Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/172/1 - October 1917 - Part 5

52     49 
supplies ; it ws
almost impossible
to move by night-
If Bellevue had got
out to the Red Line
this also wd have bn
almost impossible to
hold.
It ws decided abt
1.30pm to come back onto
/ original line. B. got
orders to tell all 38 Bn.
& / retirement ws
carried out by small
pties.

Abt 2 p.m.  the 9 Bde
started to go in a body -

52     50
Herring went across to
their sector to prevent
this retirement from
becoming obvious to /
Germans. As he went
he ws hit.

Offrs Killed.

Lt Marshall  - at the
jump off, 20 yds out,
before entering Aug. Wood
probly by m.g. fire from
there.

Lt Matthews - was w Sergt
Bourke up forward.
B. did not see him again.
Trebilcock saw his body
the next day - probly near
Red Line.

52      51
Lt Thomas Carey Robinson 
Lt Kerry Robinson 
ws apparently hit pretty
early & ws walking 
back when killed by a
sniper (as far as is
known).

Lt Maxwell ws shot
in the head & killed sitting
in a shellhole after
passing the Farm, probly
N of Augustus wood
when Bellevue m.gs
were firing.

Lt Morrison 
Signalling 
Offr ws at HQ in
Berlin Wood in a small
dugout. He ws talking

52

52
to the Sergt Signaller outside
the trench. Place ws
being bombarded & he ws
slightly hit. He sd to /
Sergt he wd go inside.
He was never bn seen
since - He did not get
as far as the door not
10 yds away - 
Lt Mackenzie - missing
as before explained.

Wounded Lt Herring (above)

Lt Howard. ws shot in / head
early.

Lt Gollan. ws wd by a
Shell in / Sunken Rd.

52     53

He went over, tho
he had lost his steel
hat, being blown over.
He had a Balaclava
on his head. He reached
/ same shellhole as /
2 L. Gunnners  & Baxter.
He had bn hit by 
shrapnel before this. His
wd ws dressed there -
He took off his tunic to
show his white shirt 
& show he ws wounded 
& got back tt way.
( They watched him to /
Sunken Rd.)

52    54

Lt McCole, in/c of carrying
pties ws wd fairly 
early - blown up & shocked.

Lt Gale, attd to Brigade,
ws hit on second day
near Levē Colts.

Capt Trebilcock, after
being grazed by a mg.
bullet in / fight, ws
going out  w / bn in 
Ypres & ws hit
between the Lille Sale
& the Square.

Lt Kirkbride  (back w
details during / fight
after being thro 4 Oct.)
ws k. by same shell,

52    55

 which k. R.S.Major,
OS  Bn Orderly Room
Sergt, "A" Coy S.M, 

-2 offrs  & 9 men in all
hit by this.
Total casualties on
Oct 12. and follg
days were 374 or
With  18  & 14 offrs
Total 388.

add    183
         _____
            571
         ______

In the 2nd fight only abt
500 men went over.

Macpherson  of 38 Bn
attached to the T.Ms.

52    56

had 2 subsections
of T.Ms w him,
(3 guns g up w him).

On / Sunken Road
they got 2 shells right
into them & he arrived
at the Farm House -
The ammn arrived at
/ Sunken Rd. The guns
 were apptly blown out
 there- 

Macpherson ws
wd thro' the lung after
leaving the Farm House.

Potter of  M.G. Coy sd
tt the evening of the fight 

57
66^th Divn.

52     58

two of his guns were out
there. He ws wounded
& he did not know
what had happened 
to / gun.

One of the 9 m.g. Coy
Cpls with gun  & crew
ws wd abt. abt halfway
to Red Line .
There were great
numbers of Tommies 
wounded  lying out 
killed.

Abt 150 wounded 
Tommies were evacuated
wd by our 3rd Divn -
some with gangrened 

52     59
wounds

When they marched
out they were brought 
straight out to the Poperinghe
Abeele Rd near Hopoutre.
They were sitting by / road
there when they were
told tt they were to go
further on. They were
simply falling out by
dozens. The 1st Anzac
Corps Supply Column men
∧ seeing them volunteered to take them
on in our lorries & took
16 lorry loads.

When they relieved 38^th
some of them had no rations..

The Bdier told 38^th tt
/ stunt had suddenly bn
put on 2 days; and 

52     60
when the Bde came
thro' Ypres it actually
did not know tt it
ws to go into / line.
it thought it ws going
for 2 days into reserve.

The Germans seemed
to see them coming up
by K track & a mud
track of their own &
put a fine shrapnel
Barrage over them.