Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/135/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/135/1
Title: Notebook, 1915 - 1916
Includes references to the 14th, 21st and 25th
Battalions, Pozieres and Anzac.
AWM38-3DRL606/135/1 

1^st Div. Gallipoli
& 21.25.14.
& 15 Bns at
Pozieres

Original DIARY NO. 135
AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 135 [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 

15
1   1^st Div. Gallipoli
& 21.25.14.
& 15 Bns at
Pozieres
6 Bn Pozieres
135

1
Gelly sd to me to night
(7. Oct. 1916).  "You have to consider
not only battles but what happens
before them.  Remember that these
two Bns (24 & 21) had bn shelled
for a day before they made their
attack. Then _^ too Blamey had told us tt
the Eastern part o / northern front
ws / one we shd have to advance
from.  So we moved the 21st in
there.  When we got in the morning
the order to attack from the
Western half, we had to change
the 21st Bn to where the 24th had
bn. The only order we cd give ws
just "Swop over with the 24th!" It had
to be done by daylight!  The extraordinary
part ws tt hardly a man ws lost
in this - One might ask why the 24th cdnt
do the attack - They had bn heavily dealt with twice

15     2
21 Bn.
Aug. 26th.
Sketch map - see original
Followed barrage within
10 yds - you cd smoke a fag on / edge of it -
_^ barrage supposed to stop for
1 min. every 100 yds
but infantry just kept
up with it.
4.45 am. Just getting light.
Arty all over place but
cdnt tell which ws ours
[*Poz*]

15     3
& which was German - but
didnt notice their barrage (on
Nomansland).
Out in Nomansland 5 mins before
zero.  Quite dark then.
Ground very broken w craters .
2nd line, & all exc. this
platoon (No 5), swung to right
towards Mouquet.  Flares
seemed to attract them.
Sketch - see original
54     no flares here.    Mouquet
This platoon kept straight.
50 yds from trench along
road struck German
bombing post.  Here 4
men were killed before
actual time to bomb. Line went over
covers of shellfire.  Got to trench. They had
bn told by Jones that line ws
abt 50 yds past trees. 

15    4
As got there men cd be
heard saying "This is where
we get to the line".
Abt 23 men arrived here.
Right had swung away.
They were firing from 54 -
only indicatn where Germans
were.  Trench on this side
of rd ws blotted out -
cd only see by deeper holes
tt there had bn a trench
there.
Had to take 54 to 77
& first 7 men at 77 to block
trench from 54 (in R27) in little
wood.  Slope up there ws
green.  Orders were to
take up positn in shell
holes.  Stretched up to within
15 yds of 77.  Lots of flares
up.  Bank of trench from
47 to 77 made skyline.
Sale & others were beyond 

5
[*Cd hear a German
down below - stumping
up steps & growsing
(before bomb went)*]

15     6
this skyline.  54 ws
abt 130 yds away & they
were being fired on from 54.
Jones had orders to block trenches
W of 54 at abt. 34 & 33.
There were supposed to be
2 blocking parties.  One
had swung to right (& mostly
never seen agn).  Others
were part of 23 men.
Called for Blocking Party. They
answered -"Well we'll
go & take 54." 
Jones had one bomb left.
Got to a dugout (2 entrances
at first seen) - pulled waterproof
sheet over entrance aside
→↑ & put bomb in. Most o /
Germans were in their
dug outs. Others
Bomb in 2nd dug out.
L/Cpl Esposito (now Sergt) went 

15     7
3 paces on & watched front.
towards N.  Heard bomb burst.
Esp. Sd: "Here the B — are."
Went forwd, knelt down &
fired on men coming down
trench.  Jones went up &
stood over him & the two
fired at Germans whom cd
dimly see & hit some - rest
scrambled away cleared (abt 10 yds away)
Then Cd hear row behind &
rifles firing. J. Looked around
from abt Dugout 3 & saw
4 men who had bn behind
firing on Germans who
were pouring out of dugouts.
Jones emptied his mag. German
opened at 2 or 3 yds & missed
Germans were coming over
top of bank (to W) & up
trench from S, & round S
end of trench & in from SE.
Pte Fahey ws hit f in arm
from front first - had to 

8
Sketch - see original
One shot Jones thro
puttee & pants at knee
Sergt _^ G.G. Moore got hit in head.
He fell agst Pte Copperwaite, who
kept on firing & few seconds
after C. ws shot dead. It ws
a rifle shot. Moore afterwds
died. Moore crawled out
to J. to bandage his head up.
"I'm done" he sd. J. sd I cant
get you away till night. He sd all right.
Lay all thro day without murmur. Every now
& then looked at J & raised finger & just sd "Tonight." (got him in tt night)

15     9
get Corpl Hortin to load
his rifle for him - then
hit in other arm from
rear. There were 6 of our
men shooting down mouths
of dugouts. Germans fired 
as coming up dugout.
Were fighting in trench abt
½ hr or 20 mins. They
wd get to turned back
down dugouts &
coming up agn. The worst
ws they were getting at
our fellows feet all the
time.
Jones told men to get
out & turned onto objective
line & had to beat them
back from there - They Germans
came out over top
towards our line - you
cd see the green uniform 

R15/9
9a
Sketch - see original

15     10
They wd get out part
o / way & kneel &
fire - & we drove
them back again.
They codn't come straight
over. Fahey _^ (wd) had bn
sent back - had abt 18
men. We had word simply
to hold the craters &
not join up until
follg night (with working
parties from quarry who
wd make commn trench).
Germans tried to bomb
our nearest shell hole
(say) 40 yds away but
bombs fell 5 to 10 yds
short (sticks).
We Hung on till 8 a.m.
We had just driven Germs.
back. It ws daylight,
first daylight.  22nd had