Charles E.W. Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/53/1 July 1916, casualties of 24 July 1916 pt3

67     27
8.50 3 Bde. Situation agn appears
critical. Large nos of enemy
advancing from NE now
close to our soldiers in SQ5a ?x5a
I still have 2 Coys in reserve -
will use them at once if situation
worse. They are from ?x 5 C 4 .3.
to S.E end of copse in ?S Q.5.3
in common trench &  from ? SQx5 c. 43
[*x5c43-X5c03
x5c43-?X5d19*]
[*?North Eastward*] NE wood toward point ? SxD.1.9.
Brit. Bde on right sd be falling back.

8.35 3 A1 Bde. Trenches NW Pozieres
v. heavily shelled. 2 Bn shaken
retiring. Heavy c. attack from
N of vly.  2 coys ready to deal
with this c-attack. Indirect inf fire
being put on in direction of c-attack,
most my bde badly shaken. "Fresh
troops advisable."
859 3Bde asks more heavy arty
& counter bty. (asked for by Div)

67
28
AI
3 Bde
9am 3 Separate reports 8.20, 8.25 am
Heavy enemy c-attack advancing
from N & NE abt Albert Bapaume
Rd.
Scout Sergt reports enemy moving S
thru S. Q. D. R 35 D at 8.20
were well caught by arty & m.g s.a.
Enemy checked & changed direction
S.W. towards wood of Pozieres.
8.40. Enemy most numerous
at Windmill R 35 C83 moving
in short Rushes abt 3 mins
intervals.
9.50 Artly message. Enemy barrage across
village Enemy attack caught
by our barrage of shell in R35d
changed direct & advanced in
short rushes at 2 yds interval
abt Windmill. Barrage across
centre of village to 3 trees is
less concentrated It is Thought he
is lifting for an attack but it
has not yet eventuated.
(Situation abt 9 am. 

67  29
10.10 am 1Bde. Whole Pozieres
under v. heavy shell since 7.15.
Troops We holding position gain
this morning but suffered
heavy casualties. No
Est. yet possible all commns
again cut.
After 9.30 some abatement
in shelling Pozieres - but
barrage in rear continued.
(officers who came up
not well posted in situation)
10.15 3Bde asks for Aeropl. information
S. Bs urgently needed.
10.20 From Gen Hobbs. Left of RT Bde
has repulsed enemy attack. Enemy
retired in disorder. Arty & mg
fire very effective. Rt Bn asking
for Barrage R35 d 4.3 to
X5A 8.7 

67  30
48 Dyv. 12.5. pm. Arty reports
trenches 48 to 54 & 31
to 89 NW of Pozieres  strongly
held by enemy.
11.10 3rd Bde Situation quieter.
Suggest slow barrage. Units
ordered to reorganise
Enemy heavy gunfire on
positions along centre of village
almost ceased. A few
men can seen moving in
village - prob. wounded.
Organising parties from 2
Bde to collect wd.
(Slow barrage fire on
OG. 186 & barrage only asked
for by
Div)
11 Bn. 11.25. Give us all the arty
support you can. Roberts. 

31
?Sg R / 35c 6.7
            / 35 d.1.3
            / d.3½o
NCO

1    3^m   117 Reserve Regt.

2   16   1 Bn 157 Regt.
1    6    2 Bn  157.
 

67      32

5pm Pozieres c-attacked shelled again
2 corps asked for barrage. 
9.30 am. Aerop: Pozieres being
v. heavily shelled. no sign of
Inf. attack
Owing to clouds aeroplane
unable get over 9am flares
9am Inf Div observer. Poizieres being
heavily shelled for last 2hrs.
Valleys x 10 a & c  &
X 10 d & 11 a always
under shell fire & Black
Watch Alley esp. unhealthy
Our Guns replying vigorously thro
since 8.am.
[Pozieres 2 hrs to 12am 12 July 25 1 off.
15 or
12.31 pm. Aeroplane
2.40. Engr Pioneers making
barricades in
2.17 air report of new German xx trench
from Poz. Bap. Rd at R35 D99
in a curve thro R35 d 62.
to Munster Alley at X 5 B 8.3. 

67    33
2.7 Air Reports
X4d & 5c being heavily
shelled.
2.43 Air Report 1.40 pm No movement of troops
behind German lime N of Poz. Poz
being heavily shelled.
2.45. Col Heane (4Bn) reports NE of
Pozieres being well consolidated
under fire- work at ?X 4 B44.
56 , 67 is in our hands.
Message from Hobbs 5 p.m. Enemy
counter attacking where before,
1 Art Div.  2 corps arty asked to barrage
at R 35. c . 67, 35 a . 1. 3
& 35 d 3 ½. 0. N of
Bapaume RD from
Windmill.
————
[*2nd Bde Hgrs.
told me
this*]
5 Bn Signaller Pte Angel ws
hit in back w. a piece of shell paralysing
his legs when on way to deliver
a special despatch rider message 
to S Bn. He saw 

67   34
an officer standing abt 200 yds off
crawled on his stomach, deld
message to officer & ws picked
up 2hrs later with both legs
paralysed & a piece of shell in his back bone
1^st thing he sd ws - has that
despatch bn delivered.
Hit in barrage behind
Bailiff wood.

OG1 OG2
5.15 held these two but had
to retire from OG2 (bombed
on both flanks) because
7^th lost direction & never
reached their
right trench. It ws all right if both succeed.

————

26 25/26 July

2 am. After an awful day the 1st &
3rd Bdes have bn relieved - exc
the poor old 3^rd Bn wh has to wait
in Pozieres another day. With
attacks by other Divs failing all round them
the Ist Aust. Divn have held on
their way thro Pozieres - The until 

67  35
in spite of a frightful shelling
they have got the whole of it.
The 1st British Regular Divn
has failed day after day on
their left right; The 48^th Divn
is held up by two trenches
(wh they report full of Germans)
[*left?*] on their right. The Sergt major
[*S.M. Goodwin*] of the 8^th Bn wandered far up
/ trenches at / back of
trenches wh / British 48^th
Divn says it cannot pass,
& has found them empty,
[*They were not empty
Goodwin went up
KY in rear of them.
C.EW.B. 21/8/16.*]
"I only seed one German,"
he sd,  "& I shot at him but
he ran away & I cd not
catch im. I went along an'
got in mud up to ma knees
- I know the trench is unoccupied
or ah cd not have found it 

67   36
like that" - He says
he saw Le Mouquet ahead
of him.
If we dont occupy tt
trench / Germans will -
& we are to get two
lengths of it tonight (Two
bad mistakes in the trench
numbering of Blameys
order- he is tired to
death for want of sleep),
So is the whole division.
I have just seen them
coming out - Far up Sausage
Valley. Lord what a sight -
the gun flashes intermittently
making showing the place up
brighter than day. The
men were coming out
in 2s & 3s. "Is this the 2nd

67   37
Battalion?" "Is this the
4^th Bn". "They're getting some
hot scran at the cookhouse
Bill" - "Get down near the
cookers, the boys are there."
They came out quietly,
but like the men they were -
and round the cookers - the
travelling kitchens, in the
glow of an occasional stove on wheels,
what a reunion.
"His  brother an' I
carried 'im down.."-
"See them get into that
fat Hun...  My God - a
trench full of them & we'd bn
teasing them all night, bombing
an' then retiring and they had
about 150 of them there in /
morning - an by god the