Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/159/1 - June 1917 - Part 6

62

Hand drawn diagram – see original

38 Bn carried 6 Bridges
& put down most of
them.   4 were apptly
used.   Some bridges
were not properly
placed & gave way &
men got a dowsing

39
63
later.   Some recovered
& went on & reported
later.   There were not 
v. many cases of v.
bad gassing.   But fresh
air in Heath trench made
them very much better.
They cd get their
masks off there.
At front line they were
formed up abt 2.30
in Assembly trench.
All previous nights
German had heavily shelled
front line & our wire
cutting had to be done by
men creeping out by day.
This night no wire
 

39
64
heavy shelling of front
line took place.
The green light ws
put up on the NZ front.
NZs were on our left -
One 1st NZR  Bn came w 38 as
far as Ulcer Reserve,
Other to Black Line &
for  (1st Auck Regt).
               _______
Went in 530 strong from
Brune Gaye -
(had bn in 19 days then out
4 days - & during this
disturbed time lost 9 2 men
4 offrs in a raid on May 27/8
in wh right they got in
& got some prisoners.   But
 

65
X
These were injured by our
own heavy guns firing.
These were new guns - just
come in - & were firing on both flanks,
registering  & fell short
amongst our own infy -
all The number of 
killed ws high & / wounds
v. severe.

39
66
in a team of 100 on
left only 20 were left
to do the job in the
trench - of 80 doing work
in trench 60 ^X were injured.
50 of whole lot k & many
badly wd.   2 offrs k  2 w.
Out of team of 214.)

Lost  160  altogether in
period k or w.  (being in
last of 10 Bde. - handed
over to 11 Bde. &
were in rest 4 days
before stunt - Arty fire
very active at this
time esp. at Advanced
Estaminet.
 

67
Maj.  Maudsley D.
          O.C. 1st wave. (Melb Accountant)
Capt.  Trebilcock - Kerang.
           O.C.  2nd wave.
Capt.   Fairweather Heidelberg
            O.C.  3rd wave.
Capt.   Latchford, Melb. & Moonee Ponds
            with 1st wave  

All unhurt.
                 __________________________
Latchford later went
w B Coy to Black line.

39
68
Went in 530 strong.
Casualties abt 250.
____________________
Hand drawn diagram – see original

1st wave 38 Bn
took from Ulcer
Reserve & Switch
from Schnitzel to
River & continuatn
of Ungodly  Ulna Ave
& Ungodly Ave
to 125 yds E of
Messines Rd.

The oppositn ws
met with 200 yds East
of Ungodly trench where
there ws a hedge behind
wh the Germans in
shellholes.   There ws
 

69
3rd wave

Lt Maxwell W.    Brighton Melb.
hit in wrist 2nd day
during heavy shelling
in aftn.
Lt Robb L. S.    Kew Melb.
Eye
Lt Herring R. C.    Vic  Country
right thigh       E. Malvern 
All NCOs exc.  2 hit.

All during heavy shelling after 1st [[mg.?]]

39
70
a ditch there ^∧- no trench. Some o /
Germs had fired 30 or
40 rounds.
There were 1 or 2
Germs in Ungodly trench
& as soon as we
got to Ungodly trench we
saw Germs running from
there & getting down behind
this further hedge.   Some of
our men dropped & it
ws clear tt there wd
be some trouble at this
hedge.   There ws a m.g.
emplacement in the concrete
dugout in SE corner of
the Seta Bethlehem Triangular
clump - apparently the
Dump ws supplied by the
old tram to Messines (on this rd)
 

71

Hand drawn diagram – see original
72
& transferred to trench tramway here.
(running to the Petite Douve).
There ws a m.g. in this blockhouse.
Fairweather caught a puff of
smoke coming from this blockhouse.
He with a Sergt & 2 signallers
crawled across shellholes,
got thro hedge at abt 3 D4.3
ran up track & got to back

of blockhouse
Hand drawn diagram – see original
The emplacement
ws a concrete 
one just outside
the concrete emplacement.   There
ws a steel door in E side
& m..g. ws firing past a big
tree as shown. There were
8 with the gun  -  but 6
bolted & were 50 yds from
gun when F. got there.
 

39
73
They ran towds Bethlehem
Fm. Gun ws there alone
still steaming. As soon
as they came round corner
an offr & 1 man in hut
began to sing out abt surrendg.
(The offr cd speak a little
English.) F. & man got gun
off emplacement - belt &
750 rounds still in it. They
got it at once on people
running away.   After abt 150
rounds they were down in
shellholes & disappeared.
The germans behind
the hedge were abt as
marked by X X in the
sketch.
 

39
74
By the time the m..g. emplact.
ws silenced these were
finished. Some bolted,
but abt 30-35 were k
& lying in shellholes - thro
rifle fire.
The 3rd wave then
passed over the road near
the semicircular deviation
Hand drawn diagram – see original
in 3 D. There ws a
gun in
Hand drawn diagram – see original
S corner of triangular field there.
A couple of men shot 2 of gun
crew there (A 77. wh ws
still complete sights & everything
- this gun ws brought in June 11/12)
There ws another gun on
 

75

The 2 Sappers for the bldg of strong posts
came up to F. & told him tt their colonel
had gn them partic^r. instns not
to fight etc...   But / first F saw
of them they were both firing for
all they were worth.

39
76
N side of Bethlehem - Sights
were missing & gun had bn
dragged 40 yds.   xxxx  The
sights were found in overcoat pocket
of a German who ws xxxx  shot
in a shellhole close by. This
gun ws then complete. The
shooting of men ws excellent
& a large number of Germans
found dead had bn killed in
this way.
The flank ^([[Cpl?]]: Peglers) L.G. team worked
up Douve to where Messines Rd
crosses it. They found 3 Germans
running along road there with rifles slung over
shoulders - shot them.   The
Germans were running N.
They went thro a half prepared
bloc  house in process of
being turned into blockhouse,
w notebook open ^∧on table & writing
scarcely dry.
 

39
77
Most of them seem to have
got to abt Green line &
started to dig in when
barrage crept back onto
black line protective barrage.
They came back & found F.
digging strong pt just W of
Messines Rd  3.D 6.1.   F. sent
2 platoons forward to help
consold.s black line & kept
(by 2 wave)
2 to dig St.... pt.
                  ____________
At an early stage 39 Bn
ws held up near Grey Fm.
Pegler from N. side of Douve
worked forwd till he got behind
2 m.g.s holding up 39^th  &
turned onto them from rear flank.
Germs ran at once.

                  ___________
It ws quiet for 4 - 5 hrs.
All materials were got from Bethleh.