Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/103/1 - March 1918 - Part 3

30
5.30pm

Dear Capt Bean.

If you come out

of a narrow wooden door in

the wall at the back of the
Chateau near the church, you

will see our car, across the street

behind a hedge. A little further

on about 7 yards is a door leading

into a kitchen. We are in the

next room to the left.

I have taken a few pictures of

the 13^th Brigade but have not

been up to the actual front.

Hope it will be bright weather

tomorrow when I shall go up

to the line just south of Albert

unless you suggest otherwise

Your truly

Geo H Wilkins 

21a

29
77         22

I suppose in clearing old

defences they bury / barbed

wire in / trench behind

it & fill earth over / top.

[I have had to leave writing

this for a minute in order

to clear a British soldier out

o / house where I am writing

it. It is March 29 & I am in

a cottage occupied by Wilkins / 

photographer at / back o / 

Baizieu Chateau. I heard a

noise step in / kitchen thro /

open door - & there was a

young English sapper rummaging

amongst / dirty old socks

wh / French owners had left

behind them. I sent him off

quick. Next minute (as I was 

writing this note) the door opened

again - & there appeared at

I door the cook o / generals

77         23

/ door a dirty short individual

in a jersey. He sd he ws / cook

o / generals mess & tt the APM

had sent him over to get a

coffee grinder - he had seen

one here yesterday, he sd. 

The door has opened a third

time - but this time it is

Dick Sylvester, Wilkins chauffeur.

He tells me tt 3 men came

in yesterday - mostly w / same

tale about looking for things for

officers messes.]

We left Angus & walked

over towards the Bresle Rd

where Monash told me his

9^th Bde joined the 4^th Divn.

Just North of the Albert Rd a little

East of here were the big sheds of our

old 3rd Sqn. R.F.C. Aerodrome. 

The Germ ws shelling / actual

junction o / Bresle Rd w /

24
^※ Capt Garde, staff Capt. 11^th Bde,

who met us at Franvillers, told us

tt he had bn watching that day the

prettiest sight he had ever seen. The

Cavalry were operating in front of where

our men were coming into line,

& the Germans had apparently

been bringing troops up in buses

to Morlancourt or Maricourt. An

English cavalry Colonel told Garde tt

they were going for them; & as they

looked on from / hills they saw /

cavalry charge down upon / Germans

de-bussing - The Germans ran -

The ^1^st Cavalry ^Divn later this night were

ordered to clear from before / front of /

3rd Divn & operate S. of the Somme -

wh ws a very uncertain point.
77       25

Albert Rd - but as we crossed

/ Bresle Rd further S. there

ws not an Australian to be

seen. There were 4 guns

in a line on / crest, wh

I suppose ws what he ws 

shelling; & two dead horses

on / near slope - & other

guns were going in behind 

/ knuckle down wh / Bresle

Ribemont Rd ran. He ws 

shelling Ribemont & other

batteries N. of the road in / gully

- he cd evidently see them from

the heights behind Morlancourt.

The cavalry were sd to be out

there^※. Thro a telescope we 

cd see men moving on /

crest behind Morlancourt

& these were: probly Germans.

Far Ahead of the Bresle Rd

we ran into a m.g. post

25a

Diagram – see original document

77      26

belonging to the a M.g. Coy

of the 21st Divn. The 2nd Lieut.

in charge of it told us tt in /

retreat they had had / Germans

killed within 10 yards of their

guns - but they only had 

3 guns left.

Diagram – see original document

[This shows how the mgs dig in

behind / infantry]

He didn't know where /

Australians were. But the

35^th Divn ws digging out ahead

of them, he sd.

We came back from there

as it ws getting dusk. I

left Cutlack As we crossed

77         27

/ valley behind / post I

began to sneeze - & then

Cutlack did - ones nose got

quite sore. The German had

bn putting gas shell into

Ribemont & into the gully too,

probably - & / cloud mist

of it still hung low.

I decided to go down to

Heilly to see if my old Landlady

- Mme Veuve Leuwers - was 

still there. I expected she wd

have gone, as / artillery

ws now getting pretty active

& I had heard some shells going

over to Heilly. The Ger As I 

walked down / slope I saw

a number of new shell holes

upon it.

I knocked at / door &

to my surprise someone answered.

I rang twice & then my old

landlady appeared around / side

77         28

o / house & asked who it was.

I ^had said ^thro / door tt it was Monsieur Le Capitaine

who was here during / last

winter. She was delighted to

see me - took me into /

little sitting room & asked me if

I wd have a glass of wine or 

anything. Her sister & her old

brother in law (refugees from the 

Jura) were there & were just

lifting some mattresses to take

into / house next door wh

they thought ws a safer place to

sleep in.

They "I had to look keep

/ front door shut," Madame

said; I was sitting in /

back just now when I found

a soldier inside / house looking 

round. He said "I thought 

that the house was abandoned

Madame." Poor things - they

77        29

know tt their place will be

certainly pillaged if they

leave it.

However, as it is very 

likely to be in / centre of a

great battle anyday, I ws

at my wits end what to do.

I couldn't leave her there - & 

yet I cdn't risk alarming /

village & causing a stampede.

I asked if she had not anywhere to

go to. She sd "What can I do,

Monsieur. I should have to walk there

- & I cannot walk. Many others 

went some time ago; but I have

kept my little house together,

& I stayed. Do you think there

is any danger."

I sd "Not unless / Germans

advance" - but I cdnt tell

her th if / G

She sd - "Well, I suppose

77      30

we should have to stay for

/ Germans to take us!"

I knew in my mind tt

she did not realise / real

danger - tt if we were driven

out of this village / Germans

wd probably have shelled it

heavily first & we shd certainly

smash it to bits when they

got into it. I was in perplexity

- not wishing to alarm all /

rest o / villagers but anxious

to warn her - I sd - "No

Madame - the danger is tt if 

/ Germans advance / village

might be bombarded."

As we were talking, two 

or three shells from a high

velocity gun had screamed

not far overhead & burst near

/ other end o / village. They 

must have bn some o /

77      31

first shells these people had

heard in their lives & they

weren't small ones. Neither

of the three old folk took /

smallest notice. They talked 

on as evenly as if ^it were nothing

more than / wind whistling.

Where is the gun now

And she answered my

suggestion just as bravely: "Alas

- then I can do nothing but stay

here for ruin & death," she sd.

"What misère - what a time!

"that this little house where I have

"kept all my little belongings

"intact, so far, must be ruined

"like those other villages of the

"Somme, & I killed in the

"ruins." Her eyes filled w tears

when she spoke of the little house.

But she was quite calm & showed 

not / least fear. After the