Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/90/1 - October 1917 - Part 5

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066658
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

38 D a till 4 the ouly it note 18 have til dould fl the tht hos e of Paschen dacle p a on andt hidh 6o left f0 the w. hmp house Church. te finst men ridge ou the we were of Paschendacly ih 2ot ae p near 67 a blockh 39 26 They pick Hit were afar t seat app Shellhols adnate Dhey 36 moret top e
39 in stel yor were tearny into brown billton t prey Le by not very barrage telescop est turne then daite itself ato Pas lafterans be Hoburst ofour ised in the be seem Sittag cometimes ftingey 4p bits wood In port villig wa green stope still fairt a p shillholes unbropen shell I couldnt sa if it t were ours of ferman fisto ther frequentt & what we apptt our bursty fitt the were background near Ledges in 1sky blus with y hase
149 20 30 lon time I saw no Wonken my On this slope Then three could be low down makin it a windy 4 yp in fite. Hear time 1hety to t7 at were for Li by two o of thre we saw < hed. t them Shell several times very buret Close them 4 Fometeis X tover th Smake W I thought right hand Mane tere to down, but te p up fr, They moved beh t for a ked trw m
4) then at & a port have pot into (I tink thas ben Road must have been at Crest Farm) we asee our shrapel high burating over the crest didnt seen very but it at at thick I hande the telescope to mardoch & becosee our men or 1 topot ridge tots of them, be sd standing & walking preely w JJergan Shelt burstin about them TThis must haat been on many redge Fof Pasctundut there thatbn ad further rainat abt 8 5clock ti dull brred sreyclouds opened & a high fleecly. white cirvins with
we this 4 stry Will lon 46 et be will 43 widening patches of blue spread ovn head. The sum came out Our planes had some of them long since been over. We took it tour end a gained obee Were were very few Thellbursts on Hill 35& Lindmill Will - & we sad see Pasche datte wonderful the wext life from there 19.25 at was Ed 9 w5 30 to t0e last o there adva quite difficuly It to pick our wa between shellhs in valley wheret were brinmin th mud, when we 04 across the Politye
44 & Rd 14 mt thick 54 we foen battere thre end aboct whech Stand strayt to wheet in a toupune ofn on te side tn of road. A couple of were by dead on mey stretthers outside a dreasin tate anaid stn ander the brown post blankets picte our way We you Setno, Keith asken Ie how it ad sarg & an answered to he did not He had a watch know t pand & his onle fire it to there fot ws
45 his 2 nevates mechate or be hurre th 2 heaty sasd end 2 of the n line (they were beside t main road tust a port of toad down Whilt cos to to amit from trought a edb Eadity of Hig S5. &e blope As te event u not for Britih to our right a was Teroopi acropts very low woondsa making for sitte te note battery or else drop He a tanding a for toten
26 fted moment Murdock de it did t then a landing the td 6or tyards The ptane over then lait its potie an stay on o t came anr fack its te The tobe 48 ist tein te 10 46 te were Mous a waite i tp ayonwer to see morng neater stan than A man began run towards halfway it aft between plane. two or us & 2 aou tout three
of ste a littl ereti of endeenty Esqv 2yh were fethn Stretcher appare a t someth it or plent 2l wat b there went ap thet 50 hill top the to lcttnse From Hill our 85 left Red 44 signal white to we wa 10 0 t te ters t we 59 went tder the sadote Theh te Settler sood to4 Hover 6 A5 Srate to we ten 456 Saw a wo erp that
Tos Peited see ade 89 te 28 vic iit up ale ep have veen t we ed. e men tereon 1yhiep -4 naked ey wepe 1 filin of Fasahen daite 72 teledcop Thi one 4d pit arch ps chur ridge The mann towards 2ay I X 2 o Fatther 42 hegher 4 anyther a ath as fatn it appoacher etl. £f Oud of this w e the tg trees of the t froa

D40                     38 
my telegram at / time 
in order  to send it
& it is the only note I
have.
We could see the grey
churches houses of Paschendaele 
away on the far 
angle of / ridge to our
left front - the biggest
lump of a house ws /
church.  The first men
we saw were on the ridge to /
right of Paschendaele -
not a very big party - near
a squat grey blockhouse.
They were picking their 
way, apparently, around
shellholes. They gradually
moved over the top. The
 

 

D40                                39
German shell were tearing
into the brown grey hilltop
- but not a very good heavy
barrage.
I next turned / telescope
leftwards onto Paschendaele itself.
The burst of our heavies cd
be seen in the village sometimes
flinging up bits of house wood.
In front o / village was a
green slope still fairly
unbroken with by shellholes. A
shell — I couldnt say if it 
were ours or German — ws
bursting there frequently —
& what are apptly our
bursts were filling the 
hedges in / background near
/ sky with blue grey haze.
 

 

D40                                      40
For a long time I saw no 
man move on this slope.
Then two or three could be
seen low down it making
a winding way up it, in
line, not in file. Near 
/ hedge at / top they were
joined on / right by two
or three others. We saw
them go thro / hedge. Shell
burst several times very
close to them & sometimes
covered them w smoke &
I thought I saw / right hand 
man o / three go down; but
he ws up again, if so.
They moved behind /
hedge for a few moments
 

 

D40                                   41
& then, I think, must
have got into a sort of
Sunken Road. (x I think this
must have been at Crest Farm)
We cd see our shrapnel
bursting ^high over the crest,
but it did nt seem very
thick at all.
I handed the telescope
to Murdoch & he cd see our
men on / top o / ridge - lots
of them, he sd, standing & 
walking freely w / German
shell bursting about them.
(This must have been on
/ main ridge S of Paschendaele)
There had bn no further
rain; & at abt 8 o'clock the
dull blurred grey clouds
opened & a high fleecy
blue white cirrus with
 

 

42
x long strings of prisoners
began to come back.
 We cd see / long mule
trains winding up between
there & Hill 40 over / hill.
 

D40                                   43
widening patches of blue
spread overhead. The sun
came out. Our planes had
some of them long since been
over. We took it tt our 2nd
objective ws gained. x
There were very few
shell bursts on Hill 35 &
Windmill Hill - & we shd
see Paschendaele wonderfully
from there ^x; the next lift
was at 10.25 - so we and it
ws 9.55 - so we decided
to go on there to see / last
advance.
It ws quite difficult
to pick our way between /
shell holes in / valley
where they were brimming;
& there &  / mud, when
we got across the Politjze
 

 

D40                                  44
Rd, wh was crammed w
mules carrying ammn.,
ws very thick. The
batteries there were
standing almost wheel
to wheel in a long ^straight line
in / open on either side
o / road. A couple of
men were lying dead on
stretchers outside a ^tiny dressing
stn or rather an aid
post - under the brown
blankets.
We picked our way
round / guns. Keith asked
an offr how it ws going & 
he answered tt he did not
know. He had a watch
in his hand & his only
job ws to sit there & fire
 

 

D40                                 45
his guns every so many
minutes, or  secon half minutes.
We hurried through very
heavy mud past the end
of the gun line, across
(they were beside / main
road just in front of /
cross road down / hill
from ......... x  so tt / ammn
cd be easily brought up)
& up / slope of Hill 35.
As we went up, not far
to our right a British
aeroplane was swooping
very low 400yds away.
He ws either making for a  
battery to drop a note or else
looking for a landing. For a
 

 

D40                                    46
moment we I doubted -
Murdoch did not see it -
& then he tried a landing.
The plane ran 6 or 10 yards
& then rolled its tail ^over in /
air & came to a stand on
its back.
The bombardment for the
10.25 phase had just begun.
We were anxious to get to /
top o / hill. I waited a
moment to see if anyone were
nearer to / plane than we.
A man began running
towards it abt halfway
between us & / plane. Two or
three around a dugout
 

 

D40                                    47
of concrete a little to /
right were also ^ suddenly busy,
apparently getting a stretcher
or something ;  so it ws
clear there wd be plenty
of help ; so we went up
to the hill top.
From a blockhouse
on Hill 35 to our left a red &
white flag ws waving - signal
or ^survey point or something. No one
seemed to be there, so we
went over the saddle & 
settled in a good shellhole.
As we went over / top
we saw immediately tt we
shd get a wonderful
 

 

For sketch made at time
see 89/47
(Hand drawn diagram - see original.)

D40                                                       48
view.
Opposite us, so clear in
view tt we cd ^have seen men there on
/ skyline probably w / naked eye, were

 the ruins of Paschendaele.
Through the telescope one
cd see every arch in /
ruined church.

(Hand drawn diagram - see original)

The main ridge ran towards
it on / right, rather higher
& if anything falling a little as
it approached / village.
On / side of this were the
big trees of the main road
 

Last edited by:
Deb ParkinsonDeb Parkinson
Last edited on:

Last updated: