Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/250/1 - 1917 - 1937 - Part 6

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066655
Difficulty:
5

Page 1 / 10

sutpost & was really in the Gernan line, tome of them had a shot at me, only one nearly gettingine as it knocked my shrapnel helmet off + being very week, knocked me down, Tortunatlly I was not hurt as te bullet knocked te helmet of without toiching me. After a tremendous efoit. I stumbled on to one of our outposts, without even knowing where I was going. It happened to be one of (Cays posts. I was taken in by one of the sentries, where my back was dressed & I was taken to the support line, from where I was carried to the RAP& evacuated by motor ambulance to an advanced dressing station remaining there about 5r to be inoculated & then passed on by another ambullance to a central dressing Station, - the 1AEA - who in their turn passed me on to the 53 CCS just outside keroune, where I remained the night 129.18 operated on this afternoon. The bullet entered the Rside of spine without touching it travelling upwards, cutting through the muscles of the back & coming out by the left shoulder blade, which it but breaking a god part of it away. We whole course of the bullet was opened up + cleaned; the wound is about 14 long. Teel very sick & weak from loss of blood etc. - 159.18. Sunday. Was not evacuated until 3pin. the line not being considered safe. We are the first hospitaltrain to leave Peroune since its recapture 169.18 Amved at No 2 General Hospital at LeHavre at dawn Left at 4pm on the Guildford Castle, did not have port until darkness 17.9.18 Arrived off the Ioteof Wight at daybreck.. placed in the hospital train for Cardiff, S Wales. Taken by notor ambulance to Ninson Park Hospital 21.9.18 trensferred to a VAD RedCross Hospital at Hany Dock.

18

outpost & was really in the German line. Some of them had a shot at

me, only one nearly getting me as it knocked my shrapnel helmet off

&, being very weak, knocked me down. Fortunately I was not hurt

as the bullet knocked the helmet off, without touching me. After a tremendous 

effort... I stumbled on to one of our outposts, without even knowing where

I was going. It happened to be one of C Coys posts. I was taken in by one 

of the sentries, where my back was dressed & I was taken to the

support line, from where I was carried to the RAP & evacuated by motor

ambulance to an advanced dressing station, remaining there about ½hr.

to be inoculated & then passed on by another ambulance to a 

central dressing station. – the 1 AFA – who in their turn passed me on

to the 53 CCS just outside Peronne, where I remained the night.

12.9.18 Operated on this afternoon. The bullet entered the R side of spine

without touching it travelling upwards, cutting through the muscles of the

back & coming out by the left shoulder blade, which it hit breaking a

good part of it away. The whole course of the bullet was opened up

& cleaned; the wound is about 14" long. Feel very sick and weak from

loss of blood etc. . . . . .

15.9.18. Sunday. Was not evacuated until 3 p.m. the line not being

considered safe. We are the first hospital train to leave Peronne since its

recapture......

16.9.18 Arrived at No 2 General Hospital at Le Havre at dawn.....

Left at 4 p.m. on the Guildford Castle, did not leave port until darkness.

17.9.18 Arrived at the Isle of Wight at daybreak...... placed in the

hospital train for Cardiff, S. Wales......Taken by motor ambulance to

Ninion Park Hospital...

21.9.18 Transferred to a VAD Red Cross Hospital at Barry Dock...

 

 

 

Dircts of Record

Diary

Y.M.C.A. In the Field,

Decr 27th 1917

Dear Charlie,

You will, no doubt , be

grieved to hear that that prince of good

fellows, Alan Prichard, has gone west.

I heard of it when I returned from

Div. H.Q. after our meeting. Just at

present I am undergoing a period

of depression in consequence of this,

and Xmas was considerably less bright

than it might have been. We were the

best and greatest of friends and I 

had come to regard the dear old chap

somewhat in the light of an elder

brother - though there was not such

a great disparity in our ages. His

 

Y.M.C.A.  In the Field,

2

191

was a disposition that endeared him to

everybody he met. He was so absolutely

unselfish, and he would never, on any

consideration, shirk what he considered a 

duty or responsibility. If the world were

composed of all such natures as his, it

would be a very smooth-running

place. You cannot imagine how much

I'll miss him. We had come away together

& been together the whole time. We had

an absolute community of interest,

had shared our beds & our rations.

Now he has made his exit - a glorious

exit, even though made quietly and

unostentatiously from a crowded stage.

 

Y.M.C.A.  In the Field,

3 191

He was always a gentleman - modest,

unassuming, quiet and courageous. His

good works were so numerous that he is

assured of a good place in the hereafter

in which we are taught to believe.

So far, the order regarding 

"Aussie" has not  been promulgated

to Battalions. It's a ponderous business. 
It has only just appeared in

Corps Orders, & will now have to go

thro' Div. & Brigade before it reaches

the Battalions. As Corps, Div. & Brigade

do not now publish orders regularly

each day, I doubt very much if 

notice will reach Battalions

 

Y.M.C.A.  In the Field,

4  191

in time for the first issue. However, you

may rely on me to do whatever I can

to assist in the matter.

With very best wishes for the

New Year, & the hope that your stay

in England will be pleasant.

Yrs ffully

G.H. Goddard.

 

EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY OF 2880 Private J.S. Bartley,

30th Battalion, A.I.F.

December 1917. The Trenches at Messines were in a fair condition, 
and wre continuously being revetted. Pollard Supports, near the

Lone tree, came in for a heavy share of gun fire.

On 3/12 the company moved up to an advanced bombarding post

and lay fifty yards from Fritz. They relieved the Tommies, who 

told them that Jerry (Fritz) came over when he liked and made off

with some of them. And no wonder, for the Tommies had no barb-wire

erected at all to try and prevent him. The country round about was

dotted with pillboxes. During the stay in the bombing post Fritz

made it willing by dropping Minnies round about and was almost

successful in blowing the sap in, whilst he landed a Minnie on his

own wire and blew it out.

The bombing post lay near the old windmill, and whilst there

a great deal of listening post and patrol work was done. A patrol

was sent out one night consisting of two men, and upon crossing an

old sap they were hauled down by a couple of Huns, who had been

waiting for them. But one of them, Private S------, hurled his

steel lid at a Fritz and got away, only to be shot. The noise

attracted their own machine-gun fire, and the Huns hurried away with

the other man. The wounded man crawled in and reported the matter.

That night the relief was many hours late on account of that affair.

Fritz had a great habit of putting over a Minnie barrage at 

midnight.

One morning word came along to say that the artillery were

going to strafe Fritz all along his main lines, and force him to take

shelter in No-Man's Land. But the gunfire fell short and the boys

had rather an anxious time, ebing under their own fire.

 Peter Smith's post was all but blown in with a Minnie.

No. 2880 and Joe Lansdowne had some trying nights lying out in the

open on listening post, near that old pillbox, while Private Emmet had

the breeze up and nearly bayonetted Sgt. Brown, and managed to 
"bayonet" No. 2880 on the nose in his wild alarm.

 

 

2.

At the rear of the bombing post was a mound, and from there and

near the old windmill was situated a Stokes battery. Fritz did not

attack. Pill boxes were everywhere, as the nature of the ground

would not permit much digging eere water commenced to flow in.

Fritz as usual made regular use of his flares.

The Tommies (the Queens) who had been relieved actually

had no barb-wire, and very few funkholes. This was soon remedied.

Fritz had his machineguns sweeping the duckboard track leading out.

The relief (of the 30th).......turned up much later than was 

anticipated, and so about 4 a.m. the company commenced to move

out over that slippery track to the duckboards. This was the

early morning of Dec. 9. Fritz was fairly quiet, but a stray

bullet....got No. 2929, who departed to the base and afterwards

to Blighty. It is said that the whole ward got across to Blighty,

because they put up decorations in the ward bearing the words "God

bless the doctors and the sisters."

The company came out along that shell shattered and

ploughed up ground to Bristol Castle, which was but a name to a

series of trenches, lying opposite Stinking Farm. From thw

Castle many dangerous fatigues were done to the line, through much

shellfire. Captain D. Chalmers was in charge of the company at the

time.........Captain Stephens unfortunately met his death by a

Minnie reaching headquarters. With  him was killed Alex Huntries 

and others........Captain Stephens' death was regretted by all, for all

the boys spoke of him as a gentleman.......

Huns Walk, Kiwi Road, and Steengast Farm were places likely

to be remembered by the men who were there.......The Hun hit on an

idea of what was known as the evening newspaper. These were small

automaric balloons, which freely dropped printed pamphlets from

Fritz, usually describing his victories. They proved a fine target

for the archies to practise on......

The men now moved out to Desvres, a large village about four

kilometres from Boulogne, and took up billets is an old cement

factory, not far from the station. What a relief it was to get 

out of that crowded troop train, and what a disappointment it was

 

3.

to the men when they saw the billets. It was a cold winter's night,

and snow and sleet were falling. The wind howled and whistled

through the broken windows, and the floor was covered in part with

snow. What a cold shivering night the first one was. Later on the

boys made themselves fairly comfortable, but the doctor stopped all

fires. Part of the factory was in working condition, and it was a 

Godsend to hang around the furnace of an evening........ A platoon

dinner was held. Each platoon had one, and each man paid five frs

francs toward costs, and it was both a pleasing and interesting

function and quite a success. The colonel was present at No. 15

platoon's spread. The men assembled in an estaminet and were waited

on by the mademoiselles.........

Capt. Thompson took over the company command at Desvres.

After about six weeks rest the company moved up towards Dickebusch

and on to  Kemmel Hill, and reached Messines once more......

 

PAGE FROM MAGAZINE: See Original Document

October, 1929.   VICTORIAN POSTAL INSTITUTE MAGAZINE.       17

An Australian Raid at Messines, France, 1928 1918. 
By "Soldat" ( for the V. P.I. Magazine).  JJ McKenna 57 Bn

 

PAGE FROM MAGAZINE:  See Original Document

18             VICTORIAN POSTAL INSTITUTE MAGAZINE.       October, 1929. 

 

PAGE FROM MAGAZINE: See Original Document

October, 1929.         VICTORIAN POSTAL INSTITUTE MAGAZINE.     19

 

PAGE FROM MAGAZINE:  See Original Document

20          VICTORIAN POSTAL INSTITUTE MAGAZINE.       October, 1929.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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