Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/216/1 - August 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DR1606/216/7
Title: Notebook, August 1918
Includes references to the 20th, 21st, 22nd and
23rd Battalions, Mont St Quentin, Pozieres,
Herleville and Pte R Macher VC.
AWM38-3DRL606/216/1

Typed
386 - 425
P
23 Bn.
From most
surviving
officers & some NCOs
Mt. St Q.
Herleville
Beaurevoir
20 Bn Pozieres
(from McCall)
Original    DIARY No. 216.
AWM38  3DRL 606 ITEM 216 [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

23 Bn. 15 to 18^th Aug. Herleville.
Took over for 26 & 28Bn
roughly on the grid between 4d & 5C
& 10 & I1. 13Bn ws on rt
of Bde junctioning with 14 Bn.
on Aug 12. they pushed
forward from there during aftn
into the old French System on /
high ground - patrols were sent
first wh got into / system
not far up up Champagne Alley &
then up N thro / old French
System. The patrols getting
in in this way the 23Bn
came overland in arty formatn.
This allowed 22 Bn to swing
round its rt flank & face
Herleville w its rt flank junctioning
w 23Bn abt Hill 90 work. It
ws then decided to attack

Herleville & attack E-wds.
The patrol had found isolated
post in the old French system -
whom they bombed. In / follg
days nights there were over 3
bombing fights at the corner of
the Hill 90 work where / Germans
were holding strongly - the German
ws in the Hill 90 work where it
joins / old system. Not much
progress ws made. On night 16/17
pushed out patrols to line from to Madam wood
On 17^th 14Bn reported tt
one of their patrols had got
on in a trench S. Of Madam
Wood. An attack ws then
planned on Saurian Alley
& / maze. This we anticipated
by the exploitation done by
23 Bn in Saurian Alley on
aftn of Aug 17. (account with diaries)

In this fight Lieut _^M Weir was killed.
He ws I.O. of Bn - came away
w 7Bn - ws at landing, Helles,
wd in Lone Pine - 3 weeks in Aust..
got back just in time to get to
23Bn before 1st Pozieres, coming
up as batman to Alec Raws in
order to get up quickly (be had bn
held up at Etaples) - Went thro
both Pozieres fights. At Ballect lines
he ws sergt & ws at the O.C.B -
he got back before Ypres & ws thro
every other fight. He had bn w Bde
as I.O. but applied to come back to
Bn as the other work ww too clerical to
please him.
Lt  Houldsworth wd.
On morning of the 18th C Coy for attacked
the maze at 4.15 am. & B Coy
bombed up Saurian Alley to it.

Bn ws relieved by the _^2^nd Manchesters
who were next day attacked by
/ Germs & driven out but regaind
the trenches later.
23 Bn came out to
Vecquemont.
Aug25 moved by bus to
Prozart.
Bn in reserve.
Aug 28 A Coy ws lent to 21 Bn
to Capture Frise. They pushed thro'
Frise & drove Germans out. The
23 drove thro / streets of Frise
with 2 men wd. 21 ws moving round
E of Frise & getting / Germans
whom 23 drove out of Frise.
Aug 28/29 23 Bn reld 21 Bn
& 5^th Bde came in on left. Instrns
were to push out & take Herbecourt
during / night & Flaucourt.
This was done - the Germs had

gone & we cdnt catch up -
only 24 had trouble on their rt.
On Aug. of Aug 29, 7Bde came
thro' & advanced to / river.
Aug 30 23 Bn remained N &
W of Fleucourt - other Bns were
near Mercourt wood.
Aug 3l. at 9 a.m. Col. Brazour
ws called to Bde – wh ws in
/ quarry near Mercourt Wood.
Orders were to move via
Boscourt, thro Clery (transpt
via Clery)- to move thro across
river at 10.30 a.m. with orders to
clear up the map squares abt
Halle.
Bn moved in arty formtn
of plns thro Clery - German ws shelling
there - 23 Br ws leading.

The Bn came down E of the
Somme  still in arty formatn -
(abt noon or 12.30 round / bend)
with / main Peronne Clery Rd as
the centre boundary for Bn.
Diagram - see original document
They worked into Park Wood
without meeting Germans.
But as the left of B Coy & C Coy
came round the N of / wood
they were seen by Germs
in Florina trench & fired on at
abt 8000 to 1000 yds range.
The right of B Coy, coming thro /

wood the Germs didnt see
till it ws within 50yds.
B Coy had taken the road
straight up through Halle
There ws not a soul in Halle.
The German ws not shelling Halle.
The left Coys were getting heavy
m.g. fire from the small
unmanned copse NW of
Corvil wood, on the road
(this is not shown in / map) -
This copse ws right on / road
at Florina trench where Florina
trench crossed / road.
Thro this oppostin C Coy
had to cross over to / right
of / road where they got on /
left of B Coy. A Coy went on
into their support positn as
ordered into Florina trench & got 

in without many casualties
(under Capt Moss).
C & B Coy got into Florina
trench S. of the road. There were
Germs in there using their
m.gs. They These were fired on
with L.Gs from the rt flank
in front of Halle. This allowed
the Coys to get into Florina trench
S of road.
D Coy (Lt H.L. Holland worked
down the Florina trench towds
/ river. Here Florina trench ends
in Radegoude trench wh ws an
old fire trench running parallel
to / Somme abt 200yds inland
of it. When they got to Radegoude
trench a bombing pty ws sent under
Lt Field up this trench towds