Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/123/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 2

10
There seemed to be
m.gs in front of F.
line on the G. wire -
one not very far from
where Kerr was.
The whole o / casualties
in / attack were by m.g.
fire.  Most men who
lay in / belt in front of
our line (70 yds or so)
were aftwds k. by 
artillery.
Nomansland ws abt 420 yds
wide in this part.
The Gs. had m.gs trained on
Nomansland - but there ws a good deal
of salvage work going on
at / same time. 7 Lewis
Guns for example were salved.
& field telephones etc.

4
11
little ridge & the dead,       
mostly 60th, were
lying just on the further
side of this ridge.
For / next few days
everything ws very
quiet.  The Germans
had shelled up till
abt 2 am.
Grounds lying out
the next day, abt 2 pm.
sent in a message
If you want to do a Xtian
act send out a drop of
water -
Marshall slung over
a couple of water bottles
over his shoulder & 
found Grounds - hit through
groin. They got him in,
sniped at.

One man ws hit in the
back, or so tt he cd only sit up.
You cd see him sit up & arrange

4
12
a w.p. sheet over him, or
take a pull at his waterbottle.
The Gr. did not shoot at 
him, but they trained a
m.g. on either side of him
& shooting

4
13
58 Bn
Maj. Dennehy took 
over the morning of July
19th.  Jackson had been
in/c. up to then.
D. was to have been
in charge of 57 Bn. of a xx_∧he ws
2/in c.  The next mg. he
saw Gen MCay who sd J.
ws being invalided to Eng.
D. got a hasty idea of
operation order & did /
best he cd.
One coy ^(C Coy. Carrying pty) was to
dig sent up U. C. Sap.

4
14
U.C. sap ws getting
an awful time & ws
impassable.  D. sent the
Coys forwd & there ws
a block.  D. told Maj.
Bateman to keep the
2 Coys in the Support line
& went foward to see
what ws / matter.
The Sap ws blocked,
dead & wd lying in 
it.  D crawled over
with an Eng officer
with Freeman, now 2 in C.
& Mullarkey an Engr.
The men seemed inclined
to retire – D went forwd

4
15
till he found the 
block.  The Sap ws
absolutely blown up. 
(& men lying 
dead, 
& shells
going
over.)
D. crawled out
to see what the
going _∧overland was. It ws all rt.
He left Capt. Freeman
in / sap to see tt every
man went forwd.
D shouted to / men in
/ sap tt he ws going up
over / open & they were
to follow him.  They
cd only go in
single file.
They leaped over the a 
ditch wh intervened

4
16 
– fell in, & scrambled
out.  Men only wanted
a lead  —  streamed out
over / ditch, across
open to firing line.
Thus 2 Coys were xx already up;
(the 2 to go over after the
attacking waves)
1 ws left w Bateman
in 300 yds line.
The 59th were cut to
pieces by this time - Col
Harris infd. Col. Dennehy.
D. informed Gen. Elliott.
He ws told so send one
Coy over xx in /
hopes tt they wd

17
A Coy.

Maj. Hutchinson k.     )
Lt. Gray k.                      )
Lt Loughman wd.       )

B. Coy Lt Boyd (hit on steel helmet
& bullet had run right round
helmet & raised a ridge inside
it) unconscious & dazed.
Barnfather k.
Lalta d. of w.

Carriers:
C. Coy. Lt Scott  k. (Capt Main k. on 15
July in G. Rail) Lt Burzolich wd.

D. Coy Capt (Digging) Capt Tait J.S. wd, but. at duty, Lt Fairfax
wd. Lt Mackenzie wd. 
D. says H. lost his life
in going on as an example
to the men - (He ws
sent out, I suppose, w
instrns to lift the line
on;  & when be found it
going down dazed by
m.g. fire, he got up &
went on alone in / hope
tt others wd follow.  He ws a 
Duntroon boy.

4
18
be able to carry
the line forwd.
They clambered up
over / parapet
under Maj. Hutchinson.
They were met w /
cross fire of m.gs. It 
ws quite impossible
for a line of men to get
thro these arcs of fire.
Maj. Hutchinson ws
shot down right at the 
Enemy wire - some 
reached there. X
D. sent for his one
remaining Coy & brt.
them up to hold / line.

4
19
By tt time Col. Harris
had got out into Nomansland.
Dennehy went out thro'
one o / sally ports
& met them bringing
in Col. Harris, blown
up by a shell &
suffering from shell shock.
Maj. Layh took
charge o / 59th & the
two were left to reorganise
the front line. They had
a tremendous length &
it ws pract. unmanned.
The remnants of one
Coy of 58 Bn was all
tt ws there – Arty

4
20
fire ws v. heavy.
Col. Layh & Col.  D.
made a report centre
in / front line; went
along & manned the
bays as evenly as
possible w all /
men they cd find.
The apprehension ws tt
/ enemy might c/attack
& come right over them.
As soon as they saw
tt / enemy ws not
going to attack they
had to organise rescue
parties.  Many brave

4
21
deeds tt will never be
known were done then.
The Germans after our
bombt. had just come
out of his shelters &
manned / parapet.
(We had caught /
Germans rather badly
by switching on / arty
after stopping it _^& cheering waving bayonets, once or
twice during / afternoon.
/ Germs acknowledged
later tt this trick had
cost them pretty dear)
Men were got to
work on / Saps. Young 
Legge came up to help