Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/170/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 3
Things were well organised on march in – guides
every where & no chance of losing / road.
27
Towards After / end of this advance Capt
Murphy, D Coy, ws wd. Before this his
pln reinfd 28 Bn which ws holding *
The I.O., Lt Wells ws wd early in
going up to the Bde forward station.
It ws notable that just as our barrage
lifted from 2nd Objve to go for 3rd objve the German
barrage came down at once on our 2nd objve or
abt 50 yds behind it – This must have bn due to
/ German Observation from the Butte or Broodseinde.
The Butte ws heavily shelled by us – a salvo landing on it at a time.
26 Bn caught up 28 Bn on second objve.
Only one casualty getting up.
After / final advance the Engrs imd.
taped out the line of the C.T & 3 Coys
were put on to dig this.
When the Germans were seen
coming out in front of Scots (they were
apptly in lines of sections in single
file) our S.O.S. ^barrage got them & they
disappeared in dust. No more ws
seen of them. Our m.g. Coys also
opened up when S.O.S. went up.
There ws a good deal of movement
round / Butte all day – it looked like
a H. Qrs more than an observation post.
8
28
* some of
9 Bn
Territory.
M ws out for
fight &
seeing a
gap he
ws only
too glad
to get
into it.
Capt Smith
helped the
9 Bn to
reorganise –
snipers
were causing
a lot of
trouble on
2nd objve.
The snipers
were in a
pill box
& were
cleared out
by an offr
& some
men of
27 Bn.
The Germs
were only
200 yds
away &
their shooting
ws very
erratic,
owing to
our barrage.
3 Coys. A, C & D went in close
support to 28 Bn, moving as
soon as they got there ( abt 8.30)
A Coy ws detailed for carrying for
final objve. X
When final objve ws reached
by 28 Bn things were suffly easy to
allow of 26 Bn being put to dig
C. T. from Westhoek Ridge to final
objve. This trench ws taped by
the Engrs. It had bn dug 6 ft
deep & 1100yds long before dark
— [ this ws / trench we passed a
couple of days later going up to
22nd Bn C. EW. Bean ]
A platoon under Lt Walker ( k.
at beginning of November) ws detailed
to dig a S. P. & garrison it, near to right of
Albert Redoubt. This ws done &
the pln came out of it at / end w only
one S.B: wd — over 40 in this pln.
29
This attack of 20th went swimmingly –
Offrs k.
Lt Saunders
Lt Ellis D Coy ws found wd in shell hole k. late on night of 20thws wd by some men ofanother Bne & died before he cd be got in.
coming down towds Bn H.Q.
Lt Forbes K by a shell just before relief.
Lt Saunders ∧ I.O. att to Bn H.Q. ws
killed near Bn H.Q. by a shell.
In adv to 1st objve.
The pillboxes on left of Zonnebeke Rd just beyond
^ Gasometer were firing for a bit — but / line wd
open where / line of fire ws &
close round afterwds.
8
30
The 26 Bn also dug a S.P. imd behind
the 28Bn & a short section of Support trench.
At nightfall Bn withdrew to a positn
in reserve on reserve slope of Westhoek R.
The shelling on tis ridge now became
pretty heavy. 2 offrs were k. here —
on night of 20/21 Lt Ellis ws k by a
shell. On aftn of 21st Lt Forbes ws
k. by shellfire.
Parties were detailed to carry SAA & TM Bombs.
On night 21/22 Bn wsreld. &
went to Halifax — then Reninghalst.
[Losses abt 130]
On Oct 4
Bn had to go for 2nd Objve
wh ws in front of Dairy & thro'
edge of Daisy Woods.
On night of 3/4 26Bn
bivouacked at Gordon Camp just SE of
Menin Gate. At midnight on 3/4
they moved to take up positn
on J. O. tapes just imd S, of Ypres
Roulers Rly – left flank in rly, evently
31
intended formation
(diagram see original)
※ This probly included T. M. further rt.
This barrage ws barrage ws pretty deep &
took some time to get out of so much
so tt it seemed to those under it to have
bn pulled back.
8
32
near the crossing – the archway.
They came up the Zonnebeke
track & got on to tapes ( wh were
laid out tt night) w no trouble by
2.30 a.m. Abt 3 am the German
put down a barrage – a few men
being lost. At 5.30 he brought
down a heavier barrage – (wh
made some offrs wonder if their
watches had gone wrong & it ws our
bombt.) It is thought tt abt 60 o.r.
were lost here — no offrs.※
At 6 a.m. they started
— got a good kick pff. Went up
in close support to 25 Bn &
passed thro a rather heavy &
deep barrage in doing so.
(25 Bn were for red line)
In Zonnebeke there ws some
fighting — one m.g. crew coming
out of a cellar showed fight.
Coy Sergt Maj. Seymour shot 3 of them
himself. They were just going to mount
33
On rt of rd just beyond by / church there
ws a defensive line of strong posts — old
cellars of houses sand bagged. H.Q. of B Coy
under Capt Smith tackled the one on /
rt o / road ( there ws another on / left)
The 25 Bn had passed them & 26 ws
acting as moppers up. Attentn ws first
draw to this by / Germs firing on them as
they came up. It ws rushed by HQ party of
B Coy, & Seymour wd. They had a m.g. in
position.
Offrs
killed
Lt Saunders by a shell outside HQ Pillbox
Lt Ellis - ws found wd by some man inano. Bn - was dead when found.Lt Forbes - by a shell just before relief.
Line of 25 Bn ws abt 100 yds down
this side o / near edge o / crest. The
26 Bn got thro' them in its unorganised
state & ws reorganised behind / edge of the
crest where the cover was good. The knoll
masked any rifle fire from right, & Germ. barrage
ws not down yet in the 2nd objve.
The 26 moved on its maps & its
synchronised watches. The barrage ws
difficult to pick up here – partly possibly (P.T.O.).
8
34
/ gun to fire into ( rear o /
waves. They also killed a T M crew.
They were more or less mixed w
25 Bn, but reorganised under
/ protective barrage ahead of on
25 Bn. objve.
Up to this stage. xx
Capt Gray O/C/ C Coy wd by a shot from
some pillbox in Zonnebeke – 4 men in
it. One man in C Coy got the 4, bayoneted
first &
shot 2nd
coming up steps; threw a
bomb below
wh k.
the other 2.
Lt Green A. F. C Coy wd
w 3 m.g. bullets in left arm - on the way to
2nd objve.
Lt McPhillips A Coy wd.
after waiting on the road near the crest
for the 2nd lift – near / cemetery.
Lt Saunders attd to Bn HQgoing up to forward Bde Stn wskilled (abt 20 yards from J.O. onSt Josephs Ridge) by a shell.
Reorganisatn ws completed &
advance continued when barrage
lifted. In touch with both flanks.
on Broodseinde - Paschendaele Rd
there ws a good deal of fire from
m.g.s & snipers
Lt Macdonalds ws sniped
35
bec. it ws over / crest – & bec. the barrage ws
scattered & irregular on this particular front.
It ws hard to pick up when the line got
over the crest.
Up to the crest the Bn moved in
lines of Plns in single file — the
plns being very small.
Getting over the crest the Bn formed
into 2 lines – as they reached the Rd
N of the cemetery & in the cemetery
Snipers & m.gs opened from the right
& very thickly from Daisy Wood wh
comes into view as you cross the road.
Capt GWG Smith of B Coy ws practically in
charge o / line here; in front of Daisy
wood there ws scrub abt 100 yds deep
of wh there no sign on photos or maps –
& wh came as a surprise. This ws
strongly held by m.g. & snipers who opened
a concentrated fire as Bn came over / road
– probably hedges & trees round one or two
demolished houses. There were some gun
positns there. This ws beyond / old British
trench. They advanced to go thro / wood but
/ fire ws so heavy & casualties so many
tt they decided to consolidate in /
old British trench.
The left – C & D Coys missed the scrub
also ws screened from much o / (P.T.O
8
86
thro / heart by a sniper in /
Cemetery. These were from Daisy
Wood.
Over / Ridge the sniping & m.g.
fire became heavier owing
to barrage being less accurate.
Bn consolidated on a line abt
50 yds beyond / Broodseinde
Rd. This is sd to have been an
old English trench. It ws well
sited. It had a big salient running
out towds the German line.
Some state to a dead British soldier
ws dug up there — that makes
them think it ws a Tommy trench x
6 Bde w It ws found tt there
ws a gap between rt of 26 Bn
& 6 Bde. As 26 Bn ws weak
a Coy of 27 Bn ws sent in
to fill / gap. This ws in charge of
Capt Gould who ws killed on Oct 9.
37
sniping. C & D continued on to the
Blue LIne & there came under our
own arty fire wh ws pretty heavy.
It ws chiefly 18 pdrs but also some
heavy HE. This showed no signs of
lifting & appeared to be staying there.
So C & D came back betwe 50 & 100 yds
into part o / old British trench system. There
ws some wire in front wh ws
used by us as our entanglement. While
we were digging in the Smoke shells
were noticed. There ws sniping from Daisy
Wood but not so heavy as on men in
front of / wood. McHardy of 26 Bn had
a platoon of 41 with him on his rt; he
ws the left of the 26 Bn.
In the afternoon troops were
seen moving down behind Assyria being
directed towds Daisy Wood. There were
mounted men with these – 5 or 6 – Every
now & then a part of the infantry
wd break away – the mounted men
wd round them up much as you round
up stock. Our shells were falling into this
infantry all / time, & one o / horses ws hit
direct by a shell. The advancing troops seemed
very windy & not at all keen –every PTO
8
38
6 Bde were abt 50 yds ahead
on rt.
On left they were in touch
with 41 Bn.
Instrns had bn given tt once
the objve ws reached there we
& line estab. there ws to be
no movement till night time.
This paid well. For the 48 hrs
wh 26 Bn spent there they
had very few casualties indeed.
The Germs did not find / line.
A German aeroplane came
over imd, after ours & fired
flares & some o / 3rd Div lit their
contact flares.
At 3p.m. abt 250 germs
assembled in Daisy Wood. They
were dispersed by arty, L.G.
& M.G. Germs were also seen
marching along the Keiberg –
Paschendaele Rd to get onto
39
shell wd make them scatter.
There were Germans at / same time
also moving down from a Pill Box on the
Morslede Rd to dead ground behind Daisy *
From the top the belfry of
Bruges cd be seen — also
Paschendaele – & Moorslede
Drogenbroodhoek & Waterdamhoek
*Wood. The infantry called down the
artillery onto these as they were clearly
reinforcing Daisy Wood. An F.O.O. also
had bn up there ws told by / infantry
that Daisy Wood wd have to be under
our barrage & he had probly re-arranged
/ barrage. Anyway when
between 3.30 & 4 pm the barrag SOS
ws put up in front of Daisy wood
the barrage ws very solid & quick.
The m.g. barrage ws always first in
& the bullets cd be seen playing on one
spot just NE of Daisy Wood where it ws
marshy & the spray ws being flung up by /
bullets. No one cd have got thro it, to all
appearances.
8
40
positn in front of 3rd Div.
27th Bn dug a C.T. to
left of Broodseinde X Road.
There ws a good deal of
German wire in front of the trench
where we stopped & this did
away w / necessity of our
putting out wire.
26 Bn ws reld by 19 Bn
on night of 5/6 Oct.
26 went back to Gordon
Camp near Menin Gate.
Capt J.E. Herbert – MC for this, took
command o / line & did good work there.
Lieut McHardie - M.C. who
did good work in getting L. g into
positn & opened on the hostile
concentratn in Daisy Wood. He ^( from left) cd
see the Germs creeping in to rear o / wood
CSM Seymour & Sergt
Willy recd DCMs. Willy did very
good work in getting in our wd
41
The Germans reformed their
line by putting a line of posts abt
100 yds from our front line beyond
the scrub & beyond the hedges S. of
the wood. There were field guns in
Daisy Wood – the flashes were seen
at night.
Thelander noticed one German
on left of Daisy Wood in / open, shot thro'
/ leg, who continued to snipe.
The Germans at / back o / scrub
close to our line were always putting
up a double yellow flare when their arty
fell on our front, evidently meaning
lengthen your range.
On Oct 5 from noon till dusk Germs
under white flags were picking up wd till
dusk – This seemed bona fide. But on /
same morning opp. the right of 26 BN the Germs came
out w flags after dawn – 1st a real S B party; then abt 8 or 10;
these were let to pass. Then nearly a pln. These
8
42
from in front of our line N of
Daisy Wood.
[ There was a copse xxx
on our side of Daisy wood
wh ws apt to be mistaken
for / wood itself.]
There ws a big model
of the country ^for Sep 20 down at
Dichebusch Oudendam; but the operatns
got ahead too fast for it to
be kept up w them -
Losses abt 270.
Remainder of Bn ws then attd to
28 Bn under Col. Travers till
midday on Oct 8. On 9th
Oct 26 Bn formed on St
Josephs R, on its old positn.
under Major Currie.
½ hr after Zero ( 5.20) they
came up to near Desmond trench
43
were fired on & scattered, ran back,& got into
shell holes. A couple of L.Gs got onto them made
it impossible to get down this slope.
The Germs were not keen to come
on. In the scrub in front of D. wood,
however, they did try to creep up &
were kept down by Rifle Grenades.
The Germs only chance ws to creep
down into / hollow behind Daisy Wood if he
wanted to attack.
This aftn a fatigue party of 50
men carried ammn from Dump
on Broodseinde X Rd to new
front line ( 5 Bde).
All along this old British line
at intervals our men digging into the
side o / trench came on old British
uniforms – & bodies only recognisable
by their uniforms –
_________________________________
Oct 4 Offrs k.
Lt G. T. French k. soon after start nearby Zonnebeke
Lt Macdonald found just behind/ front line –
killed, during the advance across road.
____________________________________________
wd 2/Lt Carter up beyond our objve – having
gone forwd w a small pty, to try & estab a small
post near the scrub during consolidatn, He
ws sniped.
Capt Gray, Lt Green, Lt MacPhillips ( as above)
8
44
& came under orders of G.O.C.
5th Bde. There Lt Brown 26 Bn
ws severely wd. Abt 9a.m.
Bn ws ordered by GOC 5 Bde
to move up & occupy old
front line in / old Tommy trench.
They garrisoned it till the
night. When 27 Bn Coy came
up ( Capt Gould) again — k this time)
Germs saw them coming ( as
troops had to double over the road where there
was no CT) shelled / trench very heavily. Abt
25- 30 men were lost in
/ whole operatn.
The Tommy trench ws not
garrisoned by the relieving Bns
26 came out on right of 9/10
& Canal area.
The men were absolutely done
in this fight. Bivouacking on
Bellevarde just before it after cable
laying to Tokio the men were sleeping some
times up to their knees in water in shellholes.
45
During 3rd tour; Maj. Robinson took Bn in.
Lt Walker J. H. ws k by a whizzbang
just abt DeKnoet Fm.
Lts Ackworth}
McDonnell} gassed on Broodseinde
Ridge
Col Travers took 28 Bn ( from Res Camp Caestre ) after
Col. Reid ws hit.
[*Cherry told Currie this in hospital.*]
Cherry's gun ws one wh helped
to a gt extent to stop this attack.
Three men were shot on the gun , one after
/ other. The Germans got to within a
distance at wh they threw bombs,
This ws probly on Aug 7 4/5
Cherry ws wd on 4/5 Aug.
_______________________________________
26 Bn 7 M.G. Coy.
8
46
Pozieres
On night of Aug 4/5 1916
Lt Cherry ws w / 7 m.g. Coy. He
took over a Vickers Gun to O.G .2
The Garrison here got out 100yds ahead
of O.G. 2 – German shelling them going behind thus.
On mg. of 5 Oct Aug. Cherrys
m.g. ws used effectively. He
also had a personal encounter
w a German offr.
The German ws abt 20yds
away in a shellhole & Cherry in
another shellhole. They were looking
for a chance of using their revolvers
on one another , They both popped up
& fired at / same instant – Cherry's
bullet went thro / ^G offrs chest;
the Germ's bullet went thru
Cherry's helmet. Cherry walked
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