Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/253/1 - 1918 - 1939 - Part 16

Newspaper Articles dated November 1929

VICTORIAN POSTAL INSTITUTE MAGAZINE 

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Egleston

Campbell Town

Tasmania

15^th March 1935

Capt C.E.W.Bean

Canberra

Dear Capt Bean

I have just been

reading your last volume of the

A.I.F in France - & I suppose

you are well on the way with

the next volume.

We have all been struck

with the very fair way ^you write with

reference to the exploits of our

own men and those of the

English and other troops - when

it was earned you gave the A.I.F

its due credit - such as I think that

you have always been anxious to

give the A.I.F. any thing  that it

earned or any individual a mention

for anything worth while I am

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writing to bring before your notice
(You are probably conversant with it
all the same) one thing & that is
that on the 8^th of August. Australian
guns got further through the German 
lines than any artillery had ever
penetrated to date in one day in a 
Major Operation & I mean penetrated

a course with action.
On this day Lt J J (Joe) Punch
of the 53^rd  Batty A.I.F. had charge of
a section of this Batty which was 
detailed to go forward with the 15^th
Brigade Infantry. He got his guns
into action several times somewhere
between Harbonnieres & the Railway

dividing the Canadian front from
our own in the operation. I have no
map now but remember the positions
were approximately then. He had
casualties & one of the guns knocked
out. and hows  ditto - but eventually
extricated both guns after doing
good work against machine guns.

3.
The fact escaped us at the time but on
talking things over afterwards the claim 
was made that Punch had the record
of having got his guns farthest forward

in the action. than, at least any others
in the British Army to that date -
So far as my recollection goes I
think that is correct. I was the Senior
Batty Captain in the 14^th A.F.A. Bde at
that time. My Batty was the 114^th How. but
from Hamel onwards I used to be
detailed to act as B/C for any 
battery that happened to have its O/C

out of action or on leave & on this
occasion had been detailed to
take the 53^rd as its O/ C Major
Beavis was on leave in London -
Knowing Punch, who had been
in the 5^th L.H. with me as an N.C.O
in Eygpt. I had every confidence in

detailing him to take the forward 
section - I got the rest of the rest of the Bg into
action early in the day west of Guilacourt
but was unable to do much good though

 

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lack of knowledge of where exactly the front

line was, but Punch well forward had

a good time. We were not allowed to

take the main batteries further forward at

the junction, but I went further

forward myself, keeping in touch with my

Guns and saw most of what went

on in the rear of the front. If my
memory is right, the junction of the
Aust. Canadian front was about the apex
of the advance that day and that
advance was the greatest made in our

day on the Western Front, (excluding the
Germans voluntary retirement in 1917)
There was Canadian Section in
action to the R of the railway but not

so far forward as Punch. I do not
recollect any guns further forward
to the left. The only one possible was
a section of the 13^th A.F.A Bde - which
would still be Australian Guns.
The British Cavalry had certainly 
some R.H.A. with them but I do
not think they were ever much forward

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of the Guilacourt Ridge (R H.A.. I mean)
The cavalry I  know was forward of
Harbonnieres - and I never saw any of 

the R.H.A guns in action that day.
Punch's performance got him an M. C.
(he later got a bar) - He was a splendid
type. He is now selling insurance in
Sydney or in the Union Assurance Co.
He is sec. Of the 5^th Div. Artillery League in
Sydney with his address 44 Ashley St
Chatswood.
May I take this opportunity of
voicing what every digger of my
acquaintance thinks & that is our
great appreciation of the work you
are doing. We find your books of
absorbing interest and am eagerly
waiting for the next volume - We 
learn of what happened next door 
to us for the first time perhaps - and
you make clear what was often a

puzzle to us. Your references to
men who were killed but did well
over there are greatly treasured by their
people.
 

6.
I have had all the A.I.F History so far
and have lent the volumes round to the
members of our R.S.S.I.L.A.. here - They are
still reading them and there is a waiting
list. for even the first volume! There are men from 
a lot of different units here amongst us. and
I have never heard one word of adverse
criticism - or any contradiction of the operations
as you describe them- but all wonder
at the exact way you have got the facts
The diggers follow out your accounts
as they remember they followed the advances
themselves. & supplement them with accounts
of their own parts in these actions. It
is very interesting talking to a man
who say, was at Mouquet farm or
Flerbaix. or Pozieres. after his reading
your book. and I follow out your
descriptions & maps with the greatest
interest. especially the actions i was in
myself.
Yours faithfully
Norman A Nicolson
Late Capt .114^th How By
14 FAB. AIF.

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