Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/45/1 - June 1916 - Part 9
(2)
92
The angle
All the wire
previously
reconnoitred
had been
well cut
by mortars.
But
it was
French parties
found that in
the "borrow pit" in
front of the trench
[[?]] was wire
on knife rests
and
also some
pegged down,
which had not
been cut by
bombardment.
It had not been
seen in
reconnaisance
The three bayonet
men of the
left trench
party all were
caught
in this.
\Their officer,
Lieut.Loughlin,
reached
the parapet
first. (The wire was
3 ft high &
a serious
obstacle. By
the time
they returned it
had been cut
& mats laid down).
As Lieut.Loughlin
\\reached
the parapet
a German fired at
him over it, hitting
him through the
thigh.Loughlin
fired back
with his revolver.
The man
was not
noticed dead but
was not X
seen again.
The trench parties
(right and left)
lined up to right
and left of Loughlin
and Lieut
Hyde on the
parapet and
ll jumped
into the trench
together.
The parapet was
about 10 feet
across the top at this
place. The trench
was 9 feet deep. T
here was a fire
step,and
the top of the
parapet
was levelled off xxx
to permit of
firing
over the top of it.
No loopholes
were
noticed.
There was a
parados.
The parados
was not
as high as the
parapet,
possibly 4
feet lower. It
was not continuous,
but
seemed to be built up
such as we
build it with gaps
at intervals
leading to
the open
country
behind.
There were/no
dugouts
in the parados
although
one dugout
discovered by t
he left xxxx
party appears to
have been a
specially
constructed
chamber on
the rear side
of the
trench
where
the parados
would be.
Thexxxx men who
saw it however
distinguish
between this
construction
and the
simple "Parados",
and probably
mean that
where the
parados
formed
the back wall
there were
\ no dugouts
dug into it.
The trench
was floored l
ike a house.
There were no
duckboards.
The fire trench was
exceedingly
clean and dry.
THE
RIGHT PARTY.
The parties ^
(led only by
prismatic
compass)
struck the
trench
at exactly
the point ^
A) where
xthey \
had always
entered its ^
replica in
practice
This
was a long bay.
There was
\no one in this bay.
The right party
(2)
100c
filed down it to the right.
In the/first traverse
was a dugout.
It was xxxxx built
into the traverse at a
higher level than
the floor of the
trench.There
was no door,
but the entrance
\was only about
three feet wide.
\The chamber
was much wider
than the entrance.
It was low .
There were no bunks,
but blankets
recently left. a
German helmet and
a respirator.
The sides were sandbags
supported
by a wooden frame.
In the traverse -apparently i
n the side of it - about
3 feet above the floor of the trench
was a metal door.It was
large enough for the door
\of a dugout. It could
not be opened
The letter H was
painted on it.
In the second bay feet
were seen sticking out
from the
bottom of the parapet.
A man was pulled out very
much frightened(.
He was passed from
man to man
rather roughly
imploring"Oh
mercy kamerad" "
Me come Kamerad" ....
xxx Lieut.Hyde received xx
him rather more gently and
passed him over
the parapet to the
men waiting there
for prisoners.
He was put in
charge of a man
who frogmarched him at
a run straight back
along the tape xxx
across Nomansland
Those waiting at t
he sally paort suddenly
saw two men bundling up
out of the darkness a
few yards away.
A frightened much
bespattered
German was
suddenly thrust in
amongst them
with the words "
Here's a Bastard" and
his guard
disappeared again
over Nomansland.
The dugout from
which he was pulled
was exactly like xx
that in the last bay.
In the next bay was a
third dugout.
This was bombed. The
trench xxx had been
destroyed
at the end of
this bay by a
large crater.A man was
lying dead
beside the crater.
Time was
up and the right
party returned.
THE LEFT PARTY.
The left party turned to
left along trench.
The long bay
seemed to end not in a
regular traverse but in
an angle jutting
somewhat to the right
.On the map/A
communication
trench
ran off here.(C). This
was the only point
mentioned to me xxx
where the map based
on aeroplane photos
was xxxx\
misleading.
The communication
trench or
gap ran out in a
few paces into xx
(3)
100d
the open, and
the sergeant
who went down it
found himself in
slush. xxxxxxxxx
The ground rose
slightly
behind
his gap
and the
support
trench
on the map
was not visible,
being xxxx
behind the rise.
The fire trench
at this
point made a
Y with the
communication
alley. In the
right branch of the
Y on the floor
of the trench was a
trench mortar.
It was placed
pointing up
the trench towards
our trenches
so as just to clear
the parapet.
It was heavy and
apparently fixed.(
A bomb was
exploded down
the barrel and another -
Mills- beneath it).
There was nothing in
the next bay.
In the third bay was
a dug out^(X).
A face was seen in it.
A shot was fired at the man
and
he was dragged out. He was a
big man and resisted. He was shot
several times and finished,
as he was still alive. with a knobkerry.
[*There was some quite
unnecessary boasting
abt the knocking of this
poor chap on the head.
It is not a great feat
to hit a wounded man x
over the skull.
"He was sitting up crying"
sd one man.
The man who ws
bragging was a talkative
English-born Australian but
some of the others
seemed quite to
approve of his brag.*]
Three more men were
taken from this dugout.
They came easily, and
were handed to
the scouts, who
passed them through
a breach in the trench
near the trench mortar.
The fourth man had a cape with two
tucks in it. It was just as
these men were being passed through
the parapet that a
stretcherbearer named
Mackenzie who was at
the gap on the outside
of the trench was shoy
through the xxxx
throat, probably by a
chance shot
from elsewhere,
although some
say they saw a flash
at close range.
The chamber in
which these men
were was under
the parapet
but was not a
dugout for
iving in.
The floor of it was
about 4
inches below
the level of the
loor of the
trench,
and
was covered
with water.
inside on a
plate of tin
or iron to raise
themselves
above the water.
The
entrance was very
low and there
were perhaps 7 feet
of sandbag
protection
from it roof up to
the/top level of
the parapet.
The xx
place did not\
seem to be
concreted
but built with \
wooden xxxxx
uprights and
sandbags
(although
this is not
very definite).Its
roof was 2 ft.from
trench floor
There was no
equipment,etc.in
it.
Just beyond this at G,
where a communication trench xxx
came in at the end of the
2nd bay was a
machine gun emplacemet
(4)
100 e
It was known that
this m.g.
would be
found there.
It had been
seen during night
bombardments; and
the day
before the raid
it had been
pointed out through
an artillery
observation periscope
to Lieut.Rodgers.
The front of
the emplacement
was
covered by
sacks
working on
strings and
these
could be seen
through the
periscope.
The
emplacement
was built
into the
parapet
about 4ft
or 5ft up. It was
large enough to
hold the gun
and two men.
xxxxx The gun
was pointed
across to the
left enfilading
Nomansland in
direction of
our salient.
It was on a
heavy four
legged
mounting
shaped
like a table
with the
legs spread
like those
of a
vaulting
horse.
The legs
were fixd
onto xx a
long flat
metal plate.
The gun
was clamped
with four
bolts to the top of
the mounting
and could not
be dismounted.
The gun as fixed could
not be traversed
at all,and there seemd
to be no arrangement
for traversing.
No concrete or steel xx
plates were noticed in
the emplacement.
The gun was taken
away mounting,
bedplate and all.It
took 4 men to carry it,
and was abandoned
in Nomansland about
40 yards from our side of
the enemys wire.
(The gun was long/and x
It could not be seen
next day. )
There was a belt
in it which
could not be
got out
and dragged.
The bullets did
nor seem to
be pointed,
but like our
mark 6 bullet.
At the rear
of the next
angle
along the fire
rench,
(position not
very clear)
bright light
was seen
coming from a
dugout.A bomb
was thrown in.
The light
disappeared but
was
relit. A number more
bombs were thrown
in - possibly six or
seven. [No rifles or rifle
equipment of any
sort was found
in the trench
& all the Germans
captured
were unarmed].
At this time a
messenger arrived
recalling the party.
A bomb was
thrown from
the parapet,by
a/one of our
bombers
there, further
up the trench .It
struck against
something
metallic
in the floor
of the trench at D,
and an object
was seen
pointing
up in the air. It
was taken to
be another
trench mortar.
As the retreating
party
neared the
angle before the m.g.
emplacement they
noticed under
the parapet a metal
plate It
ran in a slot on one s
\ide but
was out of its
slot the other
92
(5)
100f
side. It was wrenched away and
a man, older than the others,
with a beard was taken out. He
was by himself. This was the
same sort of "funkhole"^ (Z) as that from which
the three prisoners
were taken. He was made prisoner.
The party was recalled by messenger,
\not by whistle.
A whistle had been arranged,
but if it was used it was not
heard. From the telephone on the parapet
the work "Bunk" was
sent back - warning to the guns to
get ready to lower onto
the front parapet again. Flares
were up and the party think
they were certainly seen going back .
Shots began to be fired
at them from the Angle and could
be seen flicking the rain xxx
from the wet grass close to
the retiring party.
It seems to
have been then that the machine gun,
which
hampered them, was abandoned.
No machine gun fire was noticed.
When they reached halfway the word
"Hooray" was
sent , as a signal to the guns to
ower onto enemys front
parapet. Before the party
reached our
trench the guns had xxxx
altered and the sniping at
once ceased.
Party was in by 1.13. x
A message to the guns was
sent & they
had ceased by 1.20.
The German trenches had been
\damaged by our bombsxxx Shells had also in some cases
penetrated parts of the parapet.
Such damage as was visible from
shellfire was mostly xxxx
rather in rear of the parapet.
The men were very proud of
their prisoners, and
when they returned the
difficulty
was not to get the prisoners
guarded but to detach
each captor
from "my prisoner".
The 1st Divisional
artillery fired
about 2000 rounds
18 odr and 4.5 hows. No
heavy gunsx were
used.The German reply
was not very quick.
Half a dozen
red rockets were
sent up by
the Germans
after our
artillery opened,
each of which burst
into two red stars.
The reply took about
7 or 8 minutes in coming.
It came from not more than
two field batteries and one of
5.9s.
Our party was
guided back by
German tapes xxxxxxx
used in previous
German raid. xxxx
These were laid parallel
to telephone line at
a little distance,
were easily visible,
and prevented tripping
over telephone.
They were
brought back x
as were telephones.
One man was shot at
running away & s
ome others are
sd to have
been killed.
Total is sd
to be 5 prisoners,
12 killed. I did
not hear of more than
3 known to
have be killed.
2
100
wondering why she hasn't
heard from him for two days,
I always hope to goodness
that the man ws captured
alive; & was not that poor
fighting beggar,
for example, the
other day whom
the talkative
English-Australian
finished
off with a
knobkerry. he was
a big man - they sd - &
fought. (He
seems to have bn
only one
who did fight).
They
fired first
at his face
-then
dragged him out -
& as
he resisted Sergt --
quite
rightly shot him twice -
probably
thro' the head.
They
left him there in / \
trench &
went on. But
when they
came back
he was still
there sitting up,
\ crying - so
the talkative
\ English
Australian
hit him
several
times on the
2
101
head with a
ratchet wheel on
the end of
a short baton -
It may really
have been an act
of kindness -
but why did
the swine boast
about it?
Somebody mentioned
at dinner tonight
that the
clock is to
go on one hour
at 10 o'c. & that
we shall
be getting up
\at 6 tomorrow
under the
impression it is 7.
Daylight saving -
I hadn't
heard that it was
contemplated
here. It xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
will be curious
having it light
until after 10 o'c. at night.
Here is a typical
aeroplane report
(about beginning
of June I copied it).
" Lt. Buck , Pilot
" Capt. W.H. Waller observer
" Artillery observation
105th Howitzer Battery
5th Bde 2nd Anzacs
16 13 193
2
102
" 10.40 a.m to 12.5 p.m.
Small flash
seen at I.33. A 8.6.
Sent down
NF. 5th shot was
O.K. gave battery
fire M.O.K.
Men were
seen running on
tio the road ^
to the left &
more men were
seen running into
what looked
like a drain or
old xxx
trench
to the left.
Sent down to
change to
shrapnel.
By observer.
Lt. Shepherd Pilot
Capt. Waller W.H.
Observer -
artillery
observation ,
2nd
Divn
Artillery, 6th Bde.
2.55 pm to 3.45 pm.
N F. O 7 d 7.9.
not registered
as battery wd
not correct
according to code.
Changed
to O. 15 C.69 .
After waiting
35 minutes battery fired. No
shots observed
with H.E./
changed too
shrapnel.
Got OK.
2
103
Flash seen at O15 C.5.9 .
which may have
been the
guns firing at H 22 & 16.
4 squares behind hedge at
H. 16. xx b.4.4. Two middle
squares red, outside
squares white.
Very noticeable
at all heights. (by observer).
Took Russell the war
correspt. down to see his
son in 9th Bn today. Perry
Robinson of [[Tae Tunes?]] &
Ross came with us.
We
saw the boy -
very young,
a nice little chap,
2 years
out from England
& farming
at Lismore.
Russell tipped
him like a
father visiting a
boy at school.
Afterwards
went to tea at
9th Bn Headqrs. The mess
there - like most of our
103a
[[?]] IN THE LIMELIGHT.
_______
What the Anzacs Think is the
Canadians' Due.
_____________
The following message
has been received by the
High Commissioner for
Australia from Captain C.
E. W Bean, official Press
representative of the
Australian Imperial Force in France:-
In the small hours of June 13th
Australians
again raided the German trenches. As
before, the raid was preceded by
a sharp bombardment.
The arrangements worked like clock
work down to the smallest details.
The party
which was chosen from one of the
earlier Victoria[[n?]
Battalions, spent several i
nteresting minutes in [[?]]
German front trench.
They pulled six prison[[?]]
out of dugouts, bombed others,
killed seve[[?]]
mans, and returned with
prisoners at a tot[[?]]
of two men wounded.
Within half an hour of the
first gun the party was back.
The uproar of the
guns had ceased and
the night was quiet again.
These raids are small affairs,
and are common
along the whole line. It is always gratifying
when arrangements work
so perfectly as on these
two occasions. At the same time,
I am constantly
asked by many
Anzac officers
and men to state
again what I
stated strongly
some weeks ago-
that the Anzac
troops do
not claim or desire the
public attention
which has
been directed
to these
small feats. Wherever
one goes in
the trenches
one finds both
men and
officers sensitive
on this
point, and
that they
rather
dread the
undoubted
tendency of
people in
Great Britain
and Australia
to exaggerate the
feats of
Anzacs.
They
well know
that
their
mettle
has not
been
tried in
France
as yet by
any hard
fighting.
hey are
doing
their daily
work
honestly
and well;
but in
a quiet
part
of the
line,
which
they all
realise
bears not
the faintest
resemblance
to the
awkward
corners,
such
as the
Ypres
salient,
held by
British
troops for
nearly
two years.
An officer
of one of
the Anzac
Battalions
expressed
what I
believe is
the general
eeling of the
whole force
when he
said to
me to-day,
eferring
to the
tremendous
bombardment
which we
heard at
intervals
throughout
this week from
the far north, "
It is
the
Canadians
who should
be in the
limelight
now."
2
104
officers &
men out here -
are
rather sick
with the
way
in which
the press is
buttering
up the
Anzacs for
the little
raids they
have made,
or for xxxx
things
that they
have
not done
at all.
I had, as
a matter
of fact,
written to
Smart &
Murdoch
xxxxx
last nightxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
telling them
that it was a
pity
to make too
much fuss over
the Anzacs
now - that it
was the
Canadians
who were
having
the hard
fighting
at the
moment &
who deserved
all the praise.
We shall deserve
it when /
time comes -
but we
have had no
trial at all
(except fairly
hard
work in
case of some
battalions)
up to
present.
Several
fellows
have
asked me
not to
exaggerate
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