Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/87/1 - August 1917 - Part 3

20
10
a sergt at the ambulance dressing
Stn at the Crossroads came
out & said: “The C.O. wd
like you to have dinner
here if you wd care to.”
Vormezeele is only ruins
over cellars - the Dressing
Stn was in a big series
of cellars down stairs
all very cleanly white washed.
and there this most
hospitable English mess
gave dinner to the whole
3 of us - They had an ex-cook
from Trinity College Cambridge
who did all their cooking
(with two offsiders) over one
Primus Stove.. They
asked us to come in any
day or night tt we wanted;
& their advanced post at
 

10      

21
Norfolk Bridge told as there
ws always a drink for
us there- halfway / dressing Stn.
No aeroplanes this
night- more rain.
Hill 60 is an 
Observation station xxxxxxxxxxxxx ^a.p. [[shorthand]]
for our Australian artillery 
[[shorthand]].   That is to say
Young Austalian arty
officers go up to / top of
it from any side, swarm
on a little cluster on /
skyline, stand up or sit
down as they please,
within a mile o / German
coke can whose country
you overlook quite close
on flat beneath you.
It is an Australian way
& I’m not saying tt it is
anything but bad soldiering;
 

4
22
but I d swear Jerman
leaves place alone sumph
because he thinks that out
art in I wortd I be such
fools as to Twarm over an
O.P. like that.
We does put in an
occasional stell. But he put
there
onetodaythough
we crowded there for half
an hour.
Aug 24. Went with
Gullett & Wilki to Proven
& Droglande in order to see
the 29t 32 Sqno. R.F.C.
They are fighting Squads ons
& have had attached to him
officers of the A.F.C. squadrous
which are aboutt come
out to France; te Aust policy
 

25
being to let tere pelots get
Experience first, wh tese
R.F.C men tell as is a good
policy
We went to the 2th Bde RH.
& there they told us - yes, tese
pelots had been dony som
really good bork - fighting. The
29th Sqn. artinly had had one
& the 3and many - so the
29th Sgn as rung ap
& we went along there
The C.O. 29R Sqn
was s but a captain
was in command. He
had received the telephons
message & had made out
a list of the Austialions
with his squadron bt the
time when we arrived.
 

5
w
 

24
He read it out we booking
over his shoulder
There was Hill - he was
an Austialian- He was messig
on July 24 h a most extraordinary
case. He lost his patrot on our
side o.l lines, near Poperighe,
or bearedof
&wo never seen again.
Heas an Australian in the RFC.
not A.F.C.
Then there ws Norville of the
AF.E. - be as missing on 29th fuly
Palmer, I tuk he was
R.F.C, he was killed on 17t ful
shot down just the other side
Yores - he had only been
out four days
Whitehead - he was an
Australian in the R.F.C- be
was missay on July 12
nothing is known of what
 

25
happened to heim
Oh, then there we Capt. Shepherd
-he was missing on 201t Piele
he wo an Austialian &
a D.S.O. V. M.C. -an
we are proud of
runon this Sgadron. He came in
from the Crustalian Infantry to the RFC.
We asker if be had done
fine work . Many Splende
thes, sd the youngter. "Perhe
one 0f finest was the last
His bear pal had gone west
three days before Ke, when
Shepherd came back from
leave. He was tremendoual
affected - I never saw. als
chap more down in the
month - &he was out for
the germans blood. The
tried to calm him down &
am from
wnde
his
oeado ene fomeae we
doing anyther foolish
 

26
He went out next day with
Sother man & ran into about
12 Huns. He led straight
for them, like a buadog,
& they got him. He brought
down a great number of
Hums in his time here.
Did any of the A.F.C.
men doanythey notable
we asked. Well, tere was
Norville - he was AF.C. He
in
anjwenbout
a patrol of 7. They struck
25 fermans, & fot split up
tn the Scrap. He ws last
seen going down in control
as reported by Penfanty
to he but I ground outof
control on (other side of
lines. What ws remarkable
in this fight ws thall
 

27
rest got back, & they
put down 7 Jermans.
Noovill ws the one new
pelot of the lot all the others
were experienced men. Te
ocaap starte
S miles over the ferman
tive, Doude way.
The acting C.O. of
32 Squadion, a young
Capt. Toy
Canadian, was moot
waim aboutt austrabiens
he had had. They were
all 6 of them. A.F.C. enen
& had just bn sent back
to England to brai their.
planes over the chanvel.
What ore liked about them
was that they were
all six of them always
ready for any job you
 

They seldom open at more tan
pooyds, & they fight often almost
touching – 154ds or 50 to common.
It is just a snap as they flash
past - abdone by tracer bullel
atnount, blank range
very little by sighting.
one of our machines fouled a
ferman 1other day. Genly they
crash when t happens, but
this time both got clear. The
german ws brought down by 2
of ours almost at once
 

28
suggested to them.
whatever it was. There ws
never any hesstation
or unwilleyness.
I think they must have
been six very picked
men, he sd.
He was a fine modtat
chap. He told as how
the winter brought them
relief, a decent hours
of steep. No sitting out
cordewn
he sal, waity
in the prani
for the daylight to sow
sufficieall for you to see
your instruments so that
you can start up.
The masheries wh
they wre there – P.H.&. I
think he sd - will not
fly by night. We have
 

15
 

4
 

21
 

we askw Edwards:
Wrathe "Archie" any wsl
agst them. We asked.
toh, they serve to tell
you where they are - theyis
a sort of warnay - he
sd. They are no sort of
ase in born in, tei down-
they might help by barraging
a pauticular spot.
yet Campbell of our
PS. told not of 3 place
ongar
wh had bombed his
hospital on 3 nights
wcip 32 were brong
n be I our gun in Bear
 

X
 

30
squadrons to
special night placed He
night flyang. The moment
a ferman place comes over
near
&it has come over Roce
acrodiones Every
night of late, word reache
the squedious wh do night
flging st they get up straight
away & fo of & wait for
the Jerman to light up his
acrodromes to
guide his returning planes.
& then thiy bout acrod
PPerhaps this is why
Ferman has done his night
Kyey of late on moonless
nights. But ther is a story
amongst French the las
dropped a note saying to be
is going to blow Hazebroach
to I ground - & some say lasssl