Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/170/1 - September - October 1917 - Part 6

8 
75                                                   

ws within 50 yds o / barrage.

There were men of 28 Bn in

xx 17 Bn sector & on rt slightly in front

in our barrage. In the right

centre Coy there were some of the

Scots & some 28 Bn men also.

The soil ws good for digging -

The German barrage ws shortening

& after abt an hour Germ.

shells were falling abt 60 yds in

rear of this part o / line. There

his barrage stayed & the line

escaped with few casualties.

There ws more German

movement on the left than on rt; & some

abt 3 in afternoon transport & infy

were seen marching down the

road along / top o / ridge towards

the Butte. They were abt a bn.

outlined clearly agst / sky

& visible without glasses. This

movement ws not shelled at tt

 

76
Low flying planes came over both

days, firing w m.gs into / trenches.

They hit Lt Clifton D.Coy. M.C. (for this fight)

in these trenches. 
 

8 
77                                                              

time. These troops were expected,

by those who saw them, to work

down NW towds Albania, but

they did not. They went S.

towds 1st Divn apparently.

Zonnebeke ws in view from

this part, in front o / wood

in J3A. There ws no movement

in Zonnebeke.

17 Bn ws there 48 hrs & in

this time / Germs. never once

got / exact range. The men kept

low. ^x The Bn ws reld on night

of 21/22.

The 17^th ws reld by 23 Bn.

The 18^th Bn had taken over

right ½ of the sector on Sept 21 from

17 Bn; & the two rt Coys were

sent round in support to / two

left Coys. The Bn front had bn 650 yds

& it ws decided to make 2 sectors

out of it & organise in depth. The

8 
78                                                          

support Coys. went abt 200 yds back.

into shell holes.

The front line consisted of

a number of Coy strong posts.
Very little wire ws got up.
Offrs K.
Lt Hannaford  – killed during

consolidation abt ¾ hr. after

we had reached the objve by a

4.2 black H.E. Shrapnel wh

burst low.
2/Lt Ryan, B Coy. - k. by shellfire

as they got into our barrage

on reaching the objve.
2/Lt Seabrook d. of w. from injuries

recd while marching in –

an incendiary shell wh

dropped into / middle of C Coy

on the duckboards.
2/Lt Hopkins d of w. from a shell

on the objve, 1st day.

79
Lt Allen ws / only offr. left with

A Coy besides Capt White. White

sent him round to take charge

of B as all B Coys

Offrs were hit.
Total Casualties.

9 Offrs  299 or.

8 
80                                                            

Offrs wd.
Lt Blackshaw A Coy. wd during

consolidatn by shell, while he

ws w B Coy wh were too

far forward.
Lt Haig, (M.C. for this fight) B Coy, hit on reaching

/ objve where B Coy got too

far forward.

2/Lt Pettt Pettit - B Coy, wd

on the objve, in / same way,

slightly.
Lt Clifton_∧ D Coy hit by aeroplane bullet

while on a carrying pty.
2/Lt Warner C. Coy wd by shell

on the objective.

You cannot hear anything thro

the noise of abt 80 m.g.s The only

way really to tell ws from the smoking

shells of the smoke shells.

Our c. battery work ws enormously

affective tt day.

[Casualties in A Coy 57
                          B Coy

81
Hand drawn diagram - see original

The rt post of 17 Bn held Germs up for some time
used up all its ammn & had to come back.

8
82                                                         
Lagnicourt. 17 Bn.
Ap 15.
The H.Qrs of 17 Bn ws awakened
by rifle fire & bullets zipping into the
Sunken Rd before Noreuil, where
they were. (at / qri Corner)
Men cd be seen pouring along
the hill on / opposite side o /
valley – it ws not certain if they
were Germans or Australians.
They got in behind the posts
of C Coy 17 Bn on the far side o
/ valley on this same road,
placed a m.g. there (at C) & turned
it onto the Sunken Rd wh was
the picket positn on wh the
posts of 17 Bn had fallen back.
The m.g. made the road
untenable so they got back into the
old ^newly deepened trench abt 30yds from
/ road - & there B Coy reinfd them
from further left. The Germs got
into the Sunken Rd & up Noreuil
Valley & put guns at A (Captd by

8 
83                                                              
17 Bn) & B (firing towds Noreuil).
The Germans in / Sunken Rd
held on about ¾ hr to an hour
& then held up ther hands.
The 20 Bn being seen well up on
/ right the Offr  of 17 Bn at this
place got some men up to go
over. A couple were hit &
the German put up his hands.
50 & 2 mgs were taken there.

84
Hand drawn diagram - see original

 

8
85                                                                  
17 Bn had bn camped at "Waidy Green"
outside Ypres  – & moved up for 6 nights
whole Bn on fatigue burying cable on
Anzac Ridge.
4 Oct at rly Wood  – then into Zonnebeke in
close support  – then St Josephs  – then over.
after holding line for one day.
9 Oct.
17 Bn started from line
behind the Paschendaele Broodseinde
Rd. having to vacate the front
[*Assyria*]
line E of Rd in order to let our
barrage come down. (On left the
front line swung back across / rd
to the Rly cutting.
20 Bn were in front,
going for 1st objve.
The Germans evidently possibly
knew something ws coming off.
He ws searching the crest all
night & towards jumping off
time thickened up a lot.
The 17 Bn had to come bck
at 4.15  – to get into positn / hr
before hand.
The night ws v. dark & windy  – 

8
86                                                       
It ws hard to see / tapes & /
men were done having bn
in front of Ypres for 10 days.
At / jump of they depended
chiefly on / light of German
flares.
The barrage ws so ragged
tt it ws hard to say whose it
was. The German had a barrage
down / slope as the 17 Bn
walked down; but once thro
/ creek at / bottom  – a bit
muddy  – there ws no
whizzbang on our men at all.
Right of 17 Bn ws on Dairy Wood.
To the rt the 6 Bde ws seen to
come over / crest opposite
Daisy Wood. Germs. cd be
seen running in / wood  –
the 6 Bde seemed to lose

8
87                                                            
directn as if / country were
new to them, & turned N,
& came along in behind
right of 17 Bn. & followed them
thro'. They did not go
thro Daisy.
M.g. fire came from Daisy Wd
Wood (wh ws on a knuckle running down)
onto 5 Bde, fortunately
mostly high.
On the advance parties of
6 bde were formed into
a defensive flank by putting
strong points facing the Daisy
Wood Ridge  – 2 Vickers guns
& a number of L. Gs were
placed here, one post on
NE corner of Dairy Wood.
The 17 & 20 Bns formed along
the edge of the creek basin in

8
88                                                          

Hand draw diagram - see original
The only bldg abt ws an old
Red Brick house which had bn
fortified. This ws taken as
Rhine.
The Germs. were not seen
in front at all up to the first
objve, only on the right.
20 Bn dug in abt Rhine
Abt 30 of 17 Bn (A & B Coys) were
there & 3 Offrs. Lt Allen, Lt Lyons,
& Lt Ham.
Abt ½ hr later when the 20 Bn had
dug in these pushed straight on,
Our barrage not being noticeable
& went more or less independently
for Assyria. In going forward
they struck a couple of