Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/90/1 - October 1917 - Part 7

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

Page 1 / 10

i p finger post nt of a d house 59 15 to be tookn see Thy branches ton gound for camouflage or somethin Then then disappeared. a mich longer strig followed 20 or 50. I showed place to Murdack, & te at more + oner picked up man strung of more them, comay over fhill I same place they worked to a hollow on over it as sure the Yurdoch were pridonehs they had no arms & they came th so quiet t coming catuly infull vilwas up tog long trench one Mony b on t next hill, walking oour then on along it & dropping in neares slope. TM This truch t an transverly ae stown from the sesonal 49 ed su pen hill top helmets sticking german out of it all way along. 30ho rebclinets
OrWy 10 had Perman seen were right In frout of this trunch to it were other parallel Port Sornd works .C they seen men I have them, i afterwats I trangty c thent wan every german indeed one suntern orct or trunk ax packed o them all factng Or EOX E towards Gest Sa to doubt of 9 began were any Anatialiens the there at all. The time for Green lind Combt (4.00 1 had come o Long &we noticed no boubt Then tn vall front in second the
61 4a T 00 fitt or I think M 62 I tnd sen where ti4 run earlies Hsolitin man 14 mor wer man secmet t the tater to be i the 5 two men Isaw rnni They caue down follow hi hill no fastas 1 Woltom they could. sometimes then stoppet a moment dropped into a shell hole. I Tath anon Beet tey gobupo from on again - & when last I saw kun were lying up in a stelthote or behind abant ur (bottom (o1 patter 11a9.9 mear say abopt Somewhere Friestand Other Friestens & Aaten They certainly any way. Actue from Somewhere in 5 C. cuitral S.W of Msschaeles Murdack, when I a telesae passed him
63 men coming up. some cnnelly back from the director of another, vellage a long way left. by a long barn Wallemolen probable or wat farm not far from Adter ones Farm heart misgant one th tey return man might be any all his man sdw te ouer beient tine Co capse where I Red that (there s station was nothen improper in this t ws too great distance tooJ. one party between from I same direction moved tin road with fruit up along trees towards I vellay of your man carryying a part a stretche on their shoulders
40 64 vilap 0 came out station dressin lowds Theemas not a stall of them The barrag ours neat to blages 1other w awa hil & pretty feeble 5ide serious days confare had had tremendons thearty labours getten their fan up 50 far. One Boitist arty officer toto we to a British brother off had told him t no men butI Austiation aity Ed. have got their guns, & amn up to souneheke as thy did. They were 13hours withut rations thday Half a dogen guns were Iroad on stuck in
95 sbeke You lp ente 5 quite afai meant tbe in action sund not there. were w S0 It addin ther ll Your after Serman hour ting t ht c no pear them Shell twe went 67 blocktouse on Hitl where I flay wa 33 se where ws saw-some k officers apperently docing or We fourd they were datelley Staf officers looking on Ake fither N.3or m -we were Anzac staff They thought Paschndaite beforyed to s whole hill to the west of it, till we showed than termant. about to we came away
Cb sowe a 30 1.1 5 eder that tok we it tok had touren Bhie tie at third officting tobert beaa 02 140 place aad 6 intaisient boutarde o else because Iso Lard. (about W t 1ram & continu down aa It fes two days later X4 Flea yet what happened Ts anjunced End Den, centiul sot well tn ridn r ot Paschundeele p0n4 in t down on itsry The Was Geptentus ner left 6 S tha spuon Beterne, the nest
6 saw wh fufe He held bt X the 2 d $ t in consequin obe th though th 3ut tehind with 24 n the west 8ot Patsthendaeto The observue Feon saw 5 of the fats pates aft their w I dont know it alext tea Faxn Lierst Mosseng fap t but repored to hav t tln on pe be to 2 s back d 4 afte tperha ar capture ht time too supposed the
68 41h t afternoon to be Divn (dutnear its Bhie tine orred tie at an pate. h on its 3r0 Dyon t tet whne Line but in we So ure Monad of told tl at 3 th de 4 tho ater as know Po crest Fanur we were nt fermans were sure t His lett wo bent. there eet New Yealaty back wh their Rett not lit stringth My stack m7s I fane in Gram oat from X sot inall that t d te Gs were t 2 another at ot
59 Bellidn Spur agst be men we I enspect were ben netfon up 54 pat in for it thi thout. Poot Russell sd it n ti in do day 2 pn till ad 64 ight t own 444 80 the the back Bde 25 Lond Dis might the 10 Bel tt ts dal ten from Bellwnt same cit them the 494 after the acroptane morn at at flyin Jam sd to

*from a finger post
in front of a
ruined house
59
D40
They seemed to be looking
round for branches for
camouflage or something.
Then they disappeared.
A much longer string followed.
-20 or so.  I showed / place
to Murdoch, & he at
once picked up more &
more men - strings of
them, coming over / hill at
/ same place - they worked
over it to a hollow on /
left - Murdoch then was sure they
were prisoners - they had no arms & they came
so quietly
in full
view as
one thought
of our
men on
/ nearer
slope.
Then he saw
some carrying
rifles &
xxxxx xx   ^others coming calmly
up to a long trench
on / next hill, walking
along it & dropping in.
This trench ran transversely
down from the second
hilltop * & here I cd see green
German helmets sticking
out of it all / way along -
so those green helmets

 

60
D40
I had seen were German.
In right front of this trench &
parallel to it were other
works of some sort.

Hand drawn sketch - see original

They seemed to have men
in them & afterwds I thought
these men were German -
indeed one sunken rd or trench
ws packed w them all facing
E or ESE towards Crest Farm.
I began to doubt if
there  were any Australians
or NZs there at all.  The time for
/ green line bombt (11.55)
had come & gone & we cd
noticed no bombt.
Then in / valley
in front of the second

 

61
x They had I think
gas masks at the alert,
& thigh gum boots; they
had no arms & might
have bn wounded if they
had not run so well.
They must have been
some advanced party
retiring.


D40  62
hill, where I had seen
/ solitary German run earlier,
came was moving a
man. He seemed to me
to be in khaki - & he ws
running.  I saw two men
follow him.x They came down
/ bottom o / hill as fast as
they could.  Sometimes they
stopped a moment, dropped
into a shell hole.  Then they
ran on. But they got up &
ran on again - & when last
I saw them were lying up in
a shellhole or behind a bank
in / bottom of / valley - I shd
say about 11 a 9.9 near
Friesland - somewhere
betw. Friesland & Haalen
anyway. They certainly
came from somewhere in
5 C. Central - S.W of [[Mosschaele?]].
Murdoch, when I
passed him / telescope picked

 

63
D40
up some men coming
quietly back from the direction
of another village a long
way left, by a long barn -
probably Wallemolen,
or Wolf Farm. - not far
from Adler Farm.  Ones
heart misgave one tt they
might be our men retiring.
We saw men all this
time coming over behind
that copse where / Red X
station was ( there ws
nothing improper in this - the
distance ws too great
between / two).  One party
moved from / same direction
up along / road ^lined with fruit
trees towards / village.
A party of four men were carrying
a stretcher on their shoulders

 

64
D40
came out o / village
towds / dressing station.
There was not a shell of
ours near them. The barrage
ws away to blazes / other
side of / hill & pretty feeble
compared w previous days
[The arty had had tremendous
labours getting their guns
up so far.  One British
Arty Officer told me tt a
British brother offr had told
him tt no men but /
Australian Arty cd
have got their guns & ammn
up to Zonnebeke as they
did.  They were 12 hours
without rations tt day -
Half a dozen guns were
stuck in / mud on / road

 

65
D40
up to Zonnebeke &
quite a fair percentage of
guns meant to be in action
were not there.]
It ws so maddening to
see these Germans hour after
hour crossing / the hill w no
shell near them tt we went
back to / blockhouse on
Hill 35 where / flag was,
& spoke & where ws saw some
officers apparently observing for
Artillery. We found they were
staff officers looking on - like
we were ; either N.Z. or 2nd
Anzac staff.  They thought tt
Paschendaele belonged to us
& / whole hill to the west of
it, till we showed them /
Germans.
As we came away - about

 

66
D40
1. 15 or 1.30 some N.Z.
reserve battalions were
looking on.  We took it
tt our men ^& N.Z. had got /
Blue Line & failed at the
third objective - probably
because the place had
bn insufficiently bombarded
- or else because / going
ws too hard.  About 3
down came / rain - & continued
x It is two days later
& it is not clear yet what
happened.  The xxxxxxxxxx
3rd Divn certainly got well
out over / crest of / ridge
in front of Paschendaele,
w / 4th Divn on its right.
The New Zealanders never
got the spur on / left - by
Bellevue, the nest of trenches

 

 67
D40
wh we saw; & the
brigadiers held up xxx the
movement from the 2nd
Objve to the 3rd in consequence.
But, although they
will not themselves believe it,
someone got to the west of
Paschendaele.  The observers
of the 5th Divn saw them,
w their gas masks at /
alert - I dont know if it
was near Fűrst Farm
or near Mossemarkt - but
something happened seemed to happen there on /
crest & we saw / men
coming back.  Perhaps they
were killed on / way, after
we saw / them perhaps they were captured
next night.
The line ws supposed

 

68
D40
to be, tt afternoon : 4th
Divn out near its Blue line
- or red line at any rate.
3rd Divn , on its Blue
Line , but w its left, where
we saw it, obscure.  Monash
told me at 3 tt day tt he
didnt know / positn at
Crest Farm.  We were
sure tt no Germans were
there - His left ws bent
back to meet / New Zealanders
who had not their Red Line.
They struck m.gs. in strength
in / crammed trenches - I fancy
/ barrage got away from
them all, that day.
At 3 the N.Zs were
to make another attack

 

69
D40
agst the Bellevue Spur.
I suspect / men we
met going up were being
put in for it.  Thank
goodness they didnt.
Russell sd it cd not be
done in time & it ws
put off till next day.
At 6 tt night,
owing they sd to the 9th
Bde coming back, the
4th Divn Bde came back.
During / night the
10th Bde wh ws badly sniped
from Bellevue came in, &
the 9th after them.  The
aeroplane next morning
sd tt flying at 7 am at

 


 

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