Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/214/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 6

unlimbered & came into action.

The Positn had bn reported - Germs

retiring in disorder - Germ

apparently going back past /

Beaurvoir Line but being collected

& brought back to it in small

parties.  This seemed an

opportunity for keeping him going,

but at tt time it ws

agst / orders laid down.

Later - the order came to move

forwd to / Rd from Bank

Copse [?] - but it ws so heavily

shelled tt it ws decided to

withdraw & reoccupy it

later after dark.  (What had

happened ws tt / Germs had

had time to settle down in /

meanwhile & get themselves

organised - out men also were

 

very tired after / first halt

& / excitement wh had now

abated). 57 Bn ws relv tt

night by 2nd Divn.

                  Lt. J.S. Cotton in attack on Cabaret Wd Fm

Lft Coys   Lt. Fleming in attack on Cabaret We Fm.

                  Lt. Cochrane (with Keys - hit on 24 &

                                            getting again later 

                                            into Nauroy line)

                   2/Lt Pitcher  wd at assembly positn near

                                            Hargicourt by shell

 

There were [?] other officer casualties

-abt 11 offrs, 270 ? o.r.

 

No trace at all ws ever found o

/ Americans ever having bn

beyond the railway.  A few

joined in from / tunnel (a 

L.G. Section) & came up to /

Le Catelet line - & Keys also

had a few.  These were sent back

 

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59th & 60th Bns

Aug 8

 

58        59        →

60        57 

________________________________

 

59 ws in positn lying out

when / tanks came up.  There

ws a lot of shouting abt

[?] before zero, - you cont hear

/ exhaust but / shouting.  This

brought down / Germ barrage

-light stuff 4.2 & 77s - but 

it didnt fall on 59th.  57 got

a bit of it but not 60th.

 

at hop off fog & smoke ws

v. thick; when 59 & 60 started

/ hr after zero they were to

advance in 1000yds bounds

so as to get thro green line

at zero +4.  Compass ws /

only guide.  Result ws

tt they dribbled thro & reached

/ valley in rear o / green

line w abt ½hr to spare.  This

ws badly needed for reorganisation.

Every Coy ws on / right directn

-the compass brought them thro.

They were completely reorganised

in / little ravine short of

Bayonvillers.  All were in their

proper frontage before Bns moved

off.  The tanks were on / rt flank

refilling from their supply tanks -

 

 they came on across the/ flank

& went straight on.

While Bn ws waiting 

an old RE8 came over &

a whole [cirons?] of Fritzes

suddenly loomed out of /

clouds at him.  They came at

him - our chap came circling

down shouting all / way w

one Fritz diving at him.  The

Lewis Guns of all our troops opened

as soon as ever they cd ∧see clear

of our man - & Fritz ws driven

off.  59 Bn had had no

casualties till then.

60Bn had / rly to

guide them (wh made it

easier. They too reorganised).

As soon as they cleared /

green line over / crest on wh

it lay, they came at once

under / direct fire of a

bty of whizz bank guns.  Two o /

first shells each got a L.G. &

crew.  A couple of tanks

manoeuvred to outflank them.

One or two of our L.G. teams

got fire onto / gun crews.  Those

who were not hit ran to their

dugouts & were captd later.

This Bty ws in trees imd S.W.

of Bayonvillers.

Later on field gun ws

found between the red in 10A.3.7

-the horses were in / lumber

but had bn shot.  58Bn

tackled B/villers - 59

skirted it without any trouble.

There ws isolated   m.g.fire from

isolated posts but / tanks in every

 

case dealt w them - going straight

over / positns.  The gun last

mentioned knocked out one

o / tanks by cutting / tractor

w a direct hit.  This ws /

first tt Col.Scanlon saw knocked

out.  The 4 first guns didnt get

any o / tanks.

The 59 Bn went thro Harbonnieres

-one Coy thro & / other 3 round

-the Bn hung out a flag on / church

(wh is now in Austr. War Museum).

At tt time this ws / furthest

Easterly advance.  There were

a few m.gs. in Harbonnieres.

The tanks went thro w a pty

of moppers up - tanks blazing

into every house - They got a 

few m.gs. in the town.

When they got thro / town the

 

59th Bn began to get heavy m.g.

fire from the Amiens line on

their left front.  The Cavalry

picked up Bde abt 9D &

then massed & went out just

N. of / rly.

The 59th came E o / town

& got into the Amiens Line

N. of Harb. Rly Stn.  Just

behind / dtn / Germans had

a post - We did not get this.

The line swung off back along

/ rly wh runs S. of Harbonnieres

& joined w 57 Bn there.  The

Germans in / pause had come

back to the sapling copse near

Harbonnieres station - if the

Bn had bn ordered to get

these trenches in / first place

it cd easily have done so.

 

 

59 Bn reached its objve ¾hr

before time.  Harb. ws still

supposed to be under heavy

long range fire of our own

guns, but nothing seemed to be

falling there.

Later in the/ aften Gen. Elliott came

up & ordered a further advance.

A tank ws found in / streets

of Harb. w / crew asleep.  It

ws arranged for it to go out S

along / rly line & then E along /

light rly track up to the Harb.

Station.  But when he got to / [?]

he developed engine troubles &

came back.

After dark another attempt

ws made but / m.g. nests

at Harb Station & abt 18B 2.2.

& / Amiens line stopped this &