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

29
21^st Bn A I F

Sandy was a son of

the paint merchant in Sydney.

[*[[?]] FA Bde*] Sandy landed on /

Peninsula but ws wd

in / foot & ws discharged,
He rejoined, & got into /

A.F.C. as a ground officer;
He had learnt to fly when

wounded in England wounded &
got leave to fly again.
It was Sergt Hughes
first trip over / line.

Sandy, when he passed
Jones after / flight, was
flying North — Sandy's last ^message was:– 2.5 2. Fire.

The shoot had just started.

Sandy had fired 70 rds & the observer

xxx 170. Both guns were
loaded. There ws a drum ( with very few
shots fired) on the L.G. wh stopped as soon as his
finger relaxed.  There were 16 bullet holes in / machine
but nothing ws damaged by / fight.
The same lot of EAs came out next day
& had a scrap with
another Australian
pilot. They withdrew.

2       30
69 Sqn A.F.C. 
Observing for

1st Anzac.

Lieut. James Lionel Sandy
& observer Sergt H F Hughes, aerial gunner, were
up on an artillery observation on 17^th Dec. 1917.

when they were attacked by 6 enemy planes -
latest models D 5A scouts — thought to belong to
the 29^th Pursuit Flight.  The fight ws at 2.55 pm.
Sandy ws observing a shoot for one o / Corps heavies.
He went four times towds Germ. line & each time / gun fired
–  each time the wireless below recd. "G" – (fire). At 2.52
they got his last note on / wireless. The ground observer says tt he
cd have got away but he went for them; & / major of the Anti
Aircraft group says it is / stoutest fight he has seen on this front.
One E.A. dived at him & / observer got / machine
right thro / petrol tank. The bullet emptied
/ petrol tank & grazed / German pilots thigh.
He landed in our 21^st Bn lines near Ploegsteert. His
machine ws absolutely intact. He put his hands
up at once, & pointed to his wound energetically.

31

^x near St Pol

2        32

Meanwhile Lieut E J Jones & K C
Hodgson observer saw Sandy in difficulties &
came to his assistance in another RE8. Between / two

of them they bead the EA off & the Germs.
retired to their own lines.  Jones flew round
Sandy to see what machine he had bn helping.
He got his number on / tail – A3816. Sandy's
machine ws then flying apparently all right under
perfect control – except tt Jones thought. tt S. appeared
a trifle lost, He didnt seem too sure of his directn.
J. returned to the aerodrome for more ammunition.
When he went back on to the line S ws
not to be found. The first word we got of S.s
whereabts ws from No 12 Stationary Hospital.
They reported tt / pilot  & observer had both bn
found dead in a field 5 miles N. of St Pol. S. and
his observer had both been found killed.
The observer ws shot thro the left

2        33

lung & / bullet had come right out o /

back. It ws an armour piercing bullet & had passed

thro his chest & entered / base of Sandys skull. S.
must have bn killed instantly.  The machine had crashed.
but Sandy ws still strapped in / front seat & / observer had
never tried to shift the joy stick so as to fly the machine.
The wind ws NE.  The machine probly flew round
in big left hand circles — if she had flown 
straight she wd have finished up in the sea.  As
she gradually closed down she wd glide steeper.
There ws a mark on / ground showing where she hit
first, bounced 60 yds, & then hit  / tip o / wing &
swung round. Neither Observer nor pilot sustained
any further injuries in the crash.
The machine had 2
hrs petrol & probly flew
for 2 hrs.
The A.A. officer looking from below actually
reported that " The other machine resumed 
duty." ( i.e. Sandy's machine).

32a

REPORT OF O.C. 2nd SOUTHERN A. A. GROUP.
At 2.55 p.m. 17.12.17,  six enemy fighters came over our lines
in the vicinity of ARMENTIERES and attacked an RE8 which was on
duty near there.  Although hardly pressed by the E.A., the RE8 would
not give up but put up a hard fight against his six opponents.
Finally one of the Hun machines was seen to be hit and to come down
in the direction of FRELINGHEIN.  Two other RE8's came up and
x joined in the combat and the E.A. withdrew. One RE8 was seen to
proceed homewards and the other two continued duty".

Certified true copy

David Blake

[*  x Hnp 

Lieut H.N. Wrigley on another
Austrln RE8 flew up but he
says he ws too late
to be of any use.*] 

2        33

lung & / bullet had come right out o /

back. It ws an armour piercing bullet & had passed

thro his chest & entered / base of Sandys skull. S.
must have bn killed instantly.  The machine had crashed.
but Sandy ws still strapped in / front seat & / observer had
never tried to shift the joy stick so as to fly the machine.
The wind ws NE.  The machine probly flew round
in big left hand circles — if she had flown 
straight she wd have finished up in the sea.  As
she gradually closed down she wd glide steeper.
There ws a mark on / ground showing where she hit
first, bounced 60 yds, & then hit  / tip o / wing &
swung round. Neither Observer nor pilot sustained
any further injuries in the crash.
The machine had 2
hrs petrol & probly flew
for 2 hrs.
The A.A. officer looking from below actually
reported that " The other machine resumed 
duty." ( i.e. Sandy's machine).

2      34
Dec 17/1917.  The German machine had
a Mercedes 160 HP Engine. She was

{ Albatros - D5A No D / 5390.
{Propellor No 16969. 9 laminatns by Garuda.
She ws sent to St Omer - & had been
asked for on behalf of the
Australian war Museums. 

35
47 Bn. Oct 12.1917
             ↑
A          C        D  In arty formation w
             B              scouts in front.
            
48Bn  ↑           for 2nd objve

45Bn in line

46 Bn Bde Reserve

Early in mg rain started — 47 Bn
ws then on Assembly positn - There
ws a xx tape laid  by Bde & Bn I.Os
during the morning before attack before
dawn.
As soon as the Bn started
/ Germans ran from their line of
posts in shellholes There ws no
fighting up to Decoy Wood for C Coy; A
Coy struck a few isolated groups.
2       36

Diagram - see original document

2        37
The left ws on / rly. It ws not in
touch w / 3rd Divn wh ws ^further behind
/ barrage at Zero.  On the 1^st Objve
the 3rd Divn cd be seen 300 to 400
yds to left rear, but they say
they cd not move on acct of

their left (NZ) being held up at
Belleview. Vienna Cottage w numbers
of m.gs also got them, & many
of 47 Bn casualties came from
there.
They went through Decoy Wood
& C & B Coy HQrs were put in the
wooden (overground) structure
there (made of thick logs). The
wood was very boggy. 40 prisoners 

including 2 officers were taken there – very little
fight ws put up. An NCO - bomber -
of 47 Bn went ahead to this
place & put some bombs into it
& it surrendered at once.

38

Brit. aeroplane brought down
during day by m.g. fire from Vienna
Germ S/Bs came & took away the pilot &
observer

Diagram - see original document

2     39
All the time / line ws under
m.g. fire from Assyria & Vienna.
When they reached their line
beyond the Decoy Wood they
were under a m.g. fire from
Assyria.  It had bn ws outside
the 47 Bn objve but Lieut JE Smith
& Sergt (now Lt) Carter decided
to go ^by themselves & try to reduce this
fire. They got up on to the
top o / hill but Assyria ws
right away in / air owing
to the left not being up.
When the barrage moved
on the 48^th cdnt move on
account of the 9^th Bde not
being up on / left – Some
of 48 Bn were left on / rly
line to form a defensive
flank. They were badly
enfiladed here.
It is not know tt anyone

2       40
reached Assyria but
some were not far from it.
By the rly line were a
few groups — the 47 Bn
rushed these & Sergt Ryan
bayoneted some of these w
Sergt Major Cobbett.  Ryan
ws wd ^early in / aftn well forward
by the cutting & lost consciousness.
He came to himself after dark
& found Germans around him.
He got back by himself  – (he
had bn reported killed).

Bn H.Qrs. just S. of the cutting
on / top in a little dugout pillbox
ws hit t nearly hit by 3 shells –
just before the hop off while /
barrage ws on.  27 men were
k there & 12 wd — many of
them the best & oldest hands ( at least
7 or 8 M.Ms). 

2        41
47 Bn dug in on its exact
objve with 48 Bn.
A Coy on left found Germs coming
along / rly line just after midday -
It is These were beaten off by
rifle fire. (The breech covers were
specially fastened on by two
studs to the rifle itself & this
made a huge difference. Rifles
were cleaned imd they arrived
at objve. They had bn trained
on rapid fire at Doulieu for
a month).
On arriving at Objve it ws
hard to get runners thro /
barrage. But Parsons got
a pigeon back abt. 9 a.m saying tt he had
taken abt 90 prisoners & all
ws going well
xx A message ws recd
in / morng to say / Germs