Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/83/1 - July - August 1917 - Part 4

6 29
some photos of Messines
& to my great delight,
did so - without any just
as I wanted
The 3rd bns & Divn had
had a show in / morning. I
heard - taken 16
outposts, I fancy, & bn
countacked at xx once.
On getting back
we heard & we had taken
all xxx / objectives.
- green xx line, & lastly
black line - but not red
line.
Lor I have written a
telegram to Australia x
There have been two
half squadrons - xxx past
window as I write.
And a lot of lorries
 

6 30
filled w brushwood xxxx
looks good - as if
quick roads xxx were
necessary
I keep on dropping
to sleep so must stop.
——
About 5.30 I went to sleep
on my bed after pulling of
my muddy field service
boots & washing my feet
which have in late months
been becoming almost too
sore to permit of walking.
At 7 I was waked up
be a heavy bang like
that of a big gun firing.
A bomb, I thought at first.
 

6 31
Then I sleepily conjectured
it must be a shell. People
were clattering in the street.
They seemed to me to be
laughing. A few minutes
later was a second bang -
& I heard I looked out -
People were on their
doorways ^here & there Australian soldiers yarning with them. I was was turning
in onto the bed again
when I heard Madame
calling me. I was just
at the door when she knocked
at it. She asked if Monsieur
did not wish to come down
to the "Cave", I went &
saw them in it - an excellent
 

6 32 

little cellar with steel
vaulted girdered roof.
Nothing but a direct hit
could hurt them there, &
the German would not get
tt if he tried for a year.
The chances are tt even a
shell hitting / house wd be
exploded by the walls or
roof, & wd only bring /
house down as a roof
onto / cellar - as so often
happens in places like Flers
& Contalmaison, [In Poziers
such places were too hot -
they were certain of other
direct hits wh wd go thro'
them]. Then another shell
 

6 33
fell & another & another.
Mademoiselle wanted to
start for Morbecque at once -
a mile down / road, where
Madame has a brother. The
procedure was as follows; a
group of our men - with
Dyson, Daniel Lindsay,
old Martin, & 2 or 3
batmen o / ^French interpreters
mess wh is downstairs
in / loun sitting room & dining
room, would was chatting
in / street & / open door way
watching / burst of one
shell in particular, south
of the church, up / road, &
the cloud of burning woodwork
 

6 34
wh followed. Mademoiselle
wd be out into / street her
hands clasped over her
breast asking ^of all her friends what had
happened, when another
bang wd come from /
back ground somewhere.
As soon as / shell had well burst
She would run in sobbing,
& she & hurry ^her mother mother
down into / cellar. They
wd stay there for about
one minute & then come
out & go into the road
or the kitchen, ^Mademoiselle talking
excitedly, until another
shell burst - when they
would run down into
/ cellar for another minute
 

6 35
& then repeat / process.
By this time / population
of Hazebrouck was
streaming past along /
main street towards
Morbecque. Old men,
women, little girls sometimes
crying w / hurry &
bustle of it more than /
fright; an Australian
soldier carrying a youngster
& leading others with their
mother; another Australian
putting up / shutters o /
house opposite for / old lady
in it, to save the windows
from breaking; an
Australian picket in its
 

6 36
wide ^brimmed felt hats with and waterproof
cloaks, walking up in /
other direction, abt 12
men in double file, smoking
pipes & cigarettes. Australians
& British soldiers standing
about or going up & down
/ street laughing on their
ordinary business into /
town or out of it; a
poor old chap, w a bandage
over his eyes - one of
those blinded in yesterdays
gas attack at Armentieres
(when / Germans put over
their new gas shells &
 

6 37
caught abt 300 civilians
as they
& very few soldiers].
(the soldiers, knowing how
to use their helmets, wd
not be affected.).
One stout lady, with
a cheery good natured type
of face, came half weeping
with dragging her little girl of three by / arm
into our passage to see
Madame. I advised
them to go to / cellar &
stay there. They went off to
a cellar of their own, or
to Morbecque. Presently
along came a nice looking
^commercial man in black & a straw
hat & umbrella - her
 

6 38
husband. SMadame called
to him tt his wife had
gone on - but I'm not sure
tt it was clear whether
she had gone to Morbecque
or where. The three children
from Dysons lodging came
down / road amongst
/ rest - the little shy
baby girl between / two
little brothers of abt 4 & 5
who were taking sent off
w her to Morbecque. They
were all smiles. Dyson
kissed the kiddy & sent
them on - ^Some People were