Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/174/1 - October 1917 - Part 2

16 
X Just in front of objve
on rt in Nomansland
where there were Z dugouts.
As soon as line got there
a party under Damaresq
went out to settle them -
54
17
carried out a shell burst
beneath him & K. one s.b
& filled D. with shrapnel.
His wound ws very severe.
D. came up to a dugout. x As
he came up to it, coming
round / corner, a German
offr ws coming out w a 
revolver. D hit him
straight in / jaw, & practically
killed him - then went
on (leaving his dugout to
be mopped up) & helped
to mop up the other dugout.
["C" had bn reserve
Coy. 2 plns were gn to B Coy
at lst objve to replace casualties
- & the other 2 were put in
here & there as / need opened
up gaps in / rank - A Coy
(mopping up Coy) ws put in
in same way.

18
Diagram - see original document
54     19
Oct 4 12
For attack on Oct 12, 3rd Div.
found tt ∧ it ws British again were
not where they were
supposed to be.
The line ws abt 200-300
yds ahead of the line wh
40 Bn left on Oct 4.
8/4 11/12 Oct. 9 p.m.
40 Bn left Hussar Farm
March up Rd slow &
blocked.
There ws old German
wire in front of red trench
wh interfered with J.O Positn.
Augustus wood is marked
on map & ws really only for
scrub. (A&B)
A wood at C {shown on
air photos and mosaics wh had
not been in BNs possession ws NOT marked)

20
Lt. Heiter M.O 39 Bn. ws
near Crest am.
x This ws near
waterfields -
D10 D7.6

54     21
The troops took wood C
(wh really ws waterfields)
for Augustus Wood, x &
Augustus Wood in /
narrative should stands for
this wood.
Bn formed on left bec. of wire
J.O see narrative.
One big diffy ws to see where
/ barrage actually was as it
ws so thin, & there ws a 
good deal of German shelling.
Heavy m.g. fire & sniping
reduced whole attack to one
wave - Troops
One pln of D coy had to be
sent across to Ravebeck to
clean up S.Ps in Bellevue
area - abt 9 a.m.
Lt Grant & Lt Chamberlain
were in this party. Grant cleaned
up 2 dugouts & ws rushing
3rd when he ws killed.
Chamberlain took this. They
had to return - such as were

54    22
left. [Lt Jackson Sig. Offr.
went out next day aftn w 2
men. In Pillboxes on
Waterfields - Bellevue Rd
at D10 B45 .35 he found
8 Australians - Pillb. ws undamgd
 

40 Bn men had crossed by
Waterfields Rd. The men
had no idea wh way
either line was.
These wd were got away
abt dusk.
J. went on to Pillbox
at 10B 44. This ws a
fine dugout above grd with
2 loopholes covering / road,
& a platform & railing at
back fall of m.g. empty cartridges.
There ws an Australian

23
Diagram - see original document
54     24
overcoat there. On the
rt of / rd ^ just at / bend on a willow
ws a
m.g. positn
w steps to it - so tt
/ man cd sit in
/ tree w his gun.
Diagram - see original document
There were empties there
too.
J went along 2nd trench
abt 20 yds - no Germs there
but there were in Bellevue
in what looked like a trench -
abt 4 of them - it ws from
here they had bn firing
across at our ridge day
before. J waved a ration
bag - Germs waved
back a rifle. (It ws then dusk).
J went & cd get no
stretchers short of 9^th Bde -
but took them back from
there. Grants body ws in /
ditch on rd side just S.
of first Pillbox.)

25
Diagram - see original document
From A to B ws an old
German trench, wired & well
defined (no sign of Rd in valley)
It ws in this the 40 dug in.
54     26
Tho men in du
The Big dugout on / hilltop
ws what had defeated
Chamberlain's pty -
after taking the two first
dugouts.]
AT 7.45 troops were abt on Red
Line - abt 150 of all Bns
with some of 9 Bde. Rest
had mainly gone on. There
ws prac. no barrage &
many guns had ceased firing.
Crest Fm ws being shelled
at this time -
The line rested on hedges
some way west of Hasba, abt D11 A 8.45,
& these hedges were marked
by a bit tree. This ws
apptly a German ranging

54     27
mark & they shelled it
v heavily at abt 9.10 am.
Impending Retirement ws reported
to Bn H.Q. abt 1.33 pm.
The new line dug ws abt
150 yds in front of J.O place.
The great pity o / day ws
the fate o / wounded many
of whom were stuck in /
mud & exhausted. Rifles &
L. Guns were covered & choked
w mud.
Between 8 & 9 a.m. when
barrage ws due to lift, men
were seen around Crest
Fm & Germans coming
out of it with their hands
up. These men were beyond
our barrage.

28
Info evidently from
Major Giblin:
x the thick wood on
left.
54     29
The German m.g. fire
started almost mid
after our J.O. The dugouts
in Augustus Wood especially
x also x Waterfields (especially
the woods).
wh were avoided &
passed at first so off
were firing & doing
much damage.
When this ws noticed
& they were mopped up (they
did not give much trouble
to take) it ws found tt
a lot of fire ws coming
from across / valley.
As light grew it was
carefully aimed & in single

 54     30
shots.
The Woods were
mopped up after they
were passed, while /
troops were not very
far on.
By / time this
excitement ws over
the advance ws being
made by parties of
All Bns, pushing on
from shell hole to shell
hole & keeping very low
from / fire from Bellevue.
There had bn many
casualties, no visible
barrage to keep / line
straight, & / troops pretty
well scattered by m.g.

54     31
A man ws very puffed
in heavy shell holes &
learned to avoid the
old shellholes & get into
the newer ones.
They had bn told
to depend on / barrage &
consequently were at
a loss as to what to
do. It ws impossible
to tell when / barrage
stopped.
Some instinctively
went for / fire, & crossed
to Ravebeck towds
Laambeck. This
slope contained many
dugouts & besides, snipers
possies - into wh you wd
see one German dive - 
not regular dugouts. These
some of them got back at dusk.