Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/198/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 1

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066571
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

AWM3S Official History, 1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean, Official Historian. Diaries and Notebooks Hem number: 3DR1606/79817 Title: Notebook, 1915 -7978 includes references to the 1st, 17th and 12th Battalions, the mutiny of 21 September 1918, the armistice and Gallipoli. AWMISS-SDRLCOGHSSH
6 5Bn Sept. 21 & other 1 tostal. for d DIARY. NO. 198 A al BOlL 6O6, IM 198 AM36 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 discevered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when discevered. 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. 18 SeGsis WAR MERIORIAL C. E. W. BEAN. AccEes SIAls JC MCCMEEEEEEEEENENCL Jccee OPEN
Copy St Hape's Wol. book to tad (where ma he to maryi evet 3
Lihons (Pobly from Neligan) 10 Bri. C 4 62 Aug. 10- 10Bn followed. 9 Bn 8 centre of Bde- 12Bn were supposed to be out less but were 2o00yds behind tati ABn ws t attack, crepy wd & hatt at Anger wood. They look the wood so 1 Chimney. Stack in it & winking it wass crepy wood stayed here. They were on the two flanks of crepy wood & in (west side of 1germ. it 110 Ws in 1wood holding the whole v. strongly a mgssupers it wengtrees, & guns in (wood. we had never bu pit wood! CoBn put in t Inclanus Coy & bot 1 Major putting people in from wood
Hanks & mopping up backwds, (shooting back at Fitz from his ear) very cliverly without many casualties. (Te now of trees in 29B3. looks v. like awood). M. Caun sotit (wood. I Fitz put down a very stronyg barray on Drepy wood (13or 4 pm.) 59 There were. 122 men in 1 Coy at 1 start & they came out w2 offis & 3o men. Hs Wunger &. Barce were kelled in German attack. A Sepherd as cod. sttact there is t The jerms attacker. Mc laie ogganised a party of runners? allhe a lay hands on- shorting & his revolver & retook one post. wh had every man dead in it. Our live at Lend on dattack ws intect & there were 90 germans dead many bayoneted. - Fitz then saised (wood fercily but he appty gave ap 1 idie afattct ad ape
1 That nile ws quiet but abt Upon. Nelan had orders to he wa to attick in conjuncter to Heanis Bde at Lain to take Anger wood. whole got rest of bye ground & N. half of Lehons vellage. He ws to have 4 tanks. A banage ws anrayed. The tanks wh were, to turn ap at t dint turn up till t N. putin 3 Coys of 12 Br, 2of D Br. & had in reserve 1Cos of12 Bn & the cone remained pli of the Coy. wh he had sut into MncCams the Eng. before after the C Pattack. The people on Prt were to 5.15 Bor, & were out of touch3 So the Bd Bde Ser to srt & took in 1 whole of Lehons, & reached I final objoc. the 50for. 8RBn), had got to 1 right & N going up later met a Coy Comnd
in tchons rellage who as and him to hold on to line his troops had reached until the 2nd Bde cd relieve him. Nsd he wddo so for a while, but he had to move left & close up so to be quick. This ws done. There we a fine canteen in Lihous sunes, gin etc. N. put 9n aloay (wh had bn in lold front him aromnt Crepy wd) along 1 Dramerville Lehono Rd in support of Bole. 11Bn were suppose to come w 10712 ap & link hands in port of Angertod - & sd they had done So. A small plation had done so. But the rest of 1015 Bn had done nothen. There ws a by sap in X 24 & 519 quite 500 yds across. There as
afferman thut hospitely in 519 whole place as a mage of the old French port line. Int late moring yefman (who had shelled all ig sott it ws impossible to find [positeo line) the r had not had thin orders ny one Coy- the ering sot back into Crepy Wood with about 40men. There were not many more, tt is to say who reached attack, but tthere were involved soblar late; for abs a battalton ws seen moving fom near Flympia wood (wherehe has Inumber of gune walud one I luck gun he hadat by able to at tem away later he trus to & we shiped tteams) Abt widday-alt this after I first cattack ferms put in anox Clattack to very
heavy artitlery support, (his planes had ba slying v. low so he knew where we were). The second attac did not get through at all. These attach's probly told him where our weak spot was. Nelyan: ws trying to get troops to fill I gop but they didnt reating et crcated & were stow in moving In 1 early part o1 after 11 germens fittered troops tho down saps into I hospital - there ws fas but nothing to indicate an attack we had to. keep in gas belieets nearly all 1 time. Nelyan ws up having a look round. He had a pogzy in 23 autral. He had gone appast Crepy wood toods Anger wood (see trms in deary) when he noticed shote flying at him from Irear. They saw a few Boche Straigh behind them - betw them & Bn H.Or - Nelegan Went back to
15TF Bn H an 23 cuntral & suibug 33/1ad (maj. Campbell, Perry O.C. Agro Coy (wh is an arregular formate of Nelegan in 91 10 Bns) & intelligence Off. He ws still in touch wt 1 35 pont line in pont of hchons by telephn The people or 1it in pont of lchons sthey were o.k. The 1 Bn had heard, nothing. t hadnt seen thim go thio 4 but they were not in touch &cd Say noting N. put an arty barrige down across (font By this time Campbell Perry 10 were going fored to find out what had happened o to send up the reserve Coy. 12Bn, I remaining she of 101 Bde mining coy who were on their vay tos front lins i loads t dimiped tem - signalers H.D. details (only keeany one g 2l

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