Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/80/1 - May - June 1917 - Part 4

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066848
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

stil hous 36 sial section of English salvagers. The tannel will I suppose fall in. we wandered Beer vipaye where one frection of cha reman where we padies vooks were th to scattered aroun dis ruins of his was is practuated by the swell of dead horses tthe whole field- from the maze to Dncourt ts cou auntedwit sickly swell of t dead - halfburies men, I fancy - a hage cematery of them. the graves Registration adually people are going ovi it & hundreds of little white crosses are all over the valle I La Boiselles. Idont
37 y they will fand frem ende of our people. te Pozeeres is Iare to ovevast Antration but they cemetery have been shateered & buries too often by shells for much to remain, to the mind of the iter covered t of those Thousands of wen can 0 f and very few pave remain - there are only a few dozen crosses to work about 1000 dead new Zealand
38 May 31st. came North with Ross & Bazlly to 3rd anst. Devt Hrs. the papers spoke of 23 Terman alroplne having bu downed & Beavy artiller fire wh made us think boubt niight have begien. But we found te front fairly quiet at least, we cohend little from Steenwerch The first sign was. the daughter of famy at Headgrs, who knew
6 39 Ross told him to Mayor had notified them to they must all have strips of paper asted across their weadows by tomorrow. AlSO, Baitlenl has be shelled by a by german gun- a naval 9.4. We have some monety Bench on a train, & 2015 wch on ary carriages wh took Etractors to pulltium up I hill todan St. is cr
46 with troops - NE n Australin Dion t Austo Dion tomonces Dine with finerel Monant & be told me that our corps were atpring 10th Ards AtLys leae 25 m VE Tanque bt Later mones I cant write hine The fermans my I have put teew guns in. Mey know whates a Iair - kengure expections as to attack - thy poisaders say so. 2
4 After denner we saw one of their places put down a balloon. very pretty work. They feentes with another plane firte first & deceived our guas wh did not notice second plane 42 we are not at all certain to they are not return We are laying down a by steeper road near Wrilverghim - for torries &any sort of traffic. But monash letts we to Prtys are betien hand - so much so to it we they wh delayed this show uptot present. and they are still not ready & he says, X June 2, wrote all day- exceptfor a tony yarn to little
Maj.S.S. Bulti 43 Schaler after luch. He is going to manry little Resssion countes a egypt after was. Well then Peter conslancy to his ote good paint C0s of 11tBde. Board C 42 Woollock C 63 Buller 8A. &4 Mansbridge wt Juve 2. Went round the 3 Brigade commanders in mornin arburched with Mc Nicoll & went on to the ling via Hyde park corner & The oute way. It is trimendously attere since it woa Butler oI were vound here last Tuly when the whiszbangs charce
6 us. They were making Hyde Pask coner quite fairly nasty 24 with 42. And we saw them Curning a Farn near the read poary Sai after Pen wnto it. we bappened to bit off a straf ofour tops guus at 3 P.m. - there is a temendous consentration - these hadges give such a chance. The ferman had bee making they fairly lvely -o killed the burial officer on his bicycle y We called in at the Calacombs - where Col. Doson was - rather shallow deyouts (considering they are on a hill day by our tennellers lately Then on to 38 BorHGos at te advanced is tannel. Ne went by the only way wh god handby recognise itself as a E. When Butler & Asey. I were here it as scareely saf to move in ber day time - we were toto we cd take our Chance. Now it.BA sood deep sandbagsed Es- Down near the exd it began to be very knocked abt - great breeele in it as you gettem in these Sanbagge liver; & by the
C6 45 time wre got to the A post live we s. that it had clearl been heavily straft very tateh. There we scarcely a mans track over the verly spoiikle dust. We went along & found one Lewis Gunner $414 Bn. ready moching a paper novel in a abt the ver a tWit we only de hetol usweerd probe find 1yoffices to right. We went I suppose 13oyds of rajsedshattend y found no one; then we went the oterway frequentl having to clent over shattered parapit wellen view of German until wecame to a bit of a stream between seaforth Farm & Donneng ton Hall - with a brokendown bridge wh I did not allupt to cross. h way back we. found a second man to our i-gunner - So that made 2 men in abt 300ydo. He will be him tile bomes pnces we went upto the top of Hell 63 (Heath 2 T2 440.2 g 213
Of course the Germans know all obt our opensive. The latist is that Several Germans have talily pocaped fom our miserable carelase guarded gangs in the back area. Two of these are known to have crossed our port trech. They were in German Grey uniforms. They lay apby day & wade their way by night. Altho the back ared is thick to troops the pout is so them held io there is practinty obta no man there af I womest. one of tese permaed two ws shot in g Womanslaid accos but other got alross & back opie Stet to Gernans The Germa have long NMC expented this tent so thm att ack & have now (so prisoners say depard I lrets of it. have tatch shortened up this army boundaries, the 6R army taking up to the month of the Douve Riven. on our way back. It was a wonderful view. The ferman as tnowing nothing so we cd observe afour case. we kept queet & low (Baghy & I) I could have stayed all night. There were 3 English officers sitting up on the bank behind - solly fools, showing how brave they were, as Jackson sdwhen I told him, & giving trench away. The Messies Ridge w apac us- very diff fom when I last sw it messines town battered & the trenches turned to areas of brow dust with Ytelen squares & triangles here & there (marked G. on my sketch) where therews nothing to combaid - and a green Nomansland. Our Combt had began & heavy shells were going into Messines; at 6.15 there was a hupe Eplosion there - just beyond Messuies - I wondered of 1 gernan had cleared & blown place up.

Start transcribing

Log in Sign up

Last edited by:
Transcriber 28006Transcriber 28006
Last edited on:

Last updated: