Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/212/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

rest o / guns crew ws using
its rifles & bombs agst these
men.  Boase ws talking to
them there & had a bomb
burst between his legs &
shrapnel pellets & went out to it.
Next he remembers he ws in a dressing stn in Dernanct.
B. had got some o /
men up upon / rly line &
others waiting behind, ready.
He had gone down thence to /
m.g. down / fore slope. The & /
others were throwing bombs at /
Huns who were just within
25 or 30 yds - some o / Germs
were standing up - a m.g. of /
same pln further rt ws covering the
rt of this post.
The last B. saw of 47 Bn
they were still in position.
29

As soon as Boase ws hit
a man ran back to Capt Fraser
to say tt he ws k.  The
telephones had gone.  F. left
his HQrs & went up near
/ Subway & settled down abt
10 yds to / left of / buffer,
midway betw. / house & /
subway, abt 20 B. 3.4.
Sergt Morrison ws w Fraser.
Things quietened considerably
exc. for minenwfr fire.  The
infy seemed to be quiet.  They
made one more go to
get through & were driven
off.  The Germs. NCOs got
their men to their feet - no offrs
were seen during / fight – our
m.gs. & the 2 Stokes under Lt Williams
30

13 LTM Bty did good work.
Then, abt 9.45, 5 men
of 47 Bn reported to a/C.S.M Dalton
at Coy Hqrs & he came along
to see Fraser.  They sd tt
there ws nothing left of their
left Coy - they had bn blotted
out.  F. left / rly line -
transferred a m.g. from L^t
Bibby's pln to look after / left
flank, in ^xx the Cemeltry; and attached the 5 men
xx to Morrison by / Subway.
F. wrote a message to
Capt xxxx Williams of Right Coy saying
how he ws situated &
advising him to get back &
tt F's Coy wd stick as long
as they cd.  Col. Witham had
mentioned a line of trenches in front
of / C.C.S. where Kennedy was.
31 

They went on scrapping; M.g.
fire ws coming from the
left along / embankt. F's. Coy
ws getting a few casualties
from there tho' the bank of
/ Cemetery on their left saved
them.  It showed tt / left flank
had gone.  We had run out of bombs
- the fighting at / Subway had
accounted for this.  The post
at / Subway ws still holding.
The right sector ws perfectly
safe, w abt 400 yds of
good field of fire.
The finale ws when /
men who were on / subway
broke & ran down from /
top o / subway & up on /
far side o / cemetery.  Then Fraser
32

gave orders for all / rest
o / Coy to retire for themselves.
He himself ^dived for his H.Q., grabbed his Babb Code & papers & made straight back
from his HQrs up along / Sunken
Rd past / W. side o /
Cemetery w a couple of others,
& then cut half left towds
the C.C.S.  As they tried to
get across / open a m.g.
got them.
The German m.gs. were on
the rly line & sometimes missing
it & hitting / hill behind.
The Ge men were some of them
twice wd - hit a second
time beyond / Cemetery, by
mg. fire, as they were
going back wd.
Col. Sergt Murray & Boase
were both sent on by Fraser for
reward.
33 

Sergt Murray ws at the subway
in charge of one of Murr
Boase's sections.  Murray had
bn in / post w Boase.
He ws hit in / head but
carried on - the F rest o /
men in / post seem to have
bn scuppered.  Murray
ws later put by F. in/c
of a post on the left of the
subway.  There ws all this
time also a post right on
top o / subway.  (The bridge
ws stone & iron railings).
Murray ws hit, as he
got back, in / groin & ws
captured w Fraser.
34 

35
Diagram - see original document
Strong Point
E. of Clery (from E of Clery Village)
 

36
Diagram - see original document
Peronne where attacked by 53rd Bn.
 

37
Diagram - see original document
Feuillacourt ^from Mt St Q. showing importance of
crest occupied by 40 Bn on Aug 31. 

38
Diagram - see original document
Feuillacourt from Bapaume rd, Mt St Q. 

39
Diagram - see original document
The Quarry on Mt St Q. looking N towards
Bouchavesnes.