Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/201/1 - August - December 1918 - Part 1

AWM38

Official History

1914-1918 War: Records of C E W Bean.

Official Historian.
 

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item Number: 3DRL606/201/1
 

Title: Notebook, August - December 1918

Includes references to the 37th, 38th and 39th

Battalions, Capt T C Towl's fight, Clery Copse,

Proyart and Vaux.

 

AWM-3DRL606/201/1
 

201

Original 
DIARY NO. 201

AWM38  
3DRL  606  ITEM 201 [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 condition 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, 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
Acct from Lt BEAN
of Towls fight
 

Position in 

Cleary Copse at

time of Towls

adventure &

40 Bns attack.

Hand drawn diagram – see original

 

37 Bn at Clery Copse

(From Lt [[?]] E. Bean)

About midnight 29/30 Aug.

A & C Coys were to attack

Clery Copse. They pushed

/ Germs out of Berlin [[?]]

[[?]] N of Cleary Copse,

walking over the top.

The attack was between

2 & 4 am of Aug 30
Hand drawn diagram – see original

The Coys attacked as above -

Each [[?]] 1 German outfit.

1

 

France

24-12-18

C. E. W. Bean Esq.

Official Correspondent A.I.F. 

Dear Sir,

I have just been informed that

you require some information re the late

Capt. P. D. Towl at the Clery sur Somme

stunt. I regret that I cannot give you

much, for I was not on that fight, having

been relieved by Capt. Towl a few days before.

I rejoined the Company (A Coy 37th Bn) the

day after the show & got a bit of information

then. It appears tat A Coy was on

march with them through Clery sur Somme

village or all that was left of its unit

they reached the Crucifix. The then

turned to the [[C/C?]] towards Clery

Copse and took up a line there.

The village (Clery) had been

reported (mopped up) clear, but in

the early morning Capt Towl discovered
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that the Huns had a solid "strong point"

only about 30 yds from the Crucifix.

This strong point caused the Coy a

lot of problem, for it fired at the Coy

from the rear. It was a marvellous

thing that the Coy got through the 

village at all.

In the morning when the Coy had

settled down (there were a number 

of prisoners with the Coy at this time)

it was discovered that the Huns were

all round within 30 yds of the point

so that the Coy was completely cut off.

Capt Towl held a meeting (if one 

might call it that) & informed the 

men that they were cut off. The 

meeting decided to "fight on" if

the Huns came over about 100 strong

(A Coy strength was thin under 20)

but if it was a big Hun attack it

would have to surrender.

I was told by one of the men that

a Hun Officer ^prisoner tried to give information
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re strength of this Coy to his men

about 30 yds away, but one of A Coy

men cut the information short

by the early use of a rifle.

About this time the Coy was only

about 15 strong all told & they had

a few wounded men with them

also about 20 or 30 Huns. Early in

the morning they had surrounded

the Huns, but when they realised

their position, they gave the Huns

their "souvenirs"  back and buried

other souvenirs, because they expected

the Huns to get over & souvenir

them (A Coy). A little after this

Lieut C. Ashmead M. C. was killed &

Capt Towl was the only officer with

the Coy.

During the afternoon, troops

(I think some of the 2nd Div)

managed to get across the Somme

River at Clery & they cleared the

right flank. As soon as Capt Towl
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saw troops on his right, he, regardless

of the Huns fire, made his way

towards them, in order to discover who 

they were. It appears that they

had been held up by the [[?]]

point near the Crucifix for some

considerable time,  this causing the 

delay.

About dark Capt Towl got his Coy out of 

their perilous position.  They took out all

their prisoners & surroundings & until

they were returned they acted as Reserve

Coy. I went over the 

ground a couple of days after this

fight, with Capt Towl & we discovered

that the Huns must have occupied

the trenches after "A' Coy had got out

for they had buried Lieut Ashmead 

very near the spot where he was 

killed. I may say that the

Huns took the boots off every man

killed in this stunt

I don't think I can give you
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any more information re this stunt

but if you try the 10th A.I.  Brigade

H. Q. you may get more. I know

Capt Towl wrote an account of  this

stunt & that one copy was sent to 

Bgd. H.Q & another went into the

37th Battn records. It was in this stunt that

Capt Towl gained a D. S. O.

After this stunt the Bttn had

a few days rest & then moved

forward again to the TINCOURT-BERNES.

area. We had tea a TINCOURT &

afterwards Capt Towl & three other Coy

O/C went forward to make a reconnaissance

of the new lines near BERNES.

The Coy went along about two hours

later & on arrival we were informed

that Capt Towl had been seriously

wounded. It appears he & an

officer from the Coy holding this line

went along examining the front & trying

to get into touch with the people on

the right & when in the village of 

BERNES an 8" shell fell near them
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wounding both. Capt Towl was

unconscious but the other officer was

wounded in the leg. He managed 

to crawl to the trench (took him

about 20 minutes) & had assistance

sent over to Capt Towl.

Capt Towl was taken to the

Dressing Station from when he was

removed to a Casualty C. S. near

PERONNE but he died a couple of 

days later.

Capt Towl was always a very efficient & 

popular officer, his loss was sincerely

deplored by all ranks of the Battn. X

If there are any points which are 

not clear & which you desire to have in

connection with this,  please let me know

& I will do my best to help clear them up.

Yours faithfully

H. E. Bean Lieut

39th Battn

A.I.F.
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