Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/79/1 - May 1917 - Part 2

7  10 
on May 15^th & Birdwood 
ws told of it he wrote:
"The enemy issued from their
trenches & thro' their own
wire, & as soon as I heard
o / attack & that they were
coming on in numbers
I at once said "Capital!
we ought to scupper /
whole lot of them before
they can get back again".
"I felt confident" - he adds -
"tt even tho' they were
making a strong attack,
it ws unlikely tt they
wd attempt to establish
themselves beyond their
Hindenberg Line, so I
felt pretty sure there wd
not be the real heart
in it, as is / case
of with men who know
they have definitely gone
 

7  11
forward w no question
of retirement - & such
I am glad to say proved
to be correct.
---- I had bn compelled
to advance a considerable
number of guns to what
undoubtedly was
dangerous proximity to /
German trenches, but this ws
absolutely essential
to enable / field guns
to deal w / trenches at
an effective range. I always
felt it ws possible tt / Germans
might make attacks on us
from time to time, & in
going round outpost
villages I always impress
upon every commandor
tt I shall never say a
 

7  12
word if small posts are
overwhelmed by superior
numbers, as long as they
have all arrangements ready
for launching a c-attack
at once to regain / positns
& inflict ^heavy losses on / enemy.
- As a matter of fact
in this attack if our 17 or
19 Bn had acted promptly
they wd have cut off &
captured / whole of the enemy
who attacked Noreuil &
probably more. But 5^th
Bde did nothing of this
sort. Little Plant, Bde major
of 6 Bde went down to
 

7  13
see these Bns, one
after / other and asked
"Aren't you going to do
anything?" & they sd
"No" - not till their
Bde made up its mind
& ordered them St to
do whatever it decided.
If it had bn Gellibrand
to act . . . . 
But 2nd Divn never
even informed Gellibrand
of what ws happening.
 

May 15/7
 

7   14
4. [Shorthand]
[Shorthand] 2nd Guards Div. 7 3 [Shorthand]
[Shorthand] [[Relin?]] Regt
Bombt.
Got in 60 yds of trench 29 30 yds left of Rd.
& 30 yds.
We c attd w bomb [[T?]], & bayonet
at 11.30. 5 colt says 250 are there
- trench They have counted 200 & [Shorthand]
 

7  15
The [Shorthand] & 250
[Shorthand]
[Shorthand]
They put a gas S
[Shorthand]
Started abt 8.10 - 9
10.30 - midnight -
Gas [Shorthand] largely [Shorthand]
Noreuil - one of
wh on 14 Bde HQ
mess.
We got pocket book
& papers - [[St?]] [Shorthand]
quietest day in Sector.
 

7  16
Lone Pine
When Gellibrand was
having the bodies buried
(abt 150 were dragged out)
he cdnt induce the Captain
of the Company of Connaught
Rangers wh ws doing / work
to come into the Pine w
him.  "I cant possibly" -
"Take my subaltern.” He
said. Gelly told him that
he must come along w
him. When they got to B5
sap the C.O was sick -
& when they got thro' it he
had disappeared. Gelly
simply left him - & set
/ subaltern to work.
He told them where
to dig at Browns Dip -
& as he left them he
 

7  17
said. "That is where to
dig / graves- and I'd advise
you to dig them quick -
You may want to get into
them before you're done."
They found / earth
stony - & so they cast
abt for soft earth & dug
up / graves wh had bn
filled in / day before.
They then filled these
in again & left
"Blue" Harper & a pty of
20 Bn reinfts (sent to
Anzac by mistake) were
set to work & Gelly
found tt Blue ws more
use than anyone - tho'
the first Coy of Connaught
Rangers were good.
________