Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/125/1 - July - November 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number:  3DRL606/125/1
Title:  Notebook, July - November 1916
Includes references to the 1st Battalion,
Pozieres, and Fritz's Folly.
AWM38-3DRL606/125/1

Original.   DIARY NO 125.
3DRL 606 ITEM 125 [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.

1st Battalion
Pozieres - July & Aug 1916.
Hilt & Bayonet Trench - 11/5 5/6 Nov 1916.

125
1
1st Bn Pozieres   R 5A
and Nov 4/5.
1917.
(from Phil
Howell Price)
Diagram. See original document
R5/1
125
1st Bn ws manning from abt A to B & had to
get out before barrage to C-D (11 Bn on right)
15 mins before barrage got out - 2nd Bn on left.
attacked w 2 Coys. B. & D A, _^ in 2 lines at 20 yds intervals distance.

2

R5/1
Behind them D & C in same formation.
C & D had to give A & B time to capture
Pz. trench; then went through them - & lay
along tramline except right of C (as marked)
Our Barrage ws on this 2nd trench for ½ hr
& then (I think) 2 mins intense.
D & C gave B & A abt 5 mins - The Bn
caught abt 120 prisoners in Pozieres
trench - abt 60 at P by 2nd wave coming
on an unattacked bit of trench _^ m.g. ws taken by this coy.; abt 60
at Z by 1st wave.
The first wave had lain up behind
a slight wave abt 40 yds from Poz. trench
(they had 150 to 200 yds to go all told)
This Bn ws not spotted at all before
going over. A good number of rifles in
Pozieres trench - any dead Germans were probly
buried.
At clock time, purely by clock time,
_^ (as such racket on) the 2nd wave went on. Crossed rly, ground
 

3
R5/1
much broken.  On left D Coy touched with
Capt Herod (?) of 2 Bn. There ws only a ditch
with stumpy hedge along it - no bombs, no
rifles or wire - it ws clearly unoccupied
& ws just an _^ ordinary ditch inside the hedge. There
were pockets of Australians in it but
a great number were all through the
village in front, up to the road, with 3rd Bn.
on right front ws a red brick wall near the
road, from wh Germans sniped. On left
front ws ruined House. Abt morning Germans
were seen clearing out in front of it behind
further hedge. 3rd Bn man w Lewis gun climbed
up into ruined house & fired at them (about 3.30
- just daylight).
By abt 4 a.m. scattered men had been
collected w units & were on digging
commn trench marked Q - J, which was
dug during day & became quite a good
4-5 ft trench.  Col. Heanes H.Q. were in Poz trench
abt L in a little scoop - a bomb store, w no cover
 

4
R5/1
The engineers followed up astonishingly
quickly & were digging str. pt at F [sketch]
almost as soon as attack ws made,
& Pioneers were on finishing saps LB & ZB.
3 Bn were doing mopping up. German prisoners
were coming in in small batches for
2 days afterwds.
On Sunday the Germans left the
line practically alone & Sund/Mond. night.
3rd Bn dug 2 dotted line trenches nearer
Road - constantly working towards right
where 3rd Bde was also working rightwds.
On Monday shelling began. By 9.30
Abt 8 a.m. Germans started to shell &
kept it up so hotly that finally 3 Bn had
to go out in front of road. This shelling
caught left of 1st Bn (in green trench) first.
Afterwds right of it. The Coys in green red
trench were withdrawn but had to be sent 

R5/1
5
up again at once as soon as
3 Bn went forward.  3 m.g. teams
were left in green-red trench. The 3 Bn took
over the orchard & dug trench (i.e. shown _^ on map as ^^^) from there
towards [sketch] trench & 1st Bn continued this ^^^
to hedge joining on with 11 Bn there.  These
forward trenches were little shelled when trenches
further back were heavily dealt with - you
cd look back & see Germans pounding them.
There the 2nd Div. relieved the 10 Bn. who
went right back to H alley.
D Coy went in about 180 strong & came out
abt 50 strong (125 casualties, Blackmore k.
Connell wd).  Lindeman & transport officer were k right
back  Capt Mackenzie & another in A. k,
2 in 1 k 1 w in D, (9 k. & abt 8 w in Bn - 17
all told).  Capt Mackenzie ws k. & _^ Capt McVean wd
going over by bullets - all others shell.
The fire during attack ws L m.g. fire from
far right.  Clearly from O.G. lines.

R5/1
6
2nd time 1st Bn did not have an
attack - patrolling towards Courcelette &
digging out saps.
The next attack by 1 Bn ws on Hilt -
Bayonet trench on night of Nov. 5/6 abt midnight.
- 12.30 zero time.
The idea ws to get out before Zero
time into _^ out in front of a jumping off trench joining 2
sapheads about 200 yds from German line.
Our xxx Zero time ws 12.30.  Front line
had to be occupied from abt 7 p.m. onwds.
It ws impossible to relieve 3 Bn there
except by going overland owing to state
of trenches & 2 coys had to go over in this
way.  They were certainly seen by Germans
throwing flares.
D & C
Jumping off trench.
B
support Coy. (lying in mud behind trench) (That finished them)
A in Cheese Road