Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/147/1 - May 1917

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/147/1
Title: Notebook, May 1917
Includes references to the 7th Infantry Brigade
at Malt Trench.
AWM38-3DRL606/147/1 

1
2
7th Bde. 0
trench
March 1/2.
Original
DIARY No 147
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 shall be read with this in mind.
16 Sept., 1946
C. E. W. BEAN.
3DRL 606  ITEM 147 [ 1 ]
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN

27
1
7th Bde   7th Bde.  0
Malt Trench
Night of March 1/2.

Gamp trench ws known to be
wired.  So 28 Bn attacked to
N of it.

Diagram - see original document

27
2
7th Bde relieved 6th Bde.
Attacked at 3am March 2.
Ordered to form 250 yds
from enemy trench but had
to get there from Warlencourt.
The posts at tt time
were xxxxx in Gamp trench
in 4c. & then to rt
abt along 110 Contour to
Malt trench where the 5th
Bde had trench to Bap. Rd.
& Battery Copse.
The Bns were as shown
on previous page. Column
of platoons.
28 Bn & 26 made
frontal attacks.  Wire
in front of Malt trench had bn
reconnoitred.  During afternoon
^of March 1 18 pdrs fired 4000 rounds
into it.  T.M (Medium) had  

? 15 to 40ft?

27
3
a shot at it - abt 40
rounds from Loos cut in
11 a 2.9.  After they had
finished (they were firing till
7pm)  patrols were sent out
The patrol in front of main
Malt paced the wire & sent
in a report: One man paced
other took notes & reported
e.g. 100 yds uncut 6 yards cut
& so on — showing 5 lanes
cut in the wire, an aggregate
of 50 yds out of 400.  Lanes
were from 15 yds to 400 yds
wide.  On left (opp. 28 Bn)
the scouts reported the wire
cut.  As a matter of fact
they cd not find a way
thro' this wire. x
Further Altho reports were generally
not satisfy as to wire Gen
Wisdom decided to go on.
Men were assembled
on tapes 250 yds from

4

The heavies started
to cut the wire on
Malt trench - but never
got the range.  They tried to
observe from the Butte. The
Arty offr attached to / Bde ws at the intersectn
of Loos cut & Loupart Rd.

27
5
objective.  Assembly ws
quite successful _ they
were unobserved.
They advanced very
close to our barrage -
2 or 3 being wd.
Travers Bn (26) got up
agst wire - the men felt
for the lanes and got thro'..
They had to bomb both ways
& gained whole of their objve.
from junctn to Loupart Rd.
28 Bn found wire
intact.  There were mgs
on them from Grevillers trench
& bombs from Malt trench.
They tried to cut wire with
cutters but were losing
heavily & were withdrawn
into shell holes.  By
this time Travers had made
good, so Maj. Darling
decided to send a strong

6

& 5 Bde were
to meet him
here

27
7
bombing party thro Travers
& bomb up!  This was done
& after fight lasting till
2pm.  Whole trench was gained.
In mean time Slane (27)
following Travers entered
Malt trench on left right of
Loupart Rd.  They bombed
up 150 yds^x.  As this ws
his limit he put in a block.
Later he ws permitted to
go on & pushed up trench.  His
front bombing sectn got too
far ahead.  A party of Germans
got in behind these apparently
down a C.T in M5D
5.7 to 4.3.   Four of 6 men
were k. & two got back
over top.  The Germans
beat 27th back to Loupart
Rd (they beat 5 Bde down
Layton Alley 3 times)
Slane put in fresh bombers 

8

Diagram - see original document

X The 5th Bde say tt the
27Bn ws coming down an
empty trench firing ^German rifle grenades.
(They may mean stick bombs). The
5th Bde saw the xxxx grenades
getting closer & closer & started
shooting back with Stokes
Mortar, knowing tt there
were no Germans ^just ahead, &
thinking tt this ws a German
party bombing down the trench.

27
9
from his other Coys -
& beat Germans back;
fight fluctuated; Germans
they came finally on men
bombing with Mills bombs.
The offr. noticed it - Why those
are mills bombs!
The 27th shouted "Don't throw
we're Australians'! X
Imd. they got a bigger
shower of bombs.  The Offr
sent 2 men to crawl
round.  They x went behind
parapet & sd to party
"Don't bomb for G. sake -
were Aust."
It ws the 17 Bn.
The 26 found 11 prisoners
under the wire placed across
top of Malt Gamp trench some way down
Gamp trench ws always
empty , but ws wired (as
ws Emma Alley) at top agst us.

27
10
The morning of 2nd ws
misty.  Thro mist
some Germans were
seen coming up in
single file.  They thought
they might be coming to
surrender.   At . 50 yds
from trench they formed
line (abt 80 of them) &
charged  ; 2 L. Guns
then got on to them.
They seemed to start off
with " a sort of Haka
dance " - probly
Guards Goosestep.
It is doubtful if any
of these men survived.
Prisoners state tt /
Garrison at trench ws 2 Coys
& 12 m.gs & orders
were to hold it at all
costs.
35 Germans were buried; 

11

K ws w German k & prisoners.
Abt = our total Casualties
wh were abt 150 - 160
28 Bn probly suffered heaviest
Slane lost some good
officers.
Travers found abt
60 dead in front of centre
portion (26th front) of Malt trench.

27
12
50 were counted in addition
behind Malt trench  on right
The c. attack ws from Grevillers
trench towards Strong point at
Junction.
We got 4 Pineapple Throwers
(wh have bn used agst this
Germans) 2 m.g.s (one used)
(4 men per bn had ^previously been trained
every 4 days at use of German
m.g.)
The frontage gained ws abt
1200 yds & the top o / hill.
This left us facing Grevillers line
& we were able to consolidate
a line in front within jumping
off distance o / Grevillers line.