Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/179/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 5

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They were there for 48 hours;
On Oct 14 42Bn went in
again at nightfall.
They reld 10 Bde.
This night Lt Wood went
out 1000 yds, examining
P/Bs on / way, & found no
Germans.  The only lights
were back near Paschendaele.
Germs were still barraging
500 or 600 yds further out NE
than our line.
42 Bn ws supposed to be
in Support but there were none
of our own troops ahead of
them from the Ravebeek to
Dab trench.  43 Bn had its left
flank near Waterfields on the
Ravebeck - wh ws quite
impassable thro mud.
Right flank jound 41 Bn on 

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rt of Augustus Wood.
They were not troubled by
rifle or m.g. fire but the
enemy intermittently shelled /
front line wh had bn further
consold.  By 16 0ct his gun practice
showed tt he had picked up our
line.
Casualties were surprisingly
small – ground ws so sloppy tt
effects were local.
On Oct 16/17  9Bde reld –
& 42Bn came back to Bivouac
near Tulip Levi Cottage.( actually by
Tulip Cottage).  The men were
mostly in shell holes – some in
pretty bad dugouts.  Men w feet & so
on were reld by troops of B Echelon
from E of Ypres – Band, Cooks &
pioneers, reserve Sigs. all had to
go up & relieve in their turn, & 

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423
234
_____
2 offrs 189.
 

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some were lost this way.
They were here from 16 — 20 Oct.
The men were very done.  The idea
ws to hold on till Canadians came.
The 42 ws reld by 50th Canadian Bn
on evg of Oct 20th, leaving for relief
under a battery area straf by
a battery of 5.9s.  The canadians
were shelled also.
The shelling of duckwalks
w 5.9s ws very accurate &
continuous –
On the second tour the Bn lost
2 offrs wd.  189 men.
Many of / casualties in this tour
were exhaustion & feet.
The 1st line transport
had to bring rations from B
echelon in front of Ypres
by male pack train in daylight 

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to Levi Colts — going up &
trying to dodge his barrages.
At / same time tracks had
to be used because the ground
ws so boggy.  Hot soup packed
in petrol tins ws sent up —
it ws / finest ever tasted-rations,
braziers (fuel sent up – also wood)
but this made smoke by day
12 mules were k & 6 drivers
(incl. 2 in/cs grey horse)
wounded – all officers cols
were in this.
It ws practly impossible
for mules to go by night — the xxxx rds
were lined w dead animals. 

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Diagram - see original document
 

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Warneton. July 31.
42 on left  43 on Rt had to
mop up the German outposts
in / big Nomansland left
after Messines, & establish
6 ^new posts commanding Warneton
Line.
The 42nd had to put out
posts 3 4 & 5 (1 & 2 having
already been put out there).
(6 7 8 – 43rd)  The 42nd left
Douve Camp in busses in
evg. debussed near Souvenir
Dump, Wulverghem. They
were in apptd positns in /
line by 2 a.m.  A section & Lt Freeman
were k. by a shell wh lobbed on 

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the Wulverghem Messines Rd,
shelling a bty.  F. & 5 of his
pln HQrs were k.; no one wd.
A & B Coys were / Assaulting troops
they had to mop up Nomansland
& go right thro to Warneton
wire & lie up agst it, acting
as a screen to D Coy who
folld imd. aftewds & established
posts S 4 & 5.
C Coy were to dig a new
boomerang shaped hand drawn sketch-see original document
front line behind them.
The tr A+ B were to remain
out 2 hrs, the protective barrage
being on / Warneton line for
this period. They were then
to retire on Sectns & assist
in digging C Ts to the posts.
It is estimated tt they k. 150
 

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X on this previous occasion
Lt Stephenson Stevenson was wounded;
during / assault, before they
got to / trench x

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Germans – 27 were finally in
/ cage.
A Coy had to cross / German
trench behind / road & follow /
barrage leaving D Coy to deal
with it.
[A Coy ^X a fortnight before had
taken this same trench but before
it cd consolidate ws bombed out
from both flanks by Germans.
Abt a week later the 36 Bn
sent over 100 men, who lost
80 men out of 100 in the same
task,]
The Germans on July 31 were
left by A Coy when it crossed –
it ws ordered to follow /  barrage –
& were deep down in the trench.
They got up & began to bomb
D Coy who were too close to
let them fire into A Coys back –
 

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The Germs lobbed their bombs
over as fast as they cd
into / ditch on / far side
o / road — they rolled down
the camber o / metalled rd
into the ditch.  No 14 pln
of D ws held up by this
– lost abt 10 men. But
No 13 pln wh ws going out
to dig a C.T. from No 5 post
back to / old front, had bn
instructed to look out for
difficulties to No 14.  They
did this – Lt Lewis
came round on the rear
o /  Germs & they were
practically all killed.
B Coy (Nos 5 & 6 plus) found
a m.g. in / German No 6 post
opposing it. It ws rushed
 

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& / crew were killed. Lt A.B.C.
Wood. & Sergt Campbell were
with these 5 & 6 plns. They went
straight at this gun. It fired
at him & jammed when they
were within 30 yds. It ws
a light gun. They were on
it before it cd fire again &
K. the lot.
After passing / posts,
A & B Coys found / German

in the supports in shellholes
got up & ran & a number
were shot – Our M.g
barrage caught a number —
there were 47 germs on / Bde
front & it ws a splendid
barrage. This frightened /
Germs more than anything
else.
The barrage rested on

 

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/ Warneton line for 1 hr. 30 mins.
when it lifted in 100yd lifts
for 500 yds beyond / Warneton
line. Then it came back onto

/ Warneton line firing smoke
to hide our four assaulting
Coys withdrawing. (The German
ws throwing no smoke shell].
[ We had fired a Smoke Screen
to obscure Warneton on /
rt flank o / operatn at
/ very start].
These smoke Screens were
very effective — the Germs.
had a number of known
O.Ps in Warneton.
Our programme ws
carried out to the tick. Abt