Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/91/1 - October 1917 - Part 2

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066659
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

days before road Sop a tol me this was a ll ten coe ex there had een the lett he 5 Fide crest froad took South a narrow trench The roa was 2 pa but beeh battered abo it shell taving Seorched untidg look rathe like manie a next of n h she ad pto On righ 0 coar ws can the ti little wood i crossd ile man Toldi an Tood
44 Aepr 8 14 open builde 10 Deal shelled also te watted down road £or sone distance it wr absoutil bleak between hare unnew Bb tert s traight dlown crest 6 i the le ape on each Fede 44 it the Stermk of one a & observation sost. ina Do wa down righ was hummock o d Ta ellow Errosed tatt Hide right a light our whehs wapon desert lay on road. Surther down near th hummoch was gfeld
cittle a dusout. a cement fir cant tood Witten hil down ver low these pl betind & 4 the to doorwan with 42 2 light howet is one the 2gh State 0 2 or to wa its 7 On let 20 o1 d behind et Ledge a t won this wa te hedge as he had bn the th Accupis to officers co who for 50 well ncan LEyater on Oc We for t well to ch for £ oct with a N it went well to year humn it 4 th a not
on five 6 place an H te 4 bi to how li scoop back of 1 small t ch o behind year of this hollow Were it spote of thor more the on floor trench To I judie Son eor 1 tit then (Buther told wa on Fettin back the had tr H up there tat atternoon but then (o 5/5 Dron I) had ruy up & put him saying to two Off 13
20 Dans Ilunts offe thi Corse &Coic 2483 14 this ob te hadby there thet We gob out o X8 t took ro £rom fir aft mmte There were two woods downt the hith one on left a few hundr 74 town X sop which 6ook Daig foe wood or on right nearer bp wh night 6e Das wood. Te4 wer just streight 1 stond Stun D as after forest fir in Canade 44
Clt w 29.a5 red 15 Re tember gate thicke down tow 1 Loother vally to the 24ht teia wood lmage t of The slope w fant Freen X half shell shattered 1000 of the Easten toks of Paschindad stood as cli 44 1 Evan Sun sto 21 t 4 to o 7 7 Sight tp0 [ Bulge 0 94 redge Polygon wood, wt X Dions took on Oct 4 stood out ve clear right our
The Look alviy the summpt rear (W stope of the Broods. Ridse p 25 June 1932 2 the wat here. Suth i because sert thnt well a todden frrn sand tis o it in rear t4 6 ridge nar of this most a Knife ede the Bule part in 26 th been
11 4 17 duct to hight ep 5 into ty will to cut. sand trench 64 5 44 mdar 5.P. te One or t short lenhs of trech behien ar to perhaps 207d thown 1 Sope ha tou coveret 6n with byown o red yellow tarpanin 2ater a poad C fla te tiven fairt be dry Ih umler th were Br. 60 we to pe Do phs 6 ofth Th told as thought
8 exate on too ridy aatl further 4 1 120 4 fact ly the 45 up the stoke Words this dont Cartgn awds wee found. a find an trend te entrance frem I Work but tie 67 only btend truch I we Suthern te Saile tere French w top over had into ellow a stee a sie about e
49 n t tote tonon E) of a dumps shett 110 were periodiaall st against the by ter 5 0 side hell just apt cates Se My thot ve ls Well trit toot t Ex were te th Shell cout thench probt went down stope & hill ere

D41    9

road. Someone ^days before had told

me this was a very

bad xxxxx well registered corner.

There had been dug

on the lefthand side o /

crest road, looking south, a

narrow trench. The road

was pavē, but had been

battered about w shell

having / scorched untidy

look (rather like a mouse

nest) of much-shelled

places. On / right o /

road ws a cemetery of

many little wooden

crosses, certainly German

soldiers graves, a good

 

9a

[Hand drawn sketch, please see original]
The bulge of the Polygon

 

D41    10

deal shelled also.

We walked down /

road for some distance -

it ws absolutely bleak &

bare - running from between

kerb to and kerb straight

down / crest, with the

open landscape on each

side of it. The stump of one 

building made a good possible observation post.

Some way down on

/ right was a hummock

of yellow sand. We

crossed to / right hand side;

a light four wheeled waggon

lay deserted on / road.

Further down, near the

hummock, was a field

 

11
x A little down / hill ws

a cement dugout, very low in /

earth for these places;

I changed my films &

I took a photo of it with

Wilkins in / doorway.
 

D41    12

gun or light howitzer, on

the right side of / road,

pointing towards Ypres.

On / left o / road, behind

it, was a hedge. I

wondered if this was the

hedge where had bn the

trench occupied by /

German officers & NCOs who

fought so well near / crater

on Oct 4. x

 

We found a well

cut trench in front o /

hummock, with a man

in it. We went well to /

rear o / hummock, &

then up to it - so as not

 

D41     13

to give / place away

 

Hand drawn sketch

 

It had a bit of a hollow

scooped in / back of it -

& a small trench behind;

on / seat of this hollow

were several spots of blood,

& more on the floor

o / trench - so I judged

someone had bn hit

there. (Butler told me, on

our getting back, tt he had bn

going up there that

afternoon but Hun (GSOM

5th Divn.) had rung up & put

him off, saying tt two of

 

Probly Daisy

& Fliute Copse.

(Probly Fliute Copse

& Celtic 

C.E.W.B. 25.6.32)

 

D41   14

his observers had bn

hit there.

We got out / map & 

had a look round from

here for abt 5 minutes.

There were two woods

down the hill - one on

/ left a few hundred yds

down / slope which I took

for Daisy Wood, & one

on / right, nearer up,

wh might be Daisy Wood.

They were just / straight

standing stumps as after

a forest fire in Canada

 

? Celtic ?

C.E.W.B.

25.6.32

 

D41   15

There was timber, rather

thicker, down towards /

bottom of valley, to the right

(China Wood, I imagine).

The opposite slope ws

fairly green & only half

shell shattered. Two of the

Eastern houses of Paschendalle

stood up, very clearly,

red in / evening sun, along

/ main ridge to our right left

& slightly in front.

The Bulge o / ridge

E of Polygon Wood, wh /

7th & 21st Divns took on

Oct 4 - stood out very

clearly on our right.

 

This wd be

Looking S

along the summit & Hand drawn sketch 

rear (W.)

slope of the 

Broods. Ridge

C.EWB.

25 June 1932

 

D41   16

The top o / ridge had

very much narrowed

here. South of this point

it became almost a 

sort of blunt knife edge.

 

A well troden path in the

firm sand ran round belo

in rear of it. This had been

 

D41   17

duckboarded right up

to & into / dry well

cut sandy trench on top

o / hill near the O.P.

At One or two short

lengths of trench behind

/ crest, had bn perhaps,

30 yds down / slope, had

bn covered over with

brown, red, or yellow

tarpaulin - rather a good

camouflage - & men

seemed to be living fairly

dry under there. They

were 60 Bn. We took

some photos of them. They

told us they thought there

 

D41   18

ws a crater on top o /

ridge a little further

S - the next point in /

crest, in fact.

There cd were men

moving up the slope

towds this point - carrying

pty as we aftwds found.

We tried to find an

entrance from / North

but there ws only a

blind trench. Then we

went to / southern side

& there ws a trench

leading over / top into

a steep yellow sand

crater - about / size

 

D41   19

of a hole made by

/ explosion of a dump.

Two shell were periodically

bursting against the far

outer side o / hill just

agst this crater so

 

my photo ws very

hurried, but Wilkins took

his time. I expect they

were really shelling some

common trench wh probly

went down / slope o /

hill here.

Hand drawn sketch

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