Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/213/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

At abt midnight next an
operatn order ws issued
by telephone.  A great no of
Arty Bdes were cooperating
17 Bn ws to move forward
by 5 a.m. wh ws to be Zero
to positns in I 7. B & D,
(in / old German front & suppt
line system)  They were to
be there by 5 a.m. (This It
ws apptly known also by
Divn tt it wd mean fighting)
Abt 12.30 am a Confce
of Coy Commdrs ws held
& they were gn first verbal
instrns as to what ws to be
done; & at abt 3 a.m.
a written operatn order ws
issued to Coy Commdrs - 
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there ws no time to
send a written order from
Bde but it ws dictated
thro / phone.  A rum
ration arrived abt then &
was much appreciated
by everyone. 
There ws still shelling
but after dark it had eased
a lot. 
Abt 3 a.m. the C.O.
visited all the Coy Commdrs
in their new positns.
They had reached these
without much trouble & had
taken abt 20 prisoners. 
The problem ws this: At 5 AM
the Bn ws to move off from
the J.O. line w 2 Coys in 
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front & 2 in Support. 
That meant (to reach this
exact positn) moving E from
E end of village for abt 500
yds; then swinging S. practically
wheeling on / bend o / river;
then wheeling left again
& facing Mt St Q straight
on.
Bn started abt 2am ?
It filed through ELEU
Alley
___  ____  ____  ____  _→           
 C      B       A       D  
thus - in single file.
About St Didier Alley.
The front line E of Clery
ws at this time held by
20 Bn wh had bumped into
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Germans there in / aftn &
had cleared the trenches
E o / village for abt 500
yds. After par
20 Bn had moved were
to be on left of 17 in this
attack & had moved 
out of these trenches by /
time 17 Bn moved thro
them.
The Coys of 17 Bn were
to reach their hopping off
positn - the indev exact
method of getting there had to
be a matter for each Coy
Commdr - & it had bn
decided by arrangement
betw them tt they wd do
this by a lot of bluff. If they
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met any Germans they had
arranged to make a lot of 
noise & rush at them - &
bluff them. 
The prisoners taken 
during the earlier hrs had
bn of 80th I.R. (?)
In working down /
trenches beyond those tt /
20 Bn had reached 17 Bn
came upon parties of
Germans.  Even ^the end B Coy, wh
was ws ^in front of C at the end o /
procession, met a couple
of Germans in part of
this maze - B Coy
ws then working making
down / road above
the steep Somme Bank round
34 

/ river Bend.  The forward
Coys who met those
some German posts were
fired on but they came on
them suddenly in / dense
pitch darkness & made
use of the bluff they had
decided on.
They led out round
rear Freckles Wood & then
faced E.  The river ws to be
their guide. 
B Coy came to abt
13 Central when dawn broke
& / barrage descended
on Mt St Q.  They broke
out into Arty formatn
B|  |A   _→
C|  |D
35 

The barrage came down
near / village & the whole
lot went straight for /
village.  They were extended
now.  Every one cd see
Mt St Q standing up &

it ws simply a case of
getting for it as fast as
possible.
When D & A were passing
Park Wood, A Coy Commdr.
Capt Allen noticed tt D Coy
ws getting trouble from
Park Wood ; & he decided
tt it ws to big to leave
unguarded.  Orders were
to leave mopping up till
later & simply go for Mt
St Q & get there - but this
36

when the m.gs were firing from
these Chateau bldgs later the
17th cd reach them with 36
grenades - (160 yds range).
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oppositn on / rt seemed
pretty dangerous.  Capt
Allen accly led off to /
right thro / wood & took
a great many m.gs.
The enemy ran for their
lives from / wood - but
a number were captured
there.  Probly they did not
realise how small / attack
was.  It ws daylight now
& / attack simply depended
on it swiftness & determinatn.
This Coy lost very few here.
The casualties of all coys
were very light up to /
village.  The Germans whom
Bn ws now meeting were
the Alexander Regt o / Guards
37

In / morning on / way over rear /
long wall on / road - (/ wall ws
on / E side o / rd & held up
/ gardens of the Chateau or bldgs
there).  On / top behind this dugout
wall were some dugouts.
These dugouts were cleared
by Capt M's Coy Hqrs as they
passed - & / Germans were
sent off to / rear.
As Coy 17 Bn were retiring later
thro / village these Germans from
/ road & from / centre o / village
attacked them again from /
rear & they had to fight them
before they cd get back.  The Germans
from / dugouts were signallers -
& had originally come out w their
Signal apparatus hanging round
them. (A bomb had bn thrown down
& they tumbled out on / first occasion
[*One o / men went down these dugouts
& reported them clear.*]
61

who had come into / line
tt night.  They seemed to be
simply overcome by / pace o
/ attack & made very little
oppositn.  (HT. Allan had seen
m.g. fire coming from tt
wood but when he got near
/ guns they ran, leaving their
guns.
Allan worked thro / wood
quickly & then followed thro
on the rt rear o / attack to
Gott Mituns trench.
The rest of the Bn ws practically
in one line as it swept
on towds / village -
the fire ws coming from /
village - the trenches
betw Mt St Q Village & / Canal
did not seem to be occupied.
38

The German ws firing w
rifle grenades & TMs onto
Elsa trench.  But 17 Bn ws
in a continuous line forward
of this in wh you cd go the
whole way to / right in /
trench.
Capt Manifield handed
over to Capt Bowden 6 Bde
& came back by Galatz alley.
As this ws full of 21 Bn he
came back, turned down Elsa
trench (wh ws full of dead Boche)
& turned off down Agram
Alley.  This shows tt the 17
Bn were not in Elsa trench but
a newer trench.  You cd throw a
bomb from the 17th's trench into /
road.
60

these attempts.
We certainly held
Rottwell trench.
Lt Napper 19 Bn ws
k at / junctn of Gottmituns
& Uber Alles trenches - this
ws in / morning - he ws
sniped there & so ws
Plummer.
Capt Allan ws
round on this flank w
A Coy.
When 24 Bn came thro
next day / line ws at /
same place.  They came thro
abt 7 a.m. on Sept 1st.
They tried to jump the
trench in wh the 17 Bn ws but
/ fire ws too hot & they jumped
back into it & reorganised
there.  They went on again in / aftn.
59