Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/241/1 - 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/241/1

Title: Notebook, 1918
Includes references to the 57th and 58th
Battalions, Villers-Bretonneux, Peronne and
Flamicourt.
AWM38-3DRL606/241/1 

241
{57 Bn V/B.
{57 Bn Peronne
{58 Bn Flamicourt
Not yet copied.
Original    DIARY NO.241.
AWM38    3DRL 606 ITEM 241 [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
(17735) Wt. 2205-SK550.  100000.  1/18.  Sir J. C. & S.
I O [shorthand]
150 X
60. 
c60.

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57 Bn Villers/Bretonneux: Capt Peacock
57 Bn.
Abt 9.15 p.m. got orders for the
attack. Bn till then ws in its
original positn in the Aubigny
line on the flats. The bombt
ws mostly on Bois l'Abbé.
The offrs were told tt / Germs
were holding a line round the
W. side o / village. They had
not bn seen during day.
Abt 9.30 Bn left Aubigny
Line to move up to J.O. line.
57 Bn ws to be on rt of 15 Bde.
Diagram – see original document
At Bn H.Q. at 9.15
the Coy Commdrs were
told tt they had to
sweep round the N edge of the
village not entering / village
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95

itself &, after passing /
village, place their left flank
on / Warfusee Abanct
Rd & rt flank on / rly.
They had to go to the X Rd
which joins the main Rd
by the Hangars.
The Bn moved off in
/ dark. Part of V/B ws
burning. No barrage. From
/ start shots had bn coming
from / hill on the rt.
This ws probably counter sniping
to 14 Bde.
Germans were first met
in / orchards W of V/B. &
at / Crucifix on Fouilloy Rd.
There seemed to be no front
line at all where 57 went
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94
 

thro exc. on left where there
were a few Tommies. The
people Germs in the trench on / left
(N) of / wood (wh they had
dug tt day) didnt see us
till we were hopping into /
trench & half of them were just
waking up then. The attacking
wave just saw / trench. - a
yell went up along / line
& they jumped straight into it.
They went straight on &
kept meeting small pties
till they got to / hangars.
In these hangars themselves
ws a big pty of Germs. They
were just waking from sleep
as our people got there.
2 batches of 40 prisoners were
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93
 

sent back from there &
57 Bn went on over / crest
o / hill abt 700 yds from
the forked Rd.
The 57 Bn had bn gn
a 2nd objve - the road
wh ran just beyond the
top of this rise (Col. Layh
ws then C.O.) They reached
this - meeting a few scattered
Germs all clearing back as
hard as they cd go. They seemed
to think we were French for all sd "Merci M'sieur". We
got past / haystack on the
rt o / rd - the only trenches
were round the hangars &
huts.
For abt an hr the 57 Bn
stayed there but no one
came up on either flank.
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The Bns position ws on
/ fore slope of this rise all
round / ridge, (The Germs seemed
to think from / rd to / rly.
Diagram – see original document
There were
Germs S.
of / rly.
Only place
where 13 Bde cd be seen ws
where / village touched / rly.
Just E of / village over / rly is a
bridge over / rly. When 57 Bn
came round in front o /
village B Coy (rt) pushed
down round / outskirts, &
on this bridge they had a scrap
w some Germs. While they
were fighting there they noticed
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91
 

fighting going on not far
away but the two Bdes
never actually were in
touch.
The Germs began to get
round the N & S flanks of
57 Bn. Capt Peacock
had gone back to find were
59 Bn ws & try to get them
up on the flank of 57 Bn.
He found them N. of the Hangars
abt the X Rd.  They sd
they were on their objve &
it then turned out that the
order for the 2nd objve hadnt
reached them. Peacock had
just arranged w Capt Smith
(now Maj) to go forward
(he _^ Smith ws in/c there) when they
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90

noticed 57 Bn figures coming
back - These were the
57 Bn. who had found
/ Germs behind their left
flank. The Bn dug in just
forward of the hangars, &
stayed there. The rt flank
ws a little N. of rly.
There / line stayed all day
& sniped at Germs getting
away from / village (as shown
Diagram – see original document
by dotted line) along rly & then
dashing out to / haystack
across / ridge.
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89
 

As soon as 57 Bn
swept round / village,
B Coy, who were behind
& detailed for / purpose,
divided & moved round the
N & S edges o / village & then
turned into / village from /
far end & worked towards
each other, & then out at
forward end o / village.
Diagram – see original document
In doing this they got a
number of prisoners / majority
of whom were handed over to / 
Tommies. These were Tommies
who came into / village from the
west end.
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