Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/165/1 - May - September 1917 - Part 3

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O.G.1 towds Gordons -

pushing Germs. in front

of them.  These Germs were

backing in front of 9 Bn.

The c. attack w Flammenw.

ws made before / junctn

ws effected. & The flammenw.

started - a flame abt

10 ft long, w noise worse

than escaping steam, brilliant

flame & heavy cloud of

whitish smoke.  An Austln

threw a bomb & hit him

on back & made a

terrible mess of him -

There were 3 flammenw. in

this attack - 2 were captd.

It ws this tt decided

N: to obtain the connection

w O.G.2 & fire superiority

across tt awkward corner 

towds the road junctn - Vickers

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2 S.Ms etc put in there.

9 Bn. Polygon.

Lost Capt. Carroll wd. 3 times

wd to start w 5 p.m.;  lay in shellhole

a bit till in Chateau Wood. after our barrage started 

then tried to get up & ws hit

again in Chateau Wood. He

went back & then turned agn &

started - ws hit 3rd time, in arm.

Reached dressing Stn at 4pm

on Menin Rd.

Capt McNaught ws hit in

head in Chateau Wood.

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They thought there might be a

fracture & wdnt let him

return.

Lieut Scougall (commdg.

"C." Knightley's Coy) k. near

J.O. trench.

Maj. Dougall - not seen since

After 5 in Chateau Wood.

when barrage came down

betw 4 & 5.  9 Bn got this

all in coming up.

B Coy ^ (Carriers) had not come

thro it when barrage started

9 Bn ws on left of 10 Bn

& next to 28 Bn.

28 Bn were at this 

time lying behind Westhoek

Ridge but flanks were

not touching 9^th who were

in touch w 25 Bn at start.

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12^th were ahead of 9^th.

The shelling at the start caused

pushing to get ahead of barrage

and whole Bde ws in mass 

going from J.O. to 1st objve.

In some places men went

up over their knees in getting

over black crater rims in Nonne

Bosschen swamp. They lay

up abt 100 yds in rear.

See - Narrative of Opn.

Only 6 offrs ^ out of 16 - mostly v. junior were left in

front line not counting H.Q.

mostly hit before start.

Lt. Meyers A Coy. did especially

well at forming up place & in

final objve. The Colonel who

watched the advance from

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Glencorse Wood & says tt it

ws just lines of men going

forward & no check at all.

The 9 Bn took up a little

of 28 Bn's ground & built

a str. pt just N of the road.

[This ws later blown out by

the German shelling when

23 Bn had it]

A very large map had bn

painted on calico & set up

in ^ farmhouse yard at Outersteen, &

all men saw it.

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58 Bn.  25^th Sept.

5.15 Germ. Barrage.

We were to have an Army

barrage at 6.30 folld by Corps

trial at 7.30.

German got SOS at

5.15 & the two trial barrages

as well.

(The 57 Bn walked into

a barrage & lost 3 Coy Commdrs)

During Before this barrage a

shell came into the window

of 58 Bn Aid Post (& Elliott 56

not w Bn ws in / same

post but another room.)

[On Boyle's right 8 of

RW x & an offr were k.

in one shellhole]

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5.15 Germ. barrage intensified.

6.15 it seemed to slacken

6.30 our arty appeared to

open up.

5.20 SOS went up from

front line.

5.30 SOS from HQrs &

another at 5.36. The

three coloured light is

a wonderful improvt

- not the wet brown paper

Somme rockets fired 

by a port light. These

are a canister fired

from rifle by blank charge.

Day SOS from mortar w red flare

& red smoke.

6.20 Two runners from

front line reported tt

Mx sent up SOS

folld. by A Coys (58 Bn) SOS.

The rt (A Coy. 2 plns 220 yds)

ws on rd on rt or S of Polygon

Wood - our exclusive boundary

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We were on our boundary

the Y & Lancs. were on

blue line slightly in rear.

3 times the Coy offr went

over & warned &

implored them to join

up in night.

As they didnt chevaux 

de Frise ws put across 

front line.

Next news from wd Mx
man who sd Germs.

were in front line trench

close to our rt flank.

Mx L.Gs remained in

front line (& were probly

taken prisoner) He sd

our LTM fire ws great.

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D Coy ws at once

(lying in Bn reserve

600 yds behind front

line) ws placed in 

defensive flank on

rt flank.

Germ. m.gs. from rt

were troublesome.

The German ran sbs up

into a pillbox - aftwds

they opened w mg. from

there.

Germs attd w full

packs on.

The road ws a bad division

because a strong attack

came up it. The country

imd in front of our rt is

boggy.  On left of 58 Bn front

was the worst swamp. The

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rt ws if anything higher.

The Germ. came imd behind

his barrage & got to within

15 yds of our line.

Flintoff says tt a sergt

Colcough rushed over &

bayoneted one man there.

During the day Germ.

occupied the Mx pillbox

Coy HQrs. & seemed to

try to get up from there

from shellhole to shellhole.

A Stokes gun, & the arty

were brought to bear every

time. He massed at

Cameron House also -

Abt midday a

Coy of 60 Bn ws asked

for.  Abt 2.30 3 Coys of

A & S.H. passed H.Q. going up