Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/132/1 - August - September 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/132/1
Title: Notebook, August - September 1917
Includes diary entries for 24 August - 2
September 1917 and references to the 8th,
20th, 22nd, 26th and 45th Battalions, Pozieres,
Messines, Lagnicourt, Lord Birdwood, Earl Haig
and Australians in the Royal Flying Corps.
AWM38-3DRL606/132/1 

45 Bn.
MESSIN
20 BN.
AUG 4
The End
B
Original.  DIARY NO. 732.
AWM38 
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
3DRL 606 ITEM 132 [ 1 ]

20 Bn
Aug 4 1916
Hand drawn diagram - see original
(Dug in daylight
bec. Engrs didnt
turn up night)
Went directly
behind the waggon
wh ws their guide
6ft deep & 8 wide
Shells were playing
on HQ (front)
End of it
finished
during night.
From
Lt Gallagher
20 Bn
 

12
1
Road was left of 20 Bn Objve.
The two trees were the right of 20 Bn objve. British
were to join up ? in 2nd objve.
On Aug 4th They were dressing from rt by tram
track, & had a pretty straight go.  Attack
ws in 4 waves.
Nos 1 & 2 waves attacked O.G.1 &
got in with little loss. Germans were changing
over at time. O.G.2 ws taken by 3rd wave.
They had to get near it at once & lie
up in front. But to J.O. being delayed
they went straight ahead & didn't wait. 
[*45 Bn
MESSINE
20 BN
The End
Aug4*]

20 Bn
1916

12
2
got up to the place where / trench shd have bn
but there ws no trench, only a few scraps of
barbed wire - scrappy bits on ground.
They went beyond this. Gallagher then
noticed abt 1000 shells bursting in front &
realised tt it must be our own barrage.
He told / men to get back abt 20 yds &
dig in & then got hit in head & side.
2 men asked him: Who the B.H. are you
anyway- They were out looking for
Germ. Soldiers & trenches. Their nerves & the strain

12
3
of the past 2 weeks went to the
winds the moment they got over the bags.
The rt flank ws in the air
not being in touch w British.
2 L.Gs were placed there in case
the Germs tried to get in behind. These
were just in front o / two trees.
2 other L.Gs placed in advance of our line
(abt 20 yds, to top of ridge) were had their
crews hit by Shells. 

12
4
Up to midnight the German bombt.
did not fall heavily.
Later the men described waiting for /
German shells as being like "waiting for
your turn at a bar" - you were
so sure to get one as they served the
line.
135 yds down Bapaume Rd from Windmill
& 85 yds in is grave of Pte Crossily
28 Bn & Anor A.I.F.  ? of Aug 5 or 7? 

4a
4/5 Aug.
22Bn. found 7Bde feeding into Centreway thro trench
where marked. This caused block. Lt Alderson went
back to McKay who ws some way behind & told him o /
block. M'K's Coy ws to form 2nd wave. He asked A. if
he knew K trench - wh A did. A led them down the main
road to the left & into K. In K they met a heavy
shrap. barrage enfilading / trench. The Corpl at the rear of B Coy
(leading Coy. Alderson - Elmiger O.C. had led on in the block thro the 7Bde
w 5 or 6 men.  "We have a right to this trench" he sd & pushed in.  The 7Bde
came in _^ agn after this 5 or-6- & Elmiger ws cut off.) Corpl. in rear of B in
K trench sd tt there
were dozens
of men left
behind wd
in K.
B Coy
Hand drawn diagram -  see original

12
5
Hand drawn diagram -  see original
moved
a very
long
way
all up K
trench & round to
J.O. trench that way.
M'K found cut to right
in Cemetery & brought
his men thro' it & then
overland.  Alderson got
to JO trench abt 11 mins before the
J.O time with abt 60 men.
Maj. Matthews ws there & came
up in abt a minute from other way.
Abt 10 mins later barrage went on
& they started to hop over. They
were pulled back by an order
from Matthews (w whom Elmiger ws arguing) 

6
to wait till there were suff. men to form the
wave.  xxx They got back into trench & almost at once
someone called out tt they cd see Maj. McKay & his
pty coming overland in rear.  He came up & they
led out straight away.  A. never saw McKay again
The only offr he ever saw agn ws a 24 Bn M.g. offr.
a 2/Lt carrying a stick. There were no wd Germans in
o.g.1 exc. wd & dead & 2 dugouts full.  They had bn
in / trench abt 2mins when word came out tt there
were prisoners.  A went along / trench & found
2 men arguing / point with some Germans
at / top o / stair.  They were showing their wounds,
Our men were trying to force them down / dugout.

12
7
They wont go.  A tried to persuade them tt it
ws safer down there.  He found one man ws a
Sergt-major (A had a small hand torch) & asked if
he cd talk French.  The word "burning" came a good
deal from / German.  2 mins later smoke began to
come up / stair & it ws clear tt the dugout
ws on fire & tt ws what they meant.  They we
It had bn put on fire by a phosphorus bomb.
1 offr & 19 men came up.  The smoke ws now coming
up thickly & soon after burst into flames.  There
ws a German burning at the entrance.  They xx set to
heaping earth on it to put it out - xxx xxx
The German offr ws very anxious to have his servant w him
& so A. suspected tt he wanted to tell him to be quiet & hold
his tongue - so he sent / offr down under separate
Escort. 

Hand draw diagram - see original
12
9
45Bn.
Messines.
Night before at Kortepyp.
Reach old front line abt
midday (12a.m.) without a
casualty in platoons in
file. Waited South of xxxxxxxxxx By Gooseberry Fm & moved
so as to forme in Nomansland _^ 5 mins before time on
a flagged line _^ (marked by Cornish) & went
in front of Unlan & Ulcer trench
on from there in Artillery
formatn in 4 waves
Hand drawn diagram - see original

10
The German barrage on rear
slope of Messines hill ws all big
stuff. They went up at the old hour.
Just as message deferring attack reached
Bn H.Q.  Herring looked over the top (Gooseberry
Fm) & saw the troops just moving off.  It
ws too late to stop but messenger reached them
to give new hour of attack.
Donnys Coy went thro
the outskirts of Messines
where it ws v. hot.
For 2hrs
they were 
in Shell
holes in full
view of Germs.
Lt Griffin & few (perh 12)
men were
wd going up
An arty offr sd
it ws a parade
grd. movement -
thro the NZs.  They droppd
into groups in holes in
arty formatn.  Abt 10
mins before time they went
over their offrs (Coy Comdrs)
gave order to extend - guides
had led each Coy into positn betw two
Bn flags - two blues for 45, choc & blue for 47.
They went absolutely coolly, our men knowing
tt tt ws / best way to get out of it.  Bn H.Q.
folld. abt 1 hr later with MO & Adjt. to a shellhole
in Unbearable trench where they remained 3 days & 3
nights.
Bayonets were fixed almost
icud before they went forwd.
They were in holes, & the
barrage hides them.
Men wd stand up in /
open pot shooting at / Germs.
Men wd take 4 bombs in & extra ammn
- every man took more than he ws ordered - one
man insisted on taking 15 bombs

11
12
x Murray ws k by m.g. just as he
finished taping his line - shot thro / head
a most modest, splendid offr.
Murrays father ws an
old Orient skipper.
The intelligence offr. Lt Murray
(3rd yr Medicine Sydney University
- M.C. for Stormy Trench
attack) had gone forward
abt 8a.m. from Kortepyp to
mark out Jumping Off line
with tape in new Nomansland.
The move involved.
a very difficult change
of front as opposite.
Capt Youngs left ws to be
on Blawenmolin & Capt
Allens rt ws on Unbearable
trench - 3B 6.8. abt.
As the waves went
forwd they saw Germs
getting out of Owl to
reinforce Oxygen - at
least 100.  There were
others in Oxygen. The
barrage had not yet
reached Oxygen.