Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/110/1 - May 1918 - Part 3

88                                         21
bucket out o / fore-waggon, filled it
& gave / mules a drink.  The cooks
were staggering off under tremendous loads
to the Q.M. Store (in one o / rooms off / yard).
A huge bag of bread; ^an open box of groceries
containing apparently 12 tins of milk &
some jam; a closed box of groceries
containing probably tea & sugar; a
sack of potatoes; a tin of biscuits.
The two elderly  simple sn old soldiers
of the company who are always together
 

88                                        22
on parade & off it came up a bit broken
about / knees, wrinkled, grey headed, w
pipes (as always) in their mouths  - they
sauntered up to / mules w / xxxxxxxx
interest wh a certain type of Australian
always has in animals.
The ^the men on parades have _^generally been divided into
Lewis Gunners (who have most of the _^are being trained.)
Runners (being trained in map reading)
Sick (who genly go off first) & men for baths
("Those who bathed had baths yesty fall in on / left".-
 

88                                                      23
one of them aside:  clean men on / left, Dirty
men on / right ).
Stretcher bearers are known as "body
snatchers”;  signallers are "spooks" apparently.
The
The Sergts mess in this confounded 42nd
battalion has all had too much to drink
tonight & has been quarrelling & drinking
for two hours in a most deplorable way.
It might be a drunken shearing shed in
Queensland & it is too noisy for me to
 

88                                                    24
write connectedly. One of the corporals
or sergts hit the Quarter Master Sergt
- the row appears to have originated in
a corporal  clerk, who had bn playing
football - having come back late to the
Sergeants mess & found too little left for
him to eat. The others soberer men ought to have been
able to get these fools to bed before now.
The men are beginning to shout to them “Where did you get the Rum?”
I went up to 17. Bn today.  They
tell me that there was a gap between two of
 

88                                               25
the posts in their front line wh is on
13 & 19 central.  They had put down a
barrage on a German post at 19 central
wh ws annoying them w sniping. The
Germans put down a barrage abt 3.30
& they thought it was in reply to theirs.
As a matter of fact / Germs came
in under this, thro / gap,  (Hand drawn diagram - see original)
& into some old posts
(now mostly unoccupied) behind / front
 

88                                                                26
line.  They also seem to have got into
/ front line N of where they penetrated.
The Ge Coy Commdrs (as column ws
lost w brigad battalion) joined together
& fixed up a counter-attack. This
ws arranged for 9 but came off at
10. The Support Coy & Reserve Coy
worked it w / two front line Coys.
They bombed down the front line from
the N & at / same time a company
 

88                                                         27
attacked from / directn o / copse in J 18.D.8.1
They captured all / Germans in / old outposts
& shell holes & then formed half right
& moved up to / gap. The coy on /
right (under Mackenzie, I think) attacked
seeing the Germans ^behind them surrender went out
on their own initiative & got the the
German post abt 100 yds ahead of
them in 19 central. They are now
on/ top o / hill on / left towds /
 

88                                                     28
Bray-Corbie Rd; but on / right they
are well on our side, & nowhere
can they see into / valley / other side.
The positn is not so good as before
Rosenthals advance. They must get
/ crest on / right & a little way down / slope to be secure.
Abt 7 men & an offr were
lost missing & were possibly
captured by / Germans.