Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/166/1 - September 1917 - Part 7

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up again & occupied 

the pillbox there -

^(on a knob higher up / ridge than

the 8th) & many of

the 8th & 7th were 

sniped from there. 

[The 7th Bn CO sd

tt they wd go for

this again but they

did not.   ? Did the

1st Bde get it when
they relieved].
______

The first night

all went easily.  The

men were dug in in 

a couple of hours

in a series of

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strong posts in

shell holes.  There ws

no wire brought

up - (3rd Bde got

a German dump of

wire) -

At dusk they 

noticed a great number

of Germans moving

abt 200 yds ahead

South of Cameron 

Covert.   There seemed

to be several hundred

Germans moving all

along / line here - they

were standing up &

running abt as if

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organising an attack.

Word ws sent back but

nothing done for abt 20

minutes. 

Abt 20 minutes later,

just as dusk ws falling

there seemed to be a gt

number of Germans moving

abt 400 yds away,

just over / crest.

They seemed much 

nearer.   At once the

SOS ws put up as it seemed

so certain.   Just before 

this an SOS went up on

the immediate left.   The

Barrage came down

immediately - within

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20 seconds.   The barrage

came down for abt

an hour.   The barrage

ws a wonderful one - They
simply sat down & laughed
- they knew the Germans 

cd not get thro it.   Yet

they were praying for /

Germans to get thro.   A

Coy reinforced C

immediately & they

had decided tt in 

this shell hole country

(where men can get from

shell hole to shell hole &

avoid a m.g. & reach 

bombing distance perhaps)

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/ one thing ws to

hop out & meet them -

the men were ready 

& anxious for it - 

but no Germans came 

thro.  They must have

come within a couple

of hundred yds because

all tt night we cd 

hear their cries - the 

cries of their wounded

as though they were 

calling for s.bs.   They

went on far into / 

night. 

During this night

two Germans walked

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into our lines lost.

One said Donner 

und Blitzen - several

times - he thought he 

had walked into a

post of his own;  he

wd have bn taken 

prisoner but he took

fright & ran at /

sight of a bayonet, &

they had to shoot him.

He fell on his hands

& knees & lay there

dead. 

Col. Hall went 

out on patrol with 

3 men abt 100 yds,

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to listen.  They were

in a shell hole. 

An Offr & a man,

Germans, walked along. 

Hall sd in German.

"Halte! Wer geht dar?"

The officer went up & 

sd it ws only so & so.

He realised all at once

tt they were English.

Both turned to run.

The post shot them

both, & then came

back safe.   This all

showed tt / German 

didn't know where he 

was & ws disorganised.

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The 7 Bn also had an

Offr wander into 

their lines. 

The German shelling 

went over / front line
—

There ws no barrage

before their attack tt evg.

They were probly just

moving into positn -

the attack had hardly

bn launched. 

The German ws

possibly moving his guns

& we were really more

bothered by our own shells

than his.

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At dawn & dusk more barrages

but no further attacks

Rations came up but

were not issued.   They

arrived on / night 

of 21st Sept.   Each man

had 2 water bottles,

& this ws plenty;  but 

water also arrd w /

rations. 

8 Bn ws relieved

next night by 1st Bde.

at abt 9.30p.m. 21 Sept.

Had a good march 

out - no barrage -

If only every attack 

cd be carried thro

so clearly & relief 

so quick, the men

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wd be willing to

well content.   The

men came out in

excellent spirits, 

pleased to get out of 

it - & went back to

Dickebusch whence they

were brought on evg

of 22nd by motor

busses to Steenvoorde. 

So ended /

most successful

attack the AIF

had ever undertaken. 

The names 

of officers hit