Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915-1916 - Part 21

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Commander went along to the

Brigadier to tell him that it

was an impossibility,  instead

of bucking in and trying.

We had a 15 miles

march to this place,  and

arrived in the afternoon. We are

in huts this time instead of 

billets, which is just as well

under the civics, for we moved

on again at 5 am tomorrow.

We are now within about 12 miles

of the Big Push, and can

hear the big guns shooting

continuously. By this time

tomorrow we will be within

about a mile or two (possibly

Albert or Contalmason), and

by this time next week we

should be well in it.

We passed a lot of the 3rd

Brigade coming out, and they

were all of one opinion, namely,

that this scrap is Hell.

It is impossible for me to

keep up to date with my letters 

while we are moving so much

sweetheart; but you will under- 

stand, won't you.

Sunday 30th Harponville

We didn't get quite as far

as Albert after all. We

stopped at this village instead,

and are now writing for further

orders. I saw Ted today.

He did not get away to London

as soon as he expected, but

leaves this afternoon, and just

called in on his way back

from Albert. He says the

136

3rd Division have suffered very 

much, having about 7000

casualties. He expects that we

will be sent up within the

next 24 hours. Allan is

still alright, he says, although

the CO of the 21st was wounded.

I wonder where I will be

this time next week? Still

going strong, please God

Monday 31st

Under orders to be ready to

move at 2hours notice. This evening

and our packs and greatcoats to

the Brigadier [[?]] of Warlor. Now

we shan't (or shouldn't) be long.

Had a note from Allan yesterday.

He is at Albert. The 28th go badly

hit up; all their company commanders

killed. About 450 casualties at least.

Ray and Major Dunbar moved over to

Warlor this morning. The 16th Bn are

there at present. This evening

Major [[?]] and Major Williams

came to [[?]]. Had a parcel 

of shortbread & ginger wafers from Uncle Arthur.

Wednesday Aug 2nd Albert

We moved yesterday afternoon,

arriving here about 8 o'clock last night.

We are [[?]] out in the open

in what were our support trenches

until the "big push" commenced. We

didn't need much rocking to sleep,

and although there was a fairly

big  [[?shape?]] on just after midnight

and some shrapnel burst over

our ground, very few of us heard it

I for one did not.

Today we have let the men

have a fair spell; took them

138

swimming this afternoon in a fairly

sheltered lake. Tonight I think

there must surely be a [[?]]

going to take place, as the air

is swarming with our aeroplanes

& balloons and 15 to 20 planes up.

The Germans are rocking shells

at them but so far none have

been hit as far as we can see.

Allan came over to see us

today. He is temporarily in

command of the 28th - or what 

is left of it. They got pretty

badly chopped up the other night.

When they made their charge

they found that the artillery

bombardment had not destroyed

the Germans [[?]], and consequent-

ly they were hung up. A lot of

their wounded are still out

in the shell holes between the 

lines. The church in

Albert shows very evident signs

of the German shells. The

tower is badly knocked about

and a huge gilded figure

of the Virgin with the Infant

in her arms, which surrounded

the tower, has been struck at

the base and now hangs 

suspended over the street.

The [[?]] people saw that

when it falls the home of

[[?Hohonzollern?]] will also fall,

Today we got a mail,

and I received a letter from 

you dated May 30th and one

from Uncle Arthur dated July 24th.

You mention in yours that you

think of coming to England to 

live. I wish you would

Kiddie. I'll write you

tomorrow if we have not gone

right up into the line.

Later 9 pm

There is certainly "some"

stunt on. They put 

several into the village today, all

round the church.

Thursday August 3rd

Oh child dear, I've been

up to the first line today, all

over the ground recently

taken by our splendid fellows and

the English troops, and it is

Hell. The dead are lying

everywhere, some of them several

days old, others only today 

and yesterday. The stench is

terrible but that is nothing. It

is the sight of the poor fellows

huddled up there - gruesome,

[[?]] and bloated - that

makes you realise to the full

the beastly side, the awful

side of war. The charges,

the taking of villages and ridges,

all this is horror and glorious

to read of - but afterwards

the rotting dead, the unburied

dead, the fine fellows who

a few days ago were brave,

and handsome and full of 

life and health, now nothing

but horrible, putrid masses of flesh.

This is not nice to write about to 

you sweetheart, but it is real,

oh so real. We rode 

on horses up through what is

known as Sausage Valley (all

of which was behind the German

lines before the Big Push).

At the end of this valley we

left the horses in charge if the grooms,

and went in to see General [[?]]

has his headquarters in an old

German dugout, a most elaborate

affair. You go down two

flights of stairs unto a room

about 30 ft below ground

level. None of the old

[[?]] style of dugout where

you brushed dirt down your

neck every time you raised your

head, but a large lofty

room, with two iron bedsteads

and electric light laid on

and a stove for warming.

Those German officers are most luxurious

beggars; nearly all the dugouts

we saw were just the same.

Well, we walked on then

with a guide as far as a place

called the Chalk Pit. Shells

were coming over fairly thick

so we left the guide and

pushed on on our own. There

were 6 of us - Ray, self, Capt.

Roberts, Major O'Sullivan, Capt. [[?]]

Capt. Hartley and Lt Richardson - that's

seven, isn't it? oh well, never

mind. Any how, we pushed

on for another seven or eight

hundred yards, walking along

above ground quite [[?]],

stopping to Cook as old German

rifles and helmets etc; until

we were stopped by two officers

144

in a communication trench. 

They stared at us as though we were

dead men - and then we found out

 we were only 500 yds away

from the German front line trench

and in full view! You bet

we were not above ground much

longer. Well, we went

through the wreckage of what

once was Pozieres, and then

on to the Cemetery where our

fellows now hold a strong

point, the farthest line forward.

We had a look round there

and then started back along

another communication trench,

a very shallow one. Our  dead

and the German dead were

lying thick in it, still

unburied. We must have

shown our heads over the top, for

very soon we heard a shell

coming our way we ducked just in

time to miss it. From then onwards

they peppered the trench, following

us we ran. At [[?]] we

had to give it up and crawl

and I can assure you it was

no pleasant job to crawl over the

top of bodies that had been [[?]]

for some days. Shell after shell

burst rounds [[?]] and at

last there was a tremendous

crash and I felt the ground

closing in on top of me. A big

clod shoved my head into the

bottom of the trench and I

began to think the debris was

never going to stop falling and

that I should be buried. After

awhile, however I managed

to wriggle out, and then found

that the sides of the trench had

been blown right in and had

buried Ray and Capt. Roberts as

well. Well, how we eventually got back to Sausage

Valley. I don't quite know.

It was a [[?]] [[?]] I know

I never thought we would

get out safe, and I know

I'm jolly thankful to be

safely out of it. Tomorrow

[[?]] the attack on [[?]]

[[?]] is to be made, I wonder

will we be [[?]]

Well [[? unable to read?]]

146

[[?volume?]]; and still  I am away

from you. I would have never

more [[?volumes?]] I will write

[[?]] up darling wife, and

[[?]] [[?]] a loving and [[?]]

to me. I'm [[?]] for

your love and for ever  dear

sweetheart.

Heaps and heaps of 

love and kisses to you 

and our babies and to

our mothers.

Ever yours

[[?]]

No 6

[[?]] Hill

August 5th 1916

Dearest.

Yesterday was the second

anniversary of the beginning of

the war, and we celebrated

it in a most successful 

manner. In the afternoon we

moved up to this position (in

reserve) to take over from the

28th who went up into the

front line. During the afternoon

we got the orders for the 

attack Brigade had to stand by to

[[?strikethrough?]] support if required, but

we were not needed, so saw 

nothing of the actual fighting

although we came in for a 

fairish bit of the artillery

2

[[?]]. The artillery barrage was

to commence at 9 pm and at

9:8 pm the first wave was to go

forward to the attack. At

a little before nine Ray and I

went up onto a hill nearby, from

which we could see the effect of 

the fire. It was terrific.

all along the whole front the

flashes were playing like chain

lightning. All through the

night the awful din kept on,

the artillery lifting their range

as the infantry went forward

to the attack. And then 

at about 5 am a big batch

of German prisoners were

brought in and we know that our

chaps had taken the ridges.

At about eight o'clock another