Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/178/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 4

2           42
were arriving by motor
train Etc at a couple of
places in front -
At abt 4.10 the Germans
appeared on / left - on /
right there appeared to be
a demonstration, a number
of men being seen by Capt
Anderson D Coy - He went
down to his Coy & stayed
there on / right flank.
The Germans began to get on
seriously up by Vienna Colts.
& the left flank of xx 47 Bn
ws threatened w envelopement
owing to the people on left
falling back -
At 5.15 it ws reported tt
troops were falling back on
rly line on both sides -
ie 3rd Div on N , 4 Div on S.

2        43
Col. Imlay & Col. Leane
were out in front of HQrs.
Where they were able
personally to direct operatns -
Imlay sent out Lt ^HG Smith to
take / men back to / original
tape line. They went up to
/ hopping off line & dug in in 
shellholes. There were a
big proportion of 47 Bn still
in front - rt coy being well
on W. side o / bog & well
protected. A little later a
shell pitched less than 10
yds ahead & / two Colonels
& wd both. Col. Imlay had
13 separate wounds. Col. Leane
ws hit xx in forehead, right hand,
& leg. The shelling ws very heavy
-this ws their barrage line.
This HQrs ws a death trap in full

44
2 k.
9 xx wd.
2 missing
2    45
view o / Germans, but ws /
only one wh cd be obtained
far eno forward & large enough.
Vienna Colts cd see this place.
Lt W.H. Buncombe ^A Coy ws k. by a shell
just after / attack moved off.
Lt F.E.H. Collins ^D Coy ws thrown into / air
by a big shell, when in an outpost
in a shell hole in front of D Coy;
he had not a scratch on him
but ws k. by concussion.
Col. Imlay. (Capt Brack then took charge).
Capt Eather O.C. A Coy ws wd while
reconnoitring before / attack,
sniped / day before.
Capt Gibson O.C. B Coy wd badly
by shell when B ws digging in.
Capt Collins O.C. C Coy ws wd by
sniper during / passage thro
Decoy Wood.
Lt Storey A.

2          46
Lt Parsons A. wd w aftwds in /
original line -
Lt Ben Taylor ^B Coy wd in aftn out in
front.
Lt C.A.B Kenyon C Coy -wd
in / advance -early.
Lt MacEwan ^McKeon (I.O.), sniped reconnoitring
in Decoy Wood after line
ws thro' it.
Lt Hurd B. Coy wd behind Decoy Wd durg
advance.
Lt Collier & Gibbs were captured
by / Germans - both were wd
& did not come back. There
ws a message recd from
them before / retirement saying
tt they were in Decoy Wood &
all ws well - Then / Germs.
came & presumably cut them off.
There ws no liaison on / left -
all tt ws seen ws / left coming
back & / Germans coming past on
N of line.

2        47
The Germans put very heavy
shellfire & m.g. fire on / rly
during / retirement & after. The
men got from shellhole to
shellhole but many were wd there.
Remnants of A B & C Coy
were in/c of a ^Sergt Heading until
arrangements were made to
send an Offr from rt Coy.
Lt J E Smith then went over.
Follg night D Coy brought their
left flank back to conform to
/ original ^genl line. Till then no
commn had bn had w
them at all. All their runners
had bn hit.
When / barrage ws put
down at 4.10 it was on /
line protecting / final objve,
& most o / Germans were on this

2          48
side of it. Commns were
bad & / informtn ws
not getting through. Parsons
message ws / only pigeon
message wh got thro!
2 S/Bs, Falconer & MacIntosh
were out s/bing and got tired.
They went to sleep in a shellhole
& went to sleep. When they woke
up ^in daylight they heard someone (who
saw then w their [[N?tcher)]]
shout "Come on come over here!"
They went over & found
an officer w a revolver & 12
Germs w rifles pointing at
them. They were taken prisoner &
questioned by men who spoke
perfect English. They didnt
ask much as they had others

2            49
before. They had to carry a
man of 48 Bn back & were
placed in an old factory
just behind / sector. That
night they escaped thro /
skylight. They travelled &
struck a Belgian farmer who
gave them food but wdnt
let them stay. They got into
some reeds in / rain -
stayed there day & night,
went on next day. At
last they reached / frontier
& struck a friendly farmer.
They went up by night to /
barbed wire frontier fence &
on approaching it Falconer
ws knocked back 10 or 20
yds - it ws electrified.

2           50
They cd see / sentries abt
100 yds apart. They
went back to / Farmhouse
& lived for 7 days on
beetroot & potatoes. They
found a shovel - in 3
hrs of / night they dug
beneath / wire & go
watching / sentry & digging
when he ws away.
They got thro' to Holland
- Rotterdam & were gn a suit
of civilian clothes, well treated,
(& very narrowly expected) by
/ British Consul, & were
sent to England w
1^st class ticket.
(This from their written
report in A.W.R.S.).

2         51
The supplies in / attack
were perfectly arranged in
47 Bn - hot cocoa & stew
on / objve Red line abt 8am.
These came up morning & night
& two men got MMs for this
work. There ws not a
casualty in these carrying
pties. Most o / prisoners
taken by A Coy went back
thro 3rd Divn. 47 ws estimated
to take abt 150. Many went
back gladly without escort.
Reld by 14 Bn on night
of Oct 14^th . Completed by 7.30
without casualty. All wd had
been brought in before relief.
The Germs cd be seen walking
abt on / Paschendaele &
Assyria Ridges.

2         52
47 Bn. in this fight lost over
400 men. All offrs exc. 5
(3 of D Coy, Capt Brack, Lt ^HR. Smith)
became casualties. Brack
& Smith carried on the commd of
Bn.
47 Bn is now getting recruits
only from Q. Less than 100
Tasmanians now left.