Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/88/1 - September 1917 - Part 3

18
D37
over top from Tasmania
post on right to charge
into part of trench held by
Turks.  They got in with
hardly any casualties,
bayoneted Ts.  The 8 Ts
in the tunnel surrendered
& this finished / action.
Franklin & Proctor were
standing talking o / charge
when a shell came into
/ trench from Olive Grove &
wd both. They died together Proctor
in the Bn Aid post.
Franklin died on the ship.
R. had gone to report on
the end of things tt all ws
going well, & ws going
back to trench when he ws 

19
D37
hit by abt / last bomb
thrown when nearing / end o /
tunnel.
The T.s kept on their
arty during / day.
At 4.30 pm. tt day
the Lone Pine attack
started; & the Lone Pine
attack ws  probly considerably
helped.
——— 

20
D37
44 Bn Messines.
Ws in Catacombs in
Reserve to 10 Bde.

37 Bn came out of Green
Line
.44 Bn ws ordered to
advance under a new
barrage at 3 a.m.

Hand drawn map - see original

21
D37
44 went up and advanced
from Black Line at 3 am
under Barrage & occupied
Green line from Douve to
undulating trench.
B. It ws just a line
on / map. no signs of
digging.
The 4^th Divl orders
had arrived too late & they
did not cooperate on
left.
R therefore occupied
Green line up to wire &
then swung back using
German wire in front of
undulating to form a
defensive flank on left.
(as in dotted line on sketch).
The 47 and 48 went on
abt daylight - getting touch 

22
D37
with 44 Bn. & 44 Bn
took up positn along
whole of Green line
keeping touch w 47 & 48.
Not long after an
S O S went up from our
right abt the Douve River.
Down came our barrage
along line marked + + + + + + + .
Recovering his line back not
so far as before & got in
touch with 47 Bn.
The artillery were
told; barrage ws lengthened;
& on 9th green line as intended
ws occupied. [The 3rd
(arty) Aust. Bde of Artillery
ws / one wh ws firing onto
this.]
On the morning of 8th 

23
D37
when 44 first went over
they found in shell holes
abt Green line a number
of men of 37^th & Germans,
wd in Shell holes, who
had apparently largely bn
hit by our barrage put
down the Evg before (bec.
this ws exactly where barrage
fell later on 44. The 44
ws quickly pulled out w
a couple wd. All day
the S.bs. of 37^th 38^th & 44th
were working out on this
Green Line getting in there
wd - being sniped & shelled.
Several were hit by snipers
but still they carried on.
———
44 ws in there all 8, 9, &
10 & came out at midnight
on 10th. The Bombt wh
began abt 12am. midday on 9th 

 24
D37
& came to its climax betw.
8 & 9. ws the heaviest.
At 7 pm it began to
creep forward from abt 400yds ahead t. - It passed
over the Line abt 8pm & the
stopped just in front of Black Line -
Every The main anxiety ws
to see if any infy came
after it, but none did
because / arty had
smashed them. The Black
Line ws / hottst place in this.
X The German planes had not
done their work too well,
& / bombt tho' v. heavy ws
not too well directed.

The line ws at no time
ever in danger - Its only 
trouble had bn / barrage on
/ Green line, & in its new
positn outside our own
barrage it ws all the time 

25
D37
perfectly sound. The
messages and rumours wh
got back were unfounded
& it is not clearly known
where they came from.
Capt Kenahan, the M.O.
off 44 Bn did fine work in
this. He estab. an aid post
in a shell hole near Schitzel
& ws kept busy the whole
72 hours.  Bn H.Q. ws
removed back from shellhole
to shellhole till it reached
the Ruined Estaminet in
our own lines.
When the left ws bent
back in / original attack
whole positn ws reported
fallg to Bn H.Q. near Schitzel
by Capt Longmore who ws wd
after that wd in leg by a bullet.
4 offrs K. Capt Bryan A Coy (Shells)
Lt Walsh (Sniped)
Lt Hocking (Sniped)
Lt Hughes (K. by shell) 

26
D37
{ Walsh just when got into
{ positn.
{ Other 3 on 9^th during / heavy
{ shelling.

The next time ws the 18 days
stunt out near Gapaard -
- straightening reentrant in front
of wind mill. (abt 50 casualties
in digging line w German Post
abt 50 yds away in one place).
Capt. Peat (m.g. in old 11 Bn).
ws killed - sniped - at this
time, & Lt Guy wounded
(sniped).

Next time ws after wind mill
ws taken when 44 had to
hold it thro' the wet. It
ws later handed over to 16 Bn
who are sd to have lost
some of it later. 

27
D37
43 Bn.
At Messines 43 Bn
came up to Green Line at night
(10 p.m.) on night of 9/10 June when
Potteries ws attacked by units
S. of Douve.
This night at same hour
(11. p.m.) 43 attacked
Undulating Trench. There
ws oppositn only at one
point - they rushed trench there &
bayoneted the Boche; took
2 prisoners & m.g.
D (Lieut Daley (M C for this) &
B under Lt Wald (also M C for this)
attacked - It ws Walds Coy
on rt wh rushed the str. pt.
This ws in Undulating Trench just