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 t first

light ws just growing. The

rain ws thrashing down w

t wind - from a clear drying

day a strong wind, it had turned to rain

since midnight; there

ws  little break in t clouds

but it had very soon disappeared.

And on t 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 t open dock}

^{gates at Calais with the}

^{steamer there about to}

^{sail on t other side o t}

^{basin. We hurried round}

 

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by another bridge. The

gangway ws down & t

 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 t next day,

& he melted. He shouted

to the old N.T.O. who shouted back

"Yes, get him on" without

turning is 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 afterwards.

 

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We reached Dover about 10.15

& London at 1.10. I washed

& shaved in t station lavatory;

saw Smart & Treloar in t

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 t 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

 

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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 t

safe there, ws an officers sword

& baggage. They were t kit of

poor young Miller, son o t manager

o t bank there, who has just

been killed.

Treloar is working

enormously hard & running a

risk of a breakdown if he keeps

 

Methodist

 

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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 t

finest workers & best fellows in

all t world.

The Germans claim 30,000

prisoners in Italy & 300 guns.

McCay whom I saw at AIF.

HQrs says tt they have got

back in one blow all t

Italian gains. Italy 

ws very divided before; but

if she has the guts of the other

allied powers this will just

 

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about unite her. People in

England very anxious

abt it.

A beautiful sunny day.

By the communique

I shd say tt we succeeded

where t Canadians attacked,

on Bellevere Paschendaele

Spur; uncertain, but some

progress, at Bellevere; &

failed in t mud flats further

NW. The communique is only

a vague guide to t truth, but

if you know its style you can

make a fair shot at t truth.

It says nothing at all o t

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.

           ___________________

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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 roved 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

 

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, who ws crossing with old

Ross, asked me to

share his cabin.

The boat was full of

Outside our cabin were abt 20

Italian soldiers apparently returning

from England, recalled hurriedly.

We reached Bouologne

about 8.30.

I brought little J J Crowe,

of the 5th Field Survey Coy,

up to Poperinghe. He tells

me tt the balloons are still

far less trusted by us than

by t Germans.

The Italians have lost

60,000 prisoners & 450 guns.

Oct 28. Went to Cassel with

a telegram in t morning &

wrote abt t afternoon.

The firing today &

 

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tonight has bn very heavy

& t Canadians expect

an attack. I suppose t

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

t Canadians here. We reached

it t first day. Then we

were driven out & t

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

t 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.

 

 

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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 t British

guns wh were sent down

there to help them.

[The only British guns

tt are lost nowadays are

those they send to t Russians

or t 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 t Russian

front the divisions to crush

t Italians; & if they crush