Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/49/1 - July 1916 - Part 5

11     46
bare rafters of Dead Cow farm were
up the hill from a little way - 
& this bldg seemed to have bn
forgotten by / enemy & everyone
else for years & years & years.
We stirred a Tommy out of the
repose o / place (it had been 
strafed once for one dugo sodden
dugout ws broken in) & he got
a Corporal who sd tt there was
one trench further along known as "The Only
Way" furt & it led to /
front line – but it ws not to be
used by day as / enemy 
sniped down it - He added tt
he himself chanced it. He thought
if we went / other way (we wd
have to get out o / trench & cross
a road) we cd eventually get down.
I dont think he had bn there more

11       47
than 2 days.
We went back - & Messines
must have seen us; for as we went
along / trench we heard the far of
bump bump bump bump of a battery.
You notice it somehow if its pointing your 
way – but one thought they were
probably shooting at some battery
over / hill. Presently  a second
later we heard the whine o / shell -
getting lou  louder & expected a
burst up / hill or on / flat
but it got louder  & nearer -
we ducked down in / trench – the
things whined loudly a little overhead
& burst abt 50 to 100 yds beyond
us - Two Tommies had passed us
also, going / other way.
I thought at once it ws for
us - & the others I am sure thought

11  48
so - from some remark wh Butler
dropped. We didnt think any
more of it until we had gone
70 yds more when bump bump
bump bump - the same battery
again. We dodged round a
traverse & squatted down. (I had
noticed / marks of a shell burst
or two in the burst woodwork o / trench as we came
down - so they got in sometimes).
This time one burst close behind
& scattered gravel over us.
They did that 4 or
5 times as we moved along.
We hurried across the open road
like rabbits & soon after came
another.
That trench came to an
end without our once being
able to get to any trace of a

49 

It was hilly country. The
trench walls stood without
revetting in most parts.

11  50
commn w / front line. I never
imagined there were such trenches
still in existence. Herbertson
says the Commn trench was
a comparatively modern 
invention in this war. Up to
abt April 1915 - they had to go
to the front trench over the top by
night & stay there till night before they cd come out.
we heard
There had bn Australians
in these trenches the day before (so the
R. West Kents, I think they were, told us)
but they had left tt day.  We cd
find no trace of them except some little
fires made in / trenches (wh reminded
me of Gallipoli). They had taken part
o / fire step board to make them.
When We got back to Bailleul
(via the shattered Wulvergem &
Neuve Eglise. Butler told Ross & 

11     51
myself later tt night tt the corps
had orders to leave Bailleul for
the South on Monday. It was then
Saturday.
White told me tt / word to
move had come quite suddenly.
They had heard on Monday that 
they were to be ready to go South.
On Wed. they were told by Second
Army tt / used chance did not seem imminent
On Sat. they suddenly got / word to
go. White sd this meant some
sort of miscalculation - & it
ws strange tt they shd have bn
a whole corps out in their
calculations. (I have given his
ideas elsewhere - wrote them
down at / time).
On Sund. July 9th I found
the 7^th Bde already moving

11     52
down the long road from Neuve Eglise
to / Bailleul - Armentieres Rd. It
was a beautiful day & German
aeroplanes were very busy.
One of them dropped a bomb
on a convoy of the 2nd Divn
moving out of Armentieres  & killed
three horses. Some of our Squadron
set out at once to chase it  find
it or drive off any others.

Ross went over to La Motte
this day. He had wanted to
live with us at 1^st ANZAC - & it
ws far closer to Armentieres  where
the N.Z. Divn was. But Godley
left a note for Maj. Studholme.
"Ross should live either with 2nd
Anzac or the N.Z. Divn" - & he
had to go. Of course he wd have had

11 53
to go anyhow when we left.

July 10 Herbertson came South in
the car w me. Vignacourt 
We reached Vignacourt abt 
midday & Evans, the Signaller,
asked us into the Village Inn,
opposite the Mairie, to have
a lunch they had ordered. The
place was crammed w our little
coterie of officers - & x it ws
a very nice lunch. The town is
a sort of collecting stn for the front of
/ Battle - "They usually stay here 5 days"
sd the Town Mayor. "The divisions
concentrate here & then move
up as soon as they are ready.
The divns each move into a
small district mapped out
for it, & then from there into similar

11  54
districts nearer up.
Went with Herbertson into
Amiens in / afternoon but cdnt
see the Press officer till next day.
Back by 2nd Corps.
July 11^th. Went in to see the Press
Officer in / afternoon. He told me
if I wanted to keep on / car
I shd have to pay £22 a
week.

July 12.  Butler let Herbertson
come out w me today
at 12 11am. until 3.pm.
We hurried off to Fricourt but
missed / way w / car
near Becourt & came down
through &in front of Becourt
wood. Here our guns were
firing over our heads  & the road ran so close

11 55
to them that we had   There were three biscuit boxes
across it to stop the traffic & we had to use a side 
road - a diversion abt 20 yds to the side.  In the middle of this
our car broke down for a minute or two & we
had to watch the driver trying to get his gear in
mesh while / guns were sending shells abt 10 feet
over our heads & absolutely deafening us.
We pushed  on to Fricourt. The road was already
wellmade & men were at work upon the
railway. A few shells had bn falling there & we
saw 2 horses dead by /  side  o / road. Men were
mending / road thro' om Fricourt & there were already
water tanks in / place.
we pushed on up / road to 
Mametz. There was an engineer dump at / corner
& a line of about 10 guns all in the open behind
the road. Every gunner seemed to wait until
you were just beside his gun muzzle
& then to fire -  I rather fancy they had
a bit of fun of their own out of it 

11    56
A couple of horses had bn killed by a shell
up the Mametz Road. We went up / village
& then along a shallow hedge (with a shallow trench)
to Eastern slope of / hill overlooking the valley &
Mametz Wood.

our men had 
jus taken Mametz Wood
& shell were falling near a
trench just along its eastern border
& in / wood itself. There came
to us as we sat there & also
near Fricourt woods a delightful
sweet scent of almonds. 
Herb-Erlson  recognised it at once as
German gas shell - tear gas
- fired at batteries in the woods.
The Manetz road ws  in
use for we passed several ambulances
sheltering in the cutting going up into
the village  

I think they were chiefly horse
drawn ambulances.