Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/81/1 - June 1917 - Part 2

10
June 6/7. At dinner with Gen Monash - he
told me definitely tt / attack ws to be at
3.10.am tomorrow.

I went over after dinner to Ross -
arranged to meet him & start at midnight
from NZ. H.Q. As we I went back at 10.30
we passed company after Coy of N.Zealand
marching quietly in the dark along
the roads - nowhere least congestion 
or hitch. 

At 12 at N.Z. H.Q. Lights in the
Mess. had cup of tea with Ross & then
started with N.Z. photographer & Ross
- all in my car in order to make less
of a procession. We found roads quite
clear of infy - almost clear of lorries,
guns firing normally. Abt 1 mile from
Hill 63 on flats we ran into gas -
pretty strong. We put our helmet nozzles
in mouths. It lightened but presently
thickened again. At Red Cottage got out
& sent Boddy back. As we went up
thro wood toward Rosenberg gas shells began
to fall fast - pat pat pat all around.
We stopped & put on helmets - photographer
tore his off presently - we were going
too fast. I made him put it on
again. We tried them off presently but
Ross ws sick at once. We got up
without accident - trenches were pretty
well steeped in gas & some men came
up them gassed several times, gassed.
Everything else normal. At 2.10 Germans

76       11
threw a very high white flare on right
but saw nothing. N. Zealanders in trench were having
breakfast. Several guns times we had Planes over. One
gassed man sd 'The bastard - got one in
our bay tt time".
2.52. Two green & two yellow
flares -(first time any coloured
flare has gone up). They were
on other side of Messine Ridge.

2.53 Red flare other side of Ridge.
Guns imd stop.
This is opp Ypres (that the
flares are going up).
3 to 3  Has he seen the 10 Corps,
or is this a stunt - some
raid of ours further left?
2 to 3. Gas again on
Rosenberg.
Men had had their breakfast.
Pat Pat of gas.
3.1  Still undiscovered. Moon
bright. A few
big g. shell towards
front line.
Red of dawn over
Messines last 5 minutes.
(Things must be all right now)

76           12
One feels as if it were a won battle!
N.Z. asks "Wheres these bloody bombs?"
SOS on the other side of Messines.
Lots of gas shell.
3.6  Double green in front 
of Messines m.g.
2 or 3 mgs.
One green flare.
3.8  one by shell near.
3.7  one flash of rifle.
3.8. one G. Flare.
m.g silent
3.9  our bombt begins.
3 mines up by Messines
mine after mine.

76             13
m.g. still.
3.18 German barrage not
yet down [[shorthand]]
3.20 Red flares still
on right.
Curly red rockets &
m.gs.
3.25 Dust so thick one
cant see our 18 pdr
barrage.
MGs still going.
Dense fog with mgs
chattering in it.
3.38  Flares still going
up - red. But nothing
to see in fog.
Ross says it must be

(order gvn to NZ infantry
of one of later waves in 
trench beside us).

i.e. Platoons from our trench

76         14
difficult to follow in
barrage in this smoke.
Flares still.
When the mines went up
there ws an uproar of
mgs but not much mg.
since -.-
3.45 one of our planes
wheeling.
3.47 - a white light up
on right.
3.48. Fix bayonets,
3.50 Constant white flare high
on right.
N.Z. should be just in
Messines by now.
4. White flare still in
middle right
Platoons moving off.

76          15
in arty column down hill.
You cant see more than
100 yds into this fog.
Mgs hard on right all
line.
4.5 Nothing to see at all.
Have a bit of breakfast
4.15 4 men pass up trench
gassed & retching.
White flare very high,
to left of Messines.
4.30 On the blue line-
cant see valley yet.
Two red lights over Messines
Just beginning to see trees on
opp. slope.
German on his normal
barrage.
4.36 Shrap only abt Messines
where N.Z. are pushing 
salient m.g. fire on it

16 

Diagram - see original scan

N.Z. must be pushing out this salient
past Messines.

76                     17
4.40 sun just rising
Germans shelling our contact
planes. German balloon a
hell of a way back right
in the sunrise.
4.45 Watched sunrise
4.50 Plane goes over. mg. fire.
tail shot away. Goes over trench.
4.55 23 planes up. G. shrap
5.8 men on top of ridge
by tank left of Messines
moving → man goes to
tank disappears another goes
to tank.
5.12 line of figs coming back
out of Messines. Probably prisoners.
N.Z on rt of Messines
also.
While light beyond M.

18
41st Bn had 75 casualties in
the line - 30 in coming out
are missing. Germans never 
gave the 3^rd Div such a
gassing as last night.

76         19
Men taking it very easy just
N of Messines. 3 N.Zs talking
together N of Messines. Men N. of
Messines in party of four going southwards.

7.20 1st Div arty offr tells me
3^rd Div doing well.
See 28^th men at Huns Walk
Helio going in part of
Bethl. Farm.
Helis Men on rt of

Douve also. going easily
Bullets kicking to rt of
them.
25 Div left of Messines
can see line moving over hill

Diagram - see original scan

8.20 Germans heavily
shelling on right.
8.30 A pink cloud from 
a Very light went up.
The young observer I am

20 
All parts of our front
seem to have got their 
objectives.

7.30 G.O.C reported to
Bdes tt enemy ws
massing in support trench
E of Ploestreet Wood
w many mgs.
Several Tanks held up.
for Divn.
8.50 Enemy attacking

from L - [[shorthand]] [[?other]] system
Reserve M Gs sent for
S.O.S. (Message) enemy attacking
from U10 and U16 onto our
black line & rt bde front.

76            21
with says that the red Very
light is our barrage signal.
Two of our planes put down
in I minute by two Germans.

I went to the Catacombs
to see Cannan. The
Germans, it seems, didnt
know where our Black line
was but were barraging
short of it & stopping their own
troops from getting thro! 
- Now the big wait.
[Reports 4.5. A Bn 9 Bde
taken front line & moved on.
4.7 Rt Coy Rt Bn
got 2nd objve. Found smoking
gas shell in dugouts.
4.36 Assembly of
41 Bn not yet complete.

22
[9 Bde have 4 of their own 
guns & 2 German m.gs.
one gun sent up, crew
gassed & so all sent back.]

76           23
Contact planes flew at
4.15am, Infantry response
to white light not visible.
4.58 Waves of 10 Bde at
Ulsh Avenue. 4 [[?miners]] w. positns
captured - no prisoners.
5.9 Mitchell Farm captd -
on to Ungodly
5.15. From Div. we have captured
Schnitzel Fm & Ulster Reserve,
and Black Line on rt our
also on right of attack.
Centre still going
5.21 Situatn quieter. Lads in
good heart. Casualties slight.
5.25 First observation 
of troops on rt of Messines.

24
6.15 Parties moving
abt Ulbrich Support.

76          25
5.40 Abt ^50 prisoners coming out.
Two Bdes in touch-
1 Coy came across packs as
tho' moving.
5.51 Maudsley consolidating 100 yds
in front of Ulster. Grey Fin captd by 39^th.
A Battalion in contact with N.Z. at left of Schnitzel.
10.20 Enemy c. attack on
S. repulsed.
men reported moving in 
directn of .....
The G.O.C. says th everything
has proven so successful
-----

TMs & gas
13 in [[shorthand]]
1 guns.
2 mgs.
2 [[shorthand]]