Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/232/1 - Folder - Part 1

AWM38

Official History,

1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,

Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/232/1

Title: Folder, Folder

Comprises typed copies of items 3DRL 606

ITEM 229 [1] - 3DRL 606 ITEM 231 [1]

AWM38-3DRL606/231/1

 

AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL

MISSION.

DIARY

No. 1 copy set of DIARY No. 232.

AWM 38 3DRL 606 ITEM 232 [1]

DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.E.W. BEAN 

CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914-1918

THE use of theses diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms 

of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But, apart from these terms, I wish the 
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.

The 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

COPY N^o 1. 

This folio contains copies of books

Nos. 229 - 231

and sketches in No 233

1.

DIARY OF AUSTRALIAN HISTORICAL MISSION.

1919.

January 18th. When the Armistice became practically certain I 

left France for England to settle the question of the 

artists if possible, and to arrange formy return to 

Australia, visiting Gallipoli en route in order to do 

what we had many of us promised ourselves - visit the 

Turkish lines at Anzac and see for ourselves the trenches 

and country behind the lines.

I returned to France and visited every infantry 

battalion, going through them at the rate of 1 ½ per day, 

and obtaining from the eyewitnesses very full accounts 

of all the fighting from Aug. 8 till the end of the war. 

I visited most of the battalions about Avesnes - xxxx

Solre-le-Chateau, Sivry, Grands Fayts, Doullers and 

Sains; then to 3rd Division at Oisemont, Ramurelles 

and that country near Abbeville. There I spent 

Christmas - old Fullwood joined me there. As Boxing Day 

was no good for work I went up to Amiens that day 

and spent the next looking over the old positions at 

Lihons, Peronne and Clery and Mont St. Quentin. It was 

a vile day - blowing bitterly and raining, often heavily. 

However, we drove the car up close to the hospital 

between Crepy Wood and Auger Wood - the old beds and 

mattresses in the hospital huts were still there, and 

the duckboards that made the hospital paths. Madame 

Wood - which I had always pictured as on high ground, is 

on the flats north of the hospital. The road runs past 

a big quarry to the hospital; it reaches the crest and 

runs past the hospital across it - across the space (if 

I remember right) between Crepy Wood and Auger Wood.

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

This is how it looked as far as I /can remember.

I took Joyce across to Madam Wood along the edges 

of which were a tangle of trenches - old French ones; 

beyone the NE corner of it we could see Castlenau Alley 

running.

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

 

2.

We followed this up; and just where it joined the 

old front line, in a greater tangle of trenches, we 

found the trenches where McCarthy of 16th Bn had won 

his V.C. You could see still the old dugout timbers 

or barricade through which the English sergt. and Tommy 

with him had tunnelled:

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

The barricade was I think really an old dugout or 

timbered trench shelter:

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

The men had got out into it as show above. McCarthy 

and the Australian Sergt. as shown, and the British 

sergt. and private into the end of the sap as above. 

The latter had tunnelled forward under the dugout 

timbers and cut a narrow trench backwards (as shown by 

dotted lines).

At Mont St. Quentin I made several sketches; showed 

old Fullwood how Peronne was attacked by 53rd Bn. and 

made a sketch of the strongpoint east of Clery - which 
stands up most clearly.

I never realised before the two pronounced - indeed 

steep - gullies and knuckles which there were east of 

Clery before Mont St. Quentin.

We pushed on that night to Le Cateau, George Boddy 

driving exceedingly well, and camped with a refugee 

family in a house with several shellholes in it. They 

let us cook our rations on their fire. Old Fullwood 

rose to the occasion this day most spendidly - it 

must have been very trying - I was never through a 

bitterer day - wet through with the cold driving rain.

I got through the last battalion - 18th - on 

December 31st. Whirled off the same day through 

Phillipeville right away to the Meuse valley near Givet 

to see the 43rd Bty., ro see Padfield, the officer of the 

R.A.A who was said to have reached Gouy with the 

Americans. After listening carefully to the story I am 

not sufficiently confident of xxx its truth to place any 

reliance on it - it is very vague - the vaguest I have 

had from any officer; and Padfield could not tell me 

how he got back to our lines. I don’t think much ofthe 

man and his manner was not good.

But what was worth while was a long yarn next day 

with Saunderson, commanding the 43rd Bty., who was in the 

fight at the Nek and reached the Turkish parapet - and 

came back.

That day I reached Charleroi and stayed with Sid.

 

3. 

18/1/1919 Gullett. Next day via Charleroi, Quatre Bras, Waterloo, 

Brussels, Hal, Ath and Tournai, to Lille, where I stayed 

with Birdie and White. Next day to Bourgogne, where I 

stayed at the Hotel de France.

Cuttack crossed that day and met me there; Wilkins 

blew in from Cologne. He is to go with me from 

Gallipoli, and Howe, an officer of 3rd Bde (11 Bn.), 

who was on the left at Anzac the first day and who is 

being allowed to come at my request also.

Wilkins says that Casey was in Cologne also. He 

and Casey were so struck with the surliness of the 

Germans and the mildness of the rules laid down by the 

British authorities - there was so much that grated 

(for example, our own authorities are employing British 

labour battalions - British!) to sweep the roads a few 

miles out of Cologne along which - beside our own people - 

German farmers drive their carts!) There are cafes 

and all sorts of places in full swing, very bright 

inside, out of bounds to British troops! There are 

not enough places reserved at the Opera for British 

officers to book them if they wished to. For a 

fortnight the British authorities enforced the same 

rules, e.g. as to curfew (everyone to be indoors at 

7 p.m) as the Germans had in Belgium. After a 

fortnight they relaxed or abolished them!

Casey was convinced that our men would not stand 

this, and advised that they should not be went to Germany 

And so they were not going.

On January 4th I said good-bye to Cutlack and old 

Boddy, and with Wilkins and Howe crossed to London.

In London I had very heavy work to get through in 

time; but by January 18th, when the War Office had our 

passage eventually fixed, managed to leave with the 

following, comprising what we call the Australian 

Historical Mission:-

C. E. W. Bean, Historian,

Capt. G. H. Wilkins, M.C., Official Photographer

Capt. G. W. Lambert, Official Artist

Lieut. H. Buchanan, Topographical Expert

Sergt. G. Rogers, Asst. Topo. Expert

Lieut. H. V. Howe (to identify positions reached 

on left on day of landing)

Lieut. J. Balfour, my assistant

Staff Sergt. A. W. Bazley, War Records

January 19th. We crossed from Southampton last night to Havre 

in transport City of Poona - the first British merchant 

ship to enter Hamburg or Bremen after the war to take 

off British released prisoners. Today in Havre.

January 21st. Arrived at Modane and changed train for Genoa. At 

Genoa found that our baggage could not catch the same 
train as we to Rome.

January 22nd. Reached Rome. All went to Carmen at the opera.

January 23rd. Baggage still not arrived. Went round Rome to-day. 

Bazley has fallen ill with influenza.

January 24th. Bazley went to the British troops Rest House and 

was left behind there -to follow, probably to Egypt.

My Gillette razor was stolen out of my toilet bag 

in my haversack last night in the porter’s lodge of the 

hotel. I xxxx bought another Gillette to-day. I  

locked it in my suit-case, together with part of my 

Anzac diary and other things. Tonight the suit-case 

and Howe’s suit-case were stolen from our seats in our

 

4.

24/1/1919. railway compartment - certainly by the staff of the 

railway while we were at dinner. Howe is staying another 

night in Rome to track them if possible. We are going 

tonight to Taranto.

January 25th. Arrived at Taranto at lunch time and were transferred 

out to the Rest Camp, 4 miles outside. Very muddy - 

almost like France.

January 26th. To-day at 1 P_M we embarked on H.M.S. ASPHODEL for 

Malta. It was very rough indeed and this ship is one to 

shake the bones out of your body. Wilkins, who was 

never sick before, was seasick almost at once. The 

old chap went up and camped (as did Sergt. Rogers) on top 

of our luggage. It shifted and shifted during the 

evening until he must have been two feel lower than when 

he started. Lambert is rather the life of thisparty. 

He has an unlimited fund of stories which he tells 

exceedingly well; not quite such a brilliant brain as 

Dyson’s, nor so unassuming. But a public-spirited man. 

With his pointed beard and Light Horse rig-out - 

Australian hat - and spurs, which he religiously wears on 

board ship - he looks like a cavalier. He likes above 

everything to feel himself a soldier. The Australian 

Government is giving him £3 a day, and has guaranteed 

£500 for a picture of the landing.

January 27th. Arrived at dusk at Valletta. Staying at the Hotel 

Santa Lucia - 9/- a day inclusive - far and away the 

cheapest we have struck. Went to the opera Fedora.

January 28th. To-day arranged our passages in PRINCESS ENA, sailing 

January 30th.

In the afternoon I got a car detailed to me and, at 

the suggestion of the authorities here, visited the 

Australian graves at Pieta and Adolarata and Amtarfa 

cemeteries.

January 29th. All day writing report for General White on our claim 

to a share in the cinema profits of the War Office Cinema 

Committee.

January 30th. Sailed in PRINCESS ENA, and old Southampton-St. Malo 

packet which has been running ferry trips between Salonica 

and Mudros for two years.

February 1st. Arrived in evening at Suda Bay, Crete. The old

Minnewaska is on the rocks outside - the ship I landed 

from at Anzac.

February 2nd. Sailed at 11 a.m from Suda Bay.

February 3rd. At sea all day. Reached Mudros at dusk. Stayed on 

board all night.

February 4th. Rest Camp at Lemnos near site of our old No. 3 A.G.H. 

Walked to Thermal.

February 5th. Walked to Varos - after seeing graves at East Mudros. 

On return got a phone message from M.L.C., Capt. Woodruff, 

to say we were to go straight to PRINCESS ENA sailing at 

6 p.m.

February 6th. At dawn this morning we were off Imbros - going round  t

the north side of it.

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

SARI BAIR FROM CHANAK 6-2-19

5.

6/2/19. Round foot of Peninsula, past old breakwater ships 

and RIVER CLYDE into Dardanelles. Many 8-gun forts. 

At Chanak, where our party landed, Wilkins and L I left 

them and went on to Constantinople to obtain, if possible, 

details of Turkish side of campaign.

February 7th. At Constantinople. Went to G.H.Q. - Major Cameron 

helped. us.

February 8th. Went to Turkish War Office - Col. Murphy and Col.

Crawford promised to help.

February 9th. Dined with Harold Woods, formerly of Anzac Corps 
Intelligence.

February 10th. Saw General Deedes.

February 11th. Sent wires to England and Australia. Embarked on 

board KAPUTHALA.

February 12th. On KAPURTHALA.

February 13th. Sailed on KAPURTHALA for Chanak.

February 14th. Arrived at Chanak. Found Mission crossing to-day 

with 5 horses, limber and 4 mules, and working party of 8 

English soldiers provided by 28th Division (at Chanak) 

and G.R.U. Kilid Bahr. Stopped night at old Turk hospital 

near Cham Burnu where 7th Light Horse were camped last 

xxxxx month.

February 15th. Last night near our camp we noticed four crosses. 

We went over and found a cemetery. At our camp near 

Kilid Bahr a cemetery of 3000 Turkish graves including 3 

Germans of Pioneer detachments killed in August and one 

Greek doctor. Went to Anzac, passing camp of Lieut. F. 

Hughes, Anzac Field Troop, Australian Engineers (and Sergt. 

Woolley, his asst.). We camped in Legge Valley.

February 16th. Went over cemeteries with Hughes. Result of this 

is in report which I wrote tonight for cabling to High 

Commissioner and to Australia.

February 17th. Party went over the track followed by Lieut. H. V.

Howe, 11th Bn., on April 25th, 1915. Party went to the 

north side of Ari Burnu for its starting point, and 

Buchanan marked the following points on his map at my

request.

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

(1) Landing of Howe’s boat (one of Drake Brockman’s 

tow). This boat struck the shore north of Ari Burnu 

coming in the direction shown. One boat (left boat 

covering force) was still further left (N) by about 100 

yards. Howe’s party threw off its packs and started up 

the scrub immediately climbing one of the underfeatures 

(marked by Buchanan’s tracing) of Plugge’s Plateau. 

As they went up they saw one or two Turks moving on skyline.

6.

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

(2) Position where these Turks were seen.

(3) Position of shallow Turkish trench (photographed 

by Wilkins) which was first trench met with. One Turk 

lying down in it captured. (Wilkins photographed the 

shore from this trench to show view which Turks had).

(4) Where Howe understood Annear to have been killed 

on parapet of Turk trench on summit. Howe got on top 

about (2). (Turks were then running back towards right 

on Plugge’s Plateau but 10th and 9th were reaching top of 

Maclagan’s Hill and these Turks-were left to them t Turks 

were left to them by Drake Brockman’s orders).

From where Howe reached the top two Turk trenches ran 

in direction of Wire Gully - which shows from here as a 

break in the ridge across Shrapnel Valley:

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

Plugge’s Plateau rises markedly to the north. Towards 

left top corner of the plateau two Turks jumped up, shot 

Pte. Batt beside Howe and ran off.

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

Howe went on this way and reached the edge of Rest 

Gully looking down on it from a high scrubby point just 

on the inland side of the knife edge ridge connecting 

it with Walker’s. Here Drake Brockman’s began to 

reorganised the 11th Bn. There were two Turks here, one 

dead, one badly wounded with brain hanging out. Drake 

Brockman tried to give him morphia. The Turk was 

reaching for his water bottle and one man put it in his 

hands.

At this stage it was light. Turks were moving at W 

Wire Gully. Our men, Howe thinks, were by this time 

(½ hour later?) moving up the northern face of M’Cay’s 

Hill - advancing - 

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document

 

xxx Hand drawn diagram - see original document