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 circs, for we move

on again at 5 am tomorrow.

We are now within about 12 miles

of the Big Push, and can

hear the big guns strafing

continuously. By this time

tomorrow we will be within

about a mile or two (probably

Albert or Contalmaison), and

by this time next week we

should be well in it.

We passed a lot of the 3^rd

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 understand, 

won't you ?

Sunday 30^th Harponville

We didn't get quite as far

as albert after all. We

stopped at this village instead,

and are now waiting 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

 

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2^nd 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 28^th was wounded.

I wonder where I will be

this time next week? Still

going strong, please God.

Monday 31^st

Under orders to be ready to

move at 2 hour's notice. This evening

sent our packs and greatcoats to

the Brigade Dump of Warloy. Now

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

Had a note from Allan yesterday.

He is at Albert. The 28^th Bn got badly

hit up; all their company commanders

killed. About 450 casualties altogether

Ray and Major Imlay rode over to

Warloy this morning. The 16^th Bn are

there at present. This evening

Major Brennan and Major Williams

came to dinner. Had a parcel 

of shortbread & ginger wafers from Uncle Arthur.

Wednesday Aug 2^nd Albert

We moved yesterday afternoon,

arriving here about 8 o'clock last night.

We are bivouacked 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  strafe 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

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swimming this afternoon in a fairly

sheltered lake. Tonight I think

there must surely be a scrap

going to take place, as the air

is swarming with our aeroplanes

& balloons Just in our sector
there are at present 14 big observation
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 28^th - 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 wire, and consequently 
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 French people say that

when it falls the house of

Hohenzollern will also fall.

Today we got a mail,

and I received a letter from 

you dated May 30^th and one

from Uncle Arthur dated July 24^th

 

140
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 p.m.

There is certainly "some"

stunt on. They put 

several into the village today, all

round the church.

Thursday August 3^rd.

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,

unsightly 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 heroic 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 
 

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our 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 of the grooms,

and went in to see General Jellibrand.

has his headquarters in an old

German dugout, a most elaborate

affair. You go down two

flights of stairs into a room

about 30 ft below ground

level. None of the old

Gallipoli 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.Bardwell

Capt. Hartley and Lt Richardson - that's

seven, isn't it? oh well, never

mind. Anyhow, we pushed

on for another seven or eight

hundred yards, walking along

above ground quite unconcernedly,

stopping to look as old German

rifles and helmets etc; until

we were stopped by two officers
 

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in a communication trench. They

stared at us as though we were

madmen --- and then we found 

out we were only 500 yds away

from the German first line trenches

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 length 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 dead

for some days. Shell after shell

burst round us, 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 nightmare, I know

I never thought we would

get out safe, and I know

I'm jolly thankful to be

safely out of it. Tomorrow

night the attack on Thiepval

Ridge is to be made, I wonder

will we be in it !

Well sweetheart mine
here is the end of another

 

146

volume; and still  I am away

from you. I wonder how many

more volumes I will write ?

Cheer up darling wife, and

store up a loving welcome 

for me. I'm hungering for

your love and for you dear

sweetheart.

Heaps and heaps of 

love and kisses to you 

and our babies, and to

our mothers.

Your fond

Hubby

No 6

Tara Hill
August 5^th 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

28^th who went up into the

front line. During the afternoon

we got the orders for the 

attack on Thiepval Ridge. Our
Brigade had to stand by to

attack 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

strafe. 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 knew that our

chaps had taken the ridge.

At about eight o'clock another
batch of prisoners came in, all 
looking very relieved to be out
of the hurly burly. Talking to
a wounded 28^th officer came

through about lunch time , I 

found that the enemy's infantry

had made practically no attempt

at resistance.

We are to go up this evening

and take over the new ground

and hold it against the counter-attack

which is almost bound to come.

August 6^th (Don't know the day). Pozieres.

We had a hell of a time last 

night. We lost a fair number of

men Coming up to take over.

The enemy shell fire was pretty 

constant and the Communication

trenches became crowded and

blocked. Ray and Major Imlay