Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/178/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 7

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066793
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 11

82 the tape The going along we pretty bad, & lape line blown away it & places. thei going till kept Rey Eb Bn in were tucted had just abt settler This Cor down by 3.15 (orders to be on line wh they were by 3. am. Thea to 5.25 stelling was hot. D. Watson seems to have be hit at this time & died later. They got off on the tick of 5.25. Rain had heavet come down in interval pretty wek & men god ws heave thro. then very Barro ces ws live difficult to tell as it also ragged at There ws wordss Aujustes wood- boggly to I waist
2 8 you had to get this as best & it we next to goued impossible to look after your party fire soon began M.J. Belleone way to come from abt 6.30 & $5000 booyds from G. ws hit by mg. bully hop of line. It ws hard to say if men wereon barrage or not. Most of C. C reach abt secmedto 70 Red tie yds Short G. & pt of 10 dis in Joydsahea who were aby an on thems fed back Extension Ane appt 49 B of Capt Blatchford 583 w hd men ws on a mumberd ws collection fraud ling fur her men left bo So
84 During this tue 034 were lying up year#4B C but they had bn wery khocked & were v t about before starten were in 136 134tny othen Shelilgloet. 85 saw here 2/5 Bradbury 9. only other of notice fere. C ships part of right up to get a better field offire as allright X4 had some 25FSCBn amess ws through were the b Adder recd 46 needed abad way ti ws Eing support The 34 then getting consold f S0 a punner went on w G. They walked (Pt Morgan over towds the rly tine saw some men moving & followed them across te Rd & found left of B5 H BOBn att This ws some 1202 ineddan Fabo 12.30 time after late he we blown Abt 10mins pbyahedHews Sinat tookin t AH
86 Bu CH) found 2 offrs of 75 They were [facing another thy were in tinked ridge up, shekpoles w a dip in a riss furter on front planes had bu over German his fatloon prett 44 w looking into them ass ws here larson arte An allso They Hort tep ae X (pretty t te togie pear X 6 on th tweke dy teibe Were hols in secnted flank Teir le wa have 4be as en ip Pn tothe from 34 lt w wheref gap but te Uncous Lous thown he ws 5:9/pell
87 fiiith af h 4 The W Hillsitd D from wood Aug Im ea Waterffeld Se Po Pon or at Hed on t come ta £ad 4 6 five assistance 74 103de aDectin 1 from aschendiele round tll He 1 who ordaghe Brt the S4e 24 ont maoe t differntles any T4e th The Fl. hd 5BS tine be III
88 & allright going in but. trattic over it wadd it most difficult. afrsm goft bagged. Haad to he glo out (Probe many aD ofhe were drow. Ifo The rly cutting & the roadd Hambary were pupt of de adeptiga them Emen tou terrifly diffecul her d stretehe ona tooe batfa wofd man d eer out hil T hers behind 0 no find on Act 2 evening 90 where thy ground other from road 1 move et dept Boea in bend the to the wheeh near cxoccting hillton whee 6 4 w Srt Bunc 77 w the good until favit ws 3 catting beside (cemetery. Then they were sheard fw H.V. mete wi Ht 35/B behind robly funder 38 w distance) for 2s & spetting very heavy during this time Monffies & Pittaway The Edtivar
9l at tay The 7let D8 y worked after Soviy 4 94 surtioed this. certainly sparted on apenting Jy farrage D25 the flat pes. a hig Tere gepman eng this After Cemeter duoub. opened from in from Kerselliari one past kin pro Hidsido). The live waoker suns X at ting went thdight af ceptd 730 epe men ut 94e were taken edad 3 20 ep upa menth allow ar werefrushed fi 6e 91 mugh dai to Ce woain w 262 Can Teffris i Brucesgo n $417 sellfor canchety a began to nex or thereabts when trouble lef cause 91 at d away 200
92 left $4 as aay ws t on hear top afirst began to Capt. Jeffries or ganined by rese men from shell holes a pty. of 2N.C.O. Bincews Caltf13 men the to hem worked round on ushed 52 bax lef pe 25030 a Ter from couple it this shed ao Fou M to te tem tks not t they th They were oby ear 00 stopped. t athat They hathed here hey as wts Pere left of o t0 Dutep 35 B arcut ther 80e sewere tfeti a 10 30 ws cate also. men of went w of
fivm he coming 4i MY 1 on both flanks The Dork becaus one from now on Leary working out outs. Lefan Cant Jeffies pty w The dayout a out after work Frear unto firing w advanc 94 dejent the right of scrut bit o cel between it the rly line Halmost on o 5 ridge Paschendey main of Rid cows capitadig lf refe ou tob men the extreme ws on our it fur l & shaottn towds ws lo The ptiy WTef ti3 it trying ar
94 2/440 feting as an tehes fun Th Senns w fef fees tos etler round an Att aaad houd dche when fire litir they worh th foun dugont Hab seris 25or 30 were captd wereer 2guns both then broken up. wh were Sery then Brase Isom t towds oredap lett chag. Dy faf 2 on 35 Bn X 246y teir t down w 4 27 there wt lmen wergwgutis work 44 from Di dire from wells
95 Sneth £16 eit Ed down vall 5o where abt 70 fy 8 in at them &c the plankes 34 4t Dun Bruce 201 notics 4 4f fon wep Set di 2 96 ling went back his B3 Bl Bu objie)) Came Water an order 4Bna cupport 36 Bn Tey tent it d Any way th 65 ridse ont up 3 The 36 had of them sone gh ie over marn thh first an fis tn 44. He mant had t were hy 58 now 84 i foued Hag li them t Hereabt 8 Betn O X Faschindeely X9n fl left t yd From Willage abt 20 town Set S Hhouses ty tI towds that till ab T4 hug

2
82

The going along the tape

ws pretty bad, & tape line

blown away at 4 places.

They kept going till they

touched 40 Bn in wire -

This Coy had just abt settled

down by 3.15 (orders to be on line

(wh they were) by 3.am.)

Then to 5.25 shelling was hot.

Lt.^A.E Watson seems to have bn hit

at this time & died later. They

got off on the tick of 5.25. Rain had

come down in interval pretty heavily

- grd ws heavy & men wet

thro.

Barrage ws very thin -

line difficult to tell as it ws

also ragged.

There ws morass at

Augustus wood - boggy to / waist -

 

2
83

you had to get thro' as best

you cd & it ws next to

impossible to look after your

party. M.g. fire soon began

to come from Bellevue way.

Abt 6.30, & 500 or 600 yds from

hop off line, G. ws hit by m.g. bullet.

It ws hard to say if men

were on / barrage or

not. Most of C. Coy

seemed to reach abt 70

yds short of Red line &

dig in - G. & pty of 10

who were abt 70 yds ahead

fell back on them, - an

Extension of 40 Bn line apptly

(Capt Blatchford 38 Bn w

a number of his men ws on

/ same line & ws collecting

men to go further left.)

 

84

X During this time 36 & 35 Bn

were lying up rear A & B Coy

but they had bn very knocked

about before starting & were very thin - Some

were in 34 Bn line others -

shell holes etc.
 

2
85

G. saw here 2/Lt Bradbury 

 - only other offr noticed here,

G. shifted part o / right up

to get a better field of fire -

Left ws allright. X

35 & 36 Bn had gone

through.  A message ws

recd by Gilder tt they were

in a bad way & needed

support. The 34th line ws

getting consold by them, so

G. went on w a runner

(Pte Morgan) They walked

over towds the rly line -

saw some men moving & followed

them across the Rd & formed

left of 35 & 36 Bn abt

12 C 2.5. This ws some

time after midday - abt 12.30.

Abt 10 mins later he ws blown

up by a shell - He ws

looking for Offrs - & finally

 

2
86

found 2 offrs of 35 Bn (Lt & 2/Lt)

They were facing another

ridge - they were in linked

up shellholes w a dip in

front & a rise further on.

German planes had bn over

pretty low & his balloon

ws up looking into them.

An arty liaison offr ws there

also. They knew they were

short of their objve, (pretty

near 35ths objve line)

& they were on a bit of

a ridge & decided to dig

in & hold there.

Their left flank seemed

to be in / air. G. wd have

brought 34 Bn up to their

left (where / gap ws) but

he ws thrown unconscious

by a 5.9 shell.

 

2
87

The line at finish ws

from Defy Xing, W of Hillside

Fm. to rear of Aug. Wood,

to Waterfields.

The 36 Bn HQrs moved to

Hillside FM at one time but

had to come back.

↑       ↑      ↑

C      B      A

D Coy ws to give assistance to

10 Bde by wheeling from Rt

round Paschendaele. All

their offrs were killed.

Sergt Bruce ws / N.C.O who brought

the Bn out. He got the D.C.M.

Since commissioned.
The difficulties were tremendous

w S/Bs. The rly line by the end of the

 

88

X allright going in but

traffic over it made it

most difficult. Offrs & men

got bogged & had to be dragged

out. Probly many wd

men had to be were drowned.

They rly cutting & the road by

Hamburg were full of dead -
Germ had range of both of

them.
 

2
89

tour ws terribly difficult X. 6 men
on a stretcher took half a day

to get a wd man out
_______________

The 18 pdrs behind hill 40

on Oct 12 (evening) cd find no

other ground where they cd

move except / road from

Bde HQrs in the bend, to the

hilltop near / crossing, wheel

to wheel.
_________________

On rt Sergt Bruce ws w A Coy.

It ws fairly good until the

cutting beside / cemetery. Then

they were shelled w H.V.

A Coy ws in the Cemetery with

36 & 35 Bn behind (probly under

distance), for 2 hrs & shelling ws

very heavy during this time.

The 2 Edwards, Monfries, & Pittaway

 

90

X abt 11 D 9.1.

x or nearer to Deck on

Woods. The pty worked too

far to / left going after it.
 

2
91

certainly survived this.

They started on / opening o / 

barrage. 5.25.

There is a bit of flat past the

Cemetery. After this German mgs

opened from in front of 2 dugouts

(probly one past k in Kerselaarhoek)

& other W of Hillside). The line

went straight at these guns & /

men in / P/Bs were captd. Abt

30 prisoners were taken. The mud wdnt

allow / men to keep up w /

?barrage mud. The mgs were rushed too

quickly to do much damage.

A Coy ws working to the left

& Bruce got w B Coy & Capt Jeffries.

A concrete pillbox in XU I I D 8.8X

or thereabts next began to

cause a lot of trouble when /

line ws abt 200 yds away. It

 

2
92

ws on the left of A Coy as they

began to near / top o / first

big rise. Capt. Jeffries organised

a pty of men from shell holes

(abt 12 men & 2 N.C.Os (Bruce ws

w him), worked round on the

left o / Pillbox & rushed it

from / rear. Abt 25 or 30 men

were got out of this & a couple

of m.gs. wh they smashed as

they cd not take them w them.

They were near / objve then

& stopped. w / road on their

right.

They halted here - what ws 

left of bn ws here. As they 

halted 35 Bn went thro.

34 were late getting to their objve

& so 35 ws late also. A number

of men of 34 went w 35.

 

2
93

M.g. fire ws coming from P/B

on both flanks. The work

from now on became one of

working out & clearing dug

outs.

The pty w Capt Jeffries began

to work out after a dugout

wh ws firing into / rear of

35 Bn advancing. This dugout

ws behind ^to the right of a bit of scrub,

between it & the rly line,

& almost on / top o /

ridge (of / main Paschendaele

Ridge) It ws enfilading

the men on / top o / ridge

 - it ws on our extreme rt

& shooting towds our left.

The pty w Jeffries ws 

trying a rush while this

 

2
94

gun ws firing to / right.

The Germs switched / gun

round & Jeffries ws killed.

Abt a quarter of an hour

later when / fire slackened

they worked round this

dugout & abt 25 or 30 Germs

were captd. 2 guns were here

wh were both then sm broken up.

From there Sergt Bruce

worked up to / left towds

/ village.

[The 35 Bn had a gap on

their rt by / rly but they worked

down tt way].

Up near / village there

were m.guns working from Crest

Fm directn & from / village

 

95
 

They were rt over / top o

/ ridge finally, & cd see right

down / valley to rt front

where abt 7 or 8 guns were

firing at them. (they cd see

/ flashes).

The 4th Divn Bruce did

not notice -
 

2
96

B. went back to his line

(34 Bn objve).

Later an order came for

34 Bn to support 36 Bn

in anyway it cd. They went

up onto / top o / ridge w

36 Bn. The 35 Bn had many

of them gone right over / hill

first thing in / morning &

may had bn lost. The rest

were in to 36 - 34 now

joined in w them & dug in

on / Red line or thereabts

w left flank on Paschendaele

village abt 20 or 30 yds from

/ houses & rt flank down

towds the rly.

They hung on there till  abt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ray WilsonRay Wilson
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