Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/59/1 - September 1916 - Part 4

10    32

chair in the order falls

vacant, I suppose)  & King

George was utterly opposed

to giving the highest British

order to a man of

Ferdinands morals.  Ferd-

-inand is supposed reputed to have

an inordinate sexual

affection for boys his own

sex;  & George blurted out,

when it was put before him:

"I wont give the Garter to

a bugger!"  This remark

was repeated, as Court

scandal is;  & it got back

to Ferdinand's ears &

made him the bitter enemy

of King George.

I daresay this is a

piece of utterly baseless

10    33

Court gossip.  Somehow, the

authority for it seemed to

be better than that.

Sept. 19^th  Staying at the Windsor 

Hotel.  Things seem to be

moving so fast in France

that I dont know but

what the Germans may

make a retirement &

shorten their time.  I must

get back by the 24^th.

I had intended to get my

leave lengthened as I

have not been able to get

the rest I hoped for.

Col. Forbes, 21 Bn,

who is staying here, says

that one Coy of his Bn

the afternoon before the Bn

attacked this last time lost

10    34

-in tt one afternoon, by

shelling, 21 men killed & 75

wounded.  Only 2 platoons

of tt Coy were to attack.

When the 21st attacked

part of it swung to / right

& seems to have attacked /

Farm.  They cd find no

trench.  He got two or 3

messages & then nothing

more - He had a few words

wd. men back;  & then nothing

for 3 days when a wd man

hobbled in who told them o /

Farm.  He thinks abt 60

men were taken Prisoners

(the Germans claimed 60).

__

Lt J.W. Pearce of Ballarat

& Capt. H.A. Crowther (Brighton)

were the two officers who stayed

35

The Dv of 21 Bn. Capt Fogarty, got all

/ damaged men off first - broken legs,

smashed thigh - & cleared the sick bdng.

Then he waited for his friend Maj.

Forbes, in one o / last boats.

One man - a bullocky from the

Otway Ranges sd to Forbes:  I cant

swim, Sir, but this is the best

bloody chance ever I had of learning.

____

As the torpedo came, Capt. Langley of Victoria

ws sitting on / hatch - Someone shouted

"A Torpedo!"  He stood up on the hatch

to see better &

was immed-

iately blown

into / air w /

hatch & subsided

w it into / hold

into all / filthy bilge

water.  There ws a

man in the bn who

ws to have bn left behind (shorthand)

at Alex. a "hard case". 

[[ over both pages:  ]]  He had stowed himself away & ws discovered aboard.

The questn arose who wd take him on.

Langley offered to have him in his platoon.

He ws going into this chap's case - w / papers

in his hand - when he ws blown into / hold.  It

ws This man tt rescued him.  He ws dragged out, black

w bilge.  When he came up to / men all lined up there Forbes

washed his face for him - wh amused / men.  Langley ws

dazed but he worked on w / rest.  Afterwds it took him a month in bed to recover

 

I asked

(Shorthand) Capt Langley

(Vic)

(In Bilge) West (shorthand)

 

Dr Fogarty (shorthand)

(shorthand) Broken (shorthand) thigh

(3 lines shorthand)

 

 

 

10    36

behind on Southland & div

work.  Pearce started the

engines (he is an Engineer)

Ch. Engr of Steamer ws attending

to the lights & dynamo.

Pearce got engines going &

stayed on duty till Mudros.

He nearly ws scalded to death

at the first go bec. he turned on

the wrong cock & ws covered

w steam.  He ws almost /

only man there in / engine

room. 5 or 6 officers (Pearce

ws only engr) stayed & abt 20

men.

37 (written sideways on page)

21 Bn asst [[?PE ft]] of Mouquet Farm Aug 26. 4.45 am.

Attack at 4.45 a.m. (shorthand) ^ 2 mins. Bombt. Ws holding line w 2 Coys

Other - 2 coys brought up & one of 22nd 90 strong.

The W trench on rt ws found to be strongly held

by patrol ^of 21 2 nights before.  It ws to be taken ½ min

before the advance by a special party  [[  sketch overlays writing ]] so as not to excite

Germans.  the bombt ws further up. 4 waves -

2 platoon from each Coy, side by side .. Part of 2nd Bn.

(90 sh) ws sent out at Zero in parties echeloned

to hold left flank.  The right having bn secured the

attack got on v. well.  Road (shorthand/trench) ws prac. wiped out.

Rd ws marked by stumps when they got to 77 (Capt.

Sale & his party B. Coy reached it easily - he ws wd by a bullet

( (shorthand) tho the arm) Fire ws from 54 - no resistance from 77.  Prac.

no Germans seen.  He held on in 77 (shellhole) all day.

 

10    38

24^th were to send

sh. patrol to Farm

& dig (shorthand/trench) across S.

face of farm long Rd.

[[  Map filling page ]]

No one alive

in here

10    39  (written sideways on page)

A platoon set out to get 54.  They arrd. w one

officer & 11 men.  They got in to 54 & killed Germans

as they came from dugouts.  They were fighting

all day till everyone ws hit exc. officers.  Germans

reinforced down their two (shorthand/trenches) & drove us out of 54.  We

cd see them reinforcing ^abt. 8.15 & put Stokes 5 m.g. on

them & did some damage.  They had m.g. on our men.

the line near Farm ws to have taken (shorthand/trench)

from 77 to Farm & then some 50 yds beyond it.

some thought they saw the (shorthand/trench) - but it ws smashed

out of recognitn.  they went a good way too

far.  they dug in in parts.  The men on / rt

10    40  (written sideways on page)

evidently hit agst Germans in (shorthand/trenches) behind Farm

& had no time to dig.  Fighting till abt 12.

Wd men brought back only news.  A Coy. Capt.

Robertson, Lt Clarebrough.  Robertson ws w. twice

& prob. taken prisoner.  Clarebrough ws killed.

Germans reinfd. very strongly from behind Mouquet.

Line prob. turned round to meet them.  (They seemed

to have a tunnel - the reinf disappeared &

came up later.  It is thought they fought to

betw. 12 & 1 & probly what where left were taken (shorthand/prisoner)

24^th thought they saw abt 20 men taken

prisoner.  We "think" at least 100 Huns were

K. there

10    41 (written sideways on page)

the fighting started w bombing.  We already got

into a (shorthand/trench).  Then (when we got out) heavy

shelling & m.g. fire from Mouquet Farm (wh

ws on programme for 24^th to clear)

M.G. fire from Mouquet Farm cut off

advance from H.Q.  A Coy sent 12 runners

but not one got through.  A man came in

days later unwounded.  He'd bn beyond the

farm;  in a (shorthand/trench).  He & abt 20 men used up (shorthand/their)

ammn & bombs & (the 60 having bn reduced

to 20) hopped it & he got right round by

night behind 54 into the British (shorthand/trenches) near

Ration (shorthand/trench) - one wd other unwounded.  These

10    42   (written sideways on page)

two were only 2 of the 20 who got back.  He ws

in B Coy (shd have bn on left)  Some of men

of 22nd posts got right up by Farm.

No one got into the Farm this night.  They

reckoned the dugouts on the Farm had steel

girders & concrete cover. 

B Coy got 77.  Part of B Coy dug themselves

in in isolated holes North of (shorthand/trench) 77 - Mouquet Farm.

They were heavily hit.  They were not c - attacked.

Comms w them from 77 (Capt. Sale)  Sale came

himself overland - made 2 trips.  54 made

thing difficult.  77 ws not c. attacked.

10    43 (written sideways on page)

ws sniping the Germans in 54.

77 & the shell holes on either side

were taken over by 14 Bn same night.

The W trench ws given up, Garrison being

sent up to reinf. A Coy.  They went off into

thin air (abt 5.30).  We had a message

to say that A Coy needed help.

the rt & left were reinfd by 4 more

platoons (½C ½D)  also had a platoon

carrying from C & from D.  These eventually got

into fight.  This left line held by 2 4 weak

platoons of C & D Coys with abt 100 men.  A Coy

of 22nd ws sent up 90 strong to strengthen garrison