Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/179/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 2

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mist, but as soon as we
cd make out the P/B thro
/ mist this ceased. When
S. got to the P/B the gun ws outside
pointing at as but / Germans
were inside the P/B - abt
15 of them.
At this point we were
beyond our line & in / edge
of / barrage. They fell back
right onto / line laid down.
There ws only / tracing o / Jetty
trench left. & scraps of barbed
wire. They didn't seem to have
bn occupied - no dead in them.
near Jubilee  [[?]] Germs. cd be

seen moving abt.
Plumley O.C. of right (Smyth
took left) put young Lee Scott (brother
of C.O.) out on rt of final
objve (in 8 Bde objve) inside

 

12
Mehan to 7 Bn
Scott in hospital
 

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the V of the creeks. The two

P/Bs there were captured-
one ws got by L/Cpl. Hillier
It ws holding Lt [[Melken?]] & his
frontal party up - L/Cpl. got
round by himself & shot the

M. Gunner - (recommended
for V.C. - got the D.C.M.J.
the other they closed in on
& it surrendered. Mehan
& Scott both for M.C. (Scott
ws gassed later on Broodseinde
Ridge)
From Abt 9am. the German planes
were over all day, up &
down / line, flying very low -
500 ft or lower, sometimes firing
into our lines. One ws
brought down by a 13 LH Hotchkiss
 

※ under the thinned
protective barrage
 

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detachment wh went up
for tt work. The plane fell
on / rise S.W of Polygonbeek
Apptly Abt 9.30 the 8th Bde
came up & swarmed over
Juniper trench^※ & thoroughly overwent
the little corner on the rise E
of the V of Polygon Beek &
brought back some prisoners.
They then came back & took
up their positn to N for [[abt?]]
Joist Fm.
There ws now nothing but
long distance sniping from both
right & left front but this
died after some time. The
line ws consoldg. & getting
messages back.
Abt 1p.m. what seemed to
be isolated German groups appeared
to be trying to get away. Then
 

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16
it ws realised tt these
were coming towards us.
They cd be seen coming doubling
in ones & 2s over the 57 contour
round Judge Cottage. They
doubled down into / trench
marked at Jolting Trench
& dropped down into them
Later on 20 or30 came over
/ ridge at a time in 3 or
5 parties, extended. This
kept on for fully 2½ hours &
it looked as if at least 2
Bns came across. The arty
tried to get onto them but
it ws feeble. It ws sd tt /
guns were shifting but only
33% of guns were supposed
to move at once. Only
2 6in guns, & 3 or 4 18 pdrs 

59
17
were firing & / damage done
ws practically nil.
One m.g. from the
Mound ws firing & doing
little damage. Our front
line ws only sniping bec.
ammn ^supply ws uncertain
& it had to be kept back
purposely.
No. c attack came during
/ day. There ws infn tt
the 3rd Guard Divn ws to
c-attack abt 3, but it did
not come then.
Towards dusk they came
over in / same formation
and dropped unto a further 
dip in / ground but nothing
came of it. The arty livened
up abt dusk & got heavier
tho' never anything like the
 

18
The germs came round to their left
of certain trees, & also past certain hedges
on / right, working under / hedges.
The Germs only seemed to be
coming forward at / one place,
But just before dusk they seemed
to work out in small parties
from this point Northwds to other
P/Bs - first garrisoning one then
another; also S. through Jolting
trenches out of sight over / edge.
The "scrub" described may have
bn hedge or may have bn scrub. The
Rd Junctn at 11 A 8.9
seemed to be one point
/ Germans were passing
Hand drawn diagram – see original
The Germs were not greatly
interfered wt on / forward slope - the mg
fire ws mostly on the reverse slope.
Sept 27.
__________

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mornings barrage. This
may have altered / Germs
mind.
At 9 a.m. abt 30
Germs came up to a
P/B abt 250 - 300 yds ahead
of our line. They were seen
by a small listening
post. These Germs - remained
there 10 mins or ½ hr & got
back.
Nothing during / night
exc. continuous arty fire
from both sides - Germ fire
growing & thinning alternately.
At 5 am the British arty
opened again, till 6.30
gradually lightening. This
barrage ws very heavy -
 

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- some of it a bit short.
There ws no c.attack this
day.
The 5 6 Bn ws in line up
to night of 30^th Sept; but there
ws no c/attack except a
small one on 8 Bde front.
(? Was this the incident in wh
the Polish Coy lost its way
- on 8 Bde front).
As / German got our line
- his planes were over every
day uninterrupted by our
planes. Our aeroplanes
were not showing any
enterprise at this time & /
infantry ws v. disillusioned.
The Germans completely held
/ air at this time, undisputed.
Our planes were over /
German line one morning &
 

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one contact plane on /
morning o / attack appeared
early before / Germs & hung
on to / end of his time.
There were a number
lost in our barrage in /
advance, & thro / same
cause in / holding period.
K.
Capt Single B Coy ws k. on forming up
positn by a stray bullet
Lt Kidston C Coy k. by a shell abt 9 or
10 a.m. ^just short of / objve (100 yds W of it).
Capt. Thompson C. Coy. (O.C.) k. by
a shell abt 3 p.m. near jn. of
Bn with 55 Bn.
Lt Adams. C Coy wd. by same shell wh
kd Thompson (C. had now lost
all its offrs).
Lt. Blackpool ^D Coy wd ^by bullet 8 a.m. at the
limit o / advance across / ck.
 

22
Lt Burton ws wd coming out
on the relief. He ws / last
remaining offr of B.Coy.

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Lt Poore. D Coy. Wd abt 100 yds from
1st objve by shrapnel. (15^th Bde
& 8^th Bde were in positn then).
Lt Naughton A Coy. Wd on way
to assembly Pt; on edge of
wood. By a bullet.
Capt Elliott RMO (Brother of Brigadier)
ws k by a shell just before
moving off on night 25/26
just agst Bn H Q in Chateau
[[?]]. (Just waiting on rd to move off -
Colonel had just left them.)
Capt. Chappell, adjt, ws wd
by same shell & died of wds.
Lt Dawes, Sig. Offr. wd by
same shell
All signallers but 4 were hit by this shell
Practically all Bn H Q wiped out.
____________________________________
Col. Scott was talking w the
relieving Colonel on West of the
Butte. The Colonel Scott ws apptly
killed by a ricochet from an
 

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orderly's helmet. He ws firing
from almost due S.
The 56 Bn ws reld by
R.W. Fusiliers.
_________________
The relieving Colonel ws
killed later.
Thompson ws buried where
he fell by our men / night
on wh he fell.
______________________
See Plomley