Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/109/1 - May 1918 - Part 2

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When are you going to let
me have those bombs I
have indented for?"
"I'm afraid we cannot
supply them, general, at
present," sd the DAQMG
seated next to Samson.
"But B___if you've
bloody well got to get have them
- see - We've got to have 'Em
& I'm going to bloody well
see We get 'em," stamped
the Bdier.
"But, General, I
am afraid there are none
available - - -"
"Well I'm going to have
'em - understand - & you've
got to get 'em for me & get em"
quick . .". . 

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& / Genl. went strode out
slamming / door.
The DAQMG
leant back in his chair
when as / door closed
& turned to Samson -
"A stout fellow," he
sd - "but socially -
impossible!"
The youxx
There is a heavy gun
- 6 in (or rather 2) behind
Querrien wh bays every
now & then at some
German main road -
perhaps once in half an
hour.  We have a
sound ranging apparatus
(invented by an Australian from

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Melbourne, I am told, Cutlack says,                       
named Bragg - wh
transforms sound waves
into light waves &
then works out the position
& distance of any German
gun so accurately tt
when Glasgows H Qrs /
other day ws hit by a
Ha high velocity shell
they were able to give
/ French gun near by
on / rly / range of it
& within 11 mins it ws
silenced.  The Tunnellers tell
me tt there is a German order
tt so accurate are our
sound ranging instruments
tt guns of long distance 

87    
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are not to fire singly.  
Of course a number of
detonations spoils /
calculations - it is
impossible to distinguish
the one gun in a barrage
for example.
May 3rd - Anniversary
of Bullecourt.
Went with Cutlack to
the forward HQrs of 12^th Bde - in
the Rly cutting this side of Bois
l'abbe.  The 48 Bn attacked at
2.2 a.m.  They were not suspected
& the centre got into / wood,
past / monument, & to /
Chateau near / other side of
it.  They were into / bldg
before / Germans _^ there knew they

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were attacking; & a liaison
officer in / cellar sd / first
he knew ws an Australian
throwing down a bomb.  He
dodged round a buttress, but
he thinks / Battalion Commander
by him ws killed.  They
took him & / Doctor (upstairs)
& most o / men there (22
out of 36 ) there ws room
for nearly 500) prisoner.
But / flanks had bn met
by a tremendous m.g. fire -
MacDowell on / left got to
/ trench near / other side o /
wood & ws going for / trench
on / edge o / wood when
he saw Germans c.-attacking
on his right.  He withdrew to

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/ trench just inside / edge
o / wood & here saw Germans
also gathering on his left as
if to cut him off.  Being
out of touch w left & right
he withdrew to / near edge
o / wood.  There he saw tt
there ws very heavy fighting
going on on his right flank
(in Nomansland I fancy) - &
presently saw our men from there
withdrawing.  So he too
withdrew.  Cummings (who
[*Capt.
Cumming
C.E.W.B.
1936*]
fought his coy so splendidly on /
left at Dernancourt & _^where he refused
to retire - disobeyed / first
order gn him by Leane to do so)-
was killed ; & Imlay badly
wounded.  Our liaison offr w /

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French ws k ; & / French
liaison offr w us ws also
killed.  The arty fire ws
not so heavy till aftwds.
Our contact plane at
11 _^ or later reported tt Australians
were still _^ on / edge of x the garden
west of the Chateau, & at the
Cross Rds by / Crucifix &
thence back to / old line ;
& Germans gathering in
Shell holes E of the farm as
if to C-attack.  The heavies
were turned on.
It was a wonderful feat
getting back these prisoners ;
w the artillery liaison officer
- one of them two offrs out of
the 22 prisoners - told an

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English arty offr at 12^th Bde
HQrs tt they were always coming
across these Australian Bdes.
"You have pulled our legs
very well," he sd, "making
us think tt you have only
5 divisions - but we know
better than tt" - or words
to tt effect.
He said tt there were
two German Bns in the 2000
yds attacked.  The 2nd
Guard Reserve Battalion of the
Jaeger Divn on / right; &
the 20^th Bn on / left.  Each
had gone it three days ago at
full strength.  They had 16 mgs
to each Coy (64 in all) & 2
m.g. Coys were with each Bn -
of 6 guns per Coy - that is 128

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light & 24 heavy guns &,
say, 1200 men in all.  This,
as Leane sd, ws a very
much stronger garrison
than we expected in 2000
yds of front.
All / same - I think
it is another case of the
uselessness of small attacks.
As Cutlack says - if / place ws
worth going for it ws worth
attacking on a big scale.
We came back to Querrien -
I wrote a cable & brought it
to Rollencourt.  There Lytton
gave me a straf for having
written to him as though he
did not appreciate what /
Australians were doing & had
done.  I think my letter wh

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ws written when I was
angry over / case of Richthofen
was wrong in temper but
not so wrong as he thinks. Certainly
Lytton is scrupulously fair & generous.
The Flying Corps has agreed
to share / credit of Richthofen
with the A.I.F.  They say 3 machines
were in range of him when
a red machine was put
down.  Salmond has seen
Birdwood today, I believe.
I am off to 1^st Divn & this
is written by / roadside while
Boddy puts in a new tube.
Two beautiful _^ clear days - these.
2 airmen [[shorthand]] share
aerodromes.
attack on V/B to cover it. ?8.
[*2 [[shorthand]]
6 Bde*]
French scouts - (walkers)
Treloar:  Tip re [[shorthand]]. Censor re Murdoch.
Wilk - what - wants                   Univey Precis
Donalds to Buy [[shorthand]] [[w op?]]?