Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/139/1 - 1915 - 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/139/1

Title: Notebook, 1915 -1917
Includes references to Pozieres, the Somme
winter and Gallipoli.
AWM38-3DRL606/139/1

14 Bn
0.9.1 -2
Aug 7
Jacka
Original AWM38  DIARY NO.139.
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.     3 DRL 606 ITEM 139 [1]    C. E. W. BEAN
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14 Bn - Pozieres 7/8/16
Flns 4/5 Feb - 1917
Courtneys Post 19/5/1915
(Jacka)
14 Bn

19     1
14 Bn
0.9.1 -2
Aug 7
Jack
14 Bn
took over 2 pm.
frontage on Aug. 6/7
Jacka relieved 28 Bn with
/ platoon. (Took over Bde frontage

w one coy).
O.G.2 was so battered

tt it did not exist near

windmill
Jacka left from
Windmill to Concelette Rd.

There ws a strong pt on
main rd of 48 Bn.
It ws a case of hopping
over from Jumping off trench
over 300 yds of open.
Of 28Bn one Lewis Gun & 4 of crew
were near Windmill -
a little N. of it. The people
on the left seemed to be

19     2
a bit in front of us.
Jacka ws in OG1 near
windmill. He ws
comfortably in it by
6 p.m.
One telegraph pole
was the rt of Jacka's
positn.

Diagram - see original document

19     3
Jacka had 3 L.Gs &
little ammun. & / pl. The
men had abt 100 yds
of remains of trench (OG1)
& shellholes, abt 6 men
& an nco in each post.
asd 1 L.G. put on rt
between rt of 14 & 48 Bn.
(vacant space). It ws
quiet & they got in all
right by daylight.
Abt 9 pm. the Germans
began to shell with TMs
from whence opp 15 Bn.
There ws a gun from
Thiepval & the TMs
fuses cd be seen coming

19     4
from half left.
The bombt ws intense
- clearly prepared - &
6 or 7 hrs bombt from 9 p.m.
They knew tt something
wd be doing as soon
as bombt. ceased.
(The heavy T.Ms were going
mostly over, but the
guns were right onto
trench) Men were largely
in dugout.
At 4 a.m. the barrage
lifted the 14 manned trenches.
The observers reported them

19     5
coming on - They came
on on a narrow
frontage in great depth
wave after wave. Germans
came on at a quick
mark carrying their 
rifles at the high post
(4 each carrying grenades).
They went right over
Jackas platoon, & he had
notions abt getting /
men out & back, but
after passing 14 they

turned half left
& attacked 48 Bn. They

6
They cdnt have
known where the front line
was & probly didnt
know where out
men were & tt they
had got over them.
19     7
pinched a capt & a 
Lieut & a few men
& made them come
back in 4s. These
came back towards
Jacka - He had the
men gathered ready to
go back. He let them
come to withing abt
30yds. ^Then he jumped over, Then the
48 Bn men perhaps
demonstration - & 
began to run away. Every
man who of 14 Bn who
jumped up ws hit w
rifle bullets - only 3

8
(There wre about 8 left
when they went over 
the parados)
These Germans had
packs up & hot coffee,
rolls, sausages - 
brushed boots.
(They seemed to have
come from Mouquet
direction.)
19     9
o / platoon were left -
The half o / guard
put down their rifles
& Jacka got 47 prisoners
there (inc. 1 officer) &
a good number were
killed.
(They had started bombing
as soon as they came
into the fire of our front
line.) It ws just light.
Of 51 men in Jacka's
platoon 18 were k. & rest
exc 2 wounded.
Most seemed to be k.
by bombs.

19     10
[The T.M ws the torpedo
tt comes thro / air w
a red tail; & the 
shells were largely 5.9]
There ws abt one 5.9
which seemed to get in abt
twice per minute:]
When J. rounded up
the Germans there were
Australian's visible
working up the commn
trench - probly Dobbies
platoon. The Germans
surrendered to Dobbies
8 but when they came
close. They were 63^rd Regt.

19     11
The 48^th on rt had
retired - & after the
c-attack there were
no Australians in the
line for quite a time.
J. ws hit on rt side
w a bomb. The Germans
went right over / trench -
over / top of our men
probly thinking them done
for. Part of their line
had got this without
[shorthand] anyone.
Maj Fuherman had
37 & 8 Platoons - went
thro 2 barrages (one round