Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/160/1 - June 1917 - Part 5

54
x Son of district
Engr for rlys, Roma. 

Q.
Norman Frederick B.
Diagram - see original document
This road is 
not on our 

maps.
Germs call this
A La Belle Promenade
Cabaret
From Germ. map 1/1000.

40                      55
C.O. sent adjt. Lt Bremner 
out to see situation. He
found the 3 coys & started
to look for B. He wandered
on & found them out
near Uncanny trench in
front of it - He put them
on to the others. All B Coy
offrs had gone - one
Lt Mendoza - ws lying
wd in Septiene Barn. x
Bremner put them on the
track, went back for
Mendoza under m.g
fire & carried Mendoza
home. He ws attacked by
5 Germs. with rifles. He
killed 4 w revolver &
wd the 5^th & bought
him in prisoners to give

40                           56
information.
That saved the
situation - put the 4
coys together & put them
into positn to make anor.
assault.
Abt midnight they
were reinfd by a coy of
48 Bn under Mayersbeth.
Del 2.44 arrived a runner 
giving Zero at 3.0. There
ws not time, but they
started abt 40 mins after
the barrage to dig approach

as close as possible, sneak

up & dig in. some

They got well up & when

spotted were abt 200 yds

off Owl trench. They lay

40         57
low & attempted the stalking
movement, fighting patrols
causing a diversion on
the flanks. By 7 a.m.
they were in Owl trench
which the Germans had reoccupied
- some prisoners were taken
there (194 prisoners were taken
by 47 Bn).
In Owl they started to
consolidate & began some tactics
towds Owl support. Got in
there at 8.30 & found
a L.G team there where the
34 D grid line cuts the trench.
That gave 47 Bn its objective
- the first Bn on it. Both
right & left were uncertain.

40                58
The German ws busy with m.gs.
from Huns Walk, sniping.
They consold this line, sent
out fighting patrols towds
Huns Walk the chief idea
being to get left & rt linked
up. All day they had no
connection. As the left had
not come up 47 Bn took
over 600 yds of owl support
until Col. J & as flank Bn
did not come up, estab.
posts across left from
Owl Support to Owl trench.
The 44 Bn had relieved
37 Bn & they cam into
Uncanny trench & connected
there on June 8 or 9.
abt C.O^^Finlay saw them there by
midday when he ws there.

40     59
The 44 Bn finally connected up
uncanny support at 47 Bns
request. This gave a complete
line - Uncanny Support,
Owl Support, - Owl.
The lst C. attack ws
first night towds [Gapsard?] 
Inn.
Two smaller attacks came
from directn of [Steignast?]
(one in day - one in evg)
News came in evg. tt Germs
were massing at Warneton.
We got 4 Vickers guns (2
extra being now sent) on flanks
& front, 21 L.Gs. & all men
had bn trained in rapid
firing. They were ready for
anything. C.O sent message
to GOC tt the Germs had no

60
G. attack ws
/ chief expectation
of everybody

40             61
hope in life of getting there.
Presently they began to
appear along the rd behind
[Gapsard?] & [Steignast?],
towds Deconick Farm.
They got everything onto
them. Pigeons were due
to go so 2 were sent
with message tt 2 others
were being kept in case
Germs appeared. Abt
[4?]  hours or so later another
pair were sent to say
tt / Germans were appearing
& to be ready to put
SOS down when flare ws
sent up.
Abt ½ hr later the
Germans started. A flare

62
It is like playing
w a trigger to show
yourself at a moment
like this.

40     63
went up from / front
line & abt / same instant
down came the barrage.
The attack withered
up. The Germans retired
northwards into [Blaawepoosbey?]
valley.
On June 9^th a number were
seen around Steignast Fm.
& arty were induced to
put [G?] in [lows?] onto it.
They shot beautifully & the
country ws full of running
Germans.
Fighting patrols were
then sent all around towards
Steignast. German mgs there
prevented much movement.
At ^U 4B2-3 is a house (known
in 47 Bn as Hun House) &

40     64
found by Finlay on German
map in the shelter he ws in
to be a regimental H Qrs,
He sent a patrol there under
Lieut McKeon - & found
on / way to it a dead
German Major von Főrte.
He had a bag of papers &
maps & proved to be the
Adjt. of the XIX Armeekorps
These were sent to Divn.
They saw movement at
the House & were being
sniped from trees further.
They lay doggo till dusk,
went down Uncanny,
Undulating (no occupied)
up sap leading to SE
of Hun House. When
they got hear the wire

40                                65
of Undulating Support
they surprised a pocket
of 20/30 Germs. The
Germans put up their S.O.S.
signal, wh is same as ours.
Result ws tt both barrages
came down. The Germs
ran & our men had to
stay there & eventually returned
to 44 Bn lines near(E of)
Undulating trench, & got back to
their own trench after being out
6 hours.
Hun House ws an old
Farm House with a
concrete shelter alongside
of it.

The mules used to go

up to Owl trench (the Bn.

40                                         66
Q.M got these mules up) to
Owl trench with rations. The
pack mule train had to get
stores up. Bn H.Qrs consisted
of C.O. Adjt. 2 runners &
8 signallers. They had 35
casualties at H.Qrs in
one day. It ws a
concrete dugout, very
exposed & well marked.
It started by being on ground
level & finished by being
a white house. The 
first H.Q. ws a little
6ft concret signal stn
into wh the Germans
put m.g. bullets from
direction of Bethlehem
Farm. They found this