Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/139/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 2

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066638
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 11

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li i with his ar the on his l C0 slateo of ti 14 were Ldl bar Comm ye stacken ses wa were co a te o Aereabouts A Jacka a t lo Segr to C waves them 14 Bn 8 Tes s of its acon Their 26 Bn Some sxtended 26 2 dod er off hes work Klin by 05 to on 2 his holden set par
2 fir over the oynd l feve t two le n fr On aft w X stellb from 8 lot k be 6 Dobb eep He came batta 6o h b a th No.Op i the t the WS 15 there h on in 8 ti Clole ld a ✓ y i
the rid of a Lol possible. as 56n thid the ltee Case o car £65 26 acrose from C barr the tt do Thetely hov repair e night all Jobbie cas tha toth wo tlatoon X 16 be quickly 7 3 cl a ll tS back not
17 but S it tes its I passed 08 of some Dobbic took in Cafter, wohe 2 back to bout stell eten er Sir near W tre Tran th + Lt bro face rev ap the Tacka Nr oter field the ha were it behe O or 1 the open shell a Jacka lay in te iiver frove the Windmill
18 sweeping the w oer reman at out le He w a ballett last Cob in the should C 6o tro fainted Tum by obbic after hombs Tacha 6o up his i & dered 67 back for remfts he ran across back towards the C the He that in bad the as de fout Jubin died at wait
19 te Hopleton came Dobbic the attack we told thro hos his Pr from 10 lation firman The on 7or first 4 te 4 he e 2 ght came walk St. ot from A. uniform in frell X back & fot his te wait out straght back of the over pple A to up went first A to front part a bout be o find a tee
officers T taken w Sept died a one The other t 65 was Carty et. tco the ltter wp wdn't have battabon Leave the a back ple dis 4 Dis H then him a out the were top sone E X the one no te E Sa the awe He Comber 60 ote o twt who bell he er wh i Th there behin hr ed t l set He too i t 6 5 0 t ten in 21 45 29
ple duguit fuh pt a is prett clea th some of the Ben 14 tad retirct der the Lear to the flank shell fire wher Hhrman That is ar why Dobbic went back to tsh Appleton & A his the he 1 pple the 4 i ton v ast is Wlle cof 29 the other but ten 3 feyoneted bug w it th took 30 2ds 200 awe rear of our beh i He wt tbe line foat pom waist upwards Theme were allower place they clambered the whenever they d fand pew low bit of toeuch on oves, a threes; You wd see each awos one reppey over as bayonds fom shellbole to shell bole Larh firw a shot ohis mean
224 Tackas finel more Hat 2 F p 8 so. W te he 165 69 e Wack 5 of ther 2 ot 5t i O W
24 feb 15 19 Apt son wS Har wh bost 14B iht or of Fr3 attack (415 Feb most splendis a 0s officer He w able CC het Shrapall t through the bes bcheot

19
12

Pozieres & one ½ way

up commn trench -

The 3 plns. got into

front line (O.G.1) &

there ws only room for

2 plns. Appleton

withdrew his pln by

order into the little

trench off commn sap.

Germans blew in the

commn sap & all the

O.G.1 trench exc. one bit.

F. ws able to get

sandbags up to Sergt

Field in this bit & he

made a wall abt

6ft thick.

 

13

Appleton got came

up with his platoon

from his sectn of trench 

near. the commn trench.

 

19
14

"Someone sd they were

coming - barrage

slackened, & Germans

were coming in 5 waves

or thereabouts. Artillery

in response to Jacka's

SOS signals got onto

them & cut off 2 waves.

The This part of 14 Bn

had 2 of its own mgs

& some of 26 Bn. Their

26 m.g officer did splendid

work - his head bandaged

& trickling w blood,

holding his L.G. on

parapet.

 

19
15

The Germans got

right over the men there

& a general rough &

tumble ws going on in

nomansland.
One German ws

hopping abt w a m.g.

from shell hole to shell hole,
- he ws k. & gun captd.

Dobbie ws in charge.

He came up w his

bomb attack up the sap

abt / time J. ws going

to deal w his prisoners

The no. of Germans in

the line ws a danger

 

19
16

& they had to be

got rid of as quickly 

as possible.
This (B) Coy had 143

casualties.

The s.bs. carried increasingly

from O.G.1 across Nomansland

thro the barrages all

day.
The telephone ws

repaired by linesmen

all night to Coy H.Q.
Dobbie came back

to the tramline trench (as

his platoon ws not

 

19
17

heavily engaged but

ws passed by on ^ its rt -

Dobbie took some of his

men (after v. heavy

shelling) back to bomb

dump - near junction

of Centre way & Tramway

trench- & then brought

them up to reinforce

Jacka-

Field & other NCOs

were hanging on in the

O.G.1. or behind it in

the open. I
Jacka lay in a shellhole

& a  ^ German m.g. from the windmill

 

19
18

ws sweeping the

remaining men.

He lay out - & at 

last got in (w a bullett

thro' the shoulder) to

Jumping off trench & fainted.
Dobbie after bringing

up his bombs to Jacka
- J. (2/Lt) ordered him

back for reinfts - he

ran across back towards

the J.O. trench - hit thro'

the body. He died lay in

Fuhrmanns dug out &

died at Warboy.

 

19
19

Dobbie came to Appleton

& told him the attack

had come thro: You

A. got 10 men from his

platoon. The German

major ws the first

man he saw - he

came walking straight

into A.S. trench from O.G.1.

in a pretty uniform.

A went back & got his

men & went out straight 

over the back of

Appletons trench.

A first went up w

a bombing party to front

line to see if he cd find

 

20

The two officers

who had bn taken

prisoner, one died [Capt

Hartley). The other

Lieut. Carter was

wd in the head -

Leane wdn't have ^ the latter

back in the battalion
- dispensed w him.

 

19
21

anyon the trouble. There 

was no one there - to

his intense surprise -

He saw the Germans

then away behind

him. He sd to the

germ bombers - go

along boys & I'll get

the others. He

got two other platoons

out somewhere near

the big bell - they

were hopping over the

top wherever they cd.

Some were sent agst

the German m. gunner

 

21A

Hand drawn diagram – see original

(It is pretty clear

tt some of the 14 Bn had

retired, under the heavy

shell fire, to the flank where

Fuhrmann was. That is probly

why Dobbie went back to get some of his men.)

 

19
22

& Appleton hit him -

he aimed - after shot

Appleton in the nose.

5 of As. men at last

finished him off (he got 2d

there but the other 3 bayoneted him together.

A. took it tt he ws

200 to 300 yds away

behind. in rear of our

front line. He wd be

seen from waist upwards.

The men were all over

the place. They clambered

over wherever they cd find

a low bit of trench in ones,

twos, threes; you wd see each

one tripping over w bayonets

from shell hole to shell hole -

hardly fired a shot.

 

22A
19

Mad Hat

Hand drawn diagram – see original
Sent down to Bde H.Q. & got

2 jam tin bombs. 1st

rolled over outside

of trench - 2nd 

cannoned off

parapet & back

into commn

trench after tumbling

abt a bit.

 

23

May 19.

Jacka led the show attack

with 10 men. The second ws

shot & the 3rd after J. had jumped

up on the firestep. He thought others hadnt

come - as a matter of fact they were

lying on floor of trench behind him. He cd see Ts

Turban - helmets agst light - he ws close into wall & then at Z

at once jumped back

to X.

14 Bn casualties holding

post tt morning - were (by bombt.

chiefly) 26.k.  84 wd.

But there ws sufficient disturbance

to allow J. to hop over the

traverse - Ts. didnt know

if he ws one of theirs or

not. There were many

more than 7 Ts in trench

but most of them

hopped. He bayoneted

2 & shot 5.

 

19

24

Feb 4/5.  1917

Capt Hanson, who ws lost

by 14 Bn on night of

13 Bn's attack (4/5 Feb)

was a most splendid

capable officer. He ws

hit w shrapnel through

the head, I believe. 

 

 

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