Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/67/1 - November - December 1916 - Part 10

105

1st A.L.T.M. Bty.
Hand drawn diagram of map - see original

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71
Mrs. Mc Conaghy
Quay House
Bideford (BIDEFORD)
North Devon
England
Partrs of Death of W.J.
Johnston M.P. (Labour)
Fed. Parlt.
No 3827.  W.J.J. wd 23 July  Died 20 July
Buried Etaples.  Grave No. H375.
2 Bn took 1st line.  W.J.J. went
over with D Coy. was in trench
all morning.  About midday
he was hit by portion of a
shell - things / quiet.
Hit in head - he ws able
to walk as far as chalk pit
carried fr. there to prisoner station.
He sd as he left tt he ws
"Not too good."
He ws buried at Etaples.
He was a cheery chap - a bit too old.
He ws not a grumbler- v. patient, very willing.
He stuck the marches v. well.

107

Hand drawn diagram - see original

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71
1st Bn.
Nov. 4/5.
Trench day thro'
Commn trenches A & B (^trenches begun
by English) had bn dug out
abt 125 yds in front of
firing line by 1st Bn & 3 Bn
& ^nearly connected on night of
Nov. 3/4 to gun pits.
2 Coys were to make
the actual attack, C on rt.
D on left.  B in support,
A in reserve in Cheese Rd.
Coys in positn at 11.30 12pm.
p.m. Zero ws 12.30 aim.
D & C in assembly trench & B
behind them in shell holes.

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As B Coy ws getting
into positn the Germans
put up a large no of
flare & called for
Barrage by sending
up of Golden Shower
rockets.
The ground sloped
gradually from Price
to Hilt trench.  The
B coy ws certainly seen.
At 11pm rain started
when D & C were getting
into position.  I
The gold rockets brought
a medium barrage &
an unusual number of
flares were fired from Hilt
Trench.
At 12.30 our barrage
opened & C & D

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71
pushed forward under
the Barrage -
The barrage moved too
fast for the men - the
rain had eased but ground
ws most heavy.
The barrage allowed
a minute to go 50 yds
& this not enough.  The
ground ws very cut up.
After 150 yds the enemy
opened heavy rifle & m.g
fire from Hilt trench
Triangle & Sunken
Road.  As the first
wave reached the objective
the fire ws added to by
very heavy bomb fire.
The trenches were very strongly
held.  A few of our men
entered the trench, but the

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71 
fire being too strong &
positns so strongly held,
C & D were forced to
retire to the Assembly
trench.  At 1.4 am a
second assault ws
launched by C :  D
assisted by B; & A
Coy ws ordered into the
Assembly trench in support.
This attack ws made without
bombt.  Germans shelled
their own front line with
their heavies & shelled
to the left of Grass St
with his 77s.
The attack ws made met
with very heavy m.g
& rifle & bomb fire
& ws unable to get in.
In both assaults casualties
were heavy - a few

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71
men got right in the
second line also.  (A
couple got back).
The Coys lost abt 50
each in the two assaults
(B.C. & D.) & a heavy
proportn of offrs.
The bombing officer ws
to operate agst the triangle
- starting from sunken rd
to rt of gunpits.
Hand drawn diagram - see original
Th is not
very clear what
actually resulted.
Abt 16 men were
lying out in front of petrol
trench.  All the bombing platoon
became casualties - but
it is not known what
happened or how they died.
Artillery fire k. some of

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them.
the The After 1.a.m. assault remnants got
back.
Bn H.Q. in Cheese
Rd.  There ws a telephone
to the supporting Coy in
the assembly trench (when
assault moved out).
(Coy Commndr. of support Coy
ws hit in hand).
Men were moving abt
trying to get wounded in
- many from near German
wire - many were wounded
in legs by m.g. fire.
Our own heavies were
fairly good & got a
fair no. of hits right onto
the trench & did not shell
our own line so far
as 1st Bn. knew.

114
Hand drawn diagram - see original

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71
After 2nd assault instns
were given to retire to
old positns in Delville
Wood & gully.  (Attack
ws made by Bn. while
out of the line).  The
weather was bad both in
& out of line - men were
on fatigues; & had, on night
of assault, to take kit
right up.  The going was
frightfully heavy & the men
were very tired before they
got to the place.  It was
bitterly cold & the heavy
rain at 11p.m. saturated the
men.  The trenches were full
of mud and water & this
made the going in L P worse.

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71
Practice barrages had bn
put up on aftn'n of 3rd & 4th at
half rate.  This was
men down at gunpits
may have bn overheard
talking abt attack.
Digging of forwd trenches
sometimes gives a hint.
The show was frequently put off.
The certainly saw B. Coy.
50 yds a minute was
certainly too fast for the
barrage.  (3 mins were
allowed to get up under the
barrage & they got up as
close as the cd.)
Lt. H.M. Lanser & Lt. MacIntyre were
k. by rifle bullets  Lanser
during 1st attack, MacIntyre
at later stage.
Missing, Finlayson / Steele wd & missing

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 2 k.  3 m.  1w & .m.
2 wd.
Capt MacGregor
2/Lieut E.C. Hurt.
wd.  remaining on duty
Lieut. C.W.H.R
Somerset.
__________
9 offrs. 161 total casualties
o.r.

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Mullarkey Phillips
- there is no way of
saying what happened
to them.  Finlayson ws
the bombing officer.
Sergt. Allen is sd to
have got into trench in Sunken
Rd & knocked out a
m.g. there.  He ws badly
wd.  Dressing stn in
gun pits.  It is probable
tt the bombing platoon got
in -
_____