Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/160/1 - June 1917 - Part 2

12
Diagram – see original
40      13
While discussing w Col. Imlay - a
note arrived by runner from Bde,
(At 2.50) tt Zero hour wd
be at 3 a.m. These instrns
were then gn. Imlay sd he
wd arrange another barrage
& they wd go forwd again.
Cummings went thro' the
black line & there found
Capt Mayersbeth & C Coy
48 Bn. he ws then on
B Coys right. They went
thro' the black line - it
ws full of troops - by 3.45 a.m.
They went forwd in extended
formation - the men hopping
out of the black line & lining
up as marked. Things were
v. quiet - an occasional
whizzbang & odd m.gs &
many snipers fired at them. 

40       14
The line ws 150 yds in front
of the tape - an old German
defence line, covered in
by camouflage - bits of wood
etc. It ws v. shallow, may
have bn one of our original
British trenches on Messines ridge.
It ws disconnected in many
places. They just chanced
onto it. While consolidating
it they sent active patrols
forwd.
/ patrol under Lt C.W. Stoerkel
(Sergt ^Michael Patrick O'Brien - & Pte Wall.)
They were under heavy m.g.
& sniper fire, but found out tt
Oxygen trench ws not occupied.
(This fire tho they did not know
it probly came from the blockhouse

40       15
behind the hedge at abt O 4 D O34 D
5.6.
On this report Cumming
ordered / pln to occupy
Oxygen trench. They got down
a depression & along a row of
willow trees & got into Oxygen
trench still under heavy fire.
Then the same patrol went
forwd & reconnoitered Owl trench
(the same 3). They reported it
apparently unoccupied but
heavy m.g. fire coming from
the rear amongst the trees.
Cumming ordered another
pln to go thro the pln already
in Oxygen, to occupy Owl trench.
They went across extended,
thro the wire. When they

16
Diagram – see original
There ws a L.G. of 47 Bn
with team in Owl support all
thro, wh did not retire &
wh ws found by 48 when
they reached it next day.
40        17
got to the wire they were
under m.g. fire from the
left flank enfilading / wire
but somehow they got
thro' it. They had abt 4
casualties in getting across.
Cumming folld up at once
w rest of B Coy. (The Coys
were 2 plus strong.) C Coy ws
then brought up to right in Owl trench.
Mayersbeth came in further right.
Capt Williams of 47 Bn
with abt 80 men had
reported to Capt Cumming
in jumping off position where
old tren camouflaged trench was.
Capt Williams then
followed up into Oxygen
trench where he acted as support
& to guard the flanks.

18
Diagram – see original

40        19
Then Lieut Stoerkel & his
patrol went forwd again to
locate the German, as it looked
like a trap, things were so.
quiet & diff. to understand.
They went to reconnoitre Owl
Support & further. From Owl
Support he sent back a report.
1 Pln of C & 1 of B were
sent forwd at once to
occupy Owl Support wh
they did & were fired on
heavily but with no loss.
Stoerkel went out in
front of Owl Support &
ws here wounded. Pte
Wall & Sergt O'Brien brought
him in - he ws seen being
assisted in by one man on
each side. He ws not fired on

20
Diagram – see original
48        21
by / Germs. as he came 

in.
It ws at this time tt
Lieut Stubback came along
from Huns Walk - in
broken formation under
an erratic m.g. fire
but no one being hit.
It looked like a German trap.
Stubback moved down
trench to past the circular
strong point at elbow of
trench. The blockhouse ws
not held but a little
further down a heavy
sniping occurred & heads
of Germs. were seen above
the trench in grey tin helmets.
We put in a block abt
where marked. Stubback

40       22
organised a bombing pty
to go down the trench & sent in
situatn report to Col Herring
& proposed operatn order for
bomb attack. Col. Herring
ordered bombing attack not to
be undertaken till night
fall when he wd send Capt.
Allen up to see abt it.
2/Lt Allen of D coy came
in at the same time as
Stubback. They held up to
the block, & posted L.Gs.
They consolidated Owl trench.
In Owl Support both flanks
were in the air - the trench ws
not continuous. (There ws
some camouflage screen
behind Owl trench hiding probly
a gun).

23
Diagram – see original
Whittle selected these
positns first & then took
the men out.
40        24
A patrol under Sergt.
Whittle went forwd to
reconnoitre Owl trench on
left of Cummings & select
positns for outposts.
3 posts were pushed
out by day under
a good deal of fire -
taken out one by one by
Whittle & posted on
a line near Owl Support
from 34 D.3.4 to
34 D 2.7. in an
old trench. These
posts began digging to try &
make a continuous line.
Apparently the Germs
had hidden m.gs. & posts
out beyond & men cd not
go further without being sniped.

40       25
Whittle did not crawl like
a scout - he simply went out
& looked around, constantly
fired at. The men took
their food out with them.
Sergts Whittle & Symes
afterwds took out water to
them when going out to see how
work ws going on. While
they were out on outpost they
heard a wd man calling
further out. They came back
for a stretcher, went out
(at the time heavy ^general fire m.g.
& sniper) ws going on - &
brought the man in - he
was 47 or 45 Bn. who had
bn wd in the original attack.
He ws near the blockhouse.

40     26
June 8.4 p.m. The
Germans held the Blauwepoortbeek
valley & houses
& further W. than the Owl trench.
Abt 5.30 p.m. 45 Bn
under Capt Allen came
in with 30-50 men &
took positn on left of
48^th. They pushed down
trenches further till they struck
oppositn & put in a
further block, getting towards
34 Central.
This night a bombt began
around on the left, abt 8 p.m.
& extended to the left of 48 Bn
abt 8.30 or 9 p.m. Abt this
time a considerable no. of
Germs ws noticed moving