Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/91/1 - October 1917 - Part 9

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

Page 1 / 10

4 34 also wth hat thi wet Bty Station fon as Hill &0 cutte same hill while 15 the ae Cuth outside Bremen wth wasalss a 2 then tatas rem 5t Bd 4 Cmpays Blt. a sone 44 were a whote stritbers some Sermah keit. 8 heak took one refte & fived bayoutt reft the only Feaman Ever w onet ie have seen the Aw.R.S. Te 9Bde ofis o fadre maids medical. place wa tt tdn
24 32 an barrip centry S 8 tey addet +I thenk ctio wsconstan breaking it I had a arpo te them 87 a then cat off 5 across towa country do Westhock Riclel On the the b was ds 100 abt or S0 batley pas 5 Brennen like redautt andther iterloge brick Potsdam. Swanp one cat up there Fom the Raiton across the hill side of wh on I south tchused path ran to a Blle Hars in some long low
Con 1 Southsideai 83 duige Concrete beside 1n Raitwan ae anahetter rater green what a battation space in I thut 9M Bole of the was degging stelf little poysies n shellholes for the night first piit te Ihad ever socuoud shellin pron a this bevonad like wenton up to the of Westhoek Ridgt top ight full ground becom yeu Shelltoon ad rear the close top Fridge just clear Ch Bde crest some of the weredain Eve machinegus
84 then Felues little into trunche new the whote Ridge Broodseinde Heights Abrathums Hill 20 Cdb seer fom tere too SheWhole I thought t a green patch on th pont in where the IBde were stope he te point best At watching rghet. a the 15 our stood a 4 5 op e i te fire ve 2 30 pus. practice a Ileve of office by py f bank fust sting a it bae
85 Westhoek ove tall 62 blockhouses watching follo We barrage up Dualbuts wire thitl soon waten the n tugt as at ressines 34 beg a 44 ver s with fil 18pan 7 at our back back leading bo t fotowed & 4 t oes hele T4e &e it do fir 160 pitched in 4 sid one other ydsor it glou di thes walk the en Serving ut you about watkin batteries
86 them noth do heppenin it tan tar yourself fit gives 40 wonderful onfidence 8 tit astay taked you en 2 40 i lat 4 tch £4 es ed 8 tract 4 i 2sh Thall ine figttft ber 6o unter pout d tratus 4 brid wh t se l sare a wh a ada show d oidse sood. Ract be but wee notice de
8 tnt did of 8 a titily a it myther back teen laves with on it aft ad Sate ate o 21Bn pass 21 tckb 42 O 56 dn sonie C wth tine Anatatories passed Eo that Railva -wood at describuble area of mad was more aaterpll Shelhole. or less inhabited by tou heavy long howritzeys painted likeo boar constructors. a avieless task an dunk mmunition
huried CEeek. 2516132 88 in yores for can ot hon fairly late The X night ws 66 Suti 5 wode back at there (havin Murdoch flown back from London on News to Fitmont we here Gitwons left on Sept 30 came back on Oct g staying as welbes Murdock tll Oct. 20 Murdocks brother acted as press oficer. & I she say to Murdock beat getmoud every way. e Murdoch came up w Sullett & myself to yous. we started at S to te Barker ooe to wake Bodry pet satc
89 Bodd sornd hot 6odoa came round I draw wid down to w. camp where the others (who shared haff a Wersen but) were gitting up. oe drove; through yous the roads being fairty clear, The School on the menin Road s & them struck atong th duckboardo for tit r Cat - te same duckboards Ihad ane back along day before Kit + catas soing on westhact Ridge there Thad seen Bouts from towering was 4 places dr th ferman plaged like looked dull Eyld feshes d wes thock We rea
30 about 5 Rid for right were t0 I we Struck left along shettholes over 1 top of ridge til ae Kit of them the ely track in again-towds westhoct on a decent night we sh have bit our shelthole & thas night tn Pereen passd we must have ds of them within 150 ws To overao but it we ed not th & driy t decide 246 50 te head again tough KiF. & Cat F much 6 be up there t dayly it abt 5.20 just as AY we were foundering on

D41 
81                             

 - who had then also

Zonnebeke Rly Station (on

/ same hill as Hill 40 in a cutting)

while we had the Church.

Outside Bremen, (wh

was also used as a 

dressing stn there - later as 

a Bde HQrs, Cannans Bde)

were some AMC men,

some stretchers, & a whole

heap of German kit. I

took one rifle & fixed bayonet

(the only German rifle I ever

have seen w Bayonet fixed)

for the A.W.R.S. The 9 Bde

medica offrs & Padre inside

told us tt t place ws /

 

 

D41 
82                                       /

centre o / German barrage

& I think they added tt

it ws constantly hit without

breaking it. I had a 

cup of tea w them, &

then cut off S. across

country towards Westhoek

Ridge.

On the way, in the

valley abt 100 yds or so

from Bremen, I passed

another redoubt like

a brick waterlogged in

a  swamp - Potsdam.

From there one cut up

the hill, across the Railway

on / south side of wh

a much used path ran to a Bde

Hqrs in some long low

 

 

 

D41 
83
(on Southside of it)                 /

concrete dugouts beside / Rly 

- "Railway, Across a

rather green unshelled

space in which a battalion

I think of the 9th Bde was

digging itself little pozzies

in shell holes for the night 

- the first time I had ever

seen a promiscuous shellhole

bivouac like this.

I went on up to /

top of Westhoek Ridge - the

ground becomes frightfully

shelltorn as you near /

pop top; on the rear slope

of ridge just clear o / 

crest some of the 6th Bde

machine gun coy were digging

 

 

 

D41 
84                              

themselves into little

new trenches. The whole

Broodseinde Ridge &

Abrahams Heights & Hill 40

cd be seen from there too -

& I thought tt a shell hole

in / green patch on tt front

slope where the 9 Bde were

wd be / very best point

for watching a fight.

As I stood there our

guns suddenly opened a 

very heavy fire - it ws

abt 5 or 5.30 pm. & it

ws clearly a practice

barrage. A line of officers

were breasting a bank just

 

 

D41 
85                                     

by one o / tall Westhoek

blockhouses, watching it;

x We followed / barrage up
/ hill - it ws the individual bursts were soon lost in

smoke & dust as at Missines.

The German began to

put a big shell over into /

valley filled with 18 pounders

at our back. I found a 

duckboard leading back

across the hollow, & followed

it. The big German shell

pitched first 100 yds on

one side of it & then 70

yds on / other, & one had

to walk thru the dust cloud.

But you see / men serving

/ batteries walking about

 

 

D41
86                                       

them as if nothing were

happening, far nearer than

yourself, & it gives you

wonderful confidence &

makes you even a bit ashamed

of your nervousness.

Anyway I was glad when

the big shell ws behind me.

The track led over

some frightfully marshy shell

torn country to a number

of craters x (our old front

line of course) wh I found 

- by a map wh a padre

at Cambridge Rd showed me 

- to be Railway Wood. You

dont notice / wood - but I

 

 

D41 
87                                    /

did see one piece stump of

a shrub a little further

back with green leaves on

it-

Sale at / head of abt

20 men of 21 Bn passed me

on/ duckboards. They

were camped in some old

German line over wh /

duckboards passed E of

Railway Wood - that

indescribable area of mud &

waterfilled shellhole was more

or less inhabited by four

heavy long howitzers painted

like boar constrictors, a

wireless tank, & an

ammunition dump.

 

 

D41  
88                               

I found/ car∧ in Ypres got home

fairly late.

The next night ws

Oct.3. Gullett was back

& Murdoch ws here (having

flown x back from London on /

[* x i.e. hurried C.E.W.B. 25/6/32 *]

news tt Gilmour ws here -

Gilmour left on Sept 30 & 

came back on Oct 9 - staying

as well as Murdoch till Oct 20 -

Murdoch's brother acted as

press officer. x I shd say

tt Murdoch beat Gilmour

in every way.)

Murdoch came up w

Gullett & myself to Ypres.

We started at 3 - old Boddy

drove me to N. Barker

sat up to wake Boddy & get

 

 

D41 
89                                      

some hot cocoa. Boddy

came round & drove me

down to N. Camp where

the others (who shared half a

Nissen hut) were getting up.

We drove through Ypres,

the roads being fairly clear,

to the school on the Menin

Road; & then struck along

the duckboards for Kit &

Cat - the same duckboards

I had come back along /

day before. Kit & Cat ws / 

point on Westhoek Ridge where

I had seen / Bombt from.

It was lowering &

drizzly & the German flares

looked dull & glazed like

fishes eyes.

We reached Westhoek

 

 

 

D41  
90                                     

Ridge about 5; & as

we were too far right I

struck left along / edges

o / shellholes over /

top o / Ridge till we

hit the Rly track & then

in again towds Westhoek

On a decent night we shd

have hit our shellholes

in / green - & this night

we must have passed

within 150 yds of them;

but it ws so overcast

& drizzly tt we cd not

see; so I decided to

head again through the

muck to Kit & Cat &

lie up there till daylight.

At abt 5.20 just as

we were floundering on /

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Loretta CorbettLoretta Corbett
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