Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/166/1 - September 1917 - Part 2

13

3 offrs 46 men

k or d of w.
^※ 511 Cpl F Furnell

15 Rly Coy
 

46
14

all pioneering on C.Ts

Here it is all work on

rds over to take arty

over area destroyed by

its own shells.

Losses to date

abt exactly 170 to Oct 4th.

19/9/17 Hockley ws sitting

in his mess at Swan

Chateau - COs horse ws

waiting outside - a 

shell hit tree at side.

Lieut G.J. Furnell & brother an

NCO from anor unit ^※

who had come to visit

him ws killed. Hockley

K. C.O. & batman missed.

46
15

On afternoon _^ of Sept 29 a pln

of 2 pioneers ws blocked

on Menin Rd at Comforts 

Fund place near Casualty

Stn on Menin Rd by

infy who were at the

coffee stall. (a supply is 

also kept at Swan Chateau).

Pioneers were waiting for coffee.

An aeroplane must have

seen them - it dropped

bomb - of 35 in pln only

7 came home, & 18 have 

bn k. or d of w.

Bombed at Swan 

Chau. by night had 9 

men wd & C.O.s horse wh

won Div^l Championship k. 

46
16

They have also bn

making emplacts

for Heavy guns &

have had 6 LG teams 

out (out of 8) doing a.a.

work w gunners. They

brought down one plane

on 20^th Sept & 3 on 

anor day.

Several men were

hit on this duty.

17

The Luxor Boys

Eldridge, Hill & Warren

k. in France

There were 3 drum lines & only 2 [[shorthand]] on the [[shorthand]]

 

46
18

7th Bn. In touch w 24 Bn.

on left all through.

Shelling came down

heavily at 5.30.

8 Bn ws ahead. Few

front plns were not hit but

tail of Bn got it heavily.

Germ. offr. told Hill tt

they were preparing for an

attack. They had no idea

we were attacking - &

tt it ws their barrage.

First Hun Hill saw

ws in pill box ws at

Retaliatn Fm. Others 

had bn captd before -

8^th didnt wait to take

prisoners.

The moment our

46
19

barrage started 2 men

beside Hill were k

apptly by m.g. fire from

Romulus Wood. & from

As soon as they got

past Retaliatn Fm m.g.

fire & sniping shots began

to come. From the crater, road

& pill box below crest of 

hill. As one Hun ws abt

to mount gun at this

Pill Box a 24 Bn man

who cd see him behind

/ box shot him. 2 other

m gunners came out o /

pill box.

The barrage ws ragged

& the Huns cd mount 

their guns behind pillboxes

20

7 Bn took in a big

sugar box full of cigarettes

& gave each man 10 on

morning of 5^th

1100 yds from start to

Blue line & Gates ws abt

400 yds short of Blue line

 

46
21

while it continued -

In the crater ws a pillbox
- to left of 7 Bn. A good

deal of fire came from it.

They The 7 Bn rifle grenadiers

with 6^th & 8^th were got

to work on it - they got

going without any trouble

under any officer.

The crater held them up

abt 20 minutes. The crater

ws outflanked. The men

did it of themselves &

a couple of v. good NCOs

managed it, names unknown.

The German men on rt of

Pill Box surrendered, abt

30, & came streaming out

into 6 Bn men. At same

22

Hand drawn diagram – see original

 

46
23

time several officers

(captain, several offrs,

several NCOs & one

AMC private) defended

themselves with bombs,

& revolvers.

The men rifle grenaded

them into the open. They

cd not get into the
pill box in / crater bec.

the men commanded /

commn to it.

Some of our men were

on / road & had this 

trench quite cut off.

They had to jump out o /

trench - & then our men

at once rushed them. The

Captain ws wd but didnt

surrender, ws bayonetn

& died later.

24

Hand drawn diagram – see original

 

46
25

(Beneath the rear of the

arty dugout a little short

of where line finally dug

in D29B1.3 ^x ws another

dugout entrance covered in

by boarding x (The Earth

wires & listening set were

found in the arty dugout)

& 24 hrs after place ws

taken Lt D Phillips thought

he heard men talking 

there. This ws below / level o /

other dugout & they cdnt

get into it. It looked like

properly cut timber & might 

have bn a tunnel.

The fight went on w /

offrs in trench A B

behind / row of trees.

26

There ws no trouble in 

Romulus Wood.

 

46
27

after this place ws

reduced no more

oppositn ws met with.

Three prisoners from arty dugout.
(No 9 in blue on shoulder)

9 Germans were seen

running down hill from

Flint Copse - with our

barrage stationary. We

caught up / barrage 3 mins before

reaching Blue Line, & 

some men got into /

ragged edge of it.

On Red line 7 Bn passed

thro 8 Bn & lay up very

close under our barrage.

The Bn ws 3 mins late

all / time; but the barrage

ws ragged & they were in it

continually.

46
28

As soon as Blue line

began to be consolidated -

(Forwd posts, strong pts

behind for 1st Div,

Forwd posts, & continuous

line, for 2 Div)

Germans appeared on

hill N of Flint Copse in

hundreds - as they came

on others in our front

were going back.

These came to rear of

mound or knoll near

or bank near Flint Copse

to wh Germs had a trench.

2nd Location of this is

D 29 B 2.7.

The 24 Bn ws asked to

take this as 7 Bn got sniped

from it & it ws dangerous.