Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/182/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 2

11 
Bernard - gas at Ypres (Cobak Corek
Farm OP looking up onto Paschendaele)
Trounson ws v. badly blown up
after fighting 2 detachments at
Ypres right through a night &
came back quite broken up.
The Sergts mess of 55 Bty ws right in
the middle of the Cloth Hall cathedral
The officers mess ws in the Cloth 
Hall under the remains of the 
Tower. The men did 48 hrs shifts -
The guns at this time were
in St Jean, 2 miles away. These
were the rest billets.
3     12
They were left abt midday,
after the parts had bn carefully
buried. Shepherd came
back to Marlin Villers Pluich;
On the way back at Beaucamp
he collapsed w heart failure
& had to be carried.
41 men were missing
when Bty reformed at Sorel -
but of these 40 have turned up -
only one now missing.
The Germs had - m.gs within
800 yds at this time, & nearest
men probly within 300 yds.
The tube of one of the guns
at Pluich ws got away as
far as the crates on the Beaucamp
Rd & ws pulled out by a tank.
The second gun is now being
pulled out by Lt. Dobson.

13
54 ws at Lock 8 & went
to Hooge.
3     14

The guns were brought down
on Nov 11 from Lens where
they were for 5 or 6 days after.
Ypres. The Canadians got
the Aust. heavies handed over
to their 107^th Bty & became
3rd Canadian Divn. The
55^th Bty went South & took
over / Canadian guns.
The 55^th Bty at the start
at Ypres ws at Vormezeele
Thence it went into St Jean
& then up in front of wieltje
where the guns for / first
time in / war were firing
on Paschendaele direct
w direct obsevatn & open
sights - German aeroplanes
were terribly active there -
One bomb getting 21 men
The 55^th Bty has been in

3     15
the line for 22 months on
end & Bates has put in
for a rest for it. It (with
55^th Bty was in the Vimy
Battle in May 1916 -
54 Bty & I think 55 ws
in the Somme.
Pozieres
The 55 & 54 were shooting
at Serre befo on July 1.
They came down to F'ncourt
Farm.
On Aug 1 - 4 they were
shooting on O.G.1 & 2;
They then shot at Mouquet
Farm. Later at Courcellette
On Au Sugar Refinery -
when Canadians were

3     16
in Regina trench, the
54^th bty knocked off
25 yds of trench &
Canadians made a 
bombing block there.
The FO.O. discovered
guards trench 40 yds beyond
Regina trench built in one
night. By 12 midday
it had bn obliterated by
300 shells, (160 o.k)
FOO remaining in Regina
trench & being twice covered
w debris. The chief
instructor at Lydd, Maj.
Harrison, sd this ws /
best shoot he had ever
known.
In the winter 1916/17 

3     17
offrs & NCOs of 55 & 54
under Maj. Bates were
sent to England to
form No 338 Bty.
This did so well
tt it ws recommended
from ^Lydd tt it shd be kept to send
out with a new bty
of 15 in Hows, wh needed
special care & skill.
The W.O. agreed - but
at this time the A.I.F.
GOC decided tt he cdnt
support reinfts for it
& so it ws sent back
to 55 & 54.
These bties consist
of RAGA men with such

3     18
AGA as have been embodied
since / war, & as have
bn sent over.
A submarine nearly
got them in the Orsova
coming over - rose
2 miles astern.
For further details
Bandock 54 CO
Morris attd staff
Captain 5th Aust DA.

3     19
68 Sqn.
On Nov.30 Lt H G Cornell flying
was brought down in
Cantaing. He sp was
marked down as missing
by the Sqn, but a wire
came from him on 30th
that he was all right. He
spent / night in / village
- no troops were there at
all. Three German shells hit
/ house he slept in but he
got back alright the next day.
He went out in / morning &
it took him 14 hrs to get his
wire through.
Lt Taylor, flying on the 20th
Novr was brought down
when flying with Wilson.

3     20
68 Sqn flew over on
21st Sept. 15 machines -
A beautiful day - left
Grantham at 9.30 a.m.
- 2 flights lunched at St Omer;
the last machine landed at
9 5 p.m.
Sept 22 came to Warloy

aerodrome.
Sept 23 to Baizieux
Lt Huxley got his first
E.A on Nov 22 700 feet over
Marquion -
Same day Lt RW Howard
brought or helped to bring down
2 E.A.S. 1 E.A.
Capt Phillips drove one down
into a garden at Cambrai
Nov 26 Lieut Taylor put a germ. down
near Bourbon Wood at 1500 ft
& saw him stop dead.

3     21
29 Nov. Howard ws attacked
by an E.A & got him down.
An indecisive combat over
Bouries by Wilson on 29/11/17.
On 30 Nov. Wilson over
Gonnelieu shot an observer
- he cd see the man disappear
& gun stick up - He ws attacked
by another 2 seater & had to
break off. This 2 seater he
downed - it turned over -
he then hit it w a bomb.
On coming back ^having fired all his ammn he
found an E.A 2 seater waiting
for him. He went straight
for him. The E.A. turned &
went ap home. 
Dec 1. Huxley - low flying in
/ mist at 800 saw an
E.A. 100 ft below. 100 yds
away. Dived at him.

3     22
G. observer opened fire.
He maneuvered to 50 yds,
k. observer before he had
time to get round - machine
nose dived.
Huxley went home for
more ammn & bombs - an
hour later saw the G. machine
w 30 men around it. He
dropped a bomb at 30
feet wd amongst them wh
knocked / tail over.
Lieut Forrest 1st Dec. & Mackenzie
2op (at 0100 ft) Villers Guislain
met 5 scouts escorting a
3 seater. Mackenzie signalled
out one scout & crushed him
in a shell hole. Forrest
attacked one scout who climbed
up into / clouds & ws then