Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/196/1 - August 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of CE W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number:  AWM38-3DRL606/196/1
Title: Notebook, August 1918
Includes references to the 5th and 8th
Battalions, Lihons and Herleville.
AWM38-3DRL6O6/196/1
 

[* 1902 th Bn, Lihons

Herleville
Bn, Lihons

Herleville

T1*]
ORIGINAL  DIARY NO. 196

AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 196. [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.

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
C. E. W. BEAN.
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN

1

11th Aug.
8 Bn
There ws a thick fog.
8Bn put in G Coys + one
Coy of 7 Bn – covering whole
front covered by 6 & 5 Bns
previous day
This mist was a very
great advantage. Bn moved
thro 5 & 6 with 4 Coys in
line (in lines of Skirmishers
followed by shallow columns
of Sections in file.)
There ws a very good barrage
esp on Lihons Village
(where a no of 5.9  guns
were taken in Lihons)
The then front time  7 am
 

2

thro the W edge of the
Wood (xxx Coin du Bois) in 6 c.
from the Quarry near

Halt thro W Edge of
wood to the S. centre of
Crepy Wood.
Crepy Wood as
suppd to be in our
hands: but in this
advance the left Coy, D
got m.g fire from the E
edge of Crepy Wood. It
didn't cause much trouble.
The main trouble was
that they were out of
touch with the Bn of 3rd
Bde on left an Crepy Wood.
As Bn went on there
was a lot of fire from Bois
 

3

de Auger, which hung the
left flank up – the ground
behind Crepy being very
open & flat –  gentle slope.
The line went fowd
pivotting on its left flank.
& As the line widened
it broke betw the two
Centre Coys at the top of
6a. The rt Coy stuck to
its bdy, rly & went
straight on. A few m.gs
were met at intervals
But / chief  trouble ws at
/ start of / advance. The
Germs had a powerful
line of m.gs right across
the front. The barrage
had to be thrown far
back bec of the line
 

4

being uncertain. The
barrage was well behind
/ Germs. The mist ws thick
 The Germs  opened a very
intense m.g. fire but it
was all high. Our men
came at them thro / mist
in wh you cdnt see 50
yds. The Coys all had compass
bearings – the rt had /
rly. They  killed a lot
of / Germans – but not
many prisoners were
taken. Those tt were taken
were in Lihons.
The left ws hung up
while / rt  went straight on,
The 7Bn Coy went into
the centre in / gap  – their
advance led them there
 

5

The Coy Commdr of this Coy
kept on going Even when
he lost touch w troops
ahead.
As 3rd Bde worked
into Auger Wood & got
down the m.gs there, the
left coy (D) ws able to get
ahead again – after abt

½ to ¾ hrs holdup –
In the xxxxxx S. Corner
of Auger Wood they got
touch w / 3rd Bde.
As they got into Lihons
another gap occurred on
the left of the 7th Coy Bn.
This gap lasted

 till they got 

to the Blue Line
Diagram - see original document

6 

At 6 a.m. owing to
messages arriving from
various sources abt a
Coy being cut off Etc.
C. O. went up with I.O.
In the village at 7 am
met some of our wd
who sd / line ws
a long way ahead.
It ws v. difficult to find
the way even then –  mist
very thick & country v
broken. There were a no.
of Germans wandering
abt not knowing what to
do, whom they turned
off on /road to / rear.
Col. Mitchell found the two
Coys each w its flank refused

Diagram - see original document
 

7

The Canadians had not
moved tt mg & were abt
500yds behind our rt flank
& 800 yds to / rt o / rly 
— not on / rly at tt point.
Diagram - see original document

 Aust

Can
(At one  is xxxx almost

certainly what  had

happened)
At 11 am then the mist
had well lifted & CO ws
on the high land betw
Lihons & the Rly abt ^A3c 2.2
the beginning of an attack
by / Canadians cd be
seen as if from a gallery- 
 

8

 the guns of both sides cd be seen
shooting, the German infy
shooting at / Canadians
advancing, sections rushing,
a German gun in Bois
Triangulaire shooting on our
own trenches & just skimming
them – At this time 8 Bn
never knew of tt attack
–  had never heard of any
attack –  very pretty but
no coordination
A pln had bn refused
on our rt flank to cover
gap to Canadian positn
The maps were 40,000
maps; only one map
ws gn to C.O. originally for
whole Bn ^ the 9th Aug & this is

now in Records with