Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/144/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 1

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

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/144/1

Title: Notebook, 1916 - 1917
Includes references to the 6th Battalion and
December 1916, February-March 1917 actions.

AWM38-3DRL606/144/1 

Original
DIARY NO. 144
AWM 38
3DRL 606 ITEM 144 [ 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 Sep., 1946.
C. E. W. BEAN
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN 

24
1
40
6Bn.
Feb 1917
& [[?]] [[?]].
6th Bn
144 DCoy.
There were 3 dugouts
in Tick Trench.  We occupied
2.  They were undamaged.

The Barley Trench dugout ws
blown up next day by
kicking a wire - in 8 Bn.

(How. Wheels  were visible
near Tick).

6 Bn Held from Barley to
Rye.  Slightly in front of
Ear Trench they estab. 3
posts from Tick Trench to Ear
Trench - Tick making a
4th post.  This had bn
occupied on Feb 28. &
were being dug on 2
subsequent nights 

24
2
There ws nominal
shelling.  Germans had
gone back to Till -
Lt Hall went up 3 times to
wire - trench ws held
but no Germans were
seen out of it.  Trains
cd be heard at night
& smoke of braziers
seen by day (it ws very
cold).
In Tick Trench dugouts
the Germans left everything
beautifully tidy incl.
2 coppers wh we left
sedulously alone.
Tick Trench ws held by
1 offr & 30 men as
advanced post covering
digging of new posts behind
it. 

3

Diagram - see original document

Germans going as in 1 & 2
wd be seen from Tick Trench
But 3 wd be on ground
to high to be seen.

24
4
[5th Bn had had Tick Trench
either one o / 2 days
before Hall took over].
Arty wheels were quite fresh.

On March 1 abt 2 p.m.,
5 German planes for 1½ hr
were patrolling Till Trench &
Thilloy. [They were probly
trying to locate own troops
in Till).

When fog sent in H.
thought there ws something
doing.
At 10 to 12 midnight
word came thro tt 3 or 4
strong patrols of 30 men
each might attempt
to raid our lines - a
prisoner had bn caught
who sd so. 

24
5
On tt night 3 posts
were manned (an
additional one on
each side ws manned
later).  Up ^to this night
there was a flying
patrol to go across &
touch the flanks at
Ligny Thilloy & Tick Trench.

On night of March 1,
early, 59th Bn took over
a sector of line previously
held by right of 6 Bn
(D Coy in abt N 14 B.)
From Till Trench abt as
indicated as route 3, two 

24
6
patrols of Germans
of abt 30 each came
over ^under barrage & got (1) thro Barley
Trench in 59 Bn area . (2)
(got to Pork Trench & struck A Co. 6 Bn in
support.
xxx Who rounded them up
& accounted for 20 odd -
3 were wd & they didn't
fight).
(2) Came roughly as folls.

Diagram - see original document

For some reason they
returned to N.W. as
shown. 

24
7
Overnight Hall had
bn asked if he cd make
use of a m.g.  He
advised ^in view of prob. raid placing of m.g.
in Post 2.  There ws an
m.g. in Tick Trench also.
Germans on way home
struck no. 2 Post from
rear.  This was in charge
of L.Cpl Pattinson,
(who had just got his
stripe).  They were abt 12
in the post - 6 originally &
m.g. crew of abt same
number.  They had just
had tea.  brought from Barley
Trench.  They had sent down
2 m gunners to Barley
Trench with the returned 

24
※ After prisoners had bn taken
they approached & bombed No
2 post.  calling on the post
to surrender "Haands oop".
Cpl. Pattinson switched the m.g.
round & ws at once
bombed.  He ws hit in
head & 3 others were
wounded - bombs fell
just a bit short.  The gun
ws got going & hit two
men - rest of Germans
(1 k. 1 wd. pris.) clearing off into fog
due west with the prisoners.
They were going from shellhole
to shell hole with Offr behind
& one German in front, the
German Offr giving the word
when these 4 were to bolt
from one shell hole to another.
※ The 2 Lewis gunners being absent left 10 men out of
whom 6 were wounded. The m. gunner
operating gun ws Pte Tweedie ; he ws hit thro'
neck during fight & contd to fire his gun. Cpl.
Lindhe ws in c. of L.Gun & it ws he who first heard

[*Germans shouting. "Haands oop!"  He threw a bomb at once
to gain time; & this helped to give Tweedie time to get his gun round.*]

8
food containers. On
their way back from Barley
Trench they were met by
the Germans & taken
prisoner as they were
unarmed.  The German
officer in c. gave them
hot coffee (wh ws carried
by German S.bs.) ※
They then went on missing
No 1  & 3 (Tick) posts
& also a flying patrol
of the 5th Bn.
__
As they came behind
Ligny they struck the rt
flank of 5 Bn at Buchanans
X just W. side of Sunken
Rd. xxx
The 5 Bn xx heard them 

9
X Germans were of
course retreating under
their own barrage.
The barrage ws chiefly
on Barley & Pork - &
on rear of Ligny.
Tick Trench cdnt hear the
fighting at all until
it reached 5 Bn.
In this barrage there was 7 in
8 in & 9 in streff. A fair number
of Whizzbangs.

24
10
first in the fog - shouting ^X
to one another & began
to get their m.g. round.
They saw 2 Australians
ahead o / Germans
w hands up Shouting
"dont fire."
The 2 prisoners
knew where our men
ought to be.  They had
got ahead in their rushes
each time, when ordered,
& managed to get into
the 5 Bn by a xx rush
shouting Shoot the bastards.
The 5 Bn turned their
m.g. on the whole party.
They shoutd to the Germans
to surrender.  As the
Germs surrend refused they
fired on them & acctd for