Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/136/1 - 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/136/1
Title: Notebook, 1916
Includes references to the 22nd Battalion, 6th
Field Ambulance, the Somme winter and
Mouquet Farm.
AWM38-3DRL606/136/1
 

Original 
DIARY NO 136
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, not withstanding 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.
3DRL 606 ITEM 136 [1] 
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN 

16
1.
22 Bn Pozieres
Mouquet.

16
2
22nd Bn.
July 29/30.
(1st attack on O.G. lines)
C & D Coys in front trench
(orchard)
Had gone in night of 26/27,
abt 9 pm. (after long delay
from dusk in Sausage Gully).
Men in just before dawn.
Came up past Gib -
turned right, & reached
orchard. There ws a
casual barrage near
Gibraltar & there were
a number of dead men
there - one wd man ws
lying there his pack burning

16
3
with phosphorus - he
burned to death (The
men had come from
Brickfields & were dead 
before they got in.
C. Coy got in by daylight
& D Coy att by daylight.
The front ws very crowded
& men were standing
thick in Commn trench
betwn. two roads.
Men dug very well during
morning & had it fairly
connected by end.
Germans started
barrage at 9 a.m.
& kept it up till 12 - &
brought the barrage

16
4
gradually in, abt
3 p.m. gradu getting
onto the trench. In
K trench the bn lost
heavily, 2/Lt Hart (master
of Trinity college, Kew)
ws k, 2/Lt B.S. Tapner
(d. of w.) & 3 others wd.
- every officer there
ws wd or k.
In the 4 days the
casualties, in hanging
on, amt. to abt 15 officers
& abt 300 o.r.
On night of 29/30
C & D were in front
trench. 24 Bn went
into reserve close support trenches
in rear of 23rd &

5
The Brigadier sent up
a little word wh we read
out to all the Bns. (I believe,
certainly to 22 Bn) before
going in. He said :
"It has bn sd tt when
you go out 25 per cent
of you will be killed.
You will be killed if you
go forward; you will be
killed if you go back-

It is better to be killed
going forward."

(I must try to get
the exact message).

6
16
A Coy _∧ 22 Bn came up from
K trench. On the whole
the casualties were
not heavy tt night.
The attack ws abt 11 p.m.
D Coy ws. ordered to
support rt flank of
23rd Bn.
[Word had come
thro from 26 Bn tt
Col .Ferguson had
given order to retire.
Maj. Maberley Smith
refused to retire -
& stopped the retirement,
with Lieut P Pearce. They
referred to Col. Fethers
& D Coy ws sent up

16
7
to help dig extension
along rd between 6 & 7
Bdes. When it ws
found 7 Bde had come
back they were put
to dig along the road
from Pozieres (Brinds
Rd). There ws a 
dense fog and casualties
were v. slight.
A Coy ws withdrawn
before light, & D came
back to the orchard.
That night 21 Bn. relieved
them - & 22nd Bn ws
sent to Sausage Gully.
There ws a false report 
tt Germans were in
in the 5th Bde line &

8
Diagram - see original document

16
9
support ws sent up.
but it proved false.
There ws the old
barrage on road & K trench
& between front line &
Gibraltar. Just before
they were going out the
order ws recd. to
dig an assembly trench
somewhere abt XY.
They went by daylight
but under dense fog
& so escaped heavy casualties.
(The casualties mentioned
above were up to
this time).

10
Diagram - see original document

11
16
On night of 4/5 Aug.
the Bn came in again
& went into assembly
trench (running thro' outpost
at point 23). The

attack ws practically
as marked by the
arrows. The flank
was to be formed by
22 Bn digging back
& 24 Bn digging
up to them.
Zero time ws 9.15.
The 7^th Bde wrongly
used mash valley & crossed
line of 6^th bde who
went up from Sausage Gully