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 Canadian 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 / 
battalion in / line to go
there). [The 47 Divn &
10 Corps were in / salient
at this time].
There were also men in
all / other ^mining work to make
repairs during bombt. After
 

5   47
stunt they were on ^forward roads,
across nomansland, & 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 & Nieuport.) They
left the Ypres area on
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 w 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 wh
 

5  49
were well on way
to completion when the
10 July arrd. & Germans
took them. We also had
accdatn for Bn H.Q.
prac. completed & an
infantry tunnel from
Canal Bank to front
line well on way
to completion. Also
8 wells in back areas.
On July 10 Germans
started bombt at 6 am.
It became intense at
10 am till 1 p.m. Then
¼ hrs lull & it ws 

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

5   50
apparently smashed
them in the afternoon &
at 10pm one ws still
swinging ½ way across
the stream.
He kept his barrage
on stream till 9pm &
on town till 1 a.m. It
ws clear he had attacked
at  6.30.
Practically whole
garrison ws k. or taken
prisoner. Left Bn C.O
made his Bn HQrs in
the tunnelled sub way ahead
of Canal. Our 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
 

5   51
in - swam Canal in
spite of aeroplanes flying
low & firing m.gs, &
made their way back
to billets in town. 5 of
the officers of 2nd KRRs
(Capt Smith & 4 offrs) got
back but C.O. never
seen again - he went
out to scrap.
Men on front line
mining system & Bn 

H.Qrs were either 

taken prisoner or killed by

German bayonets when

they took the place.  Probly

a few made a break & k.

by shells, or else they were bombed

or bayonetted in them.

When Germans came

over they bombed dugouts.

 

5   52
In one ws an Austn.

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

at him burning him

badly. The Hun ws

k. at other entrance

to dugout on Canal

bank by a fragment of

Germ. Whizzbang.

O'C. was put on

stretcher by British,

in anor. dugout -

not many Germs came

to this system. Shortly

after a pty of Germans

were seen coming

round from / beach. It
 

5   53
ws every man for
himself, Germs had bn
there 4 hours & no
c. attack in sight. The
situation ws explained to

O'C. To surprise of

2 offrs who were

present, he got up off /

stretcher, walked over

part of pontoons & swam

rest of canal. No

sooner on other side than

he saw a Tommy

struggling in water. He

swam back, brought him

ashore, & ws pulled out

o / Canal in a fainting 

condition.

 

5   54
Spt. T. F. Burke swam
bac over with a
rope from ^near the Tunnel
exit on E N side of Canal
so tt some of mates
who cd not swim
cd help themselves
across. The Rope ws
too slack for some; so
Spr. J. Coade stayed &
held onto rope keeping
it taut & ws / last
man over. These
last 2 got m. ms.
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 ws in C. in tunnel.
 

5   55
We lost all our work.
& are now making
an inf. subway from 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 wd. offrs.)