Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/172/1 - October 1917 - Part 3

52     25
attack.
The 38 Bn had
no difficulty in crossing
the wire in front of
Dab trench, - it ws
well trampled.
When barrage started
it ws not certain tt
it had started. There
ws plenty of noise, but
the shells in front were
hard to distinguish -
The bns were waiting
on / barrage to square
themselves to it.
Augustus Wood ws
dealt w by 37 Bn.
Waterfields ws firing
also. 40 Bn finished this.

An old farm bldg
between the two contained
abt 30 Germans & 2 mgs.

26
Diagram - see original document
52     27
These got going & there
were a good many
casualties. The men
were in the wire of
Dab trench waiting while
their offrs went up to
see what was holding
the 40 Bn. The German
barrage ws shortening
onto our old front line
& the Sunken Rd tt they
wanted to get / line
ahead of it.
A good deal o /
delay ws due to them
expecting the barrage to
thicken - It ws 15 mins
after / barrage left tt
Capt Latchford gave /
order to get forward.

28
Diagram - see original document
52     29
At this time Aug
Wood had bn dealt
with but not
Waterfields. This
ws fixed as they went
forwd. A lot of fire
ws coming from Waterfields
& the Fm House - not
from Bellevue at this
time - it ws too
dark.
The Farm ws holding
centre of 38 & others in
front of a broken hedge.
When 37 got behind, the
Germs in Fm threw it
up. Most of these men
were killed.

52     30
On getting past the
Fm & hedge Lt Mackenzie
the left of attack came
under view of Bellevue
&, it being light, fire
began to come from there.
Capt Latchford told Lt
MacKenzie to take his
pln round across
Ravebeck by Waterfields
(the only crossing where
high ground showed) while
remainder got forwd
but covered them with
L.G. fire onto Bellevue.
M. left from Waterfields
w his pln but he ws
never seen again nor

52     31
were any of his
men.
The m.g. fire from
Bellevue seemed to
come, not from the
blockhouses but from
trenches N of the road - 
between Bellevue & the
Cross Road.
At abt 7 am. Lt Munday
with runner, 2 or 3 38 Bn
& 3 or 4 of 40 Bn crossed
Ravebeck intending to
take Bellevue wh seemed
 to be a series of concrete
dugouts much like / others.
There were sniping all / time;
the Waterfields Rd 
ws sunken, & by

52     32
working from shellhole
to shellhole they reached
one o / dugouts to E
of the Strong uncut wire
abt 200 yds N of
Ravebeck & W of Rd.
In this were found
Chamberlain of 40 Bn &
a N.Z. officer. They
collected all / men
who cd be found
around, from shellholes -
there ws no field of fire
so Munday came back
to the dugout on the rd
in rear of the other. From
there Bellevue & the
point where / roads

52     33
crossed cd be seen.
Our men who had
reached various trenches
W of Dab trench
& shellholes E. of it
were at intervals trying
to get back. The NZ offr
stayed in the 1st P/B;

Chamberlain came back
later to the 2nd P/B &
told M he ws going
back to prospect for

his Bn to S. of valley.
M. stayed in the 2nd P/B.
From there they tried to
get fire onto / snipers
who were bowling over

52     34
all men who tried
to move got back
from the trenches & shellholes
to the P/B on our lines.
The sniping all seemed
to be from the far side
of the road - 
Some men had
crossed / creek SE
of Ravebeck, & odd
ones or twos cld be
seen making up the
N side of / valley to
cross over to our
men whom they cd
see digging in on /
high ground opposite
near Deck Wood.

35
H.Q in
Berlin Wood.
52     36
Some of these men
seemed to get back.
Later in / day anyone
who came down /
road from Hamburg
towds Waterfields
ws sniped. The
dressing stn of the 38
Bn ws in a dugout

near the Dab trench wire
& men trying to get
across to it were
sniped in crossing the
road.
All day long from
the X road NE of Bellevue
lights were going up -
sniping from where Munday
was this was 500 yds.

52     37
It looked as if men
were getting out to
send very lights up -
It looked some sort
of an arty observation
centre.
From Ms side the
Church & ^top of Paschendaele
cd be seen, & our
men abt behind Deck
Wood.
M left stayed in
this positn till 5 a.m.
He had 2 men observing
all night & only
movement seen ws up
by the X roads. He
sent out 3 times to
get in touch w NZ.
but these men