Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/88/1 - September 1917 - Part 9

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78
opposite the Polygon
racecourse where there are
4 gun emplacements.
The 10^th reports at 10.15
urgently wanting SAA, & L.G. discs, &
bombs. The two Bns had suffered
pretty severely & so Neligan
& Mullins agreed to stay
where they were for /
moment & get support if
possible from flanks.
At 10.30 he reported
that the bns were pushing
forward.
At 11 p.m he reported
tt the 3rd objve had bn
gained.
The 7 Bn has reported
being in touch w him
[This is a remarkably excellent 

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79
bit of work.
10th Bns have 2 plns of
7^th Bn ; 9^th Bn cooperating.
Please give / mound at
/ far end o / wood some
attention please. Much
observatn is done from there
& it does not seem to be
getting any attention -(12 Bn)
It is already being strafed by heavies.
8 Bn state tt they are into
the 3rd objve on / right & are
getting hundreds of prisoners. 
J 16 A 0 2 to J 16 A four flares along
trench.  J 9 D 60, 4 1, 3 2,
2 4, 10.55, 1. 6, B 1.1, 44,
4 6, 7 flares. map untimed. 

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80
J 10C Cent 
J 16 a 5.6 for c/attack
Probly
repts
from
Mullins
&
Neligan
(see next p)
10^th{  [[Shorthand]]
Air reports confirm 3rd objve tn.
Ws crowded ?w danger of losses.

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81
From Neligan:
Everything now OK.  Gen
objve captd.  Throughout the
engagement considerable
numbers of prisoners have
been captured _^ and far more killed.
After all we did not use
the additional platoons from
7^th Bn.  They were not in time
& are not really as far up
as we are.  The 2nd Div
is slightly ahead on a little bit of
high ground.  Part of my
immediate front is very
marshy.  Casualties are
very hard to estimate but
I think abt 30% apart from
normal battle strays etc.
At present we are certainly
being rather badly straffed.  Col
Mullen & I are consolidating in
cooperation.  I am confident
we can hold what we have
if wire & bombs SAA etc are

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82 
sent up.  Col Mullen is of the
same opinion.  He is sending
up back to say we do not at
present require anything but
carrying parties.  We are holding
a part of the 12^th line also.
w Wilder Neligan Lt Col.
Sent 11.20. -
Mullins 11.25.  Situatn has cleared
up & everything is going well now.
We have reorganised & have
had abt 150 casualties but
am afraid have had a good
many Officer casualties.  All
four Coy Commdrs are
casualties.  We are in touch
with 10^th on right to 28th
on left.
12th Bn few casualties.

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 83
Sent
0 9 25
From Neligan:
Established at Eve John 0 0
X got badly knocked abt at jumping
off trench.  Several officers including
Campbell.  Y has touch with
rt Bn not yet with my X
Every Bn very mixed up.
We are now reorganising.  Men
very cheerful.  Carrying pty much
knocked about.  Result shovels
and wire with new carrying
party will be urgently needed
at final objve.  Up to date
we have captured two mgs.
The area ws strongly held & they are
now many dead Fritz  X & Y now
in touch.  xxxx  Tanks caused
premature enemy barrage
0 9 25
pr Wilder Neligan.
(on back)  Daily Mirrors X
Daily Mails are being issued
J.W.N.

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84
Germans told Rogers they had
had v. few casualties last few
days, lying low in pillboxes.

                    ———
A great anxiety was the
hour of start.  Our people &
Birdwood all wanted it earlier.
The British (? 5^th Army) wanted
it later.  I believe Birdwood
had it advanced by 10 minutes.
If it had bn later the result
wd have been disastrous in
view of the tanks -
As it was _^ it is true a tank ran over
30 of our xx m.g. filling boxes
in the dark.
The signal tank had a
direct hit - 3 men k. 2 wd
& one almos shaken -
Wilkins thought this tank in /
old nomansland a good place
to photograph from.  A shell
burst under it & he did not
quite know what happened -

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85
but his ground glass focussing
screen ws broken & a slide
with two fine plates ruined.
Hurley ws in / thick of it
too, all day.
I got back to Cassell
(leaving them at Steenvoorde)
& delivered my stuff at 4.30
p.m.  Went to br  White gave
me a whisky & I went to bed
very tired at about 10.
Sept 21.  All day writing etc.
No news of c. attack tho'
some sort of bombt to tonight.
The A German messenger dog
ws captd yesty ordering
someone to "Recapture the
shellcraters lost".
Wired to Australia (xxx
(Gulletts suggestn when we were
at Pozieres, I think it ws) that
Australia shd buy / Pozieres field.

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 86
Addison says / Germans
captd an Offr 2 days
ago w all / plans
& maps on him
None of ours is
reported missing.
? Sept
Aug 22. (Sat).  C.attacks as follows:
Agst. 10^th Corps rt bde left Divn, &
whole front Centre Divn at
8.10p.m. Aug Sept 21.  Posts
pushed back from green line but
retook it almost at once.
Capt 5^th Corps.  reported advd previously ?under white flag - 
agst 165, 166 Bdes.  agst Hill 37.
in dense waves folld by columns
in fours met by m.gs.  Succeeded
in penetrating line for abt 300
yds but driven back by imd
local c-attack (sometime evg.
of 21st).

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Butler ringing up 2nd Army Intelligence
(Col. Mitchell).
457 Regt.  3 Bn 457 came from Cherisy
& came to Beythem.  They were there 8 days.
On mg of 20th  after it got light they moved up & got
to Morslede.  Thence to Waterdamh.
From there the c/a^d over the Keiberg.  All 3 Bns
c/a^d.  2 & 3 together & 1st in reserve.
They move up from the Keiberg by plns in file &
going over the K first came under serious arty fire.
They came into a strafing .  Offr went forward to recre
and didn't come back again so the Sergt Maj led them
on himself.  All 3 bns took part.  They were
to hold a certain sector of Flanders stalling
& c/attack together.  He led them on
ford from the Fl.Stg.  They started at different times
from there having suffered from arty.  This man went forwd to recre
having lost his company.
They were to have att^d in 3 waves & all
3 regts were to have tn pt.  The 236 Div is there all