Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/84/1 - August 1917 - Part 3

7   21
They had been in since abt
July 18.
They had to carry on till
Z+2h.10m. when they moved.
Their teams had come from
Cafe Belge - came to pt of
divergence where diverged
to own batteries. Then
moved forward in column
along a reconnoitered track
prepared by infy. Trenches
bridged. (If weather like now
they cd not have got there
in time). Ammn packed -
108 rounds per gun into
forward position
Plan for ammn: Guns ^came up with pack transport - then Drop
trails - ∧dump ammn - limbers back
to waggon lines, - pack
horses to old bty positions
to do a second trip imd.
They went all day long.

7      22
Fresh horses were arranged
for.
Positions were to be
W of Sanctuary Wood, &
S of Zouave Wood
- on level ground looking
down valley to left
with remnants of wood
on hillslope to front &
rt front.
Task to form a
subsidiary creeping barrage
300 yds in front of main
attack barrage. Each bty
had ∧simply to look at barrage map, then
take time from ∧its watches, & then drop into
work at point their plan
had reached.

Arrangements also
for smoke barrage shell
registration on selected

23

[Sketch of aeroplanes]
aeroplanes so thick under
& shorthand symbols]
cloud tt they cdnt recognise one another
& seemed to be all time wheeling to avoid each other.
Anderson commandn

Group of 2 bdes They
carried it out to [[?]]
& to letter.
7        24
point at fixed time by
battery salvoes at
2 min intervals between
batteries. This ws
abt 9.30 (4 salvoes fired
at ½ min intervals).
These cd not be
observed on a/c of clouds
at 300 feet.
There ws not a
round fired by Germ. on
bties in old [[bgr?]] position.
They were seen as they
came up. He must have
seen from Shrewsbury Forest
& from aeroplane. Our
men 700 looking back
saw the bties coming up &
saw the barrage come down
on them. They came out

25
^xKingsmill ws standing w Col.
Stephenson - Stephenson took
sd. "I hope they will be on time."
K. looked up. "Here they are," he
sd as leading bties
came over the ridge.^x
[Diagram]

↑ 6 5 4 3 1 2 102 (101 not in this lot - attached  to C. bty group) Moved independently later & did not come in for  same hotting

2 Bds [symbols] 5 & 6 came  into column by turning rt at Zillebeke 102 got 4 up to positn of 3rd Bty when one bogged in shellhole. Shell (5.9) fell among team of gun waiting behind it & k or w all horses & men incl. Sergt Majr.

 

7       26
over / crest abt 400 yds
before position - & there
he got onto them. The
Old inf. assembly [symbol = trenches] were
before them.
Anderson had protested
agst advancing by programme, 
& decided to wait for
report tt xxx objective
on left (Shrewsbury Forest)
ws taken. The report
came: all well on left.
The advance then began.
absolutely on time.^x
As they came over the
shoulder they were seen
from Shrewsbury. (before
then they cd be seen on
approach from N of Stirling
Castle).
The fire at first ws 4.2
 & 77; 5.9 & 8in came later
in afternoon.

27

At old positn just when

move ws due teams arrived.

The teams were drawn up

behind hedges - & batteries

were ready to move 

within 10 mins. The

leading bty came over top

imd. & filed past - 

others joining

in. 

Bties walk cd.

6 ws move time.

Teams arrived on the second

as last round ws fired. Whistle

went. "That's clockwork" sd Kingsmill.
Lower Star Post ws not

taken till later by 24

Divn.
3 tanks waddled up
towards it with infty in col.
of 4s. Olding & Kingsmill
were at this time (abt 6.45)
looking for bty positions →
 

7      28
As they were getting
into position the teams of
102 Bty were hit - one
gun bogged in shellhole
just in line of 3rd Bty,
& another team waiting
to get over. 5.9 shell
fell into centre of waiting
team & k. or w. every horse -
k. or w. every driver -
One gun had to be left
heavily bogged in shell
hole. The other gun
ws recovered before end
of battle by another team.
Bty positions were
now visible from Shrewsbury
forest & m.g. fire.
At 6.45 before the guns 

⇡ were in position m.g fire

ws on infy near Kingsmill,

7       29
Infy everywhere, German
prisoners coming back, whistle
- inf. plus rising up from
shellholes - mules laden
w signboards for [symbol = trenches]
- tanks waddling up in
distance - tanks waddling
near. ("Autowin" ws one wh
came back).
Infy sticking near
tanks got it hot.
As guns came up,
m.g. fire wh had bn on
infy seemed, some of it,
to be attracted to them.
Olding (2nd Bty) while
waiting for 2nd Bde COs
to finish their selection,
in a trench, when Olding
ws hit in the head.
 

7        30

Kingsmill made 4
Germ. [symbol = ?prisoners] carry him.
6 & 4 took up position first.
5 missed place a little.
As 4 & 6 were settled
3 got into positn, then
5. Then 1 & 2 & 102.
It ws 102 that struck trouble
where 2nd Bde went down
ws a mass of shell holes -
& drivers had all they
cd do - in up to necks & tails -
to get thro.
Down trails
Limbers were clear.
Pack animals clear.
Buzzing ws heard
above - it ws seen it ws
a German - & almost

31
Covering 30 Divn.
Two f.o.os from each Bde
2 Bde. Staley & Friend
1st Bde Archer & Colman
Liaison w ∧rt attacking Bn Roach
of 2 Bde - all got to
places they were sent to.
Also Commn ws established by
Lt. Walker, A.E. attached to
2nd Bde working
for whole (C)
group. He
ws  k. early (carrying out
30 Divn System). ^groups own system of Commn ws

eventually by telephone
[Diagram]
 
7       32
at once he ws seen to
drop bombs from under
his wing. The bombs
fell clear - near 1st Bty,
others left front & in front
of 2 Bde.
They wd circle round
& off.  The abt 6 times
various ^German planes came onto
them. The officers, batmen,
telephonists got rifles, salved
& were firing at them
They got at least 2 Lewis
m.gs. (one L.G. ws seen by Riggall
lying in a hole 2 days before
& reclaimed; the other,
which 3 Bty found in
trench, ws used also. The
German airman cd be seen
"Shd know him if I saw him
in Kaiser Wilhelm Strasse".

33
4 hrs wait ^on black line & everything
altho' the infantry battle ws
over in little more than
1 hr.
12.30 - 12.55.
12.55 -1.30  ½ rd per 

gun per

minute beyond pink 

line - then cease fire.
 

7                  34
He also employed his
m.g.  abt 11 - 12.am. during
the 2nd phase, & k. one
gunner & wd one sergt.
- latter ∧bullet in at top of hat & down
at side of it. Continued at duty till
next day.
They kept up the rate
laid down in barrage
programme to time table
& kept it up to 1.30.^x
There ws gas in /
barrage.
Inf. reached blue line
& consolidated there.
The Infy reported the barrage
as simply wonderful.
1 B man chester sd they
simply got up & walked
behind it. (They went
across towds blackline
but didnt reach it. The
pause on blue line ws no

35
[Barrage went on to the
End of Programme – solemnly

4½ hours - tho' inf. action
ws over after 1 hr.
Fired 500 rds a gun -

a very great
waste & 

unfortunately

the Germans

cd see by it

our barrage

plan. A fine

performance but

xx wasted.]
Perfect battle scene -

Horses w legs turned

up - guns to right

guns to left firing -

Caton Woodville picture.

Tanks moved up thro bty

position to 2nd phase.

----

At Zillebeke two or 3 days before

the fight a British aero marked

as British ws using tracer bullets

from m.g. all round borders

of Zillebeke lake.^x
----

(White thinks this ws

probably English - see later).

 

7         36
long eno - it ws only
½ hr. It shd have bn
1 hr to allow consolidation
& leap frog.
Barrage looked like
some one throwing tennis
balls.
[Infy ∧near Andersons H.Q & m.g. of aeroplane;
they thought it ws a fight
in / air. It ws a German
shooting at them along the [symbol = trench] ].
The gunners were in
up to 6.30pm. By then
the situation ws known & the
detachments were too
advd for it. Question put to
30 Divn ws – are the guns to
be there for next operation or
are they to be removed.
20 offrs. now bn k. & wd
(incl both medica