Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/168/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 6

L. Pine      6
Turks in XY down.
(they had their heads over
/ top).
Abt midday the
stretch from A to B ws
abt 3 deep in our
dead.
The Turk had PV,
XY & S L (The Turks
behind / traverse at L
had bank.) Probly only
a few came up at L
but they came up PV
& XY. They came in
XB, our side of
our traverse, throwing
bombs & firing rifles
48     56

L. Pine      7
Our men on this
side agn under Jacob
& Brown (2 Bn) firing
when they saw them.
[Sass's trench looked on J Jolly]
The T ws bombing
continually from PV
& our men near A were attending
to it but had no bombs.
There ws no barricade
there in AB exc. dead
men.
Wells mg offr ws
wd - they emplaced
a m.g. in the corner
at A. They cd fire
48     57

L. Pine      8
down S L by
dismounting gun; but
Paine put it there
to command our rt
rear opp 3 Bde.
Scobie had gone out
to or past our traverse
where / bombs were falling,
to have a look at it - 
 & ran right into a
new shower of bombs
- one o / gusts o / attacking
probly before they were
in our trench.  A bomb
fell on / parapet &
hit him in / head.
He ws carried out
48     58

L. Pine      9
 to our B5 to B8
Sap with Digger Latouche
who ws lying there dead.
Paine saw him there
dead - he ws in an
ordinary shirt.
Before Scobie ws k.
S sent for Paine to ask
where Nash ws who
ws P's 2in c. Nash
had been lost from /
start exc. tt messages
had bn coming from him
saying from somewhere
"for Gods sake send
bombs".
Stevens sent for P.
48     59

L. Pine      10
imd after to get
the m.g. at A going.
The m gunners Corpl.
Mackenzie & others had
all bn k ^or w there exc.
one big man.
They put the gun on
the mount at A
& from there it commanded
the whole of XY . The
Turks were standing
shoulder high in XY
shooting into A B.
The gun traversed this
&put / Turks down.
They used to put rifles
up in air & fire over after
this.
48     50

L. Pine      11
[2 guns from Gun Ridge
were firing straight at
the AB parapet at
rt Lo and some
enfilade].
The men in AB
had to face this, fire
from XY, bombs from
PV, fire from left
& some from right.
Stevens came along
behind Paine & asked
"Can you get eno'
traverse?"
Some o / men helped
to hold / gun up. There
were bombs & rifle x
shots & then P ws hit.
48     61 

L. Pine      12
The water jacket ws
pierced - the man holding
it ws scalded & ws laughing
& swearing ; the gun
went on firing but
bombs & bullets, went on.
Our rifles were not
all firing thro shortage
of oil. We had no
bombs -
[During / night abt
O they heard someone
talking. P had a Turk
bomb - they shouted
"Walker" - no answer.
Threw the bomb & shouted
"Success". While / bomb
48     62

Lone Pine      13
ws in / air came
/ shout of "Walker"
from / other side -
It exploded harmlessly.
The man who ws
helping to mount /
gun, holding / rear
leg on his shoulder
had his head exposed
to / right flank; &
he ws killed.
The Turks were in
XO at this time &
Browns plns were
firing at them from
further left.
48     63

48      64
23 Bn. 20 Sept.
22 Bn ws holding front line;
23 ws near Ypres (by Lille
Gate) as Bde Reserve.
Relieved 28 Bn in
Green Line & 27 Bn in
Blue Line on Sept 21/22.
13 men were hit in Chateau
Wood (Sig. Offr. Lieut Woodburn
ws fatally wd & Lieut
Barker wd. & 11 o.r. This
was abt 7.30 p.m) Baker remaind
on duty 12 hrs w a smashed hand.
The left flank in front
line still had Sap of abt
80 yds wh ws soon
dug.

65

Oct 4./

48      66
Did pioneering work this time.
Enemy abt 400yds away.
Casualties 4 offrs.
Lts Holland
MacLaren.
& abt 100 o.r.
Enemy apptly disorganised & no
c-attack.
Relieved by 13Bde on 23/24
& came back to Dominion
area.
Took over from 46Bn &
33rd. on Night of Oct 1st/2
(Specialists went up / day before).
Bn H.Qrs at Anzac House.
On Oct 2/3 22nd Bn
relieved.  23 ws in
Support - 1 Coy at Muhle,
1 at Zonnebeke Redoubt,
(all smashed trenches
2 Coys at Garter Pt & Anzac.