Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/83/1 - July - August 1917 - Part 3

6   19
building them.
There are apparently
3 objectives, the front
& second Systems; & the
Langemarck line 3 or 4
miles back.  But tt is
only to be tackled if /
German literally clears
out.  Rosenthal talked of
Brugges at / end of all.
Herbertson (who is
acting as photographer) &
his assistant Martin,
Dyson, & I, are going up
to Kemmel in 20
minutes - at 1 a.m.
July 31.
2.20
3.20 → Top of Mt Kemmel
3.20 

6  20
4 or 5 yellow flares & a red
East of Wylschaele.
Some shrapnel abt at left ?rt of attack
- where left ?rt is to be
A number of men on the hilltop round us
By their voices some are Australian
3. 24. sheaves of white flares abt
Hooge a red light following. It looks
as if this ^simultaneous discharge of white flares were arranged.
Between 4 & 6 - (3 & 5 our time)
is the hour when the German
orders expect us. So he is on
the look out.
Fewer flares in the salient.
A motor burring in the valley.
Some tired spectator snoring
down the hill.
One can see the dark outline of 

6   21
the fxxx trees down
the hill to the left.
I.
3.28. Two red flares in the point of
the salient.  One yellow behind Messines.
An occasional bang as of a tin
can falling into the valley on our
right.
3.30 another red flare in the salient
N of Hooge.

35. More yellow behind Wyschacte.
3.
3.41 Under 10 mins. to go
Curious little lights old German lines
Small red dump explodes
Things pretty quiet
7 mins to go.
Things quiet.
Low grey streak of dawn below the
clouds. We can see the grey 

6  22
backs of the min on this hill & the
come & go of their cigarettes.

Most o / men up here are Australians
"Glad to see those lights going up - shows
there are a few Boches there"
German gun flashes. - two or three
small ones.
3.47 3 mins to go.
Things very quiet w dawn. No more
flares by [[?]]
Our mines go [[?]]
Some opposite of Hooge
A tremendous rumble of guns
Another mine

The bombt. Red & green German
flares. Like a railway stn
More frightfulness.
Dust gradually covering everything
Some incandescent.
German SOS is clearly 2 red
They are like / light of a big [[?]]

Dump goes.
Baloon goes up. 

6  23
3.53.  German  red flares like lights of
a rly stn

The oil drums are continuous in certain
parts.

The guns are like / rifle flashes
from a well filled trench.

3.57 Big smoke shells on Messines.

Smoke shells on Messines
Does he think there are tanks there

Limits of attack quite clear
from edge of gun fire
quite calm at Hill opposite
4.4. White flares [[?]] sides
salient.
One loud drum bang every
now & then - prob German. 

6  24
4.10. Not many flares in the
salient - all dust. Our men
may be out now amongst country
they have not seen since the time
of the Menin Rd - Zandvorrdebaklen
- Brilliant red explosion far at the
German rear.

White Flares from opp middle of
4.15  Salient.
Yellow & green in plenty
behind Messines.
Low grey cloud to horizon with
gun flashes on the [[? ?]]
4.19 Fire behind G. line very red
Thro telescope our shells can be seen
bursting round it.
4 21  First bird - begins to sing
4.25  Can see plainly to write
for some time now. Australians going
to their camps. 

6  25
mostly British officers now on [[?]]
hill.
I fancy / German barrage came down
very quickly.

4.30 can see the green & dark
tree hedges of the country below us -
faintly.
4.40 Gun flashes easing in Salient
German flashes on horizon
very thick.
can see line of gun flashes &
line of Shrap. bursts well out
on horizon ahead.
4.45 Smoke shells also away on
far left - 4 always together.
Several of our balloons are up.
4. 50. A flare opp. Salient. [[?]]
They came from a burning dump.
Fire a good deal less - can see
the horizon dimly.  m.g. going 

6  26
5 - 5.10 our first aeroplanes.
Balloon half in low clouds.
——
The spectators had all gone
by 6 except a few Staff officers
- the Australians in various
small parties trooped off down
/ hill - / British trooped
away in twos & threes.  Herbertson
Dyson, old Martin the photographer
& I were all tt remained.
At xxxx I went away for a few minutes
& on return found Herbertson & Dyson
Martin were both asleep
with their heads agst /
foot o / broken concrete of /
bears-cage tower there.  We
had a breakfast of sardines
biscuit & chocolate, &
sent some ^by Martin to old Boddy
on / road below. I
began to fall asleep
myself w / telescope 

6  27
in my hand - the trees
thro' it did not took real
trees.  I couldn't see either
men or tanks on / horizons
near Hooge or Hollebeke -
only pin point flashes of
shrapnel & shell smoke.
We decided to go to
Messines via Wyschaete, &,
coming back abt 10, to see
if the air ws clearer. The
day ws grey & cold, &
the heavy smoke shells wh
/ Germans had poured into
Messines had drifted
along & made / battlefield
near Hollebeke obscure.
One had an idea tt things
were not settled there - &
during / day we several
times noticed a white flare
go high up into / sky 

6  28
from tt direction.
we took / car to
Wytschaete near Peckham
crater - & walked to
Messines, a most tiring
uncomfortable walk.  The
Germans shell the place now
with a systematic want of
system- a methodic absence
of method.  They chased us
- accidentally - with fast 4.2
shrapnel wh kept on keeping
pace w us or a little more.
Two or three times we seemed
in / distant pattern of it;
& finally getting through
shell hole we had a very
close shave.  Dyson felt
something slap his xxxx cheek
& / blood ws running down
it - xxx xxxx very slight scratch.
We went on to get