Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/145/1 - 1916 - 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/145/1

Title: Notebook, 1916 - 1917
Includes references to the 9th and 29th
Battalions and the 5th and 6th Infantry Brigades.
AWM38-3DRL606/145/1 

[*145
9 Bn during
advance
Feb 24-6
German attack
March 2.
6 Bde Feb 24-8
3 Bd
29 Bn at Alon
Sunray*]
Original DIARY NO. 145.
AWM 38 3DRL 606 ITEM 145 [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 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 

25    1   145
9 Bn during
advance
Feb 24-6
German attack
March 2
6 Bde Feb 24-8
3 Bd
29 Bn at Alon
Sunray
29 Bn July 19

FROMELLES 18
✓ 9 Bn Pozieres Aug 1916 

25  2
9 Bn. (& see record)
Feb. 25. Before dawn.
D. Coy. had bn digging from
Yarra Bend to Bayonet trench.
Exc. abt 25 yds this ws finished.
At 9 a.m. Lt White ws instr.
to collect D coy & report to Capt
W.A. Collin (O.C. D) who ws holding
an outpost in front of chord line
Diagram – see original document
Each man
(abt 90) ws
equipped with
full waterbottles iron
rations, picks & shovels. & bombs.
(certain men carrying boxes of bombs).
It had bn raining, & misty,
They were wet & had bn 
working all night.
Party moved in single 
file along yellow cut 

3
4 or 5 snipers
were behind us
in shell holes - These 
were killed -
Bank trench ws partly
covered with rush work
camouflage over the top.
Wh. quite hid the trench.
Diagram – see original document
25    4
from our trenches to where Bank trench
joins yellow cut. Owing to 
heavy mist there were no
casualties. Men were left
in yellow cut while offrs
reported to Collins on Bank trench
(a shallow cut without any
improvement.) About 12.20
the mist began to rise quickly
& snipers from all directions  
got busy. One party ws
down yellow cut in the old
ant arty dugouts there.
White ws detailed by
Collins to lead the Coy out
in single file, 6 to 8 yds
between men from where
Bank trench crosses Yellow
cut to Blue cut (as on
dotted line, & to link up 

5
10 Bn hopped out of Gird trench
in 2 lines - red flares
were seen to go up from
Oat Lane & Corn Lane
- you can just see the wire
& trench frames ^ of Oat Lane down the slope
Barrage ws aimed at them.
D Coy
They were to move up as
soon as 10 Bn got up
with them. Order had 
only come abt 12 o'c.
& there ws only just 
time to get men dressed, 
putties & wet boots on,
bombs issued etc & they
were in it.
25    6
with 10 Bn on Blue cut.
The mist had lifted - sun 
ws shining & from now 
onwards they were under
heavy enemy barrage & heavy
m.g. As while fire traversing 
from the opposite hill.
Diagram – see original document
White reported 
to Collins tt he ws linked up
with 10 Bn & ws now 
advancing (first wave)
C. Coy came up as
reinforcing wave over the
top sometime later.
White when he got 
to Blue Cut found 10 Bn
just coming over -
lay down for 2 mins in 

25    7
shell holes waiting for
signal to advance.
When 10 Bn came up
White gave signal
& then whole line went
on agst rifles, m.g. ,
barrage - no man 
getting down (D Coy ws
90 men extended 6.8 
yds - 10 Bn in two
waves).  Very few men 
were hit - barrage
ws 5.9 & whizzbang H.E.
It sounded as if it 
came behind Ligny or 
Bapaume - It ws a heavy 
barrage - Our own guns
were quite quiet - 

25    8
18 pdrs were not able to 
fire; & Heavies ^aftwds sd Germans
guns had got too far back.
This ^advance ws done at the quick
time. The trench in front ws
fairly heavily occupied.
White cd see a m.g. & 
2 or 3 snipers on our right
of Blue Cut in Oat Lane.
When we got to within 50 yds
of trench the Germans began 
to run. Most of them got
away. There were none 
in dugouts - Germs had
blown these up.
They had The m.g. ws

going till our men were 
abt 25 to 50 yds away. 

25    9
Then two m. gunners 
ran - White after them w
revolver gaining on them.
Abt 10 yds away they
dropped on their knees &
put up their hands.  He
took them prisoner.
Such Germans as
were found in / trench were 
killed.  Abt 30 Germans
seemed to get out o /
trench in front of this section,
& got back into village.
They seemed to be empty
handed. Some were
shot as they went.
9 Bn was then in 
Oat Lane from Yellow Cut
to Blue Cut. 

25    10

W. brought back prisoners,

gave them to L./Cpl &

went ^on into the wood in

search of Australians whom 

he had seen go too far into 

the wood.

They were wandering 

around looking for gone -

the Germans had gone

right into / village - one

offr & one man of 10 Bn were 

hit there.

9 Bn had abt 15

casualties on the advance

into Oat trench & holding it,

incl. Lt Barnett. The

only shell wh landed right