Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/123/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-1918 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number : 3DRL606/123/1

Title: Notebook, 1916 -1917
Includes references to the 30th, 32nd, 58th and
60th Battalions, Fromelles, Lagnicourt,
Bapaume and Beaumetz.

AAWM38-3DRL606/123/1

Original        DIARY NO 123                                                                           

AWN 38  3DRL 606 ITEM          123 [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 these 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 Sep., 1946.  C.E.W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN 

4             
1
FROMELLES
60^th BN
58^th BN   —LAGNICOURT
30^th BN    —BAPAUME -> BEAUMETZ
32^nd BN                                    

July - 19.1916 & Mar}  1917
Apr}                

4     
2
4 Bde Sports
16 Bn. Hindenbg Race.
Hop out of trench into
wire ½ way through.
Pte Caldwell 16 Bn won it who
was reputed to have got
1st into Hindenbg trench. 
FF McLaren 60 Bn.
D Coy. missing July 9 

4     
 3
60 Bn  July 1
Roughly
Left on Pinneys Ave.
Right.  N 9 .c.6½  7½
Left of
Objv.  N 9 c. 3½,1 to 9c. 7½. 1½
rt of Objv.
Germs. raided the 58^th
on the night of the 15^th(?)
& 57 Bn  also had a good
many casualties.
They were reld. on
night of 17^th ( they were
to have done the show.)
59^th took over from 57^th. (?)
14 Bde.
60th Bn  came into line.

4
861 or
20 offrs.   10 offr k.
7   w
(3  survived)
Next  morning 60 o.r. ws all tt
cd be found. 
abt 50 others coming
the casualties
during day.
C.O., 2 in c. K.
Adjt. severely wd.
Capt Evans             } _k
Capt  Ploughman}
  "        Grounds       xxx
d of w.
   "       Percey  wd in head.  Retd.
to Aust. to get
discharge.
All offrs in A Coy who went over
were k.  Stirling, Smith &
Ploughman?
D Coy.  Grounds, Mackinnon, Wright
                  dof w.           k.                  k.
B.  Evans k.    Rhind  k.    Kerr w.
C.  Pearcey w.  Russell   Simpson   Hamilton
                           sev.wd.     sev.wd.  shellshock


4                                                             
5
at 2 p.m. on July 19th.
By 4 p,m, everyone
ws in position.
They were to go in 4
waves.
^(sketch) 

                            ⇡
A { __________       _________ } C
    { __________      __________}
B { _________       __________} D

   { _________       __________ }
To take
1st wave      German 1st line.  Support
2nd wave    German  Support
3rd wave      3rd line abt
Major McCrae  in C. ws killed &
his body ws recovered.
Maj. Elliott ws k – body tho found
ws not recovered.

4                                                            
6

Barrage ws  to lift at
6 p.m.  Troops were to go
over in 4 wavelets at
5.45,  5.50,   5.55. & 6 p.m.
1st wave  A  & C. went at 
5.45.     There had bn
several demonstrations,
waving of hats & lifting of
barrage to give idea men 
were going over.
The Germans opened 
on 1st wave.
When 3rd wave went
over they cd see our 
men lying dead
all over / place – but
no one moving.  When
Kerr with 3rd wave
got abt ¾   way over

4                                                              
7
  – they seemed to have
passed all the dead
of our men by tt time.
Kerr had a few with 
him.  The Germans were 
standing at the parapet
shoulder high looking as
if they were wondering
what ws coming next.
Crossing the Layes where
Kerr did there ws abt 1
ft of water & there was 
probly a m.g. from it.
There were m.gs in front
of the Sugar Loaf.
Abt an hour after
the 60th went over  /
Germans began to shell
nomansland & our front
line & a lot of men were

4                                        
8
killed.
Kerr & a few others
got into a positn where
they got a little cover. They
dug in w their entrenching
tools. The Gs. were shelling
nomansland with 5 . 9 & many
men were k. 
[ Men were brought in 
as  late as 8 days afterwds
— many of them didn't
know wh ws our line & 
wh the German.] 
Maj. McCrae went
with the last wave – as did
Maj. Elliott, Capt. ^^H. Wrigley,
Signallers – & Bn HQrs
(all exc. the orderly room
Sergt).  McCrae ws k
shot thro the neck abt

4                                                                 
9
80 yds in front of the line.
Elliott ws shot thro the chest
& had  crawled back to abt
same line as Col. but more
to left.  Maj. Marshall
came across him by accident
later — he had taken his
coat, revolver, & all his
kit off.
Kerr did not see
the attack by 58^th from
where he was.
When 3rd wave got
out our barrage had
lifted.
A couple of parties
went out the first night
& rescued a large number 
of men— 300 to 400
were brought in in that
sector.  There was a