Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/213/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5

The Canal - wh had bn feared
as a serious obstacle, -
turned out to be dry & not
an obstacle. The wire in I 15 A & C ws
very thick - old German wire, concertina & other - very thick indeed.

[*& / slope had
become
pretty
steep.
The pad
ws a fast
walk -
some
had to
trot.*]
They lay up for a breather
behind in a  trench just a little way
S of the Junction of Agram
Alley & the Mt S.Q. Feuillact
Rd. They waited there a few
minutes. The (? on someone
blowing a whistle?) they started
off again - from there it ws
a rush.
The Germans were in Elsa
trench. They fired a few shots
& most of them cleared into the
rubble & ruin of houses behind.
A number were k in _^ or abt Elsa
trench - From there it became
a scramble of different parties
routing Germans who were in
39
 

with partly finished dugouts
running just west o / bldgs
on / W side o / rd. It started
from / little trench at 15 A 9. 9.
B 2. 8 to 15 D 9.9
Some of 19 Bn were in /
right of this trench - .
The C./attacks by / Germs. w
bombs T.Ms & m.gs. (regular
trench attacks) came continuously
down Koros & Krieg alleys &
up Gott mit uns trench.
At / same time at least 5
attacks o / same sort came
down Varna trench & attempts
were made to cross / road.
The 2 m.g. Bn had 4 Vickers
Guns in the trench held by
17 & 19 Bns & these w L.Gs stopped
58 

holes & corners in the
ruins w m.g. positns
scattered thro them.
B Co The orders were to
get a footing at / village &
make as much ground on /
hill as they could. Numbers
of parties got into / village -
there ws fighting going on in
/ village - Capt Manifields
party (D Coy) went thro the
right portion o / village.
The N.E. Edge o / village ws
being shelled by our own arty.
Shortly after our troops reached
/ village / Germs shelled it also.
When C. Coy got forwd - it ws
originally right rear - it
worked mainly in / centre.
40

had come up on / rt flank
ws up on / _^ main road on /
slope towds Peronne.
Capt manifield went along
this line & tried to fix it there.
The Germs were seen massing
due N. o / village (when M.
ws w C Coy he got word of
this; & he saw them massing
S E. in 16 Central) They
began trickling down / saps
towds / village (Koros Alley
Krieg alley etc.) It ws
then tt Manifiield ordered a
retirement of 17 Bn to / line
o / road.
There ws a trench
running just W o / Rd
- a newly dug German trench
57 

By abt 6.30 the troops were
up in / village. As parties Lt Croft for example w
his men got up / Aziecourt Rd on / N. o / slope, into / Quarry.
As parties found tt they were isolated
& disconnected they gradually
formed their line on / edge o /
village where Elsa trench gave
them a line. Shortly after
(?) A Coy got into Gott mit uns, &
Uber Alles trenches (?) - & 19 (more
probably they mistook Agram Alley for these) - and 19
Bn (who came up to form a
defensive flank) were mingled
in w / others near / objective.
The left of Bn ws exactly opposite
the opening of Elsa trench onto
the road - across / road.
Abt 10 am Lt Small, O.C. C Coy
& Lieut Richardson (one of his
offrs) brought the remnants
of C Coy along Elsa trench & then led
41
 

/ bayonet. The Germs in the
Galatz system were either k,
captured, or driven back
onto / mount. Most of
them were taken in Elsa
trench. The attack went thro
across / rd & into / village
& stopped on / forward slope
o / hill behind / village.
The left flank ws on /
bend o / Bapaume Rd.
200 yds across to left they
cd see 20 Bn. The line
came from this bend E to the
ruined house & mound - thence
to / Cemetery & / little trench
E of the wood. Then more men
by the pond. Others in
Vladomir ? Alley. C Coy wh
56 

then out across / road & down
a short distance of trench in / directn
of 9 Central. They found there
ws nothing there - 20 might
have bn there but naturally
in a  fight like this all bns
wd be intertmixed on / objve -
finding that flank completely in /
air they turned back - and
as Small & Richardson were
walking up / road they were
hit by a m/wfr bomb &
both killed.
These German minnies were
heavies - some way beyond /
wood probly - [not in / Quarry
bec. _^ a party of our own people _^ under Lt Croft had bn
there when our barrage shifted
them - the _^ abt 12 Germs were captured on
42
 

mist had quickly cleared.
D Coy took on all / many
targets ahead. (Gottlieb trench
had bn crossed over unheld
but / Germs were in Galatz
Alley & its system, pretty
thick & right on / mount -
They cd be seen mounting their
guns on / top o / mount,
running back & forwards -
a regular beehive disturbed.
Under Cover of D Coy B Coy
went forward steadily &
when D saw them getting on
D got up & the whole line
drove / Germs, running
like sheep, up / mount. The
pace ws still at / double -
clearing & rushing every trench w
55 

/ edge o / Quarry - including
a map drawing section w a lot of
maps.] The Germans followed
down this trench opposite
Elsa trench. The left pty ws
on / road bank abt 10 yds
further S. & was finally
bombed into Elsa trench where
/ left rested. This wd probly
be abt 11 a.m.
Bn H.Qrs knew abt
abt 9 a.m. by runners & by
wd men tt they had
got into / village but
/ situatn up there ws
not definite.  No one
had thought at / start tt there
ws a ghost of a chance -
when / vast numbers of
prisoners came trooping down
43
 

noticed the 20 Bn further up
/ trench ditch to / left - they
had not quite reached /
ditch but were going well.
No more Germs were
seen till Gottlieb trench but
in Kholm trench men of 19 Bn
were met. There the 2 Bns
became mixed. The
attack carried on to Gotllieb
trench & as far as / rly line.
The fire there became
very heavy & / whole rt end
of D Coy got extended & threw
themselves down into a
firing line. (There ws no rly
bank). There were numerous
targets in front. It ws
a clear morning - the slight
54 

it ws almost incredible -
the Bn ws had so few men tt it
seemed impossible they cd have
collected them.  Bde got 79
guns actually carried out
afterwds (Park Wood ws simply
populated by m. gunners).
The Alexander Regt had
also just relieved or it
wd scarcely have allowed
a man to get across the slopes
N. of Halle Wood. The Germs
cannot have known how
small our attacking force ws.
Abt 11.30 / positn in /
village ws still a bit indefinite
at Hqrs. But abt this time
the Germ arty laid began to lay down a
heavy straf especially on the
44
 

The pace ws very fast - they
doubled practically / whole way.
It ws 5.10 when they pushed
off. When firing started /
arty ws on Gottlieb trench.
It ws a light shrapnel barrage.
It did not form a mark
in time or place.
There ws no oppostn
exc. for a few Germans in
/ big ditch o / Canal du
Nord. The Germs there were
firing m.gs. but it ws
rushed w a bayonet - / idea
being to rush all oppositn &
yell like mad - The Germs
in / canal there were bayoneted
or captd.
From there. Capt. Manifield
53 

W edge o / village & on /
road. It ws then tt /
casualties of Bn really
became numerous. This shelling
went on all day. At /
early stages _^ German m.g. fire came
from Johannes trench into Uber
Alles & Gott mit uns trench 1000
yds in front of them.
A wire ws sent to Bde
asking for arty onto this trench
far behind our front line.
There were isolated local
c/ attacks - 6 or 7. The Germs.
drilled down to / road
& into / ruins & got m.gs.
set up there firing v. close.
Our artillery ws very
close up - 4/6 in. hows being
on / rd close behind Brags Alley
45
 

Later C Coy folld / attack at
a distance of abt 500 yds.
Their two offrs were later k. &
their positn is not certain but
probly they got nearer down
to / river on / flats.
A Coy were at this time
behind clearing out Germans;
later they went round to / right
flank by Park Wood.
The 2 Coys by / rly were
simply gn left turn on to /
line o / rly. After waiting to
find C & A they decided to
risk the j. off altho they were
so few tt. they had doubts as
to what ws best. They went
thro Freckles Wood w
Lost Ravine etc on their rt
52 

in 12 A 9.9. where 17 Bn HQ
was. There were v. quickly
field arty in front of this
Hqrs. at in 1 c. & 7 A
The main part o / German
barrage in / early stages came
down on the E edge of Clery &
/ Somme bank E of the bend -
tt made it clear where he
expected us.  All day / shelling
w 5.9s & 4.2s ws heavy
there. 12 B & D.
The c/attacks did not move
the Bline at all from where it
was. There were no reserves
in / Bde. During / earlier
half o / day the left _^ of 17^th linked
up w 20 Bn just below / bend
o / road. The line may genly
46
 

the rest of Bn, D leading, struck
off half right to go thro Freckles
Wood. As soon as they got off /
road they came on another pty
of Germans - they were surprised
& gave no alarm. A _^ light rly line
ws then crossed met in / corner of
18 B - & Capt Manifield
halted them there as this looked
like a good line for Jumping
off. There ws a slight rise
ahead. M. went up to / top
of it - & from there looking
due E he cd see the mount.
Bn formed up _^ in 2 waves with D Coy on
rt - on a one pln frontage
& B Coy left
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
C. Coy cdnt be
found. Each Coy had only 2 plns.
51 

be sd to have bn in /

nearest trenches to / main
road. Towds evg the shelling eased.
It probably covered attempts at c/ attack.
Knowing how unsafe
/ situation ws bombs ammn
& Lew machine gunners (Vickers
& Lewis) were sent up. (8
18 Bn had bn in reserve.
They moved up just before
dusk into trenches in support of
17 Bn. (probly in Galatz & Agram
Alley).
There the line remained
until / next day. A bat
meal (currie included) ws sent
up after dark - & rum.
Sept. 1. Between 9 & 10 the 6 Bde
went through -
47
 

Capt. Manifield - & anor).
[Capt. Manifield D Coy ws a leading Coy.
They went round thro Eleu Alley
as shelling ws heavy in / village into
St Gond trench. Waited there all
night - old French trench w dugouts.
20 Bn had struck trouble in /
trenches o / old French front line
ahead. Whole 19 17 Bn ws
concentrated in St Gond trench & those
near it. At 3 am they moved
- down the Halle Rd. Bn moved
in single file
Hand drawn diagram-see original document
A Coy having
one pln
in groups
ahead working as advance gd.
The road runs thro some past a very high
banks on left hand side o / rd.
On the bank there ws a m.g.
A Coy started to hunt for Germans
there. While A Coy ws clearing this
50 

On left in St Q. were Capt.
Manifield, L^t Fitzallen D Coy., L^t Massey
(hit by a whizz bang there) L^t Adam,
Lt Nicholson, Lt Croft.
O / rt were Capt Allen, Lieut.
Phelps, L^t Robertson -
L^t McPhee ws int. offr.
(L^t Napper 19 Bn ws k. near
Croft - & Hampson also ws there on left
- since killed).
17 Bn ws withdrawn when
24 Bn went thro'. This
ws much later than dawn -
probly abt 9 or 10 am. 24 Bn
came thro' / Coy trenches up to
17 Bn positn, & went over
from there during / mg.
17 Bn then came back halfway
to Florina trench & Florina Support & into
these trenches at dark.
48