Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/275/1 - 1918 - 1938 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/275/1

Title: Folder, 1918 - 1938
Covers the fighting in May-June 1918 and
includes notes by Bean and F M Cutlack, letters
to "Reveille" and A W Bazley and references to
Sgt W E Brown VC, Capt A C Borella VC and
Sgt T L Axford VC.

AWM38-3DRL606/275/1

SOMME. May - July 1918. No. 275.
1^st SET.

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.
[*AWM 38*]
16 Sept, 1946. C.E.W. BEAN
[*AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN WITH
EXCEPTIONS*]

[*3 DRL 606 ITEM 275 [1]*]
 

Reserve Defence lines
Somme, ^Spring - Summer 1918.
From Col. Nicholson (1937)

Another point worth my mentioning was
the reserve line along the Somme forming
an arc many miles long. The maps & plans
were very complete & probably you have them.
As far as memory serves something like
80 miles of trenches and 60 strong points
(cement) were constructed. It was simple
work with little interruption but probably
greater in extent than the roads of Ypres -
It was here the first American troops were
used with Australians . I had the 6^th American
Engineers a permanent force unit and the
108^th American Engineers a Chicago Unit -
They were very efficient once they grasped the
service requirements, especially at wiring
Their officers especially were a keen capable
 

crowd, very modest, who recognized that
their home training had hardly been
useful. (French instructions had been sent
& their comments on these were not polite)
I used to work one Company of Pioneers
with two Companies of American Engineers
to quickly break them into the conditions.
The very first morning I took them out
they got shelled and a couple were hit.
It was funny to see a big bunch of men
standing round the two wounded engineers
and I am afraid my language sending
them back to their work was a bit of a shock,
the fact was I had ben told to start them
in a quiet place and was annoyed that
casualties occurred the first morning -
Afterwards at Heilly Chateau they got their
share -
Yours sincerely
EJH Nicholson
 

Front line abt May 3rd.

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
 

Reverse of hand drawn diagram - see original document
 

H.N.

Rosenthal - Morlancourt. May 1918.
---
Rosenthal tells me (28.4.37) that on reconnoitring
the 11^th Bdes front he noticed that it looked over a big valley
in which were a good many hawthorns, and banks, and
it seemed to him a good place for the Germans to
assemble in. He thought he ought to take its opposite
side. He asked Cannan why he hadn't done so, & C. said
be would have done so but simply hadn't had time.
R. ∴ desired ^that as soon as his bde. was in, he wd
seize the other side.
It was discussed by him with Monash, who
agreed. The 35^th ws to advance next day, further to / left.
On May 4/5 the 34^th ws to advance with coog pty
first, then wiring pty, then digging pty. He & Col.
White of 33rd went out with Dunlop to see them if
the posts had been rightly sited. They started
at the lower end & went right along the posts,
& then - as division was pressing them for
identifications - they went out cautiously
thro' / screen to see if they could find a German.
They found one newly killed - his body was still
warm - & examined him & Got in his papers -
(He ws 86^th I.R.) Then they went back to see if the
 

wiring was being rightly done. They had reached On reaching
the lower post where they found that the
wire had been taped subaltern had dug his post immediately
behind the wire – too close to be of use.
White & Dunlop picked up the tape and
were laying it down some distance from the
post when six helmeted figures appeared
against the sky.line above them Rosenthal
saw they were Germans & immedly shot
one w his revolver; White shot another &
the rest gave in. They took them back to
the Sunken road close behind, & while they
were there a heavy fire of rifles & m.gs. came
from / German line just ahead. They all lay
down & afterwards sent / prisoners back. Rosenthal
then started to walk to H.Q. but the subaltern on
the post told him he was walking towards the
Germans. Rosenthal refused to believe it, but was
eventually persuaded - & so it was.
On May 5/6 the German line on the plateau
was to be attacked. That day air photos arrived showing
that the Germans had two trenches dug - which, noted Rosenthal
made the 9^th Bde's job more difficult.
 

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
 

34 Bn. Morlancourt. May 4-8^th, 1918.

May 4/5
Captain Beaver tells me, that his company had very
little difficulty in heading the advance on May 4^th .
The covering company, his own, drove back a few
Germans, but the show went without interruption.
D Coy was now left in the ^advanced picket line, Beaver
in command.
May 5/6
On the following day night Monfries with
half of A went for the German trench south of
the road. Fry's report says that they got the trench
but this was not the case. They eventually
dug in short of it, a little way in front of the
^x previous night's line. Beaver's Coy found the Germans in
some isolated advanced posts, with machine guns, ahead of the
German main trench line, and cleared then easily, taking a dozen [shorthand].
[* In the morning

a youngster ^in B's batman or xxxx company of the 34^th,
lying in a shellhole
wounded, saw 2 ^unwounded Germans
in another hole [[?]]
ahead of it & called to
them to surrender (which
they did) & carry him
out. (He has a photo
of these two & another
German whom he
saved from bayonetting
& who followed him
round all night).*]
May 6/7 At 4.55 am orders was sent to Monfries that
at 7pm he was to push along the enemys trench, bombing
& w rifle grenades, to K 19 [shorthand], & capture & garrison /
trench. From 5 pm to 6.45 pm the arty wd fire on all
G.S.PS near by. At 7 pm Lt TMs to fire 150 rds on trench
K 19 A 90. 75 to K 19 B 0. 1 & on Wop & C.T. beyond.
When this ^TM straf ended. Monfries was to push along
trench / as above). He ws to bomb along C.T. to Stn & put
solid block 100^x from trench jn. covering it w L.G. &
grenades. At the end of the main trench (on rd) he ws to build
anor block w L.G. & bombers. Trench then to be held as
picket line by him, w posts. After dark tps wd be
pushed out ahead of Monfries to wire his
present trench. (From Leroy Fry).