Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/214/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 4

These guns were on a rise overlooking
rly embankt where patrol was. guns in
15D 8.1
This day 14 Bde attacked
Peronne.
From there they moved
& relieved a Bn of 7 Bde
in La Chapellette. The 2
front Coys occupied line of
Somme, & 2 rear Coys
were back in Coude's trench.
The Coys had posts on Canal
in 9 A & C.
Repeated attempts 
were made to cross / canal.
Bridges were thrown over
canal by night, pontoon bridges -
(Canal easy) & attempts made
by canvas boats &
duckboards on piles to 
cross / swamp - from 
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lagoon to lagoon.
One coy got a section
across to within 100 yds
of E edge of swamp. (abt 9
B & 10A). Of the section some
were k. & / rest mostly wd
by a m.g. fired on them 
by day while making /
track. They were under
cover from by rushes wh
grew there most o / way. 
But once they reached open
water the Germ. m.g.
in post on other side
simply wiped them out at
50 yds range. 
On day when 58 Bn &
14 Bde attacked Peronne
57 moved from La Chapellette
32 

thro Peronne. 2 Coy relieved
58 on ramparts at E edge;
2 Coys reld 54 Bn back on
/ S.W. end of Peronne
near the Flamicourt Bridges.
(This wd be Sept 2.) This relief
was in heavy shell & bomb
fire, by night - town full
of gas - most exhausting
conditions. The bridges
were mere planks in
some places. 
They remained in this
positn - rear coys trying
to cross to Flamicourt,
front Coys in E ramparts.
Lt Markson (a v. fine offr) ws
k on patrol near Flamicourt
(Peronne) Rly Stn. 
 33

There ws fairly good cover
to approach - but once 
they got to / open they had
/ m.g. right on them -
At E end o /
town patrols tried both
front (E) & flank (S)
but always met heavy
m.g. fire & active sniping
esp from Flamicourt &
the rly embankt (then
practically in rear). Patrols
used to try to get out to
/ rly embankt - & get
close to it. But /
Germs looked down on
them from / high ground in
Flamicourt.
On / day of Sept 3? a
nest of m.gs. ws located in 
34 

/ rly embank. A small
reconnoitring patrol w
Lt Meara stumbled right onto
this. There ws cover in / reeds.
There were 5. They got to the
bank without being fired at.
They were on / embankt & 
M. discussed w Sergt whether it
ws possible to put a post 
there. They arranged to go
back in 2 pties - 3 to
see if there were another
track thro / swamp. The
party of 3 after going 30
or 40 yds walking along
/ bottom o / embankment
found a tunnel (a stream
culvert wh had bn planked
over / top o / stream, w
dugouts all round & m.g. post.)
35 

Both sides were so startled
that they scattered & /
Germs started sniping. M.
wanted to attack / place but it
ws decided to put / arty on to
it. The ^first shoot ws not good, but
towds evg. The F.O.O. was brought
up & went out with M &
ws seen by M. at Bn, & a
splendid shoot ws done on
this informatn. As soon as it
ws finished (/ Germs cd be
seen, by our people on / ramparts,
running away) a pln went
straight forwd to / rly Bank.
A patrol ws sent to / tunnel
where / post had bn & another
pln protected / rt flank o
/ pln advancing. The positn
ws occupied during / night &
36 

a patrol ws sent forwd to
Darmstadt trench. It reached
/ trench but it ws occupied - 
they were fired on by m.gs. & 
flares fired over their heads -
They reported this. On this 
informatn M., who had intended
to get into this trench durg /
night, decided to wait till
daylight. (From / rear /
informatn kept coming tt
/ Germ. ws likely to retire)
At Dawn on Sept 4?
M. went forwd to Darmstadt
trench & found it cd be approached
under fair cover. He decided
to take / Coy up there, 2 men 
at a time at 100 paces
interval. German ws sniping
37 

at all exposed targets (This
part of trench ws near the XRds at
73 Central). Trench ws shallow,
but they worked to / right.
M.g. fire from Doingt &
the Woods on / hill ws
v. heavy. There wsnt much
shelling. Near the rd in 23D
they took a post w a L.G onto it,
& 5 or 6 prisoners. They
worked round Mannheim
trench & got into abt 30 A.
There they were getting fire
from all sides - they themselves
had lots of good targets v
engaged them. The oppositn
from directn of Flamicourt
& Chair Wood lessened &
they cd see / Germs getting out from
there towds Doingt. 
38 

The 57 ws now firing from front
& flank rear at Doingt &
Chair Wood over both sides o /
trench. Reports were sent back
& they 57 made all haste to get
to Doingt & cut off these Germs.
They reached / edge of Doingt
in Mannheim trench but our
guns were still on Doingt. 
The German retreat ws right 
across some of our m.g.
posts wh inflicted a 1ot of
casualties. ^We were at 30 C 1.2. & /
Germs were making, thro Doingt for /
trench at a few hundred yds
further S, & had to
expose themselves.
The German m.gs. in
posts around / wood behind
Baviere trench were firing heavily. 
39 

We had some captd Germ m/gs
& these & our own were brought
onto / German guns & gradually
got them down. 
On m.g. opened from a 
retiring pty in the C.T. S.W of
Baviere . trench. A Cpl, Kilgour,
went out by himself w a
revolver to find them - saw
them, used his revolver without
effect. He came back for assistance -
one man went back w him. 
He got a Germ rifle, attacked
1 post. He killed 3, captd one,
& put / rest to flight. He
got close without being seen, fired
3 shots - dived in - grabbed
one & / others ran. He got
a D.C.M. 
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