Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/168/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 2

8a
Refer Specially marked. Map
PB4. At SE corner of Zonnebeke
Lake ws a Pill Box.
Sergt. Hanchett went up to
receive surrender of Germs there
- 1 came out w hands up,
2nd shot Hanchett dead - They
killed the Germans there possibly
10.
[A carrying pty after /
show met a dozen prisoners
going back. One o / prisoners
seized a rifle
& shot one of our pty - The unarmed 
carriers killed them with
shovels.] [This is hearsay &
rather unlikely].

48
9
Shot by L.G. from hip
or bayonets. One man
LCpt Oliver, L. Gunner, did
magnificently. On the
first objve he walked
forwd firing from the hip
& kept / pillbox blinded -
while others got round
it.
The resistance was 
chiefly 
(1) 2 Pillboxes at
De Knoet Fm.
(2) 2 P.Bs near
gasometer.
(3) A big P.B. 200
yds S x of gasometer.

 

48
10
The Germ. so far had
not got any m.g. going
seriously.
There ws a wait
of 1 hr & 10 mins on
this line; but many
men pushed thro /
protective barrage on to
/ top of / ridge - the 
Knoll (D22.D9.2)
abt 100 yds from the
cemetery. They
were in a trench w
3 little concrete 
observatn posts. The
Germans had fled - They
turned 1 Germ guns

 

48
11
round agst /
Germs clearing.
The Germs cd be
seen ∧ from our objve clearing up / 
ridge, 5th G. Gs.
Capt. Pearce ws
trying to keep them back
but barrage ws so thin
tt it ws hard to find
/ line of it.
Pearce went forwd
to bring these chaps back
- Oliver ws with them
& came back where they
were ordered to. The 

whole lot (anything up to

 

48
12
50) came back. They 
cd be seen from / rear
& it ws mystifying
who they were.
The smoke barrage
ws thin - gave a
rough line but ws no 
screen, merely an
indication of / positn.
The 22nd dug in on
the red line - right
behind the knoll.
The 7 Bde on left
by Moulin Fm seemed
to get a great number
of prisoners. Everywhere
were dead Germans. 

 

13
While on 1st objve quite
an amount of m.g. fire
ws coming from directn
of Crater on rt -
none from left.

48
14
Docile trench was
unrecognisable - Pillboxes
were / only indicatn
o / defence system there. 
The wanderers were
back abt 10 mins before
the barrage became intense
again. There ws a 
rough reorganisation.
The advance ws simple
until the road -
A German mess cart ws
there with soup & bread
in it still hot in food containers. This 
disappeared  very quickly.
Immediately after
crossing the road came
m.g. fire & sniping -

 

48
15
very accurate. At this
point the 21 Bn ws well
ahead of 24 & of 7 Bde.
They crossed betw 6K Fm
& the X road. The
sniping came from farms
& small elephant iron
dugouts covered w mud
down in/ valley. The
barrage ws v. scattered
& you cd see / whole
country as if scarcely
a shell were there. On
/ forward slope the
shrapnel ws bursting
200 ft in / air & /
heavies were very scattered.

 

48
16
Beyond xxx or in it
cd be seen fully equipped
Germans in lumps,
running into shelter
& sniping every now &
then. They were running
for China Wood etc half
way to the bottom o / valley - 
a few were closer.
(? These proby were
reserve Bns for attack).
Our ∧ big heavies were doing
good shooting on roads
& farms in rear -
& these began to blaze.
It ws quite fine at
this time.

 

17
Diagram - see original
 

48
18
Abt 200 yds past
6K Fm ws a line
of absolutely uncut
new wire - thin like
a fence - 4 stakes
deep interlaced in 
ordy way. An odd
gap or two were found
but they also cut their
way thro! 
The Blue line ws
very easy to locate;
the mosaics of photos
had bn a great help.
21 Bn came up onto it
first - then 24 Bn coming
up - & 1st Div further rt. 

 

48
19
This fowd slope ws
still green & in excellent
condition to move over -
Sandy mud - very good
to dig & good draining 

ground.
They adapted bits of
German trench here & there;
& linked up a very
irregular line of shellholes.
This ws under sniping
from possies beyond & 
along the Morslede Broods
Rd. Germans were trying
to get away down this &
many were sniped.
It wd have bn easy to go

 

48
20
further had / barrage
allowed it.
The Bn dug in
on Blue line & soon
had a continuous trench.
Lewis guns were put out
to cover consolidn
wh ws hindered a good
deal by sniping. But
as soon as this ws
complete the German
sniping ws got under & 
our men cd walk
round anywhere. 
At abt 3p.m. sniping
became heavy agn, &
groups of Germs were