Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/89/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 3

[*185 IR [Shorthand] *]

21
D39
(French still fighting well)
& were on way to rest in ostend area.
They were reld on 21/9/17.
112  I R    142  IR of 29
Divn were in Keiberg area
These or one of them ws assembling
behind Anvil Wood.
Germ objve ws
J 3 A 81 - J 3 C 18 -
S S E - thro J 3c 40 to
SW corner of Polygon Wood -
Black watch corner exclusive.
(This ws from map on a dead
offr).

4 guards Divn detained at
Gheluvelt.
      }Gren.        order in line.
⇠   }5 Hqrs
      }93 RIR

21a
a certain no. of
2 Aust Div. guns
(sections were moved
up last night

5 Regt.

22
D39
Bn Command They sd tt they have
to turn their shoulder straps
over when marching in French
areas_x  The
The Bn Commandr ws
v. pleased to have bn
taken by "English"
_______________________________
3rd Div has S. P in Rly
cutting a little in front of
Blue line, & has filled Cutting
w German wire.
certain amt of

Cutlack got hold of / man
of 4th Bav. Inf Divn - his
lot had bn at Moorslede
as c-attack Divn - The
?? man w offr came on
to reconnoitre offr ran away
& man lost himself & ws

22a

42Bn

(diagram - see original document)

8 mins per 100 yd. Left
hand Coy began to loose
barrage - Reserve Coy got
half left turn double

23
D39
captured . The man sd
Germs wd attack.
This morning 2 Aust. Div
got 1 offr who brought in
5 wd men of 9 Bav. I R
of 5 Bav. Divn wh seems
to (perhaps) have made
a c-attack.

3 Div caught barrage
abt ¼ hr before zero &
worst casualties were
then.

(Dunbar of 42 Bn
    (during advance found left
←(Coy losing barrage thro marsh.
    (38     42 

24

D39

Farm thorpe
Our night on Ridge
The evenings barrage
What we might do
The New Barrage & LO objve.
G.Os diary. Our captured order.
                        prisoner of 15 Bn.

Divl order for / att of Oct 3

Units will adv. w fixed bayonets & will att.
loudly shouting Hurra!
Experience has proved tt / Eng. had never bn able
to ?understand (?with -) an att. of that sort.

Special attention is _∧drawn to / fact tt the Eng. always respect /
Red Cross.  A stretcher bearer will theref. always
walk ahead of S/B pties & will steadily wave a
large Red X flag

25
D39
4 sd Div order.
"One reason for / failure
o / attack of / 210^th RIR
ws tt our arty fire ws
not well directed ; tt /
troops got entangled in
/ enemys wire & were
subjected to exceedingly
heavy m.g. fire &
came up agst unflinching
Infy.

7th - We _∧went to winter
Time last night at 1 am.

26
Notes of Gen Harrington's lecture to War Correspts. 
D39
Hopes attack will go forward.
5 Army may think differently
2 Army troops have gone up already
& 2 Army hopes they will go over.
One wd like to put the clock back six weeks.
Cavalry wd be ready to go thro
after one or two more barrages.
This weather ws 1400 miles
W of Ireland last night.
Our losses were under
10,000 last time.
German casualties estimated
?15000
again
Barrage will be 100^x in 6 to
red line, 100^x in 8 to
final objective.
500 first objve 700 to 2nd.
Going much better on
top of hill in sand. 

27
D39
Tobe "Many similar small
pushes. They want to get past
Paschendaele in one big push
German attack of Oct 1
ws meant to get a J.O.
position for Finckensteins
big attack wh did not
come off.

)7 good
)21 a bit rattled before attack
)37 not finished yet

The Divn betw 1st &  66 & 49
2 Anzac Divns tomorrow is
to be Friesland Copse.
          _____
Chiefly 5th Army - to beyond
Menin Rd, Polygon Wd,
Broodseinde, Poelcapelle,
Paschendaele (to go well
beyond it) - Westrozebeke

28
D39
French finish this side of
Roulers.
Airmen have done
splendidly today - have
noticed a lot of transport
on Menin Rd & Roulers
Rly. The German ought to
attack tonight.
We have cavalry if we
burst thro but we don't
expect it.
For / present we are only
creeping along / crest.
The difficulty of the arty in getting
on has bn considerable.
Tenebriebche has bn shelling
us heavily.
The Guards will attack
again tomorrow.
We are not attacking
Becelaere, Gheluvelt, nor
Zandvoorde tomorrow.

29
D39
Meteor says there's nothing
to hope - a tempest 1000 miles
W of Ireland moving at 40 miles
an hour.
7.5.21 resisted the
attack of 1 October & Harrington
gave a lot of praise to
7th.
_________________________
I believe / official attitude
is tt Paschendaele Ridge is so
important tt tomorrows attack
is worth making whether it
succeeds or fails ; also
Harrington having fixed a
day for an attack intensely
dislikes going back on it,
especially when once / troops
are in positn.  I must 

30
D39
say I suspect tt they
are making a great
bloody experiment - a
huge gamble & more
than that ; a deliberate
attempt to see how it works.
I think they are playing
w / morale of their troops.
Harrington sd tt /
top of the Ridge ws sandy
& as "dry as a bone".
I feel, and most o /
correspondents feel, awfully
anxious - terribly anxious
- abt tomorrow. They don't
know / fight there ws
for / last ridge, these