Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/187/1 - April - July 1918 - Part 4

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lined up a composite
party to do / c/attack.
on / right they were
reported as a working
party & were reported as
digging in.  A L.G. dispersed
them.  (A young German
ws wd & lay out next
day til 3 p.m. when our
S/Bs brought him in &
we then found out tt they
were lining up for a c/attk
& tt / f rest had run away.
On the road a bomb
wounded / whole o / 
garrison of one post near
/ corner o / brick wall.
This post gave & so did /
one on its right.  Stops were
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Sergt Freddie tells me: a chap
came along to tell me that the Germans
were in / trench - he had seen ^some wd men falling
back there anyway ^- 3 of them. I got two men to come
with me & we crawled out - it took
us about an hour to go forty yards.
When we got to where / post was,
I challenged called: Are you there?
When no one answered I called
again - Who's there? louder
No one answered still - but
we looked up & saw 2 men
coming down along the wall -
just coming through it - they x
were coming to cut us off, around
our left.  They had German helmets -
I let them have it, a bomb &
then two other bombs to follow.
We didn't go in because there
was a post of C. Coy further
along.  They always sent a man
every hour to keep touch w us
& this man hadnt come along at
all - so we didnt know if there were 
not more Germans in further along.  But
in /  mg they had all gone.
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[*Col Curries a/c. (Sergt Freddies is above.)*]
put in on either side
of them.
The A Sergt Major of A Coy
Sergt Freddie ^X, who
ws coming along without
knowing o / c/attack noticed
a man standing near this
road or hedge.  He shouted
at him.  The man replied
in language wh Freddie
did not understand.
F. threw a bomb & that
finished / c/attack -
the Germans cleared out
& we reestablished our
line.
The were a few
more casualties tt night.
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105

Morlancourt 28 Bn.
3 Coys took part in / assault

              C                        D                            A
Capt Dunkley         Lt Gaby         Capt Hammond.
B carrying
in close support.

A Coy & / others were all in
positn in / front line 24 hours
before / attack.  C.T. Collins
St.
¾ hr before Zero A Coy were
withdrawn from / front line
to a J.O. trench close in rear
so tt / German Posts near
cd come under / barrrage.
The 6 in & Stokes mortars
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105
barraged G. posts around 13 centl
when / barrage opened they
all got out o / trench
(stakes driven in etc) &
went out as close as
possible to / arty barrage
wh ws very good
on 28 Bn sector (Aust Arty)
- 50 or 60 yds from it.  They
followed it to / objve.
On / extreme rt near
the Bray Corbie Rd there ws
some oppositn from m.g. fire.
Lt Cobbold & 2 or 3 others were
k.  The advance ws
temply held up.  Corps Seymour
& Pte Horton moved round
to a flank & rushed / gunner
from / rear.  They found him
w his gun over / parapet
but his head below -
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105
firing his gun w his
hand above his head.
They k. him.  The rest
o / Coy under Capt.
Hammond got their objve.
Diagram - see original document
Hammond went a
long way ahead of his
men & when the
shells fell too close
he put up his hand &
stopped them.  He got into
/ German trench first before
his men - swung his revolver
round at / Germans w his
whole arm & all 20 of them
surrendered.  He
(Meysey - Hammond).       
[His arm ws paralysed from
a wound at Flers].
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105
Meysey Hammond joined
the bn as a private from
Broom way. He had a
row w his father at 13
over a girl he ws fond of
& went to sea - he never
saw his parents again -
he ws running a schooner 
at Broom & his language
ws reminiscent of it.        
"Make fast A Coy".
He ws an idol o / men.
His Coy connected w /
25 Bn on / right.
Centre Coy overcame
all oppositn & got easily
into positn.
The two left plns of
C Coy overran their
objve to / extent of several
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105

hundred yds & were

out of touch for some

time.  They were aftwds

(before midnight) brought

back onto their objve.

There ws a moon (look 

this  up phase of this)
At 2.30 C. Coy ws

withdrawn from / front

line & placed in suppt

acc. to / plan.  This left

A & D Coys over / whole

frontage.  They were in

a continuous trench -

German 2nd line.

There were 3 c. attacks.

1. at 12 p.m. The Germans

bombed up a C.T.  ^leading into what

ws now our front line.
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105
The leader ws shot -
they didn't get past our
block - & / rest cleared.

One of our men shot him
& got a M.M.
At 2 a.m. or 2.30  there ws
another - 2 Coys being sent
over / top.  We didn't
know, till one o / prisoners

told us, tt it ws on.  The 
Germans didn't come at it.
Only 3 reached us & were
captd.  One small German
who ws taken gave us
this information: 
At Daylight the Germs
were massing for an
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105
attack 500 or 600 yds
away.  The SOS ws not
put up, but we got
arty on to them &
/ attack never came
off.  The Germs were
forming abt / X Rd

thro 14 B & D.
The 28^th Bn in this
included 2 offrs 173 o.r.
in the 2 lines.  The Germans
were all crouching down

in / trench & our men
were in on them before

they expected - Our men
got thro' thro being so
close to / Barrage.
We got 10 m.gs. & 2

L.T.Ms.  Our casualties
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105
for the 9 days (5 before
attack & 4 after) were
under 90.  The pioneers
dug a C.T. that night.
[* / Queensland                
- cattlemen*]
Lts Cobbold k. in advance
Lt Blythe M.M. mortally wd   
Shortly after objve reached.
[[shorthand]] Lt Goullee D Coy sniped dead
at daylight next mg.
Lts MacDonald } 
Farquharson} C Coy  Both wd
in / advance.
Just before dusk next evg. June 11,
Capt. Hammond ws wd
thro / abdomen thro liver when
visiting one of his outposts.
He died a couple of days
later at Vignacourt.  As he
ws going away he sd to /
C.O. "Keep / old flag flying, Sir."
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