33         35
2 Coys    2 Coys   2 Coys    1 Coy

85      39
The left ws swung back & finally
/ whole line came back to
/ support trenches (?or further).
The 3 Cavalry on / left
came up on their horses
to a point not far from
the front line, dismounted,
& led made good our
left.
Things were alright
unitl abt 5 in / aftn when /
Germs put their bombt on
the right & the Buffs & Queens
retired. Goddard had
Milne up w him at his
HQrs in V/B (the same
at wh I photod. little Morshead
- & wh they had to leave some
days later owing to /
shelling) as he knew tt he

85   40
might want Milne's Bn
on tt flank (he doesnt seem
to have bn afraid o / cavalry
but of the troops o / 18th
Divn on his right), at any
moment, quickly.
When the Germs broke
thro' on / right he asked
Milne to take his Bn
ups at once. Milne knew
exactly / positn as he had
bn there all / time at
Goddards H.Qrs He
went straight for his Bn -
Goddard took his Hqrs
back out of V/B to where
Milne's Bn was, at this
moment, as matters
were so uncertain.
Goddard ordered the
6th 3London Regt & / remaining

85       41
Coy of 35 Bn to c-attack
at once thinking tt they
wd get there first (the
6^th Londons being in / village
& having lost 100 men in /
shelling there). The 36^th
as a matter of fact ws
there as soon as / others -
it caught up the Londons
or carried them on w it.
Capt Sayers of the support reserve
Coy 35 Bn ws in V/B -
he jumped up - he is
an absent minded chap
& he forgot his revolver,
but he had his tin hat.
Some o / sergts say ( & it
may be true) tt he went
ahead till he finally jumped

85      42
into a shell hole where there
were 3 Germans - He
settled one w his tin hat -
strangled a second & /
third ran & wd not come
back (wh, seeing tt
Sayers had no weapons
to stop him w, was not
unreasonable).
The Londons acted
very gallantly; & some
of the Queens, when asked
to come back w / 36^th Bn,
did so. The Buffs, so
far as our offcr can. Goddard
(& others I spoke to) know,
faded & did not return.