Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/89/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066619
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

ear sets line top ultaneously ailhs like this a cxatee that indied just appeared 17B di Hoting # tetls me RhineH. near Ansynia near 4 I taten our aid from wth Etten Licut. ender witaton 1 4 night on 60 there ruga wonderful a hom Light ducktonds repretful ator failing 1e lef as
Scalte 84 Some Dew who had bn drivers artitin beten advanced tpt purpose or fso tat ere kion an to M their 4o back t light n Even a a flounder were horses trenesan etho. across temptet I wo a along beaids horse wath topely I duck boards duckborr rter walfe on ti port ou io It followalon latte Eapec dietts is where a they Croas shiltholsor i
9L ch tre it it 6 ton for track is pionee or ond We sa Letrodicat mende o the r a trech had wh t dind Pi fo ys a ande gibe w0 ck 50 0 titler 11 e 2 le 4o 9 pai shiltholes 20 d the show flow ti through 8 I harsed ead The number beside track 54 4 tike the 4 t
the X1 then a sll stond blood above an fo0 con nostrils I don't think I shel t a5s ohen a t this 34 se shot a we word wound backwg t5 be tween the i one torse the another teem wath fteverty there us string after 6 going East in along same tack int Che horseman. ofconat made way for ta They were
34 thy 4 82 49 t en 44 tooket warm X well ever such a contrast to the seaked whit born heardy men of l whom we seen hat con outh we thew m with hold Houb t fet tine Front other wh hune een t will hold it The Pdics 64 B3d atbld Faton hews sett W men in case of tright o attack but did not tut ty w0 return w them
85 ent the h ont is own en Right Out tonght but te we t in pt the tout area I know Ifelt the tive wereh to t bn t troops to hold th 2 dnt l hot it w0d come Pudi then Art no Eigh Tghand mn f 1215 Saction o s Thee troop did petio reture and did held tive 1 w5 reie the
86 OE4. 10 11 t wch X than Oct 9 The nights shoverys were thre 8 a occasional she in day w cold but 20 o cold we as the 5 previous to Te a toutis t lit take a so Decti for astendacte They did not attact ve l te importance faiture attack 34 time olid advance Dio the a ad
in front. he it th one Red Line its live ad se t de on t Rept Sins doubt it f its dy Brgatins w to to me toa to the tok over a wonderful wet de in tosit from our D hut II the Ou men not 6 50 to de The en at behief in The ten Dr 6 207 Tufter bat men from but hopeless staft from a To Dan Maxwel
88 thed 10 after thact with 160 send Maxwell Hother Kep who to to stain acting in comnd of the manchester 27 176 ti 6other. He is like anout agions straght & capible 5olatier Morris Now 2/4 396 very bodh iy 4r wes Octy) H told us a Bde his t 562 re t the Bde. Tt Light &ws before not in but in ight. fener H thew l they
tn tate I asked of thi 4 2d have be 12 hrs on I want. He tol us his own experience when his Bde went in before it They vere ibet out abt 9am. wronto Camp 5 Te Bde had told tem 24 t 7 were to have denner in a field begont yous by the menin Ed I ot a saide Moyiso our Bod Dron. The of this yprest their field att in can They were then mied a told to pack up into fore part of the fuld as 3other hous of Bdiwere couing into it. The 3 other Bus never came - they camped

80
D39
line too, 5 sets going appearing
up almost together simultaneously like this

[Hand drawn diagram, see original]

— so I judged that a c. attack
must have appeared.
[Holmes ∧ 17 Bn tells me tt it did
near Assyria & Rhine H.
from ∧near wh. our most advanced
post under Lieut. Allen
had just withdrawn, & /
barrage came right down
on 1 Germans there.]
It ws a wonderful
sight. We turned home
regretfully along / duckboards
as light ws failing. We
 

 

81
D39
found the Some few
∧scattered artillery drivers who had bn
up to / advanced batteries
w ammunition ∧or for some purpose were taking
their horses back. It was
a par Even in tt light
/ horses were floundering
across trenches & shellholes.
It ws a great temptation to
walk / horse along beside
/ duckboards while /
rider walks on / duckboards.
It is only one step form this
to letting / horse follow along
/ duckboards, especially
where they cross a 
morass of shellholes, or
 

 

82
D39
a trench, but it
is ruination for / track.
We saw one pioneer or
sapper methodically mending
/ duckboard ∧ crossing over a
trench where a horse had
floundered in. "Pity they
cant give / wounded a 
chance," he sd. Other
artillerymen were honestly
leading a pair of horses
round the shellholes,
floundering through somehow.
The number of horses dead
beside / track shows
what the work is like —

 

 

83
D39
they have most of them
a small cloud of blood
pink foam around above /
nostrils, & I dont think
it ws often a shell tt
killed them. They were
bogged & shot.
As we wand wound
backwards between the
tail of one horse & the
head of another (they learn
to walk cleverly) there
passed us string after
string of men going East
along / same track. into
(The horsemen of course made
way for them). They were

 

84
D39
the 45th & 49th Bns
going in. The men looked
warm & well - ever
such a contrast to the
peaked white worn bearded
men of 7 Bde whom we
had seen coming out, We
knew : these men will
hold. If only they get to 
/ front line wh / others
have won they will
hold it. The Bdier of 6th
Bde (Paton) had told us
he ws getting these men
tonight in case of c- attack
but did not think they wd
relieve w them - or
 

 

85
D39
perh. he meant he cdnt
get his own men right
out tonight but must
leave them in support the
front area. I know I felt
tt if the line were left to
those worn out troops to
hold, they simply wd not
hold it ; they wd come
in - & I wdn't blame
them. Army has no right
to squander men in this
fashion. It has followers
These troops did get in
and did relieve ; & /
line held ws a little
the red line.





 

86

D39
Oct. 10 & 11 were much
finer than Oct 5 - 9.
The nights were showery,
& there ws an occasional
shower in / day. It ws
cold - but not so cold &
wet as the previous 6
days.
The authorities had
wanted to take a good
jumping off positn for
Paschendaele - They did
not attach very much
importance to / failure o /
attack. The line did
advance - the 66 Divn
was at last convinced

 

87
D39
tt it had no one on in front of / Red
Line - & its line as put 
down on / map ws /
Red Line. I doubt if it
dug in. One of its Brigadiers,
Gen. Trevor, told me today
tt they took over a wonderfully
well dug in positn from
our 3rd Divn ; but tt
their own men cd not
be got to dig in - & he
has a great belief in
them.
The 66th Divn seems
not to suffer from bad men
but from a hopeless staff.
i saw Duncan Maxwell

 


88
D39
on 10th, the day after /
attack, & with him
looked up & found his
brother Ken. Maxwell, who
is Captain, acting in commd
of the 2/6th Manchesters.
He is, like his brothers, a most
courageous, straight, capable
soldier (Morris, now  2/ Lt
in 39 Bn, ws very badly
wounded on Oct 4). He
told us tt his Bde had bn
reserve Bde. It held the
line before / fight & ws
not in / fight but in
reserve. He knew they

 

89
D39
had bn late. I asked if they
cd have bn 12 hrs on / march.
He told us his own experience
when his Bde went in before it :
They were marched out
of Toronto Camp abt 9 am.
The Bde Major had told them they
were to have dinner in a
field beyond Ypres by the Menin
Rd. They got as guide
Moyes of our 3rd Divn.
They got thro Ypres &
camped in their field abt
midday. They were then
told to pack up into /
fore part of the field as /
3 other Bns o / Bde were
coming into it. The 3 other
Bns never came - they camped



 

 
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Loretta CorbettLoretta Corbett
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