Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/60/1 - September - October 1916 - Part 5

11
45
but they must have been
old because I we saw no
arrangement for taking
the recoil. Further along
in the “copse” were two
more & I think some others
must be there buried. Indeed
it is a wonder these tree
remain above ground. The
gunners dugouts were by them
& the Canadians now use
one of these. They also
use a dugout on the S. side
o/ rd nearer to Gibraltar
wh I dont think we knew
of.
While we were looking
at these guns we saw,
farther across the country
S of the windmill, another
object which I spotted for a
tank. I have drawn a picture
of it in the xxx last diary.
 

46
evidently it got stuck coming
across Walkers Trench
on its way back from
Martin puich. (There it
was, straddling the trench,
with its nose pushed up
into the air, pushing a load
of earth in front of it under its breast.
I fancy if had got stuck
there owing to its catterpillers
not having enough earth to
grip is the open trench ws
underneath them. It
had bn hit by one or two
shells wh went through the
outer steel & set fire to the
gasoline, & the tank had been
burnt out. Empty cartridge
cases lying all over the
floor pointed & it having been
an action; and under the
two machine gun loopholes
 in the forehead plate one could
 

47

Hand drawn sketches, see original
 

48
see clusters of bullet
marks apparently made by
machine guns fired at it.
One can fancy the German
machine gunners direct
all their energies at it as
this ∧ new monster first appeared
lurching over trenches toward
them.

Hand drawn sketch, see original

We didnt stay there too long
or sketch it because we were
very likely to be arrested
Murdoch was in his
civilian trousers, a khaki
overcoat & a tin hat & I
in khaki overcoat & a cap without
 

49
any badge
we cleasly
did not belong
to the place.
I was carrying a bit of the
keyboard of a peans pickr
up by Mardoch (he is
awfully quick at noticin
things in the landscape much
quicked than I Just So
road in the strieds of a loase
& he wr carrying a short pagment
of steel pail
Sanaat

off by shells. If they
fot at all
suspicions of us upthey is
w5 1 most libely then
in
world to we wabot
be
arriate. And as
ar Lad to meet Toher Butter
Box at the last bouse in
Aert on the left side a
road out of A Cbert at
430
Fisher as apt to be
very restive
latout
sparks about wilita
staff work
if anythin
went
 

50
wrong, we did not want
want to keep him waiting
Murdochs quick Cye
spotter two other tanks, north
fthe apani
Wondarch - bok waterlogged
It was an extraordmen
scene. The country there to the
forward stope of the bill was
pitted & civassed in the way
have meationed. a party
far oficers has passed ahead
of as going towards te wandmik
They were picking their way
along the a winding pate between
the craters about the O.
tires. They
as a
nothing so much
monntaincering
party
making its way on the ce
ridges between the crevasses
of a glacier- indeed that
was wke it than
 

anythen
else. As far as
you cd see to the edge of the
stope, ws this dry crinbled
brown fretwark of them
crater edges - like a brown
turbed see suddenly pozen.
and ast ap on it, dead
& desolate. leaving beavily
on one side or the other, in
various parts of the landscape,
were these sea-wonsters
Tour of tim o Itwas tike
an uncariny glimpte into
some dead, forgottin, prepistor
wouldint new
emerged from the early chass
of the unwverse
The genmaus seemed to
have been staoting at the lnk
on walkers trench though I think
they can only have seen it.
fom an acroplase; for the cratus
roand, it were covered with
 

58
the fine earth thrown up be
recent stells &f the footprents an
this were quite new. That new
spembled eack is always a sort
of danger signal to anyone who
has been at this war any tiue
If you see it in the trenches, or
in the open you know that
that his been a point of
activity within the last few
hours - or days- & probabl
possibly is so still. If you
want to know where the germans
register on a trench - where
their shells are likely to fall if
they shoot, & you are a stranger
visiting the place, you always
take that new crumbled earth
as a sign to keep you eyes open
The Germans were shooting
at the tank near the windmill
As we walked, Murdach saw
them hit it. The thing strifted.
heaved a bit & then rolled back
into its rut, so he said.
There was some new
 

33
exection near the Windmill
farther on towards Mantin paic
An observation port, I suppose,
built up on the skyline so
it seemed to me. The windmill
itself was just a heap of red
dust with a few sticks &
splinters projecting
from it


over the hill you co see the
of Courcelette. We
went foward until we
adget a view down that
side a bit. But as
occasional shells were burating
in the aer & on the ground
we didn't stay very long.
There was heavy shelling by
Thpral. Our gans had bu
firi
away over us all
da
the
timee aae
 

ad see many black bursts
out on t directo
We came back from 1 Wardmile
towards the road. he roadws
not distict, there; a
between I windwill +
Pozieres were the gang
of wen
we had seen
Tey were rediscoveri
the road. digging it out.
They had t go to abt
guiches of mad t fid
it . And even so they
had at got it
quite straight
Boat I suppose by row
it will be all reducovered
Chamged.
the Canadians on the goad
some of them looked at as
curiously. I know to situation
It is awfully likely to end in
their stopping & arresting you. The
 

55
only thing is to look as though
on were not aware of it,
& to takk to them first. our
smashed peang was
a
godsend. They boke
at
that first as a rule
3
said "thats a peano" They
booked at it pazzled &a
broke into a smile By
Gand – 5o it is & the
teaseon was gone. This
did two or three times, tell
we got through the crowd.
I was very glad to be
clear as we had ao time
to spare
We old centre way ws
still und as a trench
apparently; a Bok poup
of British officers wanted to
know where the H.Dr of
the 34t
Bde were - the