Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/222/1 - August - September 1918 - Part 1

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

Item number: 3DRL606/222/1
Title: Notebook, August - September 1918
Includes references to the 14th, 15th and 16th
Battalions, 13th Infantry Brigade, tanks at Hamel
and Le Verguier.
AWM38-3DRL606/222/1
 

Hand drawn diagram -see original document

Original DIARY No.222

AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 222 [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.
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
16 Sept., 1946 C. E. W. BEAN.
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

14 Bn. Aug. 17^th (from Maj Wadsworth)
On this morning abt noon

14 Bn w 6 Bde on left & 13 Bn

on rt went forwd thro' unoccupied

trenches abt 600 yds & occupied 

lines of trenches E of Madam Wood.

(abt 25 yds E of it). The Germs occupied

these trenches at night but not by 

day. Their rifles were loaded on

the parapet - numerous - &

bombs by them. We meant

to wait for / Germs coming out tt

night. But they saw us crossing

some o / roads wh went thro'

/ trenches.
The night follg this attack

(? 18/19) the 2 Divn ws reld by

2nd Manchesters. The follg mg. abt
1

10 am. the Germs raided the
Manchesters. He put down
a Box Barrage. The British
broke under this. The Germs
got up 3 C.Ts at them &
took prisoners practically /
whole front line of 2nd Manchesters
- they ^∧ prisoners were driven ^∧ sent back thro the

C.Ts. The left Coy 14 Bn

during / raid formed a defensive

flank - & as soon as possible
pushed forwd into / front line

till the 2 Manchesters cd

reorganise & take over again.

The British put up abt 50 flares /

night before & so / Boche

knew there ws something
doing.
The fn night of 20/21 14 Bn ws
reld by 15 Bn.

2

14Bn
Sept 18. (from Maj. Wadsworth who led)

14 Bn started from
Morse Copse near Vraignes at
12 midnight to old trenches near
Vendelles. They had breakfast
there at 6 am. - it ws raining
solidly at / time.   Bn moved at
7.15 from Vendelles.    It skirted
Jeancourt, Long Copse, &
Leverguier, & took up a
positn on the rd running on our
^∧ side o / hill at front of Priel Copse - just in

rear o / red line
    ⇑

B     C

D     A 
They then moved up the slope
to / red line while / protective
barrage ws playing in front.
3 

Grand Priel Fm ws suffering
from 2 whizzbang guns wh
were finally found (you cd see from

/ Red Line / men manning / guns) on
the parapet (German Parados)
of the final objective.
(The Bn for this reason
skirted Priel Fm).
As soon as / protective
barrage on / red line ceased
the two front Coys moved

forward. It was beautifully
fine. They had not moved 

10 yds before they began to

get casualties from German

m.gs firing from / Hindenbg
out post line. Bn was in
lines when it started from /
red line (it ws a huge front
4 

of abt 1800 yds at / tail
end o  / fight & / Bn only
took 389 men over.
By / time the Bn had 
front coys had got down into
/ bottom o / valley they were
so few & weak tt it ws decided
to bring / other two coys into
line. There ws no arty fire
on our side at all, & no
m.g. covering fire.  In Big &
Little Bill, on the left of /

Bn imd. in rear of Ascension 

Wood & up / slope towds /

German outpost line the Germs
at first were firing w 2 or
3 mgs in small bursts. The 
It ws decided to bring the
two support coys into line - they
5
 

were abt 250 yds in rear
coming along in arty formatn.
When they got up, our L.Gs
were put onto / German ^∧ copses - Big 
& Little Bill & / Germans ran
from these up / slope back to their
own lines - they were seen - 

3 or 4 men - dodging back.
At this time 10 Bn rt &
14 Bn left Coys were held up
by m.g. fire for a considerable
time - up to 1½ hrs.  As soon
as ever you showed your
head over a slope you were
fired on by several guns.
The left of 3 Bde had got in
under / Barrage.    Rt of 13 Bn
got into the trench Sunken

Rd in 26 B & D & dug in

there for / time being (the

6

rd runs thro / Germ. wire

on / rt.
The 3rd Bde ws just
getting in at this time on
left of 14 Bn.
At this time Maj. Wadsworth
& several offrs had a
consultation in / valley &
decided tt it ws no use
attempting w so few men &
no arty to go over / top agst
such wire. But  It ws decided
to send one Coy up a gully on
/ left & thro 3 Bde area into
trenches to bomb down to /

right.   Imd after this another
Coy ws to go thro them & take
up / bomb fight - at /
same time bombing forwd to
gain the 2nd line of trenches.
7

2 Coys were put into /
line (abt midday) & they bombed
down abt 300 yds and there
struck a very scientifically 
constructed German block. We
tried to pass it - & lost one
man k & 7 wd. The end o /
trench wh we had on / left
of this block ws abt 50 yds
of straight trench, v low, & /
German had a m.g. pointing
down it. Accordingly we
withdrew & made a bomb block.
It ws now decided

tt xx they shd hold fast till
dusk & then under after dusk
the 2 Coys from / Sunken Rd
shd be brought into / trenches 
occupied. This gave 4 Coys
in a trench of 300 yds long. It
8