Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/194/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/194/1
Title: Notebook, August - September 1918
Includes references to 1st Machine-Gun
Company, Lihons, the 3rd Battalion and Proyart.
AWM38-3DRL606/194/1 

1st M G Coy
3rd Bn Aug 9-11
Proyart
Sept 18
T5
do not
photostat
Original   DIARY NO. 194.
AWM38     3DRL 606 ITEM 194 [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 

1st M G Coy
3rd Bn Aug 9-11
Proyart
Sept 18
T5
do not
photostat
194 

1
1st M.G. Coy.
Holding line only at Lihons -
no c-attacks.
German was shelling the
crest & Crepy Wood - road -
wood on left of village.
The German planes were
bombing every night close to
the line.
German shelling was all
8 in - or 5.9.
When 4^th Divn came in
12^th M.G. Coy & another took over.
1st M.G. Coy sideslipped to Vaux.
sur Somme - (near Cerisy)
Were here 2 days or so &
then moved up to Proyart
for the attacks of Aug 23rd.
Aug 23.
1st M.G. coy fired barrage
from zero hour till 6 a.m. till
7.50 a.m. & then went up 

2
with the infantry. It
was fine bright moonlight
During 22nd. the Germans put
down a barrage on S. side
of Somme E of Mericourt but
otherwise it was quiet on
this sector & there ws a
quiet night.
On morning of 23rd German
barrage was pretty heavy & quick
in coming down. The guns some
of them kept barrage on to or beyond the extreme final
line of protective barrage for
the advance. As their angle
became dangerous or after
1h.40 they went up.
In the afternoons attack
the 1st M.G. Coy ws really
working with 3rd Bde.
A Section for example was 

3
covering the 10 Bn wh went
thro the 9^th.
B Section went forward
with the 10^th.
C Section ws working with
11^th Bn wh (working with 9^th
Bn) took Beacon Bluff.
D Section went up & took
up a positn on the left
flank to protect the flank from
the W. side of the valley S.W. of
Froissy Beacon.
A Section was on SE of
Luc Wood. 10 Bn went through
by the huts E of the wood.
The Germans started running
down the road along the valley
N.wds before the 10 Bn
got to them. The _^ m guns got
onto them here. The Germs 

4
were breaking in small
parties. None went up
the opposite hill but
some ran from the top of it
towds the rear.  Probably
the right of our attack got
into the valley first
& this started them up
the road.  I
B Section followed 10 Bn
which got over the top of the
ridge somewhere S. of Square
Wood. When first they _^ & 10 Bn got
up to the ridge there were
a few m.gs. in Marly
Woods - but these were
soon settled.  & the  During
the advance there were 

5
only odd shells & erratic
shooting.
Germans are mostly
seen getting back into the
Gully S. of Cappy. The Germans
had to leave one gun on the
hill just to left of B. Section.
10 Bn was out past
Square Wood that day but
were drawn back at dark
to link up w 9^th further
on left.
Just after the attack /
Germans tried to come in
behind / flank o / 10 Bn &
they themselves were cut off
& 90 captd by 11 men.
C Section fired the
morning barrage over the 1st Bde 

6
from abt 400 yds behind
front line. Then went back to Coy
HQrs.  Abt 2 p.m. moved
up through a very heavy
barrage in Luck Wood (it
ws very heavy there betw.
2 & 5 pm). (One man gassed).
Struck half right across the
road, & waited on the flat
just W of the rly line for an
hour & had another man
K. by a German shell.
From there they moved
onto rly line & then N
up the valley & finally
abt 5 pm on top of the
Bluff.  3 guns were placed
there & one across in the valley
to W to cover left. There
were 11 Bn patrols only & 

7
noone else on the flats
N of the Beacon. There were
some trenches just over the beacon.
The Germans kept a
troublesome barrage on
the edge of the hill.
Whether there were
infantry in 90 & by Square
Wood seems uncertain -
possibly posts.
D Section had no
direct fire. The line (9 Bn)
pushed well out during
the night & mopped up the
flats in 33  Our advance
had been entirely from the
highland. Flats were left
to be dealt with.
After 48 hrs the 1st
Inf. Coy ws relieved.