Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/195/1 - August 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/195/1
Title: Notebook, August 1918
Includes references to the 2nd, 6th and 8th
Battalions, Pozieres, Lihons and Herleville.
AWM38-3DRL606/195/1

7th BN

Lihons - Herleville
6 Bn C Coy Lihons
195
T4
do not
photostat
39-49
Original     Diary No. 195
AWM38      3 DRL.606  ITEM 195 [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 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 

2 Bn Pozieres
7th BN

Lihons - Herleville
6 Bn C Coy Lihons
195
T4
do not
photostat
39-49

1
Pozieres. Gibraltar.
Abt light Herod OC. Coy 2nd
Bn saw Gibraltar ahead. It looked
dangerous. Patrols had gone
out thro / village & across /
road. He sent Lt Waterhouse out
thro / houses & round / back
o / house to / right with 10 men
pla Herod himself with 3
men ran at it from the front.
Waterhouse rushed it from / back.
There were found 3 mgs
mounted - one looking
as shown (these were
brought out).
Diagram. See original document.
3 offrs. 30 Germs
were found inside (later Lt. M.C.) & & one Sergt actually
holding the buttons of the gun. They surrendered.
18 pairs of Zeiss Binoculars were found there
4th Bn were digging by rd. The guns were later lost
in the Bn H.Q. in the "log-hut dugout"
2
7 Bn Lihons.
On mg of Aug 9. 7 Bn
left 0 17 A  (N of V.Bret. by
Fouilloy) at 8.30 am:
They marched to main
road & across country by
a march route chosen
by C.B. to S. outskirts
of Bayonvillers - reaching
there abt 12.30 pm.
Only 10 mins here - 
time to park Tpt & unship LGs.
from waggons. Then off again
S of road in battle formation
(in arty formation - this part
of country being shelled) S of
Harbonnieres & assembled
for attack S of Harb.
There they picked up
the tanks & artillery which 

3
were to go forward w them.
2 guns were told off to each
attacking Bn. 7 Bn had a section 
(7 & 8 Bns)
of C Bty 189 Army Bde
R.F.A.
Orders for attack had bn
recd. on / road - order
to go to Bde HQ came verbally
to C.O. - he told Bn to go 
to W2C.
Bde H Qrs ws near
Guillancourt. C.O. there ws
misled to attack with 8
Bn from green line (wh
had already bn attacked by
15 Bde - it ws supposed to
attack in place of 2 Bde
at 11 am). 

4
6 tanks, (2nd Tank Bn)
1 sectn of our 2nd MG Coy
& 1 sectn arty were
allotted to Bn.
At 12.15  C.O. rejoined
Bn  S of Bayonvillers.
They had just reached
there; he went on w them
to S of Harb.
They assembled in /
Sunken Rds in W 17
S of Harb. Tank, arty
& Coy Commdrs were called
together by Col Herod CO & he explained
to them what they had to 
do. Rly line ws 76 Bdy.
grid line betw E & W  imd S. of
Vauvillers ws left Bdy.
7 Bn ws to make good 

5
road from Framerville
towds Lihons - S of
Moulin Favre - as a
matter of fact / red line
ws just short of the road.
No exploitation.
At 1.50 they pushed
off
Diagram. See original document.
A & B had each a line of
scouts across the front.
Tanks 150 yds behind
scouts.
2 line Coys 150 yds behind
tanks in arty formation
of sections. 

6
The two supporting Coys
followed at 500 yds
distance in arty formation
of platoons.
Bn H.Q. moved
betw the two support Coys.
Arty 500 yds in
rear of support Coys.
So they moved from
the Sunken Rd.
They know nothing definite of
our own front exc. that
15 Bde were supposed to
be on green line;
nor anything of enemys
disposition ahead.

7
So they pushed out ^∧ as into
the blue.
The Germs cdnt see
them till they topped a bit
of a rise in 18 A & C.
From there it ws perfectly
flat till they reached
the up slope quite
close to the objve.
When they cleared this
rise they came under arty
fire from 2 bties firing
direct from the objective
- from the very road.
6 German planes were
in / air & stayed 30 minutes. 

8
4 bombs were dropped
by them - they caused
a few casualties by these
& by m.g.
These planes went
away in / end - not
driven away.
There was no cooperation
with our planes, nor our
guns. From / start onwards

nothing ws seen of the 2
guns attached & when
7 scouts were sent out

for them (as soon as C.O.
saw / guns open) - they
cd not be found. The
8 guns cd be seen firing