Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/213/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 9

Bn got in Sergt Sparkes of
C Coy went out straight away
& scouted all round the S/P
& came back to say it ws
heavily held by Germs.  There 
had a n^o of Germs in the objve
also - but these had bn already
taken.  This S/P ws firing
pretty heavily - it had
abt 6 m.gs in action.  ∧ Just as Capt

Portman & his Coy were going
out agst it Sparkes came
in w this informatn.
Portman ws abt 100 yds out.
Sp He sent Sparkes & ^Lt Thomas
round / right & he went
round / left.  They worked
round / Germs.  As soon
as they were within 20 yds
the Germs surrendered.  It ws
93
 

at this time the 4 Div. Bn
ws going thro.  The tank there
ws / supply tank - she
ws probly mined - She ws
heeled over in a shell hole
 - she had come out o /
[[recutrant?]] at / S. end o /
wood.  Abt 65 Germs were
in tt By this strong point.
Out o / whole collectn of
S/Ps abt 150 Germans were
got & abt 150 out of the
trench S. of it - say 250 in all.
It was a good line - but
it looked as if they relied
on the S/Ps.  No tank had
bn at these trenches or at
the S/P before till long after
/ attack.
By this time the rt
of 20 Bn ws ahead in
94
 

Warfusėe.  They were not
sure of their objve in / mists.
When 18 Bn went thro'
they went w them.  A
number of Germans were
on the top by / rd at
29B 2.7. & there ws a
fight there ^in old gun positns - the Germs fought well.  When advance got
to the next steep valley.
There they the 20 under Portman
became certain they had gone too
far - & came back ^to proper positn.  5^th Divn
(8 Bde) had passed thro &
things were going well.  There
were guns in the Warfusee
valley - tt ws where they
were first met with.
They were dug in on / crest
o / gully.  Some o / sights
were brought back - trails
of these guns were laid on timber.
95

96
X That evg some huge bursts occurred
just near / main rd at Warfusėe at
¼ hr intervals.  They were taken for
mines at first but turned out to be huge
shells.  The first 3 or 4 were near / road.
The 5^th or 6^th - abt dusk - fell right near
/ silhouetted traffic by / road.  It killed two
German prisoners who were coming down
in a German waggon - & the two Tommies
beside them in/c o / waggon - & cleared
/ traffic on a space of 20-perh. 50 yds -
Only abt 6 shells were fired.  They came from
NE (Somme [[?]] direction).
The angles of fire were very wide
indeed - & / floor o / gunpit
boarded.
2/Lt Mackenzie ws hit at / start
by a m.g. bullet.
Lt Elkington
ws hit in taking a m.g.
positn in the objve - working
down / trench - he ws hit by
a potato masher.
The fog had bn too
thick when the S/P ws taken
for them more than just to see
/ tank abt 100 yds away.
20 Bn stayed there for

day.  X  That night ∧ Next day at 2 pm they
got orders to attack at 11.30
am.  (Above, ^authorities;  with Capt. Elliott & Capt Lieut Sharp)
On Aug 9:  Abt. 11 a.m. orders were
recd. to attack at 11 am.  The
J.O. line ws 8000 yds away.
97
 

The Bn ws sent on under
Capt Portman while C.O.
Col Forbes rode to / Crucifix
NW of Harbonniėres.  The instrns
for attack were there given but not
/ time.
The Bn came up in arty
formation.  E of Lamotte
as they came under fire
they crossed / road & passed
N. of Bayonvillers.
On / tramline W. of
Morcourt Valley ^& Ashwell Wd they got their
orders from C.O.
Abt 2 am. they crossed /
gully wh ws under heavy
shellfire - they decided to
go straight ahead & got thro
without a casualty - &
came just behind Blue Line &
98
 

lay down in arty formatn.
Bn started to deploy & a
number of Germ. planes
came over very low.  Germ
ws shelling / Blue Line then.
When the attacking troops
(18 Bn) moved out o /
Blue Line 20 Bn moved
into it.  Stayed there till
night of 9 - & took over
/ line from 18 Bn on
mg. of Aug 10.  The line
ws then short o / Factory -
abt 80 yds short of it.  Back
at this time were back at / dump
/ other side o / road were
45 Bn who were not
attacking.
In regard to this
flank, on aftn of 9th when
99
 

100
X  While Portman ws looking at
this dump (where he did so much of his
work later) he saw a pair of legs sticking
out of a stack of wood there.  He thought
 - Hm - that must be one of our people!
It ws an old English major of artillery
who had gone out there to have a
look for ^some guns wh he ws searching
for (to shoot at, I suppose).

18 Bn went ahead Capt
Portman went out and had
a look at / Dump from /
S. side of road.  X.  He then
saw tt / flank ws quite
open as 45 Bn were back
behind the Bomb & 5/9 Dump.
He reported to Maj. Robinson
who told him to put in his
Coy to defend tt flank.
Portman brought up 2 plns
into / dump wh ws a
huge collectn of timber stacks,
& v. good cover;  he gave
instrns to Lt Holmes to
take out a pln to abt
25 D. 7.9, & anor at 26
C. 7.9 to watch / flank.
Holmes had to crawl out on
his own & reconnoitre /
positn.  He took his plns out
101
 

also crawling under m.g.
fire from Proyart and they
dug in there.
That night Portman went
up to push the Western of
these posts out towds
Proyart.  They reconnoitred
/ ground out there - They Portman
were going back when they
& went to 45 Bn & saw
Col Johnson to tell him o /
orders to move of his posts - & he
then heard tt 45 Bn had
orders to push out tt
night.  Holmes, Sergt Clark
& Capt Portman then guided
them up to the advanced
post o / 20th & showed where
/ road corner ws.  But when
102
 

45 Bn got up there they
came under m.g. fire so
they swung back their flank
to where the post was -
& thence to / road abt
150 yds in rear of left flank
of 20^th Bn.  The posts of 20 Bn
then withdrew to / Blue Line.
That aftn 3 ^machine guns were
firing from Proyart.  By next
day abt 10 cd be seen.
[On / afternoon of the 10th
Aug. 3 motor lorries & a
box car came tooling along
/ road towds Proyart
from / Blue Line.  They
got within 500 yds of
Proyart when the dust began
to be knocked up all around
them.  The m/gs in Proyart all
103
 

104
X  Aug 10/11  This night the German
Division opp. 20 Bn ws relieved
& a new lot of troops came in
(who was xx provided / prisoners
captured on 11 Aug).

opened.  All / men in the
first 3 were k.  The 4th
stopped for a while.  Suddenly
he (box car) shunted back -
turned - & came back for dear
life along / road.  He got in
to / Blue Line.  The driver
ws shot thro / lung & /
other man killed.
Aug 10/11  X  Night of 10  37 Bn tried
marching up / road w
3 tanks - 3d in rear & so on.
Capt Portmans Coy ws to follow
& make a defensive flank
along / road (very much
like the flank he had made /
other way - as far as /
road in 28C.
Portman got up ahead
as 37 ws late, & had 2 posts parties
105