Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/108/1 - April - May 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/108/1

Title: Diary, April - May 1918
includes notes on the 50th, 51st and 52nd
Battalions, the 13th, 14th and 15th Infantry
Brigades, Baron von Richthofen and Lt C W K
Sadlier VC.

AWM38-3DRL606/108/1 

 1
86   108
DIARY No. 108
German trench at/3.45
Tues. Apr. 23rd
1918
[[May 1?]] 1918.

Original                          DIARY No.108
AWM38                  3DRL             606 ITEM 108 [1]

DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918
THE use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But, apart from those terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.

These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer’s mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half asleep;
also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not so —but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing, believed. Further, he cannot, of course, vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second, or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.

16 Sept, 1946.                                                    C.E.W. BEAN
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

86                                                     2
April 23rd/1918. Rained last night
but not heavily. Today the heavy
firing was an attack by the
35^th & 38^th Divns on our left flank.
The Germans are on our side
of the Ancre on a sort of T-head
of hill & through Aveluy Wood.

This attack was to take the
hills overlooking / Somme. It
involved an advance of a mile 1000yds.
The divns managed (according to
this mornings report) to advance
abt 250 yds. So tt we have not
yet got / line of / Somme Ancre.
I understand tt the 8^th
Divn is likely to make a similar
attack for / Hangard Wood
line, lost on April 4^th. When
our 5^th Bde ws down there They

 86                                                    3 

undertook only miserable little
advances on of a few hundred
yards front; I asked Gen. Smith
what ws / reason for these &
he sd he did not know why he
had bn ordered to make them.
The Australians at tt time had
/ whole line from V. Bretonneux
to the French.
The men of 20 Bn tell me tt
they admired / spirit o / French.
They sent over a platoon to work
w / French & during / bombt
the French soldiers were continually
hopping up to try & get a shot
at the Germans.
[*?BURDUS*]      An officer named. Burghiss
(or some such name) of the 20 Bn
captured 2 m gs. & greatly distinguished
himself. The coolest man they
have ever had in / Bn, some of them say

86                                               4 

The 5^th Bde had to push Germans
out of ^2 or 3 of the posts wh they relieved
on / night of Ap.5. But /
story of our ^men handing a L.g. to a
German in / belief tt he ws
An Australian is not true (accdg
to McCallum.)
The big attack is no longer
expected on our front - it is
opposite Arras tt / Germans
are piling up divisions (so 2nd
Divn tell me).
(White & University) compree oofs? (shorthand)
Wed April 24. Last night McCall
 up at 2nd Divn Hqrs told me tt
 a prisoner had been captured
 at V/Bretonneux who sd tt
 / relief by / assaulting Divn
 there was complete - tt /
infantry were ready, the teams

86                                                  5
 standing by / guns prepared
to advance at any moment
(they know all except / zero
hour).
Durg. / night wh ws
moonlight a few planes were
over & Dyson says a long
gun ws firing.
This morning dull grey,
misty, & the sound of heavy
firing southwards.
Later: Villers Bretonneux has
been attacked at 6.45 this
mg. The Enemy is sd to have
driven back / French at
Hangard on / right; &
to have driven in part o /
left of the 8^th Divn along /
rly S.E. of V/B..The 8 Divn
reports tt he is using 3 tanks here,
& tt their its c-attack Bn is being thrown in 

 86                                          6
There is firing also to the
North ^East of us.
The British made a good
advance near St Venant this morning
& a piece of ground ws pinched
from / Germs near Meteren. This
must be our 1^st Divn at work -
10.30 am Casey ^has come from Corps
w / news tt V/Bretonneux has
fallen. The Germans first filled
the Bois I'Abbe (as they did
before) with gas shells. Three
minutes aftwds our counter-
preparation started. It ws
at first thought tt / German
attack ws not coming - but
it came along / rly. As soon
as this was realised our guns
(8th Divn) got on ^changed to neutralising
I suppose
fire. The Germans were

86                                                      7
however before long in
V/Bretonneux. Our 5^th
Divn swung round its rt
flank & holds a defensive
flank N of the town & the
 'hand drawn diagram in original'
[* V/B*] 
13^th Bde
has been
sent round
to Aubigny.
Rawlinson told Monash a few
week ago tt he had staked
his reputation on our
keeping V/B so he has
surely a strong counter-attack
up his sleeve. He I am going
to Bussy les Daours to find
out whether the 13^th Bde is
reserve to our 5^th Divn or to the

 86                                        8
4^th Army. If ever an
attack ws foretold this
V/B attack has been. All
yesterday movement was
reported along roads leading
to that part; & I heard
last night tt / attack ws
Expected this mg.
Herbert, our cook in
the billet has daily struggles
w / landlady - a wizened
grubby cramped old lady, for
Eggs. He maintains tt she has plenty
of them - we agreed to give her 3½d
for any tt she had to sell, daily, but
that produces _^next to none. Herbert does
better w occasional half loafs of
bread. A few days ago Dyson heard
a conversatn w / old man abt
/ place. "Oofs-compree oofs?"
The old man shook his head.
"Oofs - oofs-oofs" reiterated
Herbert. No good. "Oofs - 

86                                            9
[*X I ws pretty sure there had been
an attack on V/B - the night was
very disturbed - fits of shelling
both N & S.; & Dyson told me tt he
had heard some long range shelling
- a pretty sure sign of an attack.
We decided to go to 5^th D.H.Q. for
news.*]
 

86                                             10
you know- Eggs," he repeated.
Ah - eggs- oofs! sd / old man
suddenly lightening up, & nodding. He
agreed to get / old lady to give him two or
three eggs. He came round w intense secrecy -
handed / eggs stealthily out of his pocket; &
received in return a packet of cigarettes
Ap. 24, ^ Heavy firing down S this mg. Bretonneux has bn taken.
[*X*] On / way down to Basey (5 Divl Hqrs)
passed at Noyelles our 51^st Bn very
strong & looking grand - just marching
off to Blangy Tronville.
At 5 Divl Hgrs I sat in & Gen. Hobbs
room while he & Peck were working
The follg are some o / messages _^(most of them previously received)
Ap.24 The German barrage began at 3.45 am.

All batteries 
being bombarded by sneezing gas.
4.10 S O S 
right of Villers Bret.
3.55 S O S up in front of 
left Brigade.
5.15. Corbie being gas shelled. Troop of Light Horse sent
to 15 centl to watch flank of 5^th Divn (by Hobbs)
5.45 all quiet on 30 Bn. front
5.45. 8^th Divn report tt Germans are mixing mustard
& lethal gas in / bombt of their left Bde front.
5.50. 14 Bde rt Bn. minenwerfer
on front line, 6.5 Left Bn also