Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/106/1 - April 1918 - Part 3

83.    24
out & 2nd Divn in this
morning. The 13^th Bde goes
to the 3rd Divn to watch /
crossings of / Somme near
Corbie, Bonnay, & Neuville
The 12^th Bde goes into rest
in close support reserve - 6th & . N7^th Bdes in line
I believe the 5^th Bde has
relieved the 9^th at Villers Bretonneux.
Another miserably drizzling
day - probly worse for /
men S of / Somme than for
those up here.
The German these last
few days very quiet. This
may be because, yesty (we
hear yesty) Gen. Foch has
now his reserve of 30 divns
concentrated.
Our Austlns have been
holding nearly half the British
battle line. I wonder if the

83.     25
British people will ever realise
this.
The Americans have agreed -
very large spirited of them - to
put their brigades in with English
divisions. [We were to have
had Americans fighting w us
too; if / German offensive had
not come off an American
Divn wd shortly have arrived
at Aust. Corps.] The inflow of /
Americans, if only at 50,000
per month, must be making
a big difference to our
reserves. The German, I
suppose, is taking his
reserves from Russia, &
looking to / use of returned
prisoners. - Many of them
wont be too pleased.
Duncan Maxwell has
heard tt his brother Ken, Colonel

83.    26
of the 2/5 Manchesters, is alright.
[I must correct my note
(Mouquet Fm. Historical note) on this
point].
Tues. Ap. 91h.
At Corps I heard that
Amiens ws sd to have bn
shelled by / Germans today.
Our 5^th Divn advanced
its line beyond Bouzencourt.
Today / germ. has heavily
shelled its old line. He seems
to have bn carrying out
destructive bombardment of
several parts of / line lately
without infy attack following.
A prisoner says he thinks he
is resting his reserves for /
next push & using his old
Divns to / death (for example
the 50t^h Res. Divn, 13^th Divn, 4^th Divn
& 3^rd Naval Divn wh were I believe
 

27
※ You can see / opposite hill
however.
  

83
28
those used agst our 4^th Divn.
Our 5^th Divn may be
pulled out tonight & replaced
by British troops. The idea is
to extend our Corps from N.
& hold down to / Somme with
3 divns in line, one in close
support, & one in reserve.
The 1^st Divn has already 1^st Bde
in this village, 2^nd Bde behind
it, 3^rd Bde at Hesselles.
aall MacCall tells me tt
our front line wh he visited
S. of the Amiens Road is dug in
on the crest where the lower
part o / hill cannot be seen
probly because it ws dug just
where / Germ. M.G. fire cd not
reach it. ^※(German orders captd,
he says, showed tt they wanted
to take / high ground near
Lavieville).
 

83
29
The German wireless tonight
show has bn read by some of
our wireless stations - it announces
a great victory near Armentieres.
His inpos 2^nd Divn has not bn
able to gain any further news of
this except tt an attack apptly
started out / Portuguese this mg.
We have good reserve lines
N. of the Lys, they say, & have
divns in reserve up there.
the resting after / fight down
here.
I wonder how Butler is
getting on w our trophies -
they were at Bailleul & he
went up to help Gullett clear
them. Gullett stayed behind
at Hetre when / Corps came
down, waiting to get these things
away. The 9^th Corps has taken
 

83
30
over there.
Coleman asked me at
Corps yesty if I had heard abt
Gullett ? The 9^th Corps is not
too friendly disposed, he sd.
"Houghton & three or four other
offrs of ours were left there for
a week or 50, temporarily
when we came South. So Gullett
went to the Camp Commandant
of the 9th Corps & asked if he
had not better allot them to
various messes.
"Good gracious!"sd the Mds
Camp Commandant, "you don't know
what an English mess is! You
cant go in there at will, any how
- you have to be introduced.
Gullett sd tt he had not thought
it ws necessary - three or
four 9^th Corps officers had
 

83
31
been up to our Headquarters
& they had all been invited
into our own mess - but
if he felt tt way abt it & wd
give him a chit to say so Gullet
sd he wd draw travelling expenses
& manage for himself.
The Camp Commdt. sd tt
he wd not do that; but if
xxxxxxxxx he wd give Gullet
& / other offrs their rations
& they could get them cooked for
themselves
Ye Gods.
Heavy firing since about
10 8 p.m. tonight to the N.E. of us, ?NZ
^or 47th Divn still continuing – There ws
heavy firing there this mg also
Earlier in / Evg equally
heavy fire from abt where our
5th Dvn is - perhaps V. Bretonneux.
 

32
April 10^th. The German wireless
last night spoke of a "great
Victory at Armentieres". One
of our 2^nd Divn wireless
stns picked it up & translated
it. G.H.Q. ws being rung
up on some matter; & Someone
there answered tt he thought
it might be a big raid on
/ Portuguese. Some rumour
o an attack on /Portuguese
ws current yesty.
This mg when I we
were at 3^rd Div H.Q. young
Chomley (who used to be
their T.M. officer) rang up
from Corps Heavy Artillery.
Herbertson picked up /
phone & presently put it
down. The Boche has got
Messines & he is near
Estaires," he said.
 

83 

33
The 3rd Divn helped to
take Messines - there ws
a sort of suppression in /
atmosphere, possibly because
Herbertson is an Englishman
& no one wanted to say anything
to hurt him. But they must
feel it pretty keenly.
Tonight it is sd tt
it is not certain tt Messines
to captd. Probly it is thought
better to wait / result of a
c.attack before announcing
anything abt it.
This is a really serious
- critically serious blow. The
real danger is tt / German
may find he can break this
army when he hits a tired
division. The 4^th Din laughing
say tt they bet they are up
there within a fortnight.
 

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34
I saw Witham today &
got / story of the 52^nd Bn at
Dernancourt. He told me the
story of Barton, a Queensland
farmers son, who ws wd in
/ knee & since died. He had
bn wd or gassed before. While
in hospital he came to fall in
love with a little V.A.D. nurse, &
when atxx he went to England
he visited her people. Her
mother turned out to be the
Countess of Something. The
girl was ^also very much in love
w Barton but he told her
tt she wd find life on a
Queensland farm very different
from / life she ws used to. However
she wdn't hear of letting anything of
tt sort stand in their way, & so they
became engaged. Barton spoke to