Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/141/1 - August 1916 - Part 1

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

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/141/1

Title: Notebook, August 1916
Includes references to the 50th Battalion and
Pozieres.
 

AWM38-3DRL606/141/1
 

Original
DIARY NO.141.
AWM 38
3DRL 606 ITEM 141 [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 these 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
 

21
1

50 Bn
Pozieres

 

21
2
50 Bn
Night of 12/13 Aug.
Left on pt 81.    Rt on 98.
13^th Bn on Rt.   Oxfords & Poucks on left.
Objve. R33. a 81 - just S. of Quarry,
- R 33 B 5.5,  R 34 a 2.7.

Zero time 10.30 p.m.
20 min. barrage - very
good barrage by Lahore Divn.
The men were remarking
on it.

Line in order, keep in touch w
13^th Bn had to extend to R 34
B 38 (abt 750 yds frontage).

Starting line
R 33.d.2.6  -  7.8, 8.9, 9.9
- R 34 a 12  -  43 (i.e. line of
Park Lane).   Taken over from
16 Bn at 3 p.m.   12^th Aug.

Coys            D           B         C         A

They went out in one line.
  

3

12 Aug
50 Bn. ws sent up from
Albert at abt 7.30 am.
Went to Wire trench thinking
they were to stay there
two nights.   Took over
from ^∧ 15^th in Wire trench  -   At noon
C.O. got his orders that
they were to relieve 16^th Bn.
in front line & attack the
same night.   It ws abt
5 before the Coys reached
Park Lane;  & orders only
reached them at 7 p.m.

V. heavy barrage had bn on 16^th Bn.
all day - & ws still on heavily when
50 Bn. got in to line.    50 Bn lost men
& ncos going in.   The barrage stopped abt
7.30

21
4

They had to advance to an
open piece of ground & dig
in on it.   The line had to
go down hill, into valley, &
then slightly up other side.
They came on Germans
just before reaching positn
on rt & left of line. (went
out in one long line of 750
yds.)
Line ws dug;  but no commn
trench as line ws v. thin & tools short.

Hand drawn diagram – see original

5
 

The left coys got casualties
going over.

21
6

Were not in touch with 13^th
when they started - struck nothing
going across.   Just before they got
where they were to dig in xxx
some Germans - a big party - either
an outpost or a working party
on our right (abt 50-100 yds to
right of 2 trees & just in front of
the trees) jumped up from shellholes
They cd be seen in the light of
the shells & they showed no
fight - ran some way &
then tried to be taken prisoner.
Abt 2 or 3 in the in the morning
some snipers sending up flares
abt 50 yds ahead of our line
were ∧began sniping at our men in
light of flares. The trench ws
only abt 3 ft deep. The German
barrage was all on Park
Lane & near the xx  ∧2 trees.
 

21
7
They smashed Park Lane
to blazes.
We sent out parties to try

& get the snipers during night
(men had to throw themselves
flat during digging when flares
went up).   Trench ws from 4-6 ft
by daylight - very narrow.
There were gaps (300 yds betw
B & D & several of 50 yds in
C coy.)   We (from left) cd see
Germans in morning up ∧by trees
xx along Courcelette Rd.
The Germans seemed to be massing
there for an attack & the artillery
was switched on to Courcelette Rd.
There were some casualties on
Sat/Sun night (12/13) from this
sniping - and left had casualties.
Sund Aug 13.   Sat tight;  knew they
 

8

Hand drawn diagram – see original
 

21
9
had to close in to left^X.    The
13 Bn (on right during evg. of 13^th)
cd not close
to their left - so Bn only
closed in 75 yds.    On
right of 13^th,  the 51^st were
crowded into Commn trenches
& the rt of 13th shd have
bn eased off too.
This night a party went down ∧Skyline trench from pt. 81, bombg
out a few Germans & made a barricade 30 yds [[down?]]
The follg night Mond 14/15  50 Bn.
attempted to move to
※ R 33 b 38 (wh ws abt Pt 48).
This move ws [[made?]] & after
a 5 min^s barrage at 11 p.m.(?)
xxx Ever since before midday
tt day the German arty
had got onto our trench & gave
it particular hell.
The Bn had to close in
to the left from near the
two trees (in foot of valley).   It ws
 

10

On Sunday morning a
party of Germans ws seen
moving about near the road S.E.
from Mouquet Farm dodging
abt in shellholes & trenches not
far in front of Park Lane &
well behind our lines -
What happened to them is not 
known.

21
11

arranged to close in at
abt 10.30 p.m.    Just as they
xx so as to be able to go
from a line parallel to the
objve.
Just as the closing
up started the German arty
opened onto the trench - it
caused more casualties, prob.,
than any other time - The barrage
got onto our trench - and with
it there came a heavy fire of
stick bombs - exploding a little
in front of the trench.   This was
not from 48 on road but
from some front to the E of
it.   [It looked like a German
attack;  / or as if the men in
front trench at 55 moving
to left a few mins. earlier
may have bn seen or heard
& barrage called for from pt 48].
 

[*?12/13^th*]
11A
This night Lt. W. P. Hogarth & his
platoon got right up to Mouquet F.
He did no know what the place was.   He
had not got his orders at time when
the attack started.    All he knew ws tt
he had to go forwd & more or less
conform to Coy. on his right.   H. ws
wd same night.   There was oppositn at /
Farm & H. came back until he found
rest of men digging in.
_______________________________________
As Bn ∧(abt 250 strong) reached top of hill
near M. Farm they were
opened on by m.gs from
Courcelette Rd - very
heavy fire.   The Bombt seemed
to be behind this & ∧as our
men showed up in the light of
flares & shells a v. heavy
fire of m.gs opened.

The men were very done & there was
a difficulty in keeping them at it
out there. The offrs. had to encourage them all
they could     →
 

21
12
The line went out.   Some Germans
surrendered on left - but
m.g. ∧in pt. 81 mistook the party coming
back & fired on it.
The right flank met no
Germans - saw the commn trench -
& started to dig in.   They
were fired on from their
right rear [48 no doubt]
where the 13^th were supposed
to be.   They cd  get no touch

with rt or left flanks - sent
out patrols both ways.
Sent back word tt they wd
hang on for an hour & a half
to see if they cd get touch ← 
One runner who ws
sent back xxxxx from
pt 81 to say our own arty
ws ∧shd be careful not to shell xx 81 has since been