Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/208/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 1

AWM38

Official History,

1914-18 War:  Records of C E W Bean,

Official Historian.

 

Diaries and Notebooks

 

Item number:  3DRL606/208/1

 

Title:  Notebook, 1915 - 1918

Includes references to the 41st, 43rd and 44th

Battalions.

 

AWM38-3DRL606/208/1

Original
DIARY NO.208.

AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 208 [.]

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

41 Bn.  Aug 8^th. 1918.

Note.  In my notes the details

of offrs wd. are wrong:

For Lieut. Clark wd - it shd

be L^t R. Nihill wd.

____

29 Sept.  Follg wd.

Lieut Clark k. wd

2/Lieut Richardson gassed

Lt Wiles,

Lt Hanley

Lt Robinson

Lt ..... (as in my list with Notes)

_____

 

N.B.

41 Bn has never lost a prisoner.

If Gordon is a Queenslander ^born this is /

first V.C. won by a Queenslander (this

is worth verifying).

2 Lieuts have been awarded DSO in /

field 2/Lt W.A. Fraser, & Lt M.J. Wiles 

(from Mackay., English Born) Fraser

from Sydney.  They were both sergts in

41 Bn & original members & were

promoted in / field.

1

The other point in history of 41 Bn is

its success in front of Sailly le Sec.  It

is admitted by G.H.Q. ^& army lecturers that these

minor successes induced G.H.Q. to

undertake / offensive & attack w /

same troops who were holding / line.

(Bn did abt 6 raids in 7 nights

at tt time.  Analysis of this in diary

with air photos maps etc.)

11th Aug ws / most difficult

show Bn ws ever in, & ws also clean

& successful.  The most trying period

was / day follg July 31 - the 6 days

follg it.

2

 

43 Bn.  Bouchavesnes.

From I.A Adjt. ([[Oliver? & ____)

Bn had to Jump off from

Rd, if possible - i.e. if held

by us.  They were told tt the

10 Bde were practically certain they

had it but no definite info

tt / whole road ws held.

C.O. accly ordered Coys to

move to assembly positn -

& patrol, & if patrols found

road clear to move up to it.

The Coys were out in Assembly

positn when / informatn ws

sent out tt zero ws changed.

The informatn (wh arrived

in / early hours o / mg.) ws

sent out by runner but Coys

were hard to locate & it

didn't reach any of them.

3

It ws a v. dark night.

When the attack ws made

D Coy (on rt of 41 Bn) went well forward

 - 2/Lt Patterson M.C. & at least

2 men actually reached Scutari 

Trench- the body of P. & one man

were later found in the trench - the

other man ws seen going up

there.  The main portion of

D Coy got into Kassa Trench &

the next Coy on their right -

C Coy - got into Zimmermann

Alley.

B Coy wh got shelled on its

assembly  A Coy. (on rt)

starting ½ hr before 2 Divn struck

trouble at Feuillacourt Bridge

& sent a pln round S. of Canal.

[? was Canal exclusive or inclusive

to 43 Bn?]  It formed a

defensive flank approximately

along N. edge of Canal from a little W.

4

of / Rd, to a point opposite the

Quarries half way to Allaines.

B Coy, wh had bn shelled

on its lying up positn, ws

in touch wit finding barrage

not full, withdrew to near

Uskub Trench.

___________________________________

from

(L/cpl Thompson)

A Coy short within 100 yds of starting

struck the Canal du Nord near

a very big dugout & crossed

it - down into it & up / other

side.  There ws no fire at this

moment.  They worked along

 / S. o / Canal (the Coy ws only

abt 40 strong - under Lt

Tucker) left being on / canal.

They were in skirmishing order.

They got to / village wh ws

5

a mere tumble of a few old

walls & grass & a few shrubs.

As they got thro this they

struck oppositn from a m.g.

wh ws on the bridge ramp (wh ws

fairly good) - (there ws a bridge of xxx brick

& concrete also).  This m.g. held them

up on / canal bank but

/ right ws down by / ^main rd

further S.  From / rt where

L/Cpl Sergt Thompson had a L.G. fire

ws brought onto this post while

another L.G. fired at it from

/ ruins.  The Germs got down

into / canal & cleared out.

The Coy then crossed / rd

at Feuillacourt.

By this time 2 Divn

had attacked & ws coming up.

A Coy didnt get their barrage

6

wh ws v. weak.

2 Divn were hung up W

front of / road by m.g. fire

from / road embankment S.

of / village.  A Cly fired a mg.

straight down along / road &

most o / Germans left - they

cd be seen lining / back o /

rd till then.

When they cleared A Coy

pushed on & got abt 80 or 

90 yds E of / rd clear o /

village (wh stops at / rd).

They then got hung up w

m.g. fire from right, across

/ gully.

They stopped there at 1 hr

in shellholes - didnt see 2nd

Div. go beyond / rd.

After tt hour A Coy (abt 7 or 8

7

 

wd by then) got into / Canal, in

order to get away from / fire

from S.  In  / Canal /

Germans had a m.g. firing

straight down / Canal

from / bend at Allaines.

They tried to work up / Canal

but / m.gs. cut off the two or

3 men who got along there &

they had to stay there.

A Coy stopped there 2 hrs.

All / while there ws a

sentry at / corner by /

bridge keeping a watch over

/ flat.

By tt time B Coy came

up / Canal in driblets 

& joined.  They were there

together ½hr.

A Coy had bn trying to get

8