Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/178/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 2

2
13
55 Bn- Polygon.
The Cemetery was not in
55 Bn sector - it was in 4 Divn
sector. The 8 Bde however pushed
over to left - 14 Bde for tt reason
made left & this brought 55 Bn
up agst the Cemetery. The
Germans has a S.P. here. The
cemetery was mostly German
graves. The houses of / village
had bn so knocked down tt
there ws practically nothing
left to show it.
[Capt. Cottrell, who ws
leading / attack, beforehand
reconnoitred right up to /
Butte. He wanted to go inside &
see what he found, but the
two sergts w him wdnt let
him go inside]. Abt 80 prisoners 

14
There ws fog
When  they at last found Bn H.Q., they
x had to find the R.a.P. - the R.A.P.
ws some way back towds / front &
they had to ring out up on / telephone
& get the D^r to go up / stairs of his
RAP & answer their shouts.

2
15
were got out of Butte. It
needed the hr & 40 mins to get
the Bn properly organised
__________
Somme winter
During the night when 55 Bn
ws being reld, relieving, one o / HQ runners,
was hit by a shell on the way from
front line abt 100 yds from / front
line. This ws Pte P. Dejohn -
(PL de Jongh)
His fellow runner, Cameron, [*R N Campbell*] had
got ahead - he heard a shell burst &
D. didnt come in.
He ws knocked into a shellhole -
some men pulled him out & left
him for dead. He crawled along
towds Bn H.Q. & cut off his leg on /
way (it ws hanging on a thread & he
took his knife out & cut it away.)
Stuctberry got him along there, finding
him and sending going back to /
line for 2 L. gunners to bring
him along. After 5 hrs they got
him to the R.A.P. Inside D. sd.
Bn H.Q., Abt a mile behind / front.
 

2
16
Now tell me Doc - have I got
a chance - have I a sporting chance
tt's what I want, to know.
He asked for a cigarette.
He lived 5 days & died
of gangrene - 

17
2 ^Lt Laverton did fine work in
attack on cemetery; also
aftwds when this ws v. heavily
shelled, & men were buried etc.

2
18
53 Bn. 
Ypres 20/9/17. ? 26/9/17
In addition to / diary these
facts were obtained by me at a meeting
of officers at Menty.
A     ↑
The following resistance ws
met in / advance.
A Coy (left front) found a strong pt. on / left o / Butte
& m.gs in / cemetery. The Strong Pt ws
abt 200 yds on / left o / Butte, & imd. on left
of road. There ws a scattered m.g. fire beginning
a good deal later than / fall of our barrage.
No resistance ws met w from / first mgs.
They lay down in the bed o / shellhole (an improved one)
& put a waterproof sheet over their head.
The S.P. at 200 yds from Butte.
The cemetery ws on / left o / road in a
straight line w / Butte. This ws the Bn's objective
- the left o / objve. The men went straight at it, close
under / barrage. Fully 10 m.gs were got within
this part of the area.

19
⇡
A Capt Smith
D Capt Ramsay 
(badly wd 
on aftn of
26^th)
B Capt Johnson Jhonson 
wd. in the attack -
Stayed till after
consolidation

C Capt Roberts

Lieut Geldard ws in this assault on the
Butte.
Sergt Allison ws in / actual assault on /
Butte.

2
20
Lt Pettifer of A coy ws wd the follg day.
B Coy ws on / left in rear of A.
The first opposition to be mentioned
ws in an old Farm House, with an iron gate still
partly standing. There were several concrete dugouts in this.
Beyond this on / left o / Butte ws / cemetery
- on / road wh ws our objective. B Coy
had the Butte as part of its job.
B Coy
Four offrs & abt 40 men were got
out o / Butte within a big dressing statn at / back.
There ws a m.g. positn facing them
at / top of / Butte. This ws knocked out /
day before by heavies.
The Germs had lined / top
o / Butte. We go round both sides

21
2/Lt J.G. Ridley with C Coy did
fine work on right.

2
22
& in front. The Germs. had several mgs
on top. We came at it from 3 directions. Before we
got into grips they retired / other side and
surrendered. They didnt fight at close quarters.
They had bn firing from / top o / Butte as we came up.
In one passage in / Butte 2 or 3
Germs fired at the sentry on top. A bomb ws
thrown down / entrance. That ws all / oppositn there.
The others were hiding in / different tunnels.
There ws a great switch board down there & a
lot of signalling gear. We captd. 4 m.gs there.
D Coy. (right front) met a small concrete emplacement
with abt 12 men. They didnt have time to come
out. They wre k. as they came out.
D. then followed a bit of a road & came upon
some small posts & a little wooden structure shelter in a shellhole
A bomb ws dropped down & 2 men came out.

23
Sergt G.L. Dolan made a reconnaissance
(DCoy.) in front line looking
for German m.g. & snipers while
the barrage ws stationary, &
bought in prisoners.

2
24
It ws ^a wood covered shellhole. They then followed
the road. One or 2 Germs were caught in shellholes
and another pillbox ws taken.
Some of these German posts were roofed w logs
& some of these had bn blown in by our shells.
Some Germans were found in certain of them.
The Adjutant ws w Col. Crowshaw when he ws hit.
One shell knocked the adjt into a shell hole &
wounded Col. Crowshaw very severely, a
few minutes after / advance started.
The colonel ws buried at Ypres. He is known
to have blown his whistle for / advance o / battalion.
He seems to have been found part o / way back, in
a shellhole by a man who ws escorting prisoners 2 hrs
later. He ws taken for dead & / man brought in his
revolver. The Colonel however ws brought in, still living, to the
Doctor. Lt. Jennings ws K the mg. before in Glencorse Wood
Lt. Corrie. K. night of 25/26 going 
[*A.O. Correy)*] up to the tapes - Hit by a shell.
 

2
25
B Coy.
The heaviest barrage met
ws tt met with on the
mg of Sept 25 when 53^rd
Bn ws lying in support
in Glencorse Wood - This barrage
started ft at 5.15 am. & ws heavy
for abt 2 hrs. B Coy
lost ^over 50. k & wd in this.
B Coy's decorations
Capt Jhonson Thompson M.C
wd during 
advance
Lt. Geldard   )
Sergt Allison)  during
L/Cpl Plum   )
this bombt were in the thick
of it digging men out - all
SBs of this Coy - 8 Bearers
4 reserve [shorthand] & 2 stretchers
were blown to bits.

26
The Sergt maj of D ws k as folls
[[CSO1Loney?]]
This remained active for
abt 1 hr after the advance
in a swamp S. of Butte.
He went out to get touch
w / Bde on right - He ws
going out to inform the 29 Bn
as it ws in their sector.
Some of 29 Bn finally
got this m.g. it ws in a

P/B. rt front in 29 Bn sector
Pts Mara (since died on next tour) Hockly & Rowley
also did fine work as s/bs. Warboys, Rodwell &
Spratt also - a v. long carriage this continual barrage.

2
27
Pte Small A Coy DCM for
S.B work both in supports
& at the Butte.
Sergt Maj Brewer A Coy
lost his life trying to get a mg
that had bn missed in the
first advance - He ws alway
/ first in any P/B & around
/ front line. X
Sergt Ralphs M.M. ws on
left flank & in second o /
heavy bombts after /
attack refused to leave /
flank till ordered to come in.
L/Cpl Hubbert S/B ^x D Coy
did splendid work bandaging
up men & estab a dressing

2
28
stn on his own initiative in
one o / P/Bs there.
Sergt Denholm of C Coy.
rushed a strong pt missed
by D Coy on rt flank & /
advance just inside /
racecourse. This ws missed
by / first wave & ws rushed
by D & 3 men. Abt 5 men
were in it. D shot 3 & bayoneted
2.
___________
Mule Transport ws brought right
up to the Butte on / follg night
under Lt. Sherwood. These mules
reached the Butte. No mules at all were lost.
L/Cpl McCallum (M.M.) went down
to guide the mules up ^during day. They reached
Glenc. wd where the rations had to be dumped
thro heavy ^shell fire. McC went back to line collected
ration pties & made 3 journeys.