Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/178/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 6

2     67 

Germans. One pty gave some

trouble - firing from rifles from a dugout

on / North side o / Rly. They had a

m.g wh they did not use.

It ws found where they were - by men on /

top of Southern Bank. The pty there threw bombs

at them wh kept them in their dugouts

while anor. party worked up / rly

gr cutting (wh ws very deep there.

30 or 40 prisoners were obtained from

/ cutting. They bombed / dugouts in

/ cutting as they went along.

Part of 12 mg Coy

came up & occupied

some o / dugouts (one

ws full of wine & spirits)

68

At one time aft a Coy of 3^rd Div

ws seen along / top of Paschend Ridge

in Column of Route. They were not

suffering at all - some thought they must be

Germans - they advd abt 1000 yds. They

were having no diffy there. This ws

during / morning.

2      69 

& a m.g. ws mounted

on top of S. side of cutting.

The Germans ^kept at least 150 

yds away from / North

side o / rly owing to our fire.

All this time there was no support on our

left. When 48 Bn ws on / Red Line

the 3rd Divn came up and

reached about / line of 4th Divn

The defensive flank

wh had bn left ws withdrawn as 3rd

Divn came up & / front line ws thus reinforced

by Anderson w / men thus obtained.

As soon as we got to / Red Line

(overlooking / top) - a remarkable incident occurred.

The Germs. had in Copse (behind Vienna or Tiber) abt

2      70

a Coy. These were

rushed up to the rly line.

They lined it in abt 12D &

started to fire their rifles in a

southerly directn at our men.

Part of our barrage caught

these men & our mgs wh were pretty

fresh at tt time - & they absolutely withered

away. It was an embankment & they were easily

swept. The German was later seen

massing -  but it ws not this wh forced us to

retire. He seemed to be massing in the SE from /

early afternoon wandering up all / roads & lanes

from all directns. A very heavy m.g.

fire came down - they wd fire at one man

moving. After the m.g. fire

71

[Shorthand]

During / retirement some

men of 4 Divn were sent N. of rly. to

cover / flank as there seemed to

be no one of 3rd Divn there.

2        72

came the German wave. His arty

was heavy but ws thrown deep. The Germans

didnt follow it as we do. It was rather destructive fire.

The 3 Divn ws now seen retiring along the

sky line. This was at the time when /

Germs. came out. We had to withdraw &

as / only path ws along / embankt.

practically / whole sector retired along

it. This ws not shelled very heavily.

Our men formed on / Jumping Off line

[[Shorthand?]]

& were reasonably comfortable - the Germs

did not attempt to leave Assyria Ridge.

For the rest of 48 Bns tour / the Germs were

digging in on Assyria but there ws no

There was no mg fire to speak of on us, only

Artillery fire from tt time on.

73

w. Col Leane , as in 47Bn a/c

K. Murray, as above.

Lt Grinlington  d of w. afterwds.

(hit / day before they came out, Oct 13

13 Oct.

He had also a frightful wd

at Pozieres & had just returned.

Lt McDowell ws hit by

same shell burst.

Lt Pritchard 

wd as above

6 or 7 other offrs were wd.

Capt Carter ws in / c of main part of

front line N of Assyria.

2     74

One incident worth mentioning: When they got

back, Anderson (who ws in/c on / left) saw some of

our men wander up / rly twds / enemy. They were

seen to be met by Germans - w unknown result.

A little later down / rly came a man in Australian

clothes helping a German who ws wd - twds us.

They were both blown up by a shell.

They were probly ignorant of retirement

or else had gone back to fetch a mate.

___________________________

Lt Ridley ws k just before J.B. trench.

Anderson sew saw Lt Guthrie missing , prob k. right up forwd

Lt Whitington ws seen wd. up in front.  He ws later

reported a prisoner.

15 Officers hit & abt 359 or.

All A Coy offrs.

C Coy only Hilary left

B. Coy Limb & Carter left

D Coy only Capt Anderson left.

2      75

34 Bn.   Ypres Oct 12

See Narrative

The operatn order had bn

drawn up on / idea tt the

66 Divn had reached its objve -

The news arrd at 5.20 p.m. on

night of 11^th Oct tt 66 Divn line ws

wrong & alteratns wd have to be

made.  Bn had to leave at

6 p.m. for / assembly, & this

resulted in no operatn order

being possible.

The Bde ws led along / rly

(first on one side of it, now on top,

now on other side). There ws shelling

from / time it passed Rly Blockhouse

onwards. The assembly positn

ws near / cemetery.

DEDING Copse, in narrative

is Decline Copse.

Delve Xing (probly = Defy Xing)

76

Offrs

HQrs. Co. Maj. Leroy Fry

Adjt: Lt. A. Gibson Farleigh.

R.M.O. Maj GRC Clark k. while attending

wd at RAP forwd of Seine w Corpl & others

blown out by one shell.

A Coy. Lt C.O. Edwards (OC.) wd while in command

during attack.

Lt. Monfries J. Shell shock - led pln.

during attack, knocked silly by

shell (12/10/17)

Lt T.C. Pittaway. wd going up to

assembly (M.C. - Messines)

He laid the tape here at Ypres.

2/Lt E.C. Edwards wd at assembly line

before zero by m.g.

B Coy: Capt Jeffries (O.C.) k. (See narrative - V.C.)

Lt H.W. Lilja wd by same shell as

Pittaway on way up to

assembly.

2/Lt O.P. Davidson. wd by m.g. fire during advance.

(acting L.G. officer)

? 2/Lt Kerslake. (Evacuated sick.)

C Coy. (O.C.) Capt Gilder T.C. (wd. 1st blown up on objve

then wd 2nd time - he was practically 

senseless - got M.C.)

Lt J.S. Bradbury came up after

all offrs had bn wd. Evacuated w [*shellshock*]

2/Lt A.E. Watson d. of w - leading [[?]]

advance 12/10/17

2      77

2/Lt W.G. Purvis. wd. 12/10/17

D Coy:   Capt J.W. Richardson k. on second objve.

12/10/17

Lt J.C. Burgess. k going forwd to 2nd objve.

Lt B.G. McKenzie k. organising

on objective.

Lt J.A. Longworth k. while helping

to reorganise at 1st objve.

Add to Headqrs.

Sig Off Lt. A.L. Watson - wd. after establishing

bn forward command post - a splendid brave

officer (he & all staff were wd.)

2 Pillboxes E of Augustus Road &

NE of Heine House held the advance

up - it sank into shellholes in /

centre. Capt Jeffries organised a 

bombing pty & rushed & captd the

blockhouses - [4 m.gs. & 35 prisoners there]

2      78

When Red Line was reached the line ws

under fire of more m.gs. abt 200

yds N. of Embankt. Jeffries again

organised 2 NCOs & 10 men to

capture this post. He ws  k in

taking it but his NCOs carried on

& took 2 guns and 40 prisoners.

Capt Richardson reorganised Bn & 
took it on twds Blue Line where

he ws killed.

80

A great no. of men were k.

round Seine & other Pill Boxes

after this battle by whizzbangs -

8 in one morning at Seine.

79

Diagram - see original

2        81

Capt Gilder. C. Coy. went up rly

(left abt 6.10) wheeled to left by

cemetery along taped line from NW

corner of cemetery.

G. day before had reconnoitred

cemetery at Seine - he & Watson & Capt Jeffries were

leading - stopped Bn abt 200 yds

short of cemetery (as 44 Bn told

them tt positn of enemy ws

uncertain & there ws a chance

of walking into them) - So Bn

stopped at entrance to cutting &

G.W & Jeffries went on - found

a 36 Bn offr there who had laid 

/ tape - found tape itself,

went back & brought on / bn.

Shelling ws just beginning to

get lively - one shell landed

right on / line (the first to do

so) & k 3 signallers during this halt.