Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/90/1 - October 1917 - Part 6

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

Page 1 / 10

W B0 iau her 45 5 vill of the l hill on 0 ehe to7 Th tree p tite m 10 the left the witle the Spur down the Vatis westwards in ere to To the west of the villan we especial tice on white house frigh with a whitewantieng ne white wall 12007 lake a new teaside wette man Syon Nows te aute o after Ipart ti and the first.
56 thin we noticed ws to there wo aota F8m of any mandeentin pont of Paschendael Church of behind ot there were thethe burating on Hcrest, fair thick) & a little strapnel in the air. SHwo hand to say if it were our barrage or Aerman Had our men got beyond Toust at first we almost thought madt have. There a somethen o light coloured on our side o church rast below it on thear of fatem briakes couldit be that fag. I woteed haid & it did notwaie it wo not ight colour. The steey stope or pout wes bare of anythe except brown steltholes. tooka That Martoch
ten 4 his time lable fou t a + 10.41 in two infidatis. ougho to be at I church still no sign of them o very little cion of any barrag a whit flave went ain houses wollag flett of to the mai parto wte The two stand fellt well down our 0 Spur. The 5de the up apain 7 fefh on Sern 5idly ofspu behind areat Tey tn up ogain & again. I saw several men morting t watter. I hm pretly sure it ws f valley between Great Tarm & the west of Pasahendaite with box reesperating at the atr. then a politaty pertintats an for all he at aforth a the filt the lef of Pasehendacle
$ e aps thro bosey feat lan to a paint on the first hilfton w 2 fe Paschend wh take to be moschiete One adse his 6gafe speting 8 helot Wext the les cope picked ofth hill up the left this and hill te meap top yust in pont of a road thed a baltered farm Bod gat in 5633 a Now of green helmets coh all wokover a French ed te 80 packed togitn They 5o one wo certain of them. 0 men dut on top of t cret I thought P20bat the obove the Did 99 be weth be Paach do 4 Still o
53 at adon stope below I church. 96 re £6 ms a nde five on tere one thought wh you ee nopement on a batlpet i ane tyttes comes o all I suppose they a Working 20 p &left the ph the idaye o agh it tok theng fl to are Yard look ch 4 4 mse 44e 4 th wits 6 F2 WeCC an the hil cret day a to w block touce 21p
54 looked litd mesr at first there te ton were en wot on there e However clear near th en point 12D6.9 att bower to left shd apene trees of te mam roard were ai itberd one or men two moret on stope between 1two first at canels th thought cautional snew br the t ab that there 11 frendt be trouble from witl The fermans certain te teependaate though there seemed to be Flghting
short 55 the in le 81 8 Tupt te first was h 1o7 viltay i a copl tras I 50 fage white waving e That tn a Len to our artille 4 we that ha hill 3 thought it mustt bea flag bed one like this adus 2 dugon for Hill 55 carried my to the Eye along erest to le bringeng it back sa flag mont a alon crest Dreat Seoty stretcher beavers I must be fermans carrying out tt order thatEnglishh
56 14 e respect £4/14 tie atways 65 m But sometin 0 Then 4 w. this he it was aftag Saw that $1/5de f a brey fixe The Looded we over wagon burched stowly disappea the creat behind the copse on the first hell W. of Paschendaele In t copse other flag too still warry. I tooke It ws at it carefully te a big Red & fas sno Sig It after to our men had to hill atl. The place must be solidly ferman. Masw
54 cuist we Then 9n man rannny Law about si4 forwards from our direction towards the back of a conse near the white redtiled house, They were running fact. converging. They secened to be kitled & I wondered it w0 three they were stottickt fair sized shill fell quietely behind them. To ot do know mowen 14 Moth Cernene who they were but something hapsenning seemed to be in there. It may have the been connected a wh adctendecte 1 figt The flarey from the house bty this time C About mdday I noticed a man Support over I saddle just coming the dreasing station lif
58 came amother him Attr 8or7 in all & another they were germansthe had the heavy boot the srey bis grey green betwet the grem cloth The fift & the seventh carried over their spoulders. some big obier I wondern it be a stretcher. could they came cootly over through I low scrub hill half dow Son atwards finle the tooking about for 8 secmed sometn sit then by a squarish) object wh at first I took at for a bidge bupwt ws 1ir5 Ablockhouse the probable gatered. One man seemed to be setting up a gun there; wepretty sure Ied set behind fitt a mde getting out a tox to amnunaiti

Buildings here
Diagram as per original
D40 S. of the village                            49
Diagram as per original
on top of / hill were 6
stumpy trees very like men.
To the left of the village
the spur ran down to
the valley westwards in 5
crests.
Diagram as per original
To the west of the village we
especially noticed one white
house with a bright whitewashed
white wall & red roof - like a
new seaside villa near Sydney.
Now the time was
after half past ten. And the first

 

D40
thing we noticed ws tt there
was not a sign of any
movement in front of
Paschendaele church or
behind it. There were shells
bursting on / crest, fairly
thick, & a little shrapnel in
the air.  At It was hard to say
if it were our barrage or / Germans.
Had our men got beyond
/ crest - at first we almost
thought they must have.
There was something xx light coloured
on our side of church o /
church just below it, on
/ heap of fallen bricks -
could it be that flag. I
looked hard & it did not wave,
it ws not / right colour.
The green slope in front was
bare of anything except
brown shellholes.
Then Murdoch looked at

 

D40                                        51
his time table & found tt at
10.41, in two minutes, our
men ought to be at / church.
Still no sign of them - & very
little sign of any barrage.
A white flare went up in
/ ^ houses village to / left of
the main part o / village.
The two stars fell well down
our side o / spur. Then
they went up again & fell
on / German side o / spur
behind / crest. They went
up again & again.
I saw several men moving
in / valley - I am pretty sure
it was / valley between Crest
Farm & the West of Paschendaele,
with box respirators at the [[abut??].
Then a solitary German ran
for all he ws worth up the
hill to the left of Paschendaele -

 

D40                                        52
thro some boggy flat land to a
point on the first hill top w of

Pas Paschendaele, wh I take
to be Moscheela. One cd see
his grey ^ green back & grey green
helmet.
Next the telescope picked
up, on the hill to the left of
this, the 2nd hill, near /
top just in front of a road
& I think a battered farm
(I wd say in 5c 3.3) a row
of green helmets wh all
looked over a trench - I
cd see 8 or 9 packed together.
They moved, so one ws certain
of them. "Our men dug in
"on top of tt crest, I thought,
"Probably the 2nd objive - the
"3rd wd be well beyond
" Paschendaele."
Still  no one moved

 

D40                                        53
at all on / slope below
/ church. "There must be
"a murderous fire going
"on there", one thought." When
"you see no movement on a
"battlefield it means / tightest
"corner of all. I suppose
"they are working round"
"the right & left of the village
"& through it where those
"flares are."
Murdoch had a look
& he thought we must be
through / village.
On / right we cd
see men on the hill crest
near a low block house
& five ^ six stumpy trees which

 

D40                                        54
looked like men. At
first we thought these
were men looking on.
However there were
clearly men near tt
point (att 12D6.9 I
shd say) - ^ lower to / left, lying up under
/ trees of the main road,
were a fair number of
men - & one or two
moved on / slope between
/ two - at first carle 
carelessly; later, I thought,
cautiously.
was I knew by then,
abt 11, that there must
be trouble from / village.
The Germans certainly had
Paschendaele though
there seemed to be fighting

 

D40                                        55
in the left of it.
Just then, on the
first hilltop west o /
village, in a copse of
short trees, I saw a flag
waving - red & white.
That must be a sign
to our artillery tt we
have that hill, I thought
- it must be a flag
like this one behind us on
/ dugout on Hill 35. I
carried my eye further
along / crest of / left &,
bringing it back, saw
a flag moving along /
crest. "Great Scott -
"stretcher bearers - must
"be Germans carrying out
"tt order tt as / English

 

D40                                        56
respect / Red X they are always to fly it.
But something ws oving
w this Red X. Then I
saw that it was a flag
fixed to / side of a grey
hooded waggon. The
waggon lurched slowly over
the crest & disappeared,
behind the copse on the
first hill W. of Paschendaele.
In tt copse / other flag
ws still waving. I looked
at it carefully. It ws
a big Red X flag. Its
germans It ws no sign tt our men had tt hill after
all. The place must be
solidly German.

 

 D40                                        57
then, on / crest, we
saw about six men running
forwards from our direction
towards the back of a copse,
near the white red tiled house.
They were running fast,
converging. They seemed to
be kilted & I wondered if
they were Scottish. ^ Two or three others
fair sized shell fell quickly behind them. To
this moment I do not know
who they were ^ mostly Germans - but something
seemed to be ^ happening the there. It may
have the been connected w
/ fight in ^ the West of Paschendaele.
The flares from the house
ceased abt this time.
About midday, I
suppose, I noticed a man
coming over / saddle just
left of the dressing station.

 

D40                                        57
After him came another
& another, 6 or 7 in all.
They were Germans - they
had the heavy boot, the grey
green cloth, the big grey green helmet.
The fifth ^ the seventh carried
some big object ^ over their shoulders. I wondered
could it be a stretcher -
They came coolly over /
hill through . low scrub,
South xx towards ^ half down into the
gully, looking about for
something, as it seemed;
& then, by a squarish grey
object wh at first I took at
first for a bridge but wh ws
probably a blockhouse they
gathered. One man seemed
to be setting up a gun there; I
ws pretty sure I cd see behind him a man
getting out a box w ammunition

Last edited by:
Jasmine HatharasingheJasmine Hatharasinghe
Last edited on:

Last updated: