Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/169/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 2

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thinned, & shellholes consolidated &
joined up abt 100 - 150 yds in rear
making support posts.
[All these arrangement were in
view of the expected c-attack, wh stood
no chance. As the barrage lifted the
Supports wd have reinforced / front blue
line - / men were in great heart.]
The artillery ^ws so heavy in front of each

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objective & stayed there so long tt offrs &
men had / opinion tt this torrent of
shells ws wasted on / enemy's small
garrison. They cd have done it, in
this weather, in half / time.
The two heavies in question were
firing below 3 & 4 pm & later - lengthened
range 100 yds but were still firing
between Green & Blue line. The enemys
barrage ws scattered & did little harm.
28 Bn moved thro' 27 Bn during
consolidation.

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Lt RC. Hunter, Intell. Offr. who went up to Blue
line abt 9 a.m. for information ws
hit by a shell & wd.
Lt ∧D.A. Dowling, arm wounded at the wd in neck on the Blue Line.
Lt JB Maclean, shell ^fragment thro leg on the Blue Line after
Germs had started to retaliate.
Lt Harris slightly wd in hand (now back w unit)
at the Jump off & carried on till
sent back after consolidn.
            _______________

Relieved night of Sept 21 by 23rd Bn.

Back to Halifax; 22/ 23^rd Reningelst.

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This ws where 28 Bn & 7.M.G. Coy were
bombed.
Sept.30 moved up to near Severn Chateau
Belge.
Oct 1 into line, moving 8.15 p.m. to
Westhoek Ridge; 1 Coy went forwd to
Anzac Ridge.
On Evg. of Oct 3. ordered to move
into positn for new attack.

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4 Oct: at 4 a.m. were in position
from Sans Souci to Rly line in an
old trench, in support to 28 Bn.
The German ws bombarding
earlier -
27 Bn had to wait till zero + 70
& then move to D 22 Central. There
ws a fairly thick but erratic barrage.
The Bn moved across country in 
lines of sections in file over very
heavy country. Last nights shower made

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it sticky. The Bn went right thro Zonnebeke
wh Germs were shelling, esp. the Church &
between Church & Lake.
Casualties were very light up to
this.
When Bn arrd at waiting positn
in rear of Thames Wood, Capt Gould
in/c of B. Coy learned tt 26 Bn had
had heavy casualties & were held up
by m.g. fire from Daisy Wood.
26 Bn had edged left a bit, &

18
^X A very fine officer.
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there ws a gap between 26^th right
& 23 Bn.  Acting on this (from 26 Bn. Capt
B....... senior offr left in their line) A Coy
27 Bn was pushed up to fill the gap on /
flank & Capt Goulds ^X Coy , "B", moved
up to help 26 in front of Daisy Wood.
At the same time "C" Coy began a
Commn trench under Engr supervision from
Red Line (1st Objve).
B Coy ws left in the line till 8 p.m. Oct 4
when A Coy ws withdrawn & their sector

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taken over by "B". (i.e. 26 Bn moved
over ^some distance to right, & B Coy expanded to cover
ground to 23 Bn.)
[B Coy ws left there night 4/5 Oct & all
5 October.]
While the C.T. ws being dug Maj.
Fredericks & Lieut. Matters were wd. both by
shellfire - before dark on Oct 4.
Next day this C.T. ws finished by
C. Coy under Lieut SS Woods. It was
very quiet this day till 3 pm - the Germs

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Oct 5
Gould ^Architect from Malvern SA (old 47 Bn) ws an original Officer - (C.M.F.).
He went from Gallipoli w Enteric &
dysentry, went to Aust., rejoined
Feb. 1916; ws wd adjt. during beginning
of Somme winter; wd at Warlencourt
on Feb. 27 - a shell landed betw his legs, blew him
into / air, & found himself sitting in / shellhole. Rejoined
on July 13 - He ws hit almost direct by this shell at Broodseinde.

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being very disorganised; but abt 3 pm the
German opened up very heavily on Zonnebeke
& feeling for our frontline. There ws a better
field of fire from near / top o / road & Daisy
Wood ws therefore avoided - we did not go
too close to it. [Capt Gould had gone out to /
objve. It ws too close to / wood, & there ws
a better field 80 yds back.  He ordered his
Coy to dig in there - He had a mixed
lot of 26 Bn under him as well as his B
Coy of 27 Bn.].