Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/92/1 - October - November 1917 - Part 2

10

^x  at 7.30, or before, the rain
stopped. I believe it rained
till later at Ypres..

11 11
when I went out / first
light ws just growing. The
rain ws thrashing down w
/ wind - from a clear drying
day ^& strong wind, it had turned to rain
since midnight; there
ws  little break in / clouds
but it had very soon disappeared.
And on / horizon the flash
flash flash of guns continuously
everywhere showed tt our
attack had started. It ws
a real bad day for it. I
described it as altered my telegram
to describe it.  At 6 o'clock
Boddy & I started. The old
man drove very well. ^x
At 8.5 a.m. we found ourselves
held up by / open dock
gates at Calais with the
steamer there about to
sail on / other side o /
basin. We hurried round
 

11 12
by another bridge. The
gangway ws down & /
 of old Military Landing
Officer refused to let me on
board. He sd she ws much
crowded already & the
Naval Transport Officer wd
not allow another person on
board. I told him tt I
ws on special duty from
Ypres, sent down to catch
this boat & return / next day,
& he melted. He shouted
to the ^old N.T.O. who shouted back
"Yes, get him on" without
turning his head round.
Two sailors helped on me aboard.
Dear old chaps - these old
English dugouts. They always growl
first & then do all they can
to help you afterwds.
 

11 13
We reached Dover about 10.15
& London at 1.10. I washed
& shaved in / station lavatory;
saw Smart & Treloar in /
afternoon - dined w Smart 
& Bazley & Gullett., off tomorrow
to Egypt, at Gattis (Gullett just
looking on as he of course
will have his last evening w
his little wife & youngster)
corrected the proofs of the
A.I.F. Xmas Book. Smart
had the Bookplates & Acq.
Rolls already there.
I stayed / night with
Maj. Willcocks & Col. Anderson ^(medical) -
fine chaps, at Howse's
diggings.

Oct 27. Off back to France
by the 1.40 staff train after
 

11 14
a morning's hard work. I
left my boots to be soled & my
watch to be repaired - the
only thing one had not time
for ws a hair cut. We shd be
in Ypres (or rather HQrs)
by dinner time tonight
with the bookplates & winter
underclothes & all ones
business settled. Each time
I shed these diaries (up to date)
at the C.wealth Bank. This
time, on top of my boxes, in /
safe there, ws an officers sword
& baggage. They were / kit of
poor young Miller, son o / manager
o / bank there, who has just
been killed.
Treloar is working
enormously hard & running a
risk of a breakdown if he keeps
 

Methodist
 

11 15
it up. Nothing seems too much
trouble for him. He is a very
remarkable chap - it is
his strict life & adherence to
an ascetic discipline tt enables
him to do it. It is strange for
a Roman Catholic; I believe
Griffiths, Coleman & Treloar
are all R.Cs. & they are /
finest workers & best fellows in
all / world.
——
The Germans claim 30,000
prisoners in Italy & 300 guns.
M’Cay whom I saw at AIF.
HQrs says tt they have got
back in one blow all /
Italian gains. Italy 
ws very divided before; but
if she has the guts of the other
allied powers this will just
 

11 16
about unite her. People in
England are very anxious
abt it.
A beautiful sunny day.
By the communique
I shd say tt we succeeded
where / Canadians attacked,
on Bellevue Paschendaele
Spur; uncertain, but some
progress, at Bellevue; &
failed in / mud flats further
NW. The communique is only
a vague guide to / truth, but
if you know its style you can
make a fair shot at / truth.
It says nothing at all o /
Australians.

Oct 28.
[* ? 27th*] xxx The boat - which
we boarded about 4 p.m.
left Folkestone harbour just
 

Mondays papers
explained it as follows:-
11/17   THE TIMES, MONDAY,
DESTROYERS IN ACTION.
——————
FIGHT WITH ENEMY SHIPS
AND AEROPLANES.
The Secretary of the Admiralty makes the
following announcement:-
Six British and French destroyers patrolling
off the Belgian coast on the afternoon of October
27 sighted and attacked three German destroyers
and 17 aeroplanes.
Two direct hits were obtained on the enemy's
destroyers, which immediately retired under the
protection of their land batteries.
The aeroplane formation was broken up by the
anti-aircraft gunfire of our destroyers, each of
the aeroplanes dropping three bombs in the
vicinity of our vessels, which suffered no damage
beyond two men being slightly wounded.
——————
 

11 17
as dusk ws falling,
about 5. As we steamed
out somewhere near a 
couple of light ^cannon shots were
fired. I dont know if
it was a destroyer or a
shore fort - or if they fired
at an aeroplane or a submarine;
I think it was an aeroplane.
Anyway we turned & I
thought we were going back
to harbour. But we turned
again & for nearly two
hours moved up & down
off the coast in little starts
& fidgets. By then the searchlights
guns were hunting for a
'plane. About 7, the
moon being up, we
started suddenly at full
speed & came across. Gen. Russell
 

11 18
, who ws crossing with old
Ross, asked me to
share his cabin.
Outside our cabin were abt 20
The boat was full of
Italian ^soldiers apparently returning
from England, recalled hurriedly.
We reached Boulogne
about 8.30.
I brought little J J Crowe,
of the 5^th Field Survey Coy,
up to Poperinghe. He tells
me tt the balloons are still
far less trusted by us than
by / Germans.
The Italians have lost
60,000 prisoners & 450 guns.

Oct 28. Went to Cassel with
a telegram in / morning &
wrote all / afternoon.
The firing today &
 

11 19
tonight has bn very heavy
& / Canadians expect
an attack. I suppose /
German has plucked up
heart - well, he will meet
more than his equal.
I dont know what exactly
has happened at Decline
Copse, where we fought beside
/ Canadians here. We reached
it / first day. Then we
were driven out & /
Canadians were rather
wrath & sd tt they wd
take it for us - or some
such thing. It turned out - &
I believe they admitted it on
/ end - tt they had bn
driven out of their part too.
I believe they are now
in their half & we are
150 yds from ours - so
Addison says.
 

11 20
The news from Italy is
most serious & depressing.
The Italians have now lost
80,000 prisoners & 600 guns.
There seems a big chance
tt they have lost / British
guns wh were sent down
there to help them.
[The only British guns
tt are lost nowadays are
those they send to / Russians
or / Italians]
The outlook is most
gloomy. I suppose the British
& French will have to
attack to right it but they
may not be able to do
so. The Germans ^& Austrians have
bought from / Russian
front the divisions to crush
/ Italians; & if they crush