Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/244/1 - 1916 - 1933 - Part 12

C.E.W.Bean.

France. - 1917.

Lagnicourt - 26.lll.1917.

7^th Infy Brigade

26th Battalion A.I.F. Report on Operations

106
F. 4151
xxxxxx

1570.

25 November 1926.

Captain J.P. Ramkema, M.C.,

Reserve of Officers,

1st District Base,

Brisbane.

Dear Captain Ramkema,

In describing the first battle of Pozieres for the

Official History I have been much hampered by the absence of

practically all record of the attack carried out by the 9th

Battalion in the early morning of July 23, 1916. Indeed, the

only description existing of the nature of this fighting is

that contained in the recommendation for Private Leak'sss

Victoria Cross. Even as to this, I am uncertain whether

Leak's action occurred on July 23 or 25, since some of the

battalion records say one date, some the other. There are

much fuller accounts of the operation of other battalions.

Secondly, there is with the records a note of an

attack on the morning of July 24, though whether this was

made by the 9th or 10th is not clear.

I should be most grateful if you could let me have a

few notes containing your recollection of the fighting in 

O.G.1 and O.G.2 during those days - in fact, until the 25th.

Could you also tell me whether Leak's V.C. was earned on the 

23rd or 25th?

Yours faithfully,

C.E.W. BEAN

107

[*H.N.

Aust Pioneers in France*]

7 Victoria Avenue

Claremont

WA.

6’ July 1922

My dear Bean

Yours of 14’ June duly came

along.

I am sending some roughly written notes

on Bapaume & Menin Roads. If these are

of any use would it be possible to return

these with a plan of the Ypres country

and also one of Bapaume area where I

can with the help of my diaries work the

notes up absolutely correctly as though it all

seems clear in my mind still the maps

would be a safe guide -

I am off ^tonight for a longish journey overland to

Kimberley returning on the 16’ August so

if that is too late for you make the best

of the notes given -

Please dont let me be a bore offering

too much stuff but I suggest the first Australian

work done at Sailly might be interesting

especially the group of trenches constructed

in no mans land which afterwards saved

a great number of the 5' Div people in

108

their unfortunate operations.

This was the first operation of its kind in France

and was followed by a similar one between

Black Watch avenue and the German

trenches at Pozieres - The latter certainly

was one of the factors of the 3^rd Brigades

successful work - 

The trench work done at Mouquet Farm

was also a bit out of ordinary - 

I place the trench work in France:-

1.  Kick off trench Pozieres 
2. Communication trench Bullecourt

3.   Kick off trench & parapets Sailly

4.   Tunnel at Flers

5.    Mouquet Farm trenches

6.    Hindenburg line stops from Queant -

as beyond average.

All the same anything in France equalled

the trench work at Anzac -

Remember it gives one great pleasure

to do this but I would not willingly inflict

unnecessary stuff on you with your immense

labor.

Yours sincerely 

SJNicholson

109

Victoria Avenue

Claremont W.A.

21' Nov 26

My dear Capt Bean

On my return from sundry journeying,

I found your letter awaiting me and now

send a brief statement of some doings of the 

Pioneers.

It is my opinion that the Australian Pioneer Bns

suffered in want of recognition by reasons of

the lower standard British Pioneer Bns took. It

has never been recognized that the first four

Pioneer Bns 1’ 2’ 4 & 5’ were a very picked

body -  chosen carefully for physique and trades

manlike qualities and were officered by

the very best of the Engineering services of

Australia.

They were used quite differently from the British

(with the exception of the Scotch Pioneers) and were

in reality very strong Engineer Bns corresponding

to the U.S. engineer requirements. Practically the

whole of their work in France was advance

work, that is : -

110

1^st. Consolidation of trenches captured in the post

assaults during counter attacks and the

x. maintenance thereafter.

2.  Construction of roads prior to artillery

advance and sometimes prior to [[reguly?]]

movement.

3.  The M.G. Sections were highly efficient and

always used in every attack.

4.  Their light railway construction was exceptional.

In some measure each Bn. specialized, one being

expert in railway work, another in roads, another

in trench work and another in tunnelling.

Regarding N^o1. I give you an idea, Pozieres

N^o2 was especially noticeable at LeSars - Bapaume

Birr X Roads - Zonnebeke

N^o3 at Pozieres

N^o4 Delville Wood. Le Flers - Martinpuich

111

General Walker once writing me from Italy -

gave as his considered opinion that they were the

most efficient units of their class in any

army and it is^in my own experience that they

maintained an extraordinary efficient standard

throughout.

The fact that they were so capable made them

impatient of control through the Engineers services.

Their ideal was “Let the Engineers tell us what

they require and let us do the job in our own way”

You must remember Brigade Commanders had

no control over these units, they were handled from

Div H.Q. -

It will be interesting to you to know that

quite recently Associations of Engineering Services

are being formed comprising all classes of

technical units and the gatherings are very

gratifying. All competitive jealousy has been

sunk and a general agreement come to that

Engineers, Pioneers, Tunnellers, Signallers, Railway

units were all on a par and I think this

is sufficient confirmation of any claim that

the Pioneers were exceptional.

I need hardly say that I take it as a

112

mark of great confidence that you should ask

for my ideas and information and it is

my great wish to be correct and impartial

in any information I send.

Not having gradations lists before me I

have to trust to notes & memory for some

names and where initials are lacking you

can verify by reference to gradation lists of

dates required.

I often think of you with most kindly -

thoughts and more & more feel that in future

years Australia will be congratulated at having

an historian so even minded, well informed

and just as yourself.

The signs of the times are already perceptible.

The squalor and greed of the war is passing and

a truer perspective growing - Individual grasping

for recognition or for pecuniary benefit has almost

gone and soon a cleaner clearer view of what

Australia did will appear and then your

work will have its reward.

Yours sincerely

[[SJ Nicholson?]]

113

Notes for Capt. Bean

Has notice been taken of the following:-

Le Sars - Bapaume Road.

Bapaume entered before dawn 17’

March. & in spite of craters and

careful obstructions road cleared for

Field Artillery by noon -

Ypres Roads    Menin Road -

Zellebeke - Birr X Rds

Birr X Roads, - Zonnebeke.

Cement Work  Especially help given by the

British Army Troops Cos.

Railway Work Delville Wood.

Flers.

Corps Lines  Ypres - Wychaete - Messines.

Bazieux - Somme

114

Pioneers at Pozieres.

At the completion of the ∧taking over conference at Albert

General Walker was not satisfied as to the

exact position of the German trenches

from Blackwatch Alley and instructed

the O.C. 1^st Pioneers to have a reconnaissance

made to definitely locate the former.
[*Reconnaissance done
 in daylight!*]
Lieuts Jenkins and Bardin both highly

skilled surveyors were detailed for the

work locating the distance from Blackwatch

Alley at about 300 yards. In this

reconnaissance Lieut Jenkins was killed but

Bardin brought back a correct plan.

At Sailly near Lys the 1^st Pioneer Bn had

excavated a long trench series between

in no mans land about the same distance

forward as was now required viz 150 yards

the Batn. was ordered to do similar work

at Pozieres.

The length of trench required was about from

1200 to 1500 yards across the centre of

Nomans land, the work being possible

only at night.