Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/132/1 - August - September 1917 - Part 2

12
A Coy took 120 prisoners in
Oxygen trench & abt 25 in
Owl trench.  They were equipped
just as we were, in fighting
order, haversack, but no
pack - they had clearly
bn sent fowd to relieve
trenches.

Herrings HQ

12    13
The barrage cut / Germs up
pretty considerably.
A Coy took Oxygen but
were hung up by wire on the
left ^of Str pt behind it in loop The Str. point in the loop
ws here holding them up.
The offr on the left of A Coy.
Lt Muir got ran w w
after A Coy got into Owl
& got round behind the
str pt. & threw bombs
into / entrance wh ws
at the back & threw bombs
into / entrance. This brought
/ Germans out. (They
were lying k about. here
aftwds v. thickly). The
right ws in touch w /
47th from the start.
The left at beginning
ws in touch w 49 Bn. 

14
Capt Young ws
wd back at the
J.O. trench. But he
had promised C.O.
who asked him abt
left flank tt he wd
go along rd & he
did so.

12       15
[The 45 Bn ws v. strong
at this time - at its
very best. 1100 Str. 22 offrs
& nearly 800 men were
sent in allowing for 300
kept out.]
As they advanced,
with couple of hundred
yds 13th Bde had veered
to left & ws out of touch.
Capt Young ^(Neutral Bay) had sd tt
he wd keep along / rd
wh ws left boundary,
& he was later found
killed there. He ws found
dead just in front of his
objective (owl trench).
In C Coy
Every offr ws k
Every Sergt exc. 2 ws k.; 2wd
Every Corpl. exc. 2 ws k or wd;
2 Corpls & 2 L/Cpls came out
unwd - & abt 19 men. 

12      16
Lt Garling who was in P City
Bank in Sydney - k.
close to Young.
Lt Gocher Lt Ryan probly
abt same place.
The Field guns & m.gs
in the nest of pillboxes
& farmhouses reinfd w
concrete near S of the the Blaawepoortbeck
were what
caused the trouble. One
message came back
for Capt Hand (D Coy,
who were to take Owl
support but reinfd
C when C ws held up)
that field gun ws
firing point blank at
abt 300 yds.
This cd not be held at
time but it ws / gun in
/ trench (wh I saw). 

12      17
D Coy reinfd, &
they joined left of A
in owl but did
not get objve.
34 A 9.2 ws abt our
left in the trench when it
settled down.
A & B on rt had
pushed fowd & Owl
Support. This ws not
a proper trench, just
a scooped out machine
made 18 in start of a
trench. That line ws
held by a few posts -
[* ?*]
Abt 6 p.m. the
men, ^of 49 (abt ½ coy) who straggled
back in gap on left
were seen by N. Zealand
artillery who took it
tt trench ws Abandoned
& put down a

18
8th.

12     19
barrage behind our
line. The 47 Bn
came out of both Owl
& owl support (37 lost
heavily in this) & 45
followed. They lay
abt in a line w /
Oxygen wire. (
At midnight 48 Bn
reinfd - & in morning
walked into the line
agn & found no one
there. Part of Owl
support ws occupied
by us agn. The
m.g. on the rd in the
trees at 34 D 6.6 in
a concrete pill box
ws continually sniping.
Capt. Hand ws hit thro
head ^over eye (& recovered- sent
to Australia) He ws 

 20
^X Muir ws looking after the bombing
McIntyre ws told by Allen to overland
to left rear & find out where 13 Bde
were. He went across country towds
Despagne Fm & got in touch w 51 Bn on
Rd SE from there. On way, on rd, he found dead
body of Capt Young - Saw an Aust. there - he
wd never leave a dead
body unsearched.
He went over to
it, searched,
looked,
recognd
Young.
They came
reported it.
Later, one
of his men
ws sent out
& guided a
pty & buried
Young.
———
Capt Allen ws in
c. of operatn. 45 Bn
ws reorgan. into one
company. Lts McIntyre
& Muir were & Lt Young
were bombing in this
& in morning.
9th.
Ryan ws found later- 12th
or thereabout.
Our men will not leave
dead unburied if they
cd help it.
We had wd in ^front of wire in front
of owl trench north of Blaawepoortbeck
& they were picked up by us 2/3 days
later showing tt Germs had not bn
thro'.
12     21
nearly left there.
That night (8th)
Herring ws ordered to
clear up situatn as far
as Rd S of Blaawepoort
Beck. They made abt 80
to 100 yds in Owl trench by
bombing X. They reached
within abt 100 yds of
concrete blockhouse
N. of them. They put a
block in.
On morning of 9th
they went on to within
40 yds of the concrete
dugout when resistance
got serious.
In afternoon Germs
c. attd. They did not get
the block - A shower of
bombs ws heard - Lt Barton 

22
9/10
Lt Young ws blown
up by a shell on aftn
of 9th & had to be sent
back.

12      23
son of late Master in
Equity of N.S.W. (law student
was going down trench w a
few men to reinforce when
he ws hit by the m.g.
in trees on road & killed.
Germs did not get
our block.
Night of 9th abt 11 pm
McIntyre & Allen^ X w bombs
& Stokes mortar tried to
take block house. The
only made abt 100 yds.
The Germans had abt 3
mgs scattered outside &
used & sleep in the pillbox
by day. It ws the mg.
fire wh really beat these
attacks - & mgs had trench
enfiladed.
Went back to old block. 

24    10
Gen Holmes ws quite
satisfied if the line of the
45 Bn linked up w tt o /
13th Bde.

11
X This ws pract a hopeless attack - Allen
wd not have ordered the [shorthand] to go.
Men the previous night were
falling asleep as they dug- they wd
put a shovel in (at pt 45yds from pillbox
the trench ws not a trench- only half dug- every
yd we gained we had to deepen - Varley
adjt ws filling sandbags tt night) &
fall asleep & have to be shaken
before they cd drag it out.

12     25
Morning of 10th Gen Holmes,
Gen. Robertson, Maj. Lee, (asst BM)
Col. Herring & Capt. Allen
& an artillery major
came up to our block
within 45 yds of the pillbox.
Gen Holmes decided that
on night of 10/11 we shd get
it (together w 13th Bde) w
artillery (After H. looked at it
thro periscope).
Early morning of 11th
45th agn attacked at same
time as 13th Bde. McIntyre
ws k withing 5 yds of
pill box. The party went over
the top. X But our arty
had not settled the
m.gs. The Pill box ws
missed - Our pty tried
to rush it - got a good
start but m.gs. killed

 26
 Capt Allen — DSO.
Capt Varley (adjt -
whose cousin an
Austrn invented — M.C.
the Varley smoke
bomb for Stokes M.
(3rd Div Arty))
Capt Parker - (M.O) M.C.
Lt Muir (Syd Univ. man). M.C.
These & Col. were only
Offrs who came out of Messines.
k.
Capt Young
Lt. Barton
Lt. Garling
Lt Gocher (MM & bar) B Coy. K betw owl
support and owl trench during 1st
advance, shot by Sniper.
Lt Ryan.
Lt Murray (MC at Gueudecourt
Lt H Ballen- at Bde - acting staff Capt.
Lt Swan in/c of Bn Dump wh ws blown up
Lt McIntyre. who did hours work & ws k 2 hrs
before relief - one o / finest offrs
the Bn had. Having rang him up in
the aftn & told him the Str Pt be taken. He
sd "all right Sir -if it is to be taken it will be taken -"

12     27
McIntyre & Sergt Stephenson
were k. & attack failed.
The 48th then retd. [They
attd. same evening with
13 Bde again & trench
ws taken by morning of
12th].
At Gueudecourt 45 ws to extend /
line & take a str pt.
Murray (Lt) went out  Sergt
went out to locate mg. of strong pt.
He got between / German wire & the
m.g. ^in strong trench.  He never told this until
it came out he ws within
bombing distance. His patrolling
ws most daring. This ws during
the work before the evacuation.
[The Bn has now 14 M.Cs. - 13 & 1 bar,
2 D.S.Os 9 DCMs & over 50 MMs]. 

12     28
The 45 Bn has a gt number of
13 Bn originals.

(See over for
Lagnicourt)