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. Ferdinand 
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 line. I must
get back by the 24th.
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 Dr of 21 Bn. Capt Fogarty, got all
/ damaged men off first - broken legs,
smashed thigh - & cleared the sick bay.
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 immediately 
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.
at Alex. a "hard case". 
Barricade coming. [shorthand]
Story of West.
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
Had he asked
he was in bed
for a month
Capt Langley
(Vic)
(In Bilge) West pulled him out. 
Dr Fogarty got the damaged men off first
and hospital cases.  Broken legs, crushed thigh.
Bullocky of the Otway Ranges.
I cannot swim sir but this is the best bloody
chance ever I had of learning.
 

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 
21 Bn agst left of Mouquet Farm Aug 26. 4.45 am.
Attack at 4.45 a.m. ^ 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 so as not to excite
Germans. The bombt ws further up. 4 waves -
2 platoon from each coy, side by side .. Part of 22nd Bn.
(90 str) ws sent out at Zero in parties echeloned
to hold left flank. The right having bn secured the
attack got on v. well. Road 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
thro 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
str. patrol to Farm
& dig trench across S.
face of farm long Rd.
Hand drawn diagram – see original document 

10
39  
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 trenches & drove us out of 54.  We
cd see them reinforcing ^ abt. 8.15 & put Stokes & m.g. on
them & did some damage. They had m.g. on our men.
The line near Farm ws to have taken trench
from 77 to Farm & then gone 50 yds beyond it.
Some thought they saw the 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  
evidently hit agst Germans in 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 reinfs disappeared &
came up later. It is thought they fought to
betw. 12 & 1 & probly what where left were taken prisoner.
24^th thought they saw abt 20 men taken
prisoner. We "think" at least 100 Huns were
K. there

10
41 
the fighting started w bombing. We already got
into a 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 3
days later unwounded. He'd bn beyond the
farm;  in a trench. He & abt 20 men used up their
ammn & bombs & (the 60 having bn reduced
to 20) hopped it & he got right round by
night behind 54 into the British trenches near
Ration Trench - one wd other unwounded. These

10
42   
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 trench 77 - Mouquet Farm.
They were heavily hit. They were not c-attacked.
Commn w them from 77 (Capt. Sale)  Sale came
himself overland - made 2 trips. 54 made
things difficult. 77 ws not c. attacked.  77

10
43 
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