Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/254/1 - 1917 - 1933 - Part 17

OPERATION 41st BATTALION.
YPRES.- ZONNEBEKE.
October, 1917.
3rd.  At 7.30 a.m.  in the morning the Battalion moved out from Camp
30, POPERINHGE and entrained at BRANDHOEK SIDING x At 12.5.p.m.
Battalion detrained at YPRES AsyIum and bivouaced at area
alloted to it beside the Cemetary, MENIN ROAD, (S5a) St 11 p.m.
after a hot meal served at 10 p.m., the approach march was
commenced. The arrangements up to 2C.B.30, ware excellent;Guides
and taped tracks made the march a simple matter. From that point
4th. the arrangements were bad. The Battalion under desultory shell
fire remained halted for over an hour. It was then guided to
BREMEN REDOUBT, and as the position was thought unsatisfactory
the Battalion was again halted until a reconnaissance across the
ZONNEBEKE marsh was made. The march was completed under heavy
whiz-bang fire end at 5 a.m. after suffering about 30 casualties
the battalion was in position, ready to move forward. The place
of assembly was rather cramped hut there is no doubt that large
casualties were avoided by moving forward from Hill known as
BREMEN-REDOUBT (86.a.86.b.) At 5.30 a.m.. German Barrage came
down on place of assembly but caused only slight losses.It was
raining steadily.  At 6a.m. our Barrage fell and at 6.3X.a.m.
the Battalion moved forewad behind the 44th. Owing to darkness
Battalions were mixed, but there was no check in the advance.
The first objective was taken to time and the 43rd consolidated.
The 41st Battalion reorganised at this first halt and it was
found casualties were slight. The second objective was taken by
42nd at 7.10.a.m. and during the long halt the Battalion
reorganised and rested. Casualties were still fairly light. Lieut.
Clark was wounded. On passing through the [[?]]nd the men were well
in hand. The third objedctive was reached at 8.25 a.m.On the
left we experienced heavy casualties -Lieut Rogers severely
wounded. At 8.30 a.m. the Battalion in good order leap-frogged
the 44th and carried the fourth objective, about 9.30 a.m.
Casualties by then were about 340, all ranks.
"D" Coy on the left consolidated by digging two double
platoon posts,having placed out in front about 70 yds 4Lewis
Gun and sniper Posts.Coy was in touch with10th Brigade.
"C" Coy- the centre Coy in touch with D and A Coys dug a
continuous bay and traverse trench with Lewis Gun and Sniper
Posts in front.Capt Calow and Lieut.Cripps were wounded at this
point and Lieut. Boyce took command.
"A"Coy- owing to C Coy being too far to the left had about
three hundred yards frontage. Coy Commander had three posts dug.
The Right one in touch with the 26th Battalion,One in centre
and one in touch with C.Coy.At Posts connected by old German xxx
Trench which was consolidated in parts to form strong points.
This Line was protected by Lewis Gun and Sniper Posts. Splendid
observation was secured on the right, alas field of fire.Outposts
had to be withdrawn when S.O.S. came down.Being too close to
barrage.
"E "B" Coy, Having assisted other Companies to consolidate, dug
a trench for themselves behind the front line, slightly on the
right of our sector. Local Counter attacks which took place during
the whole, of the day were easily repulsed by Lewis gun and rifle
fire. While repulsing a local counter attack with the bayonet
Lieut Skewes was killed end Lieut Butler wounded.
At 5 p.m. a Counter attack on a large scale took place. The enemy
was allowed to advance under Machine and Rifle fire to within
300 yards of our position when our barrage came down,and
completely broke the attack.. German Losses must have been great.
About 6.30 p.m. another large counter attack on our right was
dispersed by our artillery. 6 Machine Guns, & Trench Mortars and
3 Prismatic Range finders were captured between the third and
fourth objective.besides many important documents, maps etc.
During the night many local counter attacks were carried out in
a half hearted manner and easily repulsed.
 

(2)

5th. At 1 p.m. an 18 pounder falling short killed Captain J.
Redmond. Lieut E.D.Price then took command of D.Company.
During the day everything was quiet except for Snipers
and a machine gun firing from the Right flank in front
of the 26th Battalion.
6th. By 3.a.m. we were relieved by the 3/6th Manchesters and
marched back to bivouac at YPRES without suffering any
casualties.
CASUALTIES
                                     Officers.       Other Ranks.
Killed. . . . . . . . . . . . . .        4                       32
Wounded. . . . . . . . . .        5                     201 
Sick... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .       -                         4
Unaccounted for. . . .                               24
Total                                9                    261

Officers Killed.
Captain J.Redmond.
Captain E.Kerr. M.O.
Lieut.     A.W.Skewes.
Lieut.      J.Larkin.
Signed. Alex R.Heron. Lt.Col.
C.O 41st Battalion
Officers Wounded.
Captain P.F.Calow.
Lieut.     C.O.Butler.
2/Lieut.   H.Rogers.
      "          B.A.Cripps.
       "         W.D.Clark.
 

COPY.
 Diary of Lieutenant W.G. Fisher, 42nd Battalion.
29/7/17, Sunday.
Once more I am back with the battalion. The last few weeks of my
stay at the Army School were quiet but enjoyable. The routine
continued to absorb us and time, and the pleasantness of the surroundings, 
abated nothing. We finished the course off with sports, in
which the Anzacs scooped the pool - though we numbered only a bare
two dozen out of about 160 officers. My estimation of the British
officer has gone down a lot since I have come xxxxxxx into closer
contact with him. Certainly as sports, with an obvious exception as
usual, he is not as good as the overseas men, and the notions of
sportsmanship and interest displayed by a great number would have
disgraced a lower form boy in any decent school. But of course there
were exceptions - but by no means as many as one would have liked to
have seen.
At last I got some mail - dated April - and on getting back
received some twenty more letters, so I feel quite contented again.
Have written and answered them all.
Amongst other friends with whom I have renewed acquaintance are

Jean Darvall, P. Toft, Dunbar, Fryer, and Morris Hart - that latter
has just  xxxxxxxx got his commission. He is the 3rd Moreton man now
in the 42nd with a commission.
A storm is raging at present, and bids fair to spoil the review
by General Birdwood, which will take place this morning. We have now
2 D.S.O's, 2 M.C's, 1 D.C.M., and 16 M.M's to our credit, and hope to
acquire more soon.
Monday, 30/7/17.
Our stunt comes off tomorrow and nothing specialwas done today
but carryon preparations. At nightfall we moved off, and I had a job
controlling traffic as I am not taking part in the actual fighting,
since I came back too late. It has begun to rain again.
Tuesday, 31/7/17.
At 3.50 a.m. a tremendous cannonading awoke xxx me - it was zero
hour for the big push just to our northern flank. The air vibrated
and the ground seemed to rumble - the most tremendous bombardment
I've yet heard, and greater without doubt than any on the front since
the war began. The rain is steadily pouring down.
I received yet more mail, making a total of about 50 letters in
the last week.
At 7 p.m. I took a party up to the line to work at supplies, but
owing to someone's blundering the supplies xx were not there, and we
had our tramp of about fifteen miles in rain, mud, and occasional
shells all for nothing. We got back at 1 a.m.
Wednesday, 1st August 1917.
Slept in till noon and awoke to find it raining incessantly - the
place will soon be swamped out. Our fellows returned early this
morning, having been very successful - but of course not without
casualties, as is to be expected. They are all asleep at present. I
believe I am to conduct the same party up again tonight. We had an
awful time and were quite fagged out.
Thursday, 2/8/17.
Slept in again till noon and then arose for lunch. The guns
have broken out again - and are at present roaring away. The day has
been dreadful - cold, wet, and misty - and we feel all a little 

2.
"off" as a result. We move again shortly, I am told - it will be much
appreciated by those who have had all the stress of the recent work.
Friday, I/8/17.
The dreadful monotony of rain and mud has not abated in any
degree. The tents leak and the men have all they can do to keep dry.
I went up again over Messines on a job from Brigade and got quite
thoroughly soaked and muddy - as is to be expected. It is very
fatiguing - to walk even over the ploughed up shellsmitten ground.
Got back after midnight, very tired.
Saturday, 4/8/17.
We enter the 4th year of the war! The sun is trying to break
through and its efforts were greeted with cheers by the men. We moved
camp at noon to a locality some few miles removed - and to me fell
the lot of superintending the transport. It rained again - almost
a waterspout; but finally we got settled down in hutments, which at
least keep out some rain. The men are very cheerful, and bright, as
always.
Sunday, 5/8/17.
The sun is shining again and the men are getting cleaned up and
settling down. Beyond that there will be nothing for them to do.
I was suddenly called to Brigade, and rode out casting up in my mind
what I had done. But it was what I had to do that formed the subject
of discussion. I was appointed assistant Staff Captain on the
Brigade staff and told to begin at once. I was of course much
pleased and welcomed the chance offered of change and more congenial
occupation. I joined Brigade the same evening.
Monday, 6/8/17.
Started in to get the hang of the new job which promises to be a
busy one. I stayed in camp all day and fagged up the various
departments. And in that and similar occupations I had my time fully
occupied the succeeding days, Tuesday and Wednesday. But on Tuesday
night Fritz sent a plane over which proceeded to bomb the locality.
He got rid of the bombs with great speed - but certainly succeeded in
putting the wind up the various units in proximity. Things are very
quiet in xxxxxxxxx the warlike line.
Thursday, 9/8/17.
Nothing much doing outside the routine. The job entails a lot of
journeying about the brigade area, and today I was on the go xxxxxxx
continuously from 8.30 a.m. to 7 at night - and my horse was just
about knocked up. Fritz has been over every night now with his
planes, and drops bombs on suspected dumps and so on. He has met
with comparatively no success, considering the area and other
features which cannot be divulged. His shooting with the 18" H.V.
causes some unrest at times. He is always incensed when our balloons
go up, and we can generally prepare for something.
Friday, 10/8117
Saturday, 11/8/I7.
Both quite days of ordinary work. I met Fowles of the Varsity
whom I last saw some eighteen months ago. Vinc Francis also has come
back to the battalion greatly to my surprise. Just after mess
tonight Fritz pumped in 3 H.V. shells within a hundred yards of
Brigade Hqrs - they came with extraordinary speed and shake the ground
for yards around. He got 43 horses today with aerial bombs - out of
a batch of 47. But then he can't help hitting something if he only
keeps on at it.
Sunday.
 

3.
Sunday.
A really great day - not too hot, bright sunlight, everything
looking bright and cheerful. Fritz was very busy again with his
H.V. gun and planted two just a little way off the road - and one
right in the road, about eight feet deep and 15-20 feet across. He
got very near tohis target too.
Monday, 13/8/17.
Nothing much doing save strafes from division - I seem to catch
them all these days, as the others are generally out and I am left
to answer the 'phone most of the time. It doesn't matter whether it
has nothing at all to do with me or my xxxx side - the bird at the
other end who has the grouch tears it off his chest while I hang on
and listen. It's rather amusing at times and always interesting.
I hear the mail has come in, but so far nothing has come for me.
There seems to be quite a lot of Queensland mail in too.
Tuesday, 14/8/17.
The mail came in all right - I got the ones for which I was
looking and feel quite chirpy. They tell me that I got the
travelling scholarship all right - but really I do not know what to
do about it unless the war ends within a year from now. But the
future can settle that for itself. I'm certain on one point, and
that is that I am going home before anything else.
Wednesday, 15/8/17.
Encore much rain, far too much to be pleasant. Fritz has been
very busy with his long range gun and puts the shells over in all
places and at any old time. The bombardment up north grew in
intensity and at night grew very violent. Played bridge for the
first time for about fourkyears.
Thursday, 16/8/17.
Today at 11 a.m. marks the anniversary of my departure from
Australia twelve months ago. Just about this time I was making for
Cape Moreton - and Redcliffe was just visible and the low trees on
Humpybong. Twelve months' active service sees me, I'm afraid, much
older. I am not at all sure that I xxxxxx appreciate the fact, though
certainly the experiences gained in that twelve month have saved many
years of after life in the ordinary run of things. And the war
would seem likely to carry on yet another twelve month - and then
even presuming it has done so, two years are for me to spend in the
scholarship if I decide to make use of it. Well now is the time for
me to decide what I shall do. Wherefore and seeing things are just
slightly mixed I feel just a little dissatisfied,at what I do not
know.
17/8/17.
A quiet day - which finished in a very lively night indeed.
Fritz came over on a bombing raid - about seven planes at different
times and from various places. He got rid of all bombs mainly in a
locality some three miles from here. We had about seven searchlights
up searching and they located about five of the enemy. But though
heavy fire was directed on them from anti-aircraft guns, machine and
Lewis guns - yet the planes to all appearances got away scathless.
My second star came out tonight, dated 28/7/17 - so now I am a full
lieutenant.
18/8/37.
A magnificent day - but as usual it rained. Heavy bombardments x
were to be heard on all sides, and at night Fritz came over in
strength bombing all about the place and making a particular point of
attacking St Omer or Hazebrouck - I could not tell which exactly. He
 

4.
must have dropped anything up to sixty or seventy bombs - the flashes
were continuous and broad, while the dull crash of the explosions
reached us quite easily. They are all quite busy at it now as I
write, and a "dud' has just fallen outside - it came down with a
dull swishing, you can always tell them.
19/8/17-24/8/17, Friday.
Have had quite a strenuous time again shifting the units to a
new area, to join a new army. I was quite busy on my part of the
job, as the staff captain had gone away to billet in the new area
and I had all the work. Fritz was busy as usual and landed one
shell between the cookhouse and the first hut. If it had not been
a dud the whole show would have gone "phut". We have gone back right
almost to the coast in a certain part, and the men ought to have a
quiet time at least for a while - xxxx  and that after all is what
they most need just now. The place we are in at present is quite
retired and has been inhabited by Portuguese in billets. And a
hairy crowd they are. They have the reputation of being good
fighters, that is, the rank and file have - but they are
indescribably filthy, dirty, and unclean, unshaven, unwashed, and
with not the slightest idea of sanitation or discipline. x
I had five letters from home yesterday and must really
answer them. I also want to get down to Boulogne this week. Jean
D is there, I believe - I would much like to see anm Australian
again. By the way I am twenty-three years today. Time is getting
on some.
25/8/77.
A quiet day. I spent most of it riding about.
5/9/17.
All our days between the last date and this are as the first
words of that last entry show - days of quiet, no sound of warfare,
peace and quietness. But until a few days ago rain - grey and
[[*rather*]] persistent - spoilt the scene. The country looks quite gloomy when
that grey pall falls down upon it. The last few days have been just
delightful - magnificent sun, cool, and not chilly - green trees
and golden harvests. I never appreciated that term of "golden"
till the last few weeks. The farms all yield great store of ruddy
and yellow apples, rich purple plums and the epicurean golden
varieties. If I were but sure of my position I would be quite
cheerful. The establishment does not now allow of my position
being filled. So I am out of a job. But the Brigadier has
nominated me for training with a British division as staff learner
for three months, and I am waiting for the result. I think it will
be quite great if it comes off.
The enemy came back even to where we are now and bombed a big
town nearby - killing 36, 14 of whom were soldiers.
8/9/17.
Saturday evening - the end of a strenuous and tiring week - not
strenuous in the way I usually xxxxxxxxx employ the term, but in
the old accustomed way of pre-war days. I have come  xxxx again to
the ways of college - up fairly late - at it all day and up till
late at night. The work is not strenuous, but rather exacting and
continuous - consisting as it does of numerous small matters
embracing much detail. However it is congenial and quite all right.
I am seriously thinking of closing this diary - not from lack of
interest only, but from lack of opportunity as responsibilities
increase: and I find that the novelty of proceedings has entirely
worn off-after nine months in France I do not wonder. The only
engine of war with which I am not personally acquainted is the
flammenwerfer - and those were just off us on one occasion. And
seeing that we shall most likely be here for many months yet, I
 

5.
shall send this home and cease scribbling, unless transfer to a
new sphere of operations or new surroundings and occupations can
avail to resuscitate the interest which is so necessary to the
continued inscribing of somewhat petty and egotistical details.
October 1st, 1917. Monday.
I have just come back to the battalion from Brigade. While I was
away my place was filled by a Duntroon graduate (who of course have
first choice of staff jobs). I had the luck to get to Paris for
leave and enjoyed ten days as never before. The city fulfilled all
my dreams, and even surpassed what I had imagined it to be. Ten
days of perfect weather gave an air of jollity and freedom from care
to everything that was delightful and invigorating to me who for ten
months had seen nothing but desolation and provincialism. Many of
the chiefly interesting places were more or less closed, but as far
as the mere sight seeing was concerned I of course "did" all the
obvious places. But what chiefly delighted were the gay crowds on
the Boulevards - all brightly dressed and gay even though it may be
war time. The Champs Elysees were just marvellous - and the view
from the Arch de Triumph in the Place d'Etoile was wonderful,
absolutely wonderful. I was often in the Bois de Boulogne - roving
about or rowing on the lakes - and this particular resort pleased my
fancy greatly. The theatres were good and most interesting in every
way. And the girls are sublime - nothing else like them anywhere
I've been. London is hopelessly outclassed. I made the acquaintance
of two American captains - Patch and Sibert - the latter the son of
the American general. They were of excellent type and awfully decent.
We had a wild time together, and finished it off by going up over
Paris in an aeroplane. I should think there are not very many
Australians who have done so. It was thrilling - not pleasant
afterwards as I was rather ill - air sick. Still I'm not for the
air service as a profession. Altogether I retain a very pleasurable
memory of Paris - the best holiday I've ever had.
The journey back was very long and wearisome - it took ^me 48 hours to
rejoin the unit - of which time I spent 19 hours in the train. At
Boulogne I met Jean Darvall, who is a nurse there at No. 57 General.
We spent a very pleasant afternoon together.
The battalion is now in another area - very famous - and is
about to undertake a highly important labour, to add fresh laurels to
our name and acquire a most important and valuably strategical point.
October 6th, 1917.
Autumn has again set in and manifests itself without doubt or
fear of misunderstanding. For the last few days it has been raining
hard with as gusty blasts as ever disgraced last year. For the last
week we've been out of things - the first stunt that I have been out
of. We expect, however, to return again to take part at any time.
Things back here are quite quiet - but day and night we can hear the
guns thundering away at their grim work on the Passchendaele Ridge -
our final stopping place this winter, methinks. Fritz has been busy
the last week with his aerial bombs, and had some success on our
brigade - casualties are about 100 for the three nights that he
contemplated mischief. In addition, as recorded in the papers, he
tries to make things bad in our back areas by using greatly his H.V.
gun - the "rubber heeled one" as we call it. But he does surprisingly
little damage with it. In the papers one sees the people at ?
complaining about damaged fruit and so on - damaged, that is, as a
result of air raids. It seems awfully and always insignificant and
paltry to us - but then some of them don't know even yet that there
is a war on.
Last week I had 23 letters from home - always a welcome and
delightful experience. I am engaged this afternoon in answering
some - but materials are rather scanty just at present. The sun has
just appeared again - we did not expect it for a few months yet. It
seemed to have definitely retired for the season.
 

6.
October 24th, 1917.
Today finds us back again at Remilly Virquin - the few of us that
still remain, that is. For the past fifteen days we've been through
the hardest and most trying time the battalion has ever experienced.
About 7/10/17 we got word to proceed to Passchendaele - or rather to
the line just before it. It was not quite known exactly where the line
was - as a push had taken place in the morning by an Imperial division.
So I went ahead of the battalion to find where we should be and
where the enemy was. As I passed over Hill 40 and Abraham Heights
I met three Tommy majors who implored me to stay back - "He's
shelling and sniping dreadfully" quoth one. Anyhow I went over and
down the slope - which was littered with dead, both theirs and ours.
I got to one pill box to find it just a mass of dead, and so I passed
on carefully to the one ahead. Here I found about fifty men alive -
of the M-----. Never have I seen men so broken and demoralised. They
were huddled up close behind the box in the last stages of exhaustion
and fear. Fritz had been sniping them off all day and had accounted
for 57 that day - the dead and dying lay in piles. The wounded were
numerous - unattended and weak, they groaned and moaned all over the
place, and their comrades took no notice. Some had been there four
days already - their wounds were festering - they had had no food and
their damned Hqrs seemingly cared not a whit for them. It was
ghastly. Finally the company came up - the men done after a fearful
struggle through the mud and shell holes, not to speak of the barrage
which the Hun put down and which caught numbers. The position was
obscure - a dark night - no line - demoralised Tommies - and no sign
of the enemy. So I pushed out with my platoon ready for anything
and ran into the foe some eighty yards ahead. He put in a few bursts
of rapid fire and then fled. We could not pursue as we had to
establish the line which was accomplished about an hour later. I
spent the rest of the night in a shell hole - up to my knees in mud
and with the rain teeming down. For two days we stayed like that
while the Hun played a continuous barrage upon us. Our - - -& --_
brigades came up to relieve us and we moved back 1000 yards, hotly
pappered by an intense barrage combined with gas - which disorganised
our coys and rendered many casualties. The men were utterly exhausted
and but few were strong enough to get out to our position. We dug in
on Hill 40 that night, and the rain teemed down - the trenches fell
in, such as were not battered by heavy shell-fire. In short, the
position was almost unbearable. The men were falling out in numbers
owing to utter exhaustion, illness, and casualties, so that the
battalion numbered on the morning of the next day a mere handful of
seventy-four! The attack by our- - - & - - - brigades got through
but due to inadequate preparation and almost criminal negligence the
troops on our flanks did not proceed, and our men had to fall back,
losing hundreds while so doing by machine-gun fire. The next day we
were ordered to retake the line - and then our units sunk to the
lowest pitch of which I have ever been cognisant. It looked hopeless
the men were so utterly done. However, the attempt had to xx be
made, and accordingly we moved up that night - a battalion 90 strong;
I had "A" Coy with 23 men! We got up to our position somehow or
other - and the fellows were dropping out unconscious along the road
- they have guts my word! - that's the way to express it. We found
the line instead of being advanced - some 30 yards behind where we had
left it - and the shell stricken and sodden ground thick with dead
and wounded - some of the M- - - were there yet, seven days wounded and
not looked to. But men walked over them - no heed was paid to anything
but the job. Our men gave all their food and water away, but that
was all they could do. That night my two runners were killed as they
sat beside me, and casualties were numerous again. He blew me out of
my shellhole thrice, so I shifted to an abandoned pillbox. There were
24 wounded men inside - two dead Huns on the floor and six outside, in
various stages of decomposition. The stench was dreadful. We got
the wounded away at last, as well as two wounded Huns - with whom I
conversed in search of news. When day broke I looked over the
position. Over forty dead lay within twenty yards of where I stood
and the whole valley was full of them. However, one doesn't worry
about that, and I slept and ate with two dead Huns on the floor under
 

7.
my feet and the six outside the door. I wished they wouldn't smell
so much, that was all. One Hun was amusing. He was sitting up
against the wall and all his head was gone save the bare skull - it
was as clean inside as an egg - just the skull inside and his hair
outside - quite neatly done too. He had just written to his mother
I read the letter. He said he would be home for Xmas. Perhaps so.
We had another four days of this and then retired to a position
1000 yards behind again. Here we stayed for four days and got
shelled to hell, but no one minds that - a shell drops alongside
and one merely calls it a bastard, curses the Hun, and wipes off
the mud. Anyhow we are out now and I don't mind much. Only I'd
like to have a talk with some war correspondents - liars they are. T
The reaction is still to come and I'm rather frightened of it - I
feel about eighty years old now.
 

7557.
 19 July 1932.
Major L.F. Giblin, D.S.O.. M.C.,
Commonwealth Statistician,
Canberra, F.C.T.
Dear Giblin,
Many years ago you pin-pointed for me on a map the
position of the 10th Brigade's line on 12 October 1917. I
still have the note that I made, and, examining an 
air-photograph of October 15, I find two trenches of which I have
made a rough tracing, which I attach. It occurs to me that
the rear line may have been the one on which you fell back
when your flank was shelled (I have a note that you said that
a prominent tree appeared to serve as a range-mark for the
German guns). I cannot identify the tree on this photograph,
unless it was in the hedge on the left; of course, it might
have been knocked down by October 15. Would you give me the
benefit of your recollection as to whether these were the
trenches you occupied?
(2) I think when I saw you, you had some doubt as to
whether any party of our men reached the head of the rather
deep valley at Passchendaele church. I have found, however,
a number of indications that some party did so; these are
apart from a definite statement by Lance-Corporal 
Charlesworth that he and 20 men got to Passchendaele church. Some
party, indeed, captured the H.Q. of the II Battalion, 29th
I.R., in that direction, and the prisoners reached the corps
cage. It must have been at an early stage.
With kind regards.
Yours sincerely.
C.E.W. Bean.