Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/149/1 - March - April 1917 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066649
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 4

FILY a FAOT We hold first objective and part of seconi - have establisted block on right of both objectives - In touch with FAD on left - ct heavy bomb fighting in evening - There are 6 tanks at a standstill apparently damaged (just behind lst objective there are i and 2 near Znd) Quite impossible to attack village. ACoy badly cut about by M.C. fire in wire, some of all other FacT Companies here O.K. Wewill as many rifle and hand grenades as you can possibly send, also S.A.A. Most of L.M.G. are O.K. Have 4 Vickers Guns. Fear Major Black killed. Several Officers killed and wounded, no trace Bomb Wells - have plenty men. Have abcut 30 priseners of 12ith regiment - will send them over at dusk. Lock out for S.O.S. signals. Send white flares (as many as possible) With artillery support we can keep the rositien till the cows come hore. Coy. Orlyfofficers le:: that I can sse are Hummerstor- Eer McLean (slightly wounded) Burrows and myself. May be a few others but have not seen them. Major Black I think is gone, certainly wounded, Have nothing to add to Capt. Murray's report - except to repeat for similar ammunition supplies. Capt. Murray wishes to add the following are O.K. Fletcher. Gardiner, Cooney Morgan, Smith, Rose, Stones. We are being shellei on both objectives by 4.5 and 3.93 Shells well ranged, coming from S.L. direction - bearing taken from 500 yde 2.W. of Church in Three runners at intervals have this message. (Sad) D. A D Coy 7-15 a.m. 11/3/17 Cannot estimate number of our c They are heavy ualties. should think half of those that startel of (Sgu) AARONS Runners nares Bridges Sgt Pte Larratt TILX a Trick pAUn
These defences Vocalitles o Neuville Vtasse, Telegraph Hin Obserwatlon Ridge, St. Laurent, B'agny, Les Thleuls, and Farm. Ahurg Subsequently our troops moved forward and captured the enemy's clear cut af vearward deiences, Insluding, in additlon to other powerful trench blew sparks from systems, the fortided localltles of Feuchy, Chape! Feuchy, Hyderabad like fredies. OUR CHEERY MEN. Redoubt, Athles and Thelus. Outside one camp a batt Up to 2 p.m. 5,816 prisoners, including 119 offeers, had assed was marching away, a regimer through the collecting statlons, and many more remain to be courted shadow forms, and on the b Of thess a large number belong to Savarjan divlsions, who have above them the band was play them out with ffes and drun ufered heavy casuallies in to-days Hghting. such a merry little tune, so whin The captured wae material includes guns and numbers of trench sical and yet so sad also in the hear montars and machine guns which have not yet been coonted. of it, as it came trilling out o darkness. nthe directlon of Cambral further progress hasbeen made. On eachside ofmeas Ipassedty Ien Ihe directlion of Haveincourt Woodwe have captured the village men weredensely massed,and they ovDemicourt. were whistling and singing and calling out jests and gibes- won¬ In the direction of St. Quentin we have captured the villages of derful lads that they are! Pontru and Le Verguier. Away before ihem were the fres The aerlal actiwity of the past 'ew days was continued yesterday of death, to which they were going with great energy. Several successfu! Sombing ralds were carrled out very steadily, with a tune on then Hrs, carrying their rides and by us, and our machines co-operated with cur artillery with excellent shovels and iron rations, while the vesults. Two hostlle machlnes were destroyed and 15 others were deiven rain played tattoo on their steel down and probably crashed. Two Cerman klte balloons were brought hats. down I Hames. Ten of our aeroplanes are mlssing. I went to a place a little outside Arason the west side. It was no: quite dark, berause there was a "BATTLES PERHAPS GREATER THAN THOSE kind ofsuffused light from the hid- den moon, so that I could see the OF THE SOMME" black mass of the cathedral city Irom "Ihe Daüy Ckronice" Sreciel Corre- Bapaume and Péronne, in order to the storm centre of this battle. and escape a decisive blow on that line, szendent. Philie Gibbs awaybehind me to theleft the tall. he hurried up divisions and guns broken towers of- Mont St. Elon, t erdetocunte our atta¬ hiteand choslr.oking acs Tordar at darn our armies began there, while he preparela new line tothe Vimy Ridge. a great hattle which, i! Fate has of defence known as the VVotan GUNS IN FULL SWING. any kindness for the world, may be Line, as the soutbern part of the The bombardment was now in the heginning of the last great Hindenburg Line which joins it is full blast. It was a beautiful and battles of the war. known as the Siegfried position, devilish thing, and the beauty of JDur troops attacked on a wide after two great heroes of old Ger it and not the eril of it puta spell front hetween Lens and St. Quen- man mythology. upon one'ssenses. tin, ineluding the Vimy Rudge He hoped to escape there before Al our batteries, too many to that grent grin hill which domi our new attack was ready, but we count, were fring, and thousands nates ihe plain of Dauai and coal have been too quick for him, and bulå of gun Hashes were winking aud felle of Lensand the German posi his own plans were frustrated. Fr blinkung from the hollows and Lid- as So to-day began another titanic and mt ing-places, and all their shells were In spite of had fortune in the confict which the world will hold frst n rushing through the sky as though veather at the hegioning of the is breath to watch, because of all were bl Hocks of great Birds were in Right ir soad thathii¬ that hangs upon it. caime and all were bursting over German hility for the e ad our en ".Te I have seep the fury of this h positions, with long fames which had to struggle forward in a beav ginning, andallthesky on fre wit! them rent the darkness and wared sword rainstorm, the hrst attacks have ", the most tragic.and frighefn fourth lind blades of quivering Lgbr along the heen eucressful. and the enemy as sght that men have everseen, with out. ridges. lost much ground. falling hack in an infernalspiendeur heyond words Ntot mpa Theearthopened, and greatpook retreat to strong yearguard hnes to lell. trenches, of red fire gushed out. Star shells wherehe is now. ghüng The bombardment which went real trenche burst magniß y, pouring down desperatelv. before the intantty assault lasted shelling. golden rain A SLEDGEHAMMER siOW. for several days, and reached a dug outs out, Mines exploded eastand westof The lne of our attack covers a great height vesterday. Uhen con- ying thick.: Arras and im a wide sweep from front of some 12 miles southwards ing from the southl saw it for the their hands up Viny Ridgeto Blangy southwards from Givenchy-en-Gohelle, and is rsttime. Al men ag and volumnnous clouds, all bright a sledge-hammer blow ibreatening Iwent up in darknesslong before with a glory of infernal fre, rolled casualties were to break the northern end of the light broke to day tosee theopening mostabdred Hindenburg Line, already menaced uptothesky ofthe battle. wasverycold, wich in achion. Son round St. Quentin. The wind blew strongly across asharp wind blowing from the beating back the noise of guns, but, seen them cra As soop as the enemy was forred south east and rain squalls the opepcou' so retreat from the country east of the ai wa all olled with the dee Iheroads werequiet until I drew roar and the slamming knocks of lost sight of th
V.RM ed The Feu augges eiter to b: he Prussau "t ss a so h the oh sdiis for ihe sting on is. ne dering aud odd thse the for electors wesken a couyh wo woul ae ee, vur wrung, uman tongue eathe their cheeks woensdyin shricks question now forbear. Vielon stands Voubled air. st lay to boast, wich basphemy, ie host the sonl of Man, üty: t, heng: ng os her efe court passionate sonz! ngingour ears, goal. ortal soul s radiant wing WILLIAM MAAS. Engliod and in Franee. He adberents who are mereasing every day, are not Mkely to be duped by tre deetb hed re peotance of as .Amperial Ufelos; obscurantist., These after tbe-war casues an the sir, bußt by ihs Germen Euperor. will not shabe their belef that inthe steadiast concert of peace" to which ee al look forward "so autrrate Goveru ment could be trusted to keep (aith." IFRED STETHENS Lrreum Club, 124 PI MAN FoWER. To the Edtor Doue Chrowiche SiegWhy doee no the covernolen appea! (or volutteers acoug ues, a I years of age? About s0C.O) strong men could bo otaied easly, many of them members of V.T.C) who are 'anguch- ing for want of something useful to.4o. Lnderest in V.T.C)s i ch the waue, be cause atter, 18 months' traiming the embes mau towns hare not bee esked :o perforn: a eingle net c serrice. April?. RHONDDA VILLEY. .2. The tounding of a new Anglo.Ruedee ted by r diguetel hl ae: club in London to cement the friendehin £ 3o sportsmen, these JL.O.s. Capital between the two countries is a reminder hap, cleyer doctor, but can't kul me, s that the oldest club in Petrograd wes of the Boche couldn't Seven to one, doctor! Englieh orgin. This the Anghskie Nothing doing: Waeh out, eh! Wel good ni, doctor. Tm going to sleep and Klub, founded in 1739 by Franck Gardner, to get well. an Englieh merchant and shipowner, as a Aad he did. meeting place for his fellow countrymen in Russia, though Russaans were not excluded. Curiously enough, the membership has A "Sinnic" had come over and knocked al thè etufing out of a sentry. He steg long been exclusively Russian, and on tho gered to his feet- except for the tremen- club rohe igure some of the greatest namee dous shaking, practically unhurt-ighung in modern Russiep history. for breath, which be could not get bach for some minutes. Wbile he was so stand- How came the colour red to express ing a young ofcer, newly out, tarned the political enfranchisement? It ngurce corcer o the tzepsh. There was a beay prominently ju the dags of al the Aliee. bombardment on. The unexperienced Sboule Brazu, however. joia the war fos young oficer, not knowing what had hag pened, and, seeing ihe seutry rideless (bss hberty (as is thought Hkelr) tbe rule of e had been blen may away) red wil change; for the Brazihan dag is knecs bent, bodv Lzup. eves half out of his a combnation of green, yehow, blue and head, and mocch hhalt full of dust gaping opeu hke a loosened eack bead, inquired: white; and, further, i ibe Argentno Re- "en, whats the matter with rou! publie added the dominent colour wil The man tried to answer, but had no there be blue (two horizontal bluescivided breach to do se, end, knorked eüly, ae he by e honzonte) whie stripe)..So i they was, by ibe ehock, gaped helplessly and idiotiealy at the oe, ain, haven't the red, at least they have the this Wme more sbapply: "Whetsthemedter whie and blue. wi yo ... At thet moment over" canre snother Congreve's comedr, "Lore for Love "ALinnie," faling-sumncienuly near the which the Incorporated Stage Society are offcer to serve bim exschly as the previous one had served ane eentry. Ae half. to revive next Sunday, aftor heerly hala blinded. whollv amothered, and threc- century of "resting, is interesting in at quarters sthnned, the offcer stumbled to least one respect. The character Ben Mie Teet, the sentry ren forwerd to belp is the urst sketch of a Britsh ssdor ere him up. Then, sanding the regulatton two !presented on the Engheh stage. And paces away, the sentry cande smartly to Ben, it may be added, is not the beroe attention and, ceremonjously saluting, sail sanor of modern drame. The actor whe Beg pandon, eir; I cooldn't answer frst played the part achieved 'ame in otber before, but thats what was the mater aFDoggett, ofthecoataad wih me. badge rowing coptests, was the f Bes. IS TURKEY WOATH FOWDER . ... so? Dr. J. H. Jomeit, wbose redern f To the Eduos Don, Chronicle. England irom New York is spoken of a Sir,-M. Kerensky; reference to the probable, to accept the pastorate of West icternationalisaton instead of ihe Russian minster Chapel, hit upon a novel rethed possession of Conetantuople profoundly of preserving disciphne when at Carrs¬ alters the sitvatkon cod mnakes it possible lae, Birmingbam. He wrote in the chapel to detsch Turkey trom the Contral Powers magazie: "Will the two ladies who si by a modißession of the terms sct out in in arather conspicuous part of the chepe the Allies Note to the Uaited States and who so frequeatly engage in copversa There is noching tole geined ulimatel) ton during publie worship, kindlg remem- exrpulsion of the Turk from by the Europe. 1: is more consistent with our ber that their conduct is a source of much poley of "natonalt," to have Turkey in achoyance to members of ibe congrega¬ Europe and her porsessjon of Conetanu ton? The bint was completelr efective. deple undisturbed: we have tbe control ... of Zlesopolammia; ihs ssleiy ot the Sue Canal is assured: Armenie is emancipsted The price of beei, now a topie of Gerce sad under Ruæjan probechom. aud anwe controversy, has given trouble (or cen¬ require now is itherestablishmeent of s turies. A beading feature of Jack Cade: "Gibraltar " on Le Dardapelles con¬ revolutionary programme, secordiug to kolled by the Alieg with a piace in the control for Turkev. (Ge: of Turke, sod Shakespeare, was the kowering ibe'cost of ale by increasing the number of"hoops we shorten the wag and chespeu At ja hire ewol relesse our armnies on the pot. Ihreepence per quent. nas and mone pt; Ihe Russian Tlesopotania the price ixed for best beer by as Act Caucasus; audall ermpies !n Persia s passed iu the reigu of Willam IIL; but the tast tonmage now required (or trese when the malt tax was increased in 1761 fer.Hung battlefelds the publieans, at the bidding of thei Turkey now know Prewers, proceeded to charge 31d.: quart. being exploited t knows br ihis fine aonot This being illegal, several publkans in Inrtber help or Westminster were sunmmoned and heavly been becently i: Russis üned As a result, the price was quickly and America have oubts lowered, but not before their custonlers Political strategy valuable agter than tbe had proved thei indignetion at the extor us moment in thi ton of."the trade by wrecking the strategy of arms. A. CHAPPLE House of Commong, Apfü 1. 14. Publiehouses
SDaI PaTZerautO inder Sommeschlach! J 212 T II I. B -5 e N 4y TilNcA a

Raq
Back
FILE & FACT

 

We hold first objective and part of second - have established

block on right of both objectives  - In touch with FAD on left -

Expect heavy bomb fighting in evening - There are 6 tanks at a

standstill apparently damaged (just behind 1st objective there are

4 and 2 near 2nd) Quite impossible to attack village.  A Coy

"FACT" badly cut about by M.G. fire in wire, some of all other

FACT Companies here O.K.  We require as many rifle and

hand grenades as you can possibly send, also S.A.A.  Most of L.M.G.

are O.K. Have 4 Vickers Guns.  Fear Major Black killed.  Several

Officers killed and wounded, no trace Bomb Wells - have plenty men.

Have about 30 prisoners of 124th regiment - will send them over at

dusk.  Look out for S.O.S. signals.  Send white flares (as many

as possible) With artillery support we can keep the position till 

the cows come home.

(Sgd)          H. Murray,

A Coy.

Only officers left that I can see are Hummerston  [[Gokorville?]]

Kerr McLean ( slightly wounded ) Burrows and myself. May be a

few others but have not seen them. Major Black I think is gone,

certainly wounded.  Have nothing to add to Capt. Murray's report -

except to repeat for similar ammunition supplies. Capt. Murray

wishes to add all the following are O.K.  Fletcher. Gardiner, Cooney

Morgan,  Smith,  Rose,  Stones.

We are being shelled on both objectives by 4.5 and 5.9s

Shells well ranged,  coming from S.E. direction - bearing taken from

500 yds S.W. of Church in REINCOURT -

Three runners at intervals have this message.

(Sgd) D. Aarons

D Coy    FILE

 

7.15 a.m.  11/3/17

Cannot estimate number of our casualties.  They are heavy

should think half of those that started off.

(Sgd) AARONS
 

 

Runners names    Sgt,  Bridges FILE

Pte Larratt FILE

Sgt Trick FACT

 

[*R 29/1*]

[News paper clipping see oringinal]

 

[*1/92R*]
[News paper clipping see oringinal]
 

 

[*R 29/ Back*]
[*R29*]
[Picture see original]
 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last edited by:
Meredith JacobsMeredith Jacobs
Last edited on:

Last updated: