Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/168/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 5

48
43
s.bs. were working
hard there.
An Offr & 30 men
of 28 Bn were allotted
to 21 Bn. C.O.Sent
them out at 8.15 am.
& they dug in in rear
o / line nearing the
tramway. Only one
man, Pte Barrett,
got back w information
all day. He ws sent
by Sergt Bowler from
near Rhine. He
wanted to go back agn
but ws sent back
to the transport.

 

48
44
No C-attack. Germ.
That night didnt
know where we were.
This ws lucky because
we had no one in
rear till at request
of CO 21, 6Bde
sent up a 7Bde Bn
(?26) to the original
front line where they
were heavily shelled.
49 Bn reld. 21 tt night
& dug in w 2 coys
on / line of our posts
between Dairy &
Daisy Wood.

 

48
45
The outlying posts
withdrew at nightfall
& remnants of
Bn, 52 in all there,
collected in the old
Red Line near De
Knoet Fm.
They stayed here in
Support; & remnants
of Bde were made
into a Composite
Bn under C.O. 21 Bn.
Ofrs   O.r.
5.          5         22
2.          52       21
3.          50      24
?           ?        23
 

48
46
This ws  ^∧all tt ws in support
till 8pm. on evg
of 10th Oct.
Evg 10/11 the composite
Bn ws reld by 51 Bn
& moved to Ypres -
Casualties
8 offrs         119 men.
(i.e. only abt 30 stragglers).
100 working pty less 30 casualties
came back on 12 Oct.
Bn. is now 600 strong.
(Oct. 21).
Casualties altogether
22 offrs.  404 or.

 

48
47
went in with
X  21 Offrs. 560 o.r.
& abt 120 at Caestre,
            100 transport
            100 working ply.
i.e. 22 Offrs & 880.
                                       
Captd: abt 200 prisoners
abt 12 mgs.
5 TMs (3 on ridge)
2 77 guns
1 telephone set.
1 Mess cart.
1 Regimental Commdr &
Staff. (from De Knoet)
many artillery men in
white canvas trousers.
& a lot of other material 
From Red line our men
were smoking cigars.
Commns were by runner.

 

48
48
On Oct 9. 24 & 21 Bns
pushed forwd a report
centre with 3 relay
posts wh ws splendidly
maintained owing to 
the bravery of the
lines men. It ws
continually cut.
Bde had a
Power Buzzer at near
DeKnoet Fm (where
21 & 24 were) ; &
this seemed to attract
shellfire tremendously.
                                

 

49
Southland ws a
Red Star Liner (Vaderland)
built by John Brown
Glassgow -abt 16,000 tons.
built in 1886
See Lloyds Register.
On 2 Sept. 1917 6 offrs & 111 men
were still left - & 2 offrs
& 1 man who went below
to stoke - only 2 today
the C.O. Maj Crowther &
Warry who ws up
for orderly room yesty. 

48
50
Southland.
Capt Kelk: Capt.
1st Offr. Jones (ankles
2nd Off Robertson
Jones had ankle sprained
in rigging collapsible Bt.
Robertson did work of
10 men xxx showing men
how to rig dummy
bridles to rig the
boots. The tales were
cut ∧some by our men - & the collapsibles
were thrown over on
bridles.
The Chief Engr - ws
leaning agst / door
when questn of going below
to Stoke arose. They 
asked if it were good

 

(3)
LONE PINE. He pushed on round
BX. Morshead ws at / point
marked & he tried to get him
to join up but Morshead wdnt.
Paine set his men, some of them,
to dig a cross to Z to join up &
this sap ws 18 inches deep
before he ws hit.
He pushed round past O
- some of his men barricaded this w
low sandbags (all / barricades
were low as they cant get eno’
sandbags) & men lay behind a
loophole in / barricade & fired.
There ws perh. 20 yds straight &
/ Ts were firing back during / 
night.
He pushed further down this
sap & Sass ws met with
where marked – digging in overlooking
a front xx half left. Barricades were 
put in in both trenches at O.
There ws no plan as to exactly
where each party ws to go – there ws
a general idea tt they were some to
look in at the first truck & go straight on.
Marsden did this w his men - & 
Paine found him lying on the top near 
O. (Browns guns shd be further left there
in the sketch)

48
52
Eno! He sd: Well
I dont give it we havent much chance,
but I've got a wife
& kids & its good
eno' for me."
& they went down.
                          

 

(1)
2BN - LONE PINE. Paine w A Coy 
Got out
of undergd. sap & had decided to go for
a big embrasure (looked like one in / parades
for a field gun w zero fuse) wh they had bn
studying. Half way across they saw it ws a
m.g. enplacemnt w clumsily made log top. They
cd see / men fumbling abt it & / tongue of
frame. It (or some other) ws firing unduly
depressed, & / bullets were hitting / ground
front & knocking up / dust & passing on /
ricochet, doing no harm. P. swerved right & 
some of his men began firing under / head cover
at E, others at F. xxxx Some in at / loopholes.
P. saw / trench full of Turks looking firing up -
then they ran - he blew one mans head in w
muzzle touching - got in - out again & on to x
H. There were none of our men in here. He
fired at a few Turks there - Then ordered our
(4)
The first night ws quiet for
digging - we had to keep rifles
going at barricade (low - they
all were) at O & Brown's m.gs.
The first night they were 120 yds out
XY & Paine went back & told men at
A not to fire into it.
AB could be overlooked Cy
Ts in XY. The traverse
ws a safe corner.
In the morning we were bombed 
back from XY & the bombs came
over into Z. There ws a little
54

(2) 
men into it from B. There ws a
push & an enthusiasm. Three men ran
along ahead to J. There were 3 bangs from
round / corner to / left & all fell. Payne fired
his revolver several times round / corner &
Turk ws found there - prob. shot by / men
behind him. (PTO)
Diagram - see original
(4A)
block put at X but every man 
there was dead or dying
It ws decided to take PV but abt
11am 30 Ts. jumped over & got into it
from XY.
53

 

L.Pine. 
5
12 or 13 were hit. The 
rest got in & started
bombing w small
bombs. Capt Jacobs 1st
Bn on farside of
traverse ws sticking it
there w his men splendidly.
Paine had the Coy bomb &
2 revolvers & rifle - & he threw
the Coy bomb at PV. - it went
off on the parapet (other bombs
had nt bn issued). [2 casks
were xxx somewhere w / taps turned on
by the Turks.] We put a
firestep behind the traverse
& 2 men there kept t/ 
48
55