Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/138/1 - July - August 1916 - Part 1

AWM38

Official History,

1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean

Official Historian.

 

Diaries and Notebooks

 

 

Item Number:  3DRL606/138/1

 

 

Title: Notebook, July-August 1916

includes references to the 11th, 21th, 48th and

51st Battalions, Pozieres, Mouquet Farm and

Gallipoli.

 

(Page Sideways, Printed)

Original                                                      DIARY NO.138

[[ ]] 138                   3DRL 606  ITEM 138, [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 thefollowing 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 discoveered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when discovered.  Indeed, he could not always rememeber 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. 

18                                                    1                                    [[251B334

                                                                                                 Poziere]]

 

2

 

54. 9.2. in)

55, 8.in)

 

36 Bde

 

3                                                                                                28Bn

 

 

[Map]

 

Bn went in straight up Bapaume Rd. to Pozieres.

 

                                                                                                               4

28/9  Aug July.                                                                                    (1)

 

28th Bn had right on  rly on 

road and left on 150 contour

 (Martinpuich map).  250 yds

front.

 

The tramway (trench) was abt 3-4 

ft deep.  It was held by 19Bn.

 

28th came up by[[Enise?]] trench 

then over ground, across rly, 

moved in front o / rly &

 lay down in the waves.  

They were close in rear of 

one another (4 waves) & 

had to take up interval 

when they moved out.

 

By 11.15pm were formed 

for attack.

 

The Germans opened 

with m.g. & barrage abt 

11.40 - 10 mins before our

bombt was due to open.

The waves went forward 

in perfect order & all of them

18                                                                                                           (2)

                                                                                                                  5

reached the enemys wire 

tho' 1st wave was decimated.  

Other waves came on.

 

[[?]]

                                                          [Upward arrow]

                             D                  C                   B                   A

                           ____              ____              ____             ____

                           ____              ____              ____             ____

                            ____              ____              ____             ____

                            ____              ____              ____              ____

1st 2 waves were to take O.G.1

2nd 2 __________________O.G.2.

As first 3 & 4th waves arrived

 at the wire they found 1 & 2

held up there.  The wire 

was intact & the men were

running up & down trying 

to get an opening - hammering 

at the wire with rifle stocks, 

trying wire cutters - trying 

to tear posts up.

The posts were iron.  Wire 

was very strong and quite

intact.  The wire was quite 

exposed.  On morning of 28th 

Gen. Holmes reports tt /

wire was not cut.  The idea

6

 

After this fight

A Coy came out 50 strong

B ______________  70     "

C  ______________   70    "

D  ______________   60     "  

 {13] Came out

  of actual fight]     250

 

That is including all.  

Got abt 300 reinfts. 90 & 130.

 

Took abt 400 into the Aug 4 fighting & brought abt 200 out.

 

  18                                                                                                   [3]

                                                                                                           7

was not to bombard the 

trenches too much so as to

have them intact when taken.

 

Germans had three [[tiers]] 

of m.g. fire - & advanced 

m.g. posts which swept right 

& left along the wire.  All the 

Our men got into craters 

& opened up on Germans. 

All the Lewis guns were served.  Shells    

  

Barrage seeemed to be across 

the road abt from E to W 

almost enfilading the advance.            

                       ________

D Coy first reported (Lt Anglen sent word) 

tt they were held up by wire 

(abt 1.30).  Runners were 

sent out to the Coys telling 

them to withdraw to tramway 

trench.  It was abt 3.30 before

 

18                                                                                                            (4)

                                                                                                                    8

they got back.

 

2/Lieut Glover was seen to enter 

the trench with a couple of 

men but nothing has ever bn 

heard of them since.

 

All Coy commdrs were K. or. W.

DCoy  Maj. Welsh)

             Lieut Ellis ) K.

C.Coy  Capt Isaac.w (arm amputated)

B Coy  Capt Gibbings k.

A Coy  Capt Macrae k.

             Lt. Levetus k.

              Lt B.A. Bell k.

               Lts Dawson w

                      Hammond w

Col. Collett w.  (H.Q. in a shallow trench 

                - shell.)

                Lt P.T.C. Bell w. & missing

                                          prob. k.

13 Total]    2/Lt Glover missing.

8k5w.   ]    (Lt.H. Bateman k. day before.)  

18                                                                                                           (5)

                                                                                                                  9

withdrawn tt night to Tara Hill.

 

4 Aug.  2 Coys sent to 

Tramway Trench, & 2 had to 

hold strong points in front 

of Sunken Road (part of old

 jumping off trench of 1st Divs. attack)  

These were moved up abt midnight.

 

H.Qrs moved up to 19Bn 

H.Q. near the Bap. Rd. in the 

old ambulance.  25 27 & 28 HQ 

were here.

 

Abt 4am a message came 

thro tt / Germans were 

counterattacking.  Col. Leane 

went forwd. & saw the Germans 

coming over ^O.G.1 just N of Elbow 

where rt of 25th was a good 

way out of touch with left 

of 27th.  There was a biggish

in OG2 [[near bottom of page]]

18                                                                                                             (6)

                                                                                                                  10

gap here.  Germans co be 

seen coming over sky line

 [[dimly]].  Leane ordered Fox 

to take 2 Coy forward 

& meet them.  There ws 

a heavy barrage on, along 

Tramway Trench - just along /

front of it.  (This was / first 

time they had hit Tramway 

Trench.)  Fox went forward 

in open order - every man 

had to go when the whistle 

blew.  Some went too far 

to left.  Some kept straight.  

Fox or[[?]] abt 40 men reached

 the neighbourhood of Windmill 

- found no one at all there.  

He dug in abt 30 yds straight left of it (XO) & sent back 

for supplies & ammun.  By this