Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/199/1 - August - November 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/199/1
Title: Notebook, August - November 1918
includes references to the 11th Battalion and
Meteren and contains a letter from Lt Col O
Howell-Price's mother.
AWM38-3DRL606/199/1

11 Bn.
Aug28
T6
(Diary at
other end)
83 - 84A
 

Original   DIARY NO. 199.
AWM38     3DRL 606 ITEM 199 [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 

11 Bn.
Aug28.
199
T6
(Diary at
other end)
83-84A

1
11th Bn.  Froissy.
B & D Coy started from Proyart which
had been J.0. trench of 1st Bde. 1st Bde
had attacked in mg. to just in front
of Froissy.  3rd Bde started from
Proyart J.O. T at xx .12.30
in single file, as if going into
trenches. In front of Froissy
coming down / slope on / left of
Chuignolles across country they
came under m.g. fire from /
crest of Froissy Beacon etc.
The barrage started (a light
barrage) at 1. 45 & 11th Bn
moved thro 1st Bde at 2 p.m.
They were just in front of Froissy
Beacon - near / bottom o / Western
slope. As / barrage lifted mgs
opened from abt 4 points on /
side of Froissy Beacon on / top o /
hill. There were Germans now
[*11 Bn had bn Hazel Wood near Vaux Cerisy sur Somme. They marched
from there to Proyart arriving at 4.30 a.m. on Aug 23. Just then barrage
started at 1.30am. They went to the 1st Bde I.O.T - at once & waited there till 12.30 p.m.
During this time the R.H.A. galloped up & got into action abt 20 yds ahead. They looked
very fine. After abt 2 shots all their they were driven
out of action.
They moved
/ guns
further
forward. The idea
ws to
get in &
fire in order
to help
the advance.*]

2
beginning to run from / gully to
escape up / side o / hill over
Froissy Beacon. The L.Gs of 11 Bn
got down at once & shot - from 10 to
15 of these Germans. On our infy
continuing to move forwd - (the barrage
ws too fast for / nature o / country
& we had lost it) the Germans
became demoralised - cdnt get
away up / slope & saw our infy
advancing - large batches surrendered.
Lt Norrie took an NCO. to a house in
/ gully. The coy had bn shooting
Germans who had bn bolting from /
house, & they had stopped running.
Norrie & an N.C.O. w revolver & rifle
cd see / Germans thro a low window.
They shot into / window & hit one
in / arm & one in / rump - &
then / Germs ran out / door w their
hands over their heads. An NCO, 35
men & 2 m.gs. - surrendered here.

3
a corporal & one man also bombed
a post from wh / Germs were shooting.
The corpl & N.C.O. pte (Cpl. Worthington - 
killed on Sept 18) crept round behind
some timber stacks & threw a bomb
in from / rear - & 7 Germs surrendered.
Our people, after clearing /
Germs from / gully went on up /
steep hill opposite. The Germs cd nt
shoot at them here, & when they reached
/ top / Germs in the posts there
surrendered (the posts were deep dug outs
w single m.gs.).
Here / line ws dug in for tt night.
It ws looking out over an open plateau
- abt 200 yds across / plateau (wh
ws 800 yds wide) facing a bit of wood.
There were no trenches there beside /
m.g. posts (wh were old dugouts w
new m.g. posts).
Next day -24 Aug. - 11 Bn
moved across to support 12 Bn on 

4
The bomb stops were put in while /
xxx fresh bombs or men were brought
up - just an obstacle w a guard on
it.
 

45

rt & continued / advance at 2
p.m. meeting strong oppositn & bombing
up very long old commn. trenches.
There were a coy of Germs in the
C.T. & they put up a heavy resistance
with potato masher bombs (cdnt use
m.gs.) We went forwd by making
bomb stops every few hundred yards
(pulling a bit of timber down & bomb
making a stop & going throwing over it &
going on.) There were abt 12
prisoners taken & abt 12 Germs
k. They wd hold on till pressure
ws too gt., & then clear off down
the C.T. They were under an officer.
(All our men can bomb now - not like
/ Somme). Lt Graham of 11 Bn ws in/c
of C.Coy wh did / fine work in this bombing.
He organised & led / bombing section.
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
Abt ½ dozen men with Graham, w
bombs (each carrying rifle & bayonet) wd
go along till they heard Germs - or till
a stick bomb came. Then they wd throw abt 3
bombs & work round / trench till another bomb 

6
came & so on. The officer (if he
is there) always goes first w his
revolver & a few bombs. Having
advanced a further 1500 yds,
the Germ. m.gs being pretty numerous
abt 100 yds ahead, & / flanks
being in / air (they were told not
to worry abt flanks in these days) they
put in a final stop.
Next mg. (Aug 25) they
went on again - 500 yds - with up / trench till
it T-d into a fire trench. This ws
occupied by us till we got connection
w 10 Bn on left & 12 Bn on rt - this
ws just in front of Dompierre. That
night 24 Bn reld them -24 they went
on next night.
11 Bn were very short of offrs - only
2 per company went in.
Lts Gudgeon & Ross were wd on / tape
at Proyart by shellfire. Men were lost
all thro. Norries coy took in 60 & brought
out 17. All shell or m.g. The heaviest
shelling ws at Proyart while they were
waiting to go forward. They had bn at 

7
11th Bn Patrols at Meteren.
Capt 
A S Keighley    2pm.
with Sergt Wearmouth Int Sergt.
They say our intelligence is no good
They have gone out where that sergeant is.
Here's Captain Keighley coming back with a big Fritz.  Hat off [[shorthand]]
He went out into this field following about looking into holes and the baths and was coming back when he noticed
a few rifles on the ground and some potholes.  There was a German chatting.  Keighley didn't have a revolver.
Just at this moment the other Germans had gone back to see about rations and this man was sitting in the sun
looking over chest.  This ws / first knibble in 3rd Bde.  4^th Bn got
some same day.
When 11 Bn ws in / line opposite
Meteren Baths they had not had a prisoner
for some days - & one ws needed. One warm
day abt 2 in / aftn while Lt Norrie was
xxxx finishing his dinner in his post
Capt A S Keighley, intell. officer 11 Bn came up
with one Sergt. "They say our intelligence is no
awful good & we can't get prisoners", he said. "I'm
going out to see if we cant." Norrie thought
it was a wild freak & so did xxx his Sergt,
& so it was. However Keighley went out
with Sergt Wearmouth (his intelligence sergt)

Norrie sat down in his post again
agreeing with x his Sergt tt it wd probably be their
nasty job to go out that night & fetch in the
two bodies, if possible. A long wait - & then
/ Sergt came to Norrie again: Here's Capt
Keighley coming back," he sd, "with a big
Fritz." They looked up. And there was K.
coming along w his tin hat in one hand &
swinging his revolver in / other. Behind him
ws a big German w his shirt open at / neck
& no helmet, looking very scared. Behind
him ws / Sergt w his bayonet almost

8
Hand drawn diagram – see original document
stuck into / German
behind.
Keighley had gone
out into the field
ahead - going
straight out -
to the old Meteren
Baths wh were
in / corner o /
next field. He
was poking abt
there (4th Bn on rt nearly shot him, seeing /
movement) - & ws almost coming away when
he saw a bit of a pozzy & looking into it
found a big German w his helmet off &
shirt open hunting for lice in his chest.
K had no revolver - but he hissed to /
sergt to give him his - & put it almost in /
Germans stomach & brought him in. This ws
the first knibble by 3 Bde. 4 Battalion got some / same day. 

9

10
DIARY
Nov 10^th to
Nov 12
1918
(T6
11 Bn at
other end)
Cutlacks
My Photo
Soap.
Hughes.
Maps.
Studio.
My book ring Cassells
& finish

THE DOMINIONS IN THE WAR.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
["The Times Nov 14
1918]
TORONTO, Nov. 12.
The Canadian casualties during the war
are 211,358. They were:-
Killed in action  ..   ..   ..   ..               34,877
Died of wounds or disease ..  ..  ..  15,457
Wounded       ..        ..      ..     ..     ..   152,779
Presumed dead, missing and prisoners  .. 8,245
MELBOURNE, Nov. 12. - Australia's total enlistments
were 417,000, and those who went
overseas 330,000. - Exchange Telegraph Company.
ERDUN ARMY.
CORRESPONDENT.)
AN ARMY, Nov. 12.
tated that 21 American
oops, participated in the
erdun on September 26.
nine divisions were used in the front
lines on the first day, and some of these nine
divisions were retained in the line for more
than three consecutive weeks. Seven of the 21
divisions had never been in an active sector
before.