Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/171/1 - October 1917 - Part 3

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23
runner ws w him
& both are now
missing.
2/Lt JA McMichael
had a platoon.
It ws his first fight
after promotn from
Orderly Room Sergt.
He ws seen w his
platoon during /
advance but has
never bn seen since

Messines
see over:-

51
24
One of the Tanks
which went out with
the 3.10am Zero in /
morning seemed to
have done good work
going right up Ulnar
Trench (or C.T. running
up along from La Petite
Douve back to Schnitzel.]
He went thro / wire
in front of Schnitzel
Farm as far as
Schnitzel.
In / aftn the
tanks seemed to
turn back at Owl
Trench, when they

51
24
cd have done good
work.  They were probly
afraid of our own shelling
which ws about there.
The tanks went down
Huns Walk.

_________

The wire in front of
Undulating Trench ws not
cut.  They had to find
a way thro it.  Grieve's
Coy went thro two
gaps in it.
At the start, the
barrage wh had been
called down on Germs
massing abt 1.30
did not come back

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26
at all.  It ws decided
^on / spot to get / first wave up
into positn abt 50 yds
in front o / Black Line -
in order to get them closer to / barrage
& they were shifted there
in a little advance -
wh I saw.  A little later
the 2nd wave ws moved
up to them.  Then /
whole lot went on
together.  [This ws
exactly as it looked to
me].
At the corner of
Undulating Trench &
Huns Walk ws our
first experience of
a Pill Box - 2 mgs

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27
in it - one hit
direct by a shell &
with a decapitated
German lying by it.

28

Capt. Linklater who ws
missing at Messines
in front of Thatched
Cottage D of W in
Germany.
He ws gn the M.C.
Also Duncan.
White got the D.S.O.
33 Bn also got 1 V.C.
3 DCMs
13 MMs

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29
33 BN See
also other end
of Book.
37BN
33 Bn.  12 Oct.
Offr Casualties:
Capt W. F. Hinton
C.O. "A" Coy.
Hinton had got his
Coy up to E of Heine H.
(betw there & Deck Wood)
to the position from wh
it had bn previously
arranged to take ^pocket Paschend
if called on; Hinton
was k. by a shell at
abt 1.30 p.m.  Other offrs
had bn knocked out
& Hinton acted a commndg
the firing line, putting other
offrs in command etc.
reporting / situatn etc.
killed.  He ws buried by

30

Only one Coy had got up to
this position - the others
went too far to / left
near Bellevue Aug. Wood.  The
Coys here came under
v. heavy fire from Bellevue
& Crest Fm & Snipe
House, & sent asking
if they need go on.  C.O.
sent tt they must go on
as best they could.  Shortly
after this the retirement
took place.

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Lieut. Blomfield who
later lost an eye (on 16/17)
Lt T.A. Armstrong, 2 in/c B Coy ws
k. in the Assembly
positn when / barrage
opened.  This positn
ws the Road just
in rear of Seine -
He ws on rt & came
in for the shelling o /
rly.
2/Lt A.G. Kilpatrick,
Commanded "C' Coy
here & at Zonnebeke.
He ws hit abt midday
near Aug. Wood & is
buried near Hamburg.

32

An old Gallipoli man,
AMC details, 8 Bn,
joined 18 Aug. 1914.
Thence 1st Pioneers; then
to Oxford as a Cadet,
then to 33 Bn.

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33
2/Lt W.R. Reynolds ^ws with D Coy -
2/Lt Goble who ws wd
& d of wd later on ws
working w R. near
Augustus Wood. (Oct 12)
when G. ws wd, badly
hit in / stomach by
a bullett, R. went for
stretcher bearers & ws
later found dead -
also shot by a bullet.
2/Lt N.F. Goble^x - (brother
of a man in the RNAS) -
ws wd as above.  He
ws got in by Blomfield
next morning - B. ws
in charge of parties getting
in wd.  One Coy, "C"
Coy next day itself

34

^xMaclean's

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35
asked its offrs to be
alld to go out & carry
in wd - the wd of other
Bns in most cases.
Every officer, pretty well,
asked to be alld to do /
same - the Bdier wd
not allow it.  They had
1 party per Coy.

2/Lt L.R. Brownlow.  k
He ws with D^x Coy betw
Dick Wood & Heine H.
& ws killed near where
Hinton ws k.  He was L.G.
Offr & besought the C.O. to
let him go into / line - &
ws delighted when it ws alld.

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Lt Layton B Coy - ws wd
by a bullet
just after moving from
1st Assembly positn
towds Aug. Wood &
died of w. on 17 Oct.
2/Lt. G.C. Fraser - did
splendid work all thro.
He ws with C. Coy
to Aug. Wood -
Went out after
wd next day.
Later on 15th
when posts were to be
put out, these were
placed by 33 Bn &
Fraser ws hit while
establishing tt on right.