Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/82/1 - July 1917 - Part 6

during Bombt

5    46
blue sand without tubbing
(circular steel) shafts. But
these were kept put down
with timber & inclines -
& the water was pumped.
This ws all for the stunt,
men were there all / time
(50 at Bluff ^x in Canalian System,
where / men had to be put
on their honour not to
get a bit back for once
by going over w / first
wave - they had actually
began to fix up w / [[shorthand]]
battalion in / line to go
There). [The 47 Divn &
10 Corps were in / [solient]
at this time].
There were also men in
all / other mining work to make
repairs during bombt. After
 

5.   47
start they were on forward roads,
across [shorthand], & one section
at White Chateau repairing
Enemy dugouts &
investigating German
mining system wh they
joined up with ours,
giving underground
commn for cables.

They were then specially
selected by GHQ to test /
chance of mining in /
sand (for 1 mile betw.
Sea & Niewport.) They
left the Ypres area in
June 17 & began at
Coxyde & Nieuport Bains
(enemy side of canal)
as soon as British
took over. They reported
 

5   48
to 29 French Divn before
British arrd. When 1st Div
arrd they started work.
Experiments were made
at Coxyde Bains on
sea beach. The French
used to excavate &
put in timber & then
put sand over agn -
5 or 6ft cover only.
The 2 aust. Coy put in
an incline at box caving
case sets & then
tunnelled out just a few
inches above water level. This
gave safe dugouts.
They put out 2
offensive systems to 2
of his strong pts which
 

5  49
were well on way
to completion when the
10 July arrd. & Germans
took them. We also had
accdatn for Br H.Q.
prac. completed & an
infantry tunnel from
Canal Bank to front
line well on way
to completion. Also
8 walls in back areas.
On July 15 Germans
started bombt at 6 am
It became intense at
10 am till 1 p.m. Then
1/4hrs lull & it was 

only when he started
after that tt it was
clear what was going
to happen. He had a
barrage on bridges but
 

50
apparently smashed
them in [shorthand] the afternoon &
at 10pm one was still
swinging 1/2 way across
the stream.
He kept his barrage
on stream till 9pm &
on town till 1 am. It
ws clear he had attacked
at  6.30.

Practically whole
garrison was k. or taken
prisoner. Lft Br C.O
made his Bn HQrs in
the tunnel in sub way ahead
of Canal. Those miners

who were working in this part were

also in this, & at

10p.m. they made their

way to / Canal while

Germans were digging
 

51
in - Swan Canal in
spite of aeroplanes flying
low & firing [shorthand], &
made their way back
to billets in town. 5 of
the officers of 2nd KRRs
(Capt Smith & 4 offis) got
back but C.O. never
seen again-- he went
out to scrap.
Men on front line
remaining sequestered at Bn 

H.Qrs were either 

taken prisoner or killed by

German bayonets when

they took the place.  Probl

either made a break & / K

by shells. or else they were bombed

or bayonetted in them.

When Germans came

over they bombed dugouts.

 

52
In one was an Austn.

tunneller, Spr O'Connell.
The Germans threw a bomb
in and K. one infantry man
& badly tore Sappers
hands. Another Hun
squirted flammenwerfer

at him burning him

badly. The Hun was

K. at other entrance

to dugout on Canal

bank by a fragment of

German Whizzybang.

O'C was put on

stretcher by British,

in anor. dugout -

not many Germans came

to this system. Shortly

after a pty of Germans

were seen coming

round from /beach. It
 

53
was every man for
himself, Germans had been
there 4 hours & no
C. attack in sight. The
situation was explained to

O'C. To surprise of

the officers who were

present, he got up off /

stretcher, walked over

past the pontoons & swam

rest of canal. No

sooner on other side than

he saw a Tommy

struggling in water. He

swam back, brought him

ashore, & was pulled out

of the canal in a fainting 

condition.

 

54

Spt. T. F. Burke swam
over with a
rope from near the Tunnel
exit on E side of canal
so tt some of mates
who cd not swim
cd help themselves
across. The Rope was
too slack for some men so
Spr. J. Coade stayed &
held onto rope keeping
it taut & was / last
man over. These
last 2 got [shorthand].
Spr. McGlinchy in some
ways took charge in tunnel,
went out to see where Huns
were, bombed them etc. but
did not get back. Capt Smith
KRR was [[?shorthand]] in Tunnel
 

55
We lost all our work.
& are now making
an inf. subway thro'
Nieuport Bains to our
new front line on W side
of Canal; & mined dugouts for
inf. - also O.P.s.
Strength of [[ Tun,]] Coy; 566
Reinforts. at present, abt 50
Attached Inf. at Present 200
(Before 10 July there were
500 att / Inf. & 160 Reinfts.
Total 1200.)
Losses on Jul 10;
106 incl. attd. Inf.
(47 of these sappers.
2/Lt Mortensen missing
4 Cod & offrs.)