Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/158/1 - Notebook - Part 2

38
11
Further left a good many
Abt Germs were k. in 
Ultimo Support - but
no real oppositn in
C. Coy. D Coy found a
m.g. lying under the firestep
in Ultimo Avenue - not
used, but ready to be used.

Abt 6 hrs after that
Germs got a 5.9. gun
a great way back going
onto the rise wh made
the extreme right. This
was impossible for /
arty to observe (they
reported when asked for
C. battery). This gun
was at them day & night
whole time & caused most
casualties. He ws chiefly
onto his own old front
line - Ultimo trench. To start

38
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w White took an old
concrete dugout there as
H.Q. Germs hit the doorway
& k 3 signallers & wd 2.
W. had to leave it & make
HQrs in a firebay in
/ front line.
The Russian Sap ws
opened by the Canadian
tunellers afterwds -
towds end of 1st day - pulled
it down Before this the open had
bn entirely used.
Any party (before then)
wh strayed & got on the
S. slope o / hill ws under
mg fire all / way.
One pty of 6 lost 3
men wd. Two men
of 36 Bn were found
in nomansland level w / Mine
crater, dead - must have

38
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lost way.
^Early On June 8. for 1st time a party
of 20 Germans ws seen
working out from Ultimo
Lane down Ultimo Support
& over open where / trench
does not exist. L.G. ws
got onto then & 2 were hit.
That is the only movement
tt ws seen except at a
distance up by Thatched
cottage where movement
of Germs was often seen,
but it cd not  be said of what
nature.
Nothing came agst
the 33 Bn in the way of
a counter attack - no
shrapnel, just
persistent bombt. On

38
14
June 9 the Germ. brought
up a whizzbang & a high
velocity 4.2. which were
mostly after carrying
pties & commns -
sniping for some sort of
observation. There ws
no movement up the
trenches to right - Factory
Fm crater blocked front
line, & ultra support
did not exist (where erased
in Douve map).
The 20 men seen
were probly a strong
patrol seeing if we
really held the crater
or the country in
front.

38
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The barrage ws very close
& no forward movement
ws possible. 
On June 9 the Post at Thatched 
Cot. ws placed. 
On June 9/10 No 2 post

2 of the runners who
were returning from Fuze
Cot. Post struck near
an occupied Germ. line. 
They lay up & saw 2 men
(correspds. in size to Linklater
& his runner) pass - These
were challenged. They fire
a shot; There were shots
& a bomb in reply &
Germs were later seen
moving abt there. 
The gas ws a great
anxiety. Every trench ws
shelled to pieces - & it ws
 

38
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only because the men
knew where they were to
go & determined to get there
tt they got thro'.
The 5.9 battery, firing
single shots from Warneton
directn, caused losses
the whole time. 
At nights patrols
were sent out to strong
post near junction of
Ultimo avenue & Switch
with orders from w, to
put up Verey lights. 
The Germs prob thought
this [[pl?]] ws occupied &
shelter it heavily. 
This extreme right of the
Black line trench ws observed
& the German shelled it
heavily - & also the big
 

17
Hand drawn image - refer to original
The men were safe
under the wall
o / crater. The land
ws soft & there ws no
backblast.

38
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dugouts in his front line.
This gun ws respons. for 
61% casualties in D Coy.
Lt Fraser (A. Coy.) had leg cut by
shrapnel; Lt Mackenzie
ws buried & had knee twisted
& back hurt.
A boy named Maclean
ws buried & shouted to a
Scotsman Campbell to
dig him out - C. looked at
him & sd: "No you stay
where you are. Youre
safe. and in cover there."
___________ 

19
Started 723 - who went actually in.
Abt 40 cut out thro gas.
The Bn had 352 casualties incl.
there.

38
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34 Bn.
Got into gas before
reaching parallel of
Ploegstreet. Route ws
the Blue Route up Warnave
Ruin past Touquet,
along subsidiary line to
Regent St, up Regent St
onto blue track specially
made from Bunhill Row.
The first Coy ws in the 
supprt trench ½ hr before
Zero - & the last 
coy (wh cd not go up
common trench - lots of
Ontario Ave ws bloked
& smashed) went 
thro wood & over the
top straight away.
 

38
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35 were ahead of 34.
An old trench had bn cleaned
out for the assembly for right
& centre coys. Left coy ws
in support line behind
Antons Farm.
. A fourth Coy (D Coy) was
behind Antons Farm rather
extended in second support line.
They went over in
arty formation avoiding
the craters.
Task of 84 did not
begin till they moved 
thro 35. They went over
p immediately behind 35
Bn. 
There ws little opposition
in front & support lines.
There ws a halt
from ^+39 to +42 +45 to + 57 on Ulster 
 

22
At 75 one offr Cains O.C. B Coy sent sketch:
My defence is roughly this (at 7.5am)
Hand drawn image - refer to original

By 5.35 a.m. Capt R Steward was
able to report that the men
had dug now pretty good 
cover - 2 snipers in front. 

5.40 the signallers were in touch
with all coys & with 33 Bn (B Coy)
on their rt.
Abt 6 small gaps divided them

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switch - & this ws
where 34 Bn started
on its territory - Ulster
Switch ws limit of 35 Bn
There were Germans
in Ulster Ave. & Ulrica
Ave - but first serious
mg. fire ws met with
from Grey Fm & Ulster
Reserve, there being 
some sort of nest also
at the S. end of Ulster
Reserve. There were
2 m.gs in Grey Farm
& two along Ulster Reserve,
The 34 Bn got straight
in & captured these
m.gs - the Germans 
when they arrived at
the Fm pretended they
had not bn firing their