Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/189/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 4

109

There ws to be a fight

ahead of Clery – objves

gn — to attack & get on

to main rd near Doiqut 

Hand drawn diagram - see original  

The Coy offrs went up &

reconnoitred J.O.T.

in trenches (some of 7 Bde

were there –  one Coy of 7Bde

got abt 40 casualties

owing to shelling & rest

of Bn didnt go in there).

The 53 stopped in valley

behind assembly positn

owing to shelling but C.O.

sd you must get there

– However the stunt being

put off, when the Coy Offrs,

got back ^abt 5 pm it ws not
26

109

necy to go to this shelled

positn & anor positn

of assembly ws gn – 

Florina Trench. 

This ws due E of Halle.

The positn ws not so

bad except tt / Germs

were in it. 

Bn went into a

Gully by rly line N of Halle

^∧in early mg,  & was to meet guides

there.   It was abt 4.30 am

Sept 1 when guides were

met.  They guided us

up thro Halle along the

rd thro 20 A.  The trenches 

run from tt rd along the 

cross rd across / rly to

Mt St Q.   C Coy ws leading
27

109

&  just S. of Rd came across

a bombg block placed there

by 23 Bn!   They informed

him tt Germs "Hochs"-(6 Bde) were in

J.O. Line. The 23 Bn ws

seen to be firing trench

mortars into trench he

had to occupy. 

I got the little 23 Bn

man to take me along,

& he guided me down

a little C.T. to / rear

where a Support Coy

of 23 Bn were, waiting

for Zero when they were

to hop over in their

stunt (the German being

astride the junction of

53 & 23 Bns.)
28

109

I cdnt get into tt trench

–  Germs were hopping

out running away & /

men were up on parados

& parapet knocking them

down w rifles.   My batman

blew out / brains of 2 of

them - By this time Zero

had gone.  There ws

no barrage but area

shoots.  There were 2

very heavy belts of

wire & no way apptly

thro them – German.

ws not more than 100

yds behind / wire in

a copse not marked on

any map ^in I 20 B – firing w

mgs.   I (The major had chosen

a
29

109

a platoon to hop off

to see if the wire cd

be cut w cutters.

This pln went over /

top, had heavy casualties

& cdnt get thro' / wire.

The platoon offr had a 

bullet thro his helmet

& was wd all over by

the split bullet casing

(Lt Cooper) but carried

on all thro tho' bleeding

all over his face. 

The Gen. sd later he had not

known of any wire –

The major has chosen

a C.T. wh went thro

/ wire as he judged it

might be the only

way thro / wire.
30

109

He tried a pln up the

C.T.   They got within

bombing distance o /

copse & bombed / Germs

(tho / German m.g. fire

had killed men at  /

jn. of our trench & the

C.T. – one beside / major).

At / same time the

Bn Coy fired rifle

grenades from the J.O.T.

wh rather put / wind

up / Germs. 

They found the wire

in / bottom of the C.T.

also. 

The pln ws therefore

withdrawn & / same pln

(under Lt Eastman) ws
31

109

sent along the J.O.T.

to left – across the 

main (deep Sunken) Rd –

into the trench on /

other side of / road.

This ws / trench /

German ws in.  They 

managed to get into

this trench & shot & bayoneted k. 12

Germans (some got out

along / rly line) &

managed to get into

this trench & clearing

 ※ getting clear o /

wire. (2 m.gs. found there

later). Major gathered

the C Coy & D (Support)

Coy & led them thro this

gap in / wire.  They 

then extended and worked

[* ※ in forcing the wire of this trench N of Rd Eastman & a

private got up on top & threw aside some German knife rests

in order to - enable them to get thro!*]
32

109

up w rt resting on

/ rly. 

After going abt 400

yds they got touch w

{ A Coy (wh were on rt

{ & B Support

& had managed to get

thro on their front.  They

had had such casualties

tt they were formed into

one Coy under Capt Smith

(that is to say he took Commd

& found he had less

than a Coy in Strength). 

The German in the 

Copse possibly cleared out

when he saw our people

N of / Rd, or he may

have bn captd by A Coy
33

109

a number had bn 

k. in / wood.

Just b

Anvil Wood ws now

just ahead – C Coy having

advd 500 yds from

Florina trench.   It ws 25

past Zero when they left

Florina trench & got clear

o / wire & the bombt

was on the far areas.

A & B Coy went thro / wood

& captd there 2  77 guns

& a lot of m.gs & a

number of prisoners

(Bn claimed 200 prisoners

many of whom went thro

2nd Divn). 

All this time Mt St Q.

was really in German

hands. The 53 Bn had
34

109

no touch with 23 Bn on

left & Germ. m.gs. on Mt St Q.

were very heavy – every

gun firing on left of 

14 Bde. 

The 23 Bn hopped off 

but must have had very

heavy fighting.   A support

Coy ws seen going thro abt

10 mins before B C Coy

managed to clear the 

wire.  Later on some of the 

23 were met who sd they

had lost all their offrs

& didnt know what ws

happening. 

The Mt St Q fire caught

53 Bn in the plain open.

The L. gunners on their

own were advancing from
35