Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/156/1 - March 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/156/1
Title: Notebook, March 1917
Includes references to the 25th and 26th
Battalions, Bullecourt, Malt Trench and
Lagnicourt.
AWM38-3DRL606/156/1 

1
25 Bn
Bullecourt.
26 Bn Malt trench
Lagnict.
Bullecourt
Original   DIARY NO. 156
AWM 38  3DRL 606 ITEM 156 [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 

Pozieres
26 Bn
Hand drawn sketch - see original document
Cherry in this c/attack
on m.g. of 5^th shot a German
offr. The offr aimed at him
& got him thro the tin helmet.
He got German thro stomach
The German got out 
4 letters & made
him swear to post
them for him. The German spoke English
splendidly. "And so it endeth" he sd, as he
handed them over.
Au 4/5
26 Bn Sergts Single
Sergt. Stapleton
Aug 4/5
Went at 3 p.m. to get into positn thro Poz.

Hand drawn sketch - see original document
Waves of A & B were in J.O. trench at pt.23
at 9.15 p.m.
Abt 10 mins before start Maj. Currie found tt
the supportg Coys were not in positn. (A)He
decided to take O.G. 2 as well. Abt 10
Germs were seen in O.G.1 who ran back to
O.G.2.  In O.G.1 they got into the barrage.
Currie stopped them. The barrage at once
went on. C. took them on to OG2. 
leaving a few in O.G.1
who were mopping up - Abt 5 yds
from O.G.2  C. ws hit in foot. The men
took some prisoners in OG2.
Sergts Single & Stapleton ran the show &
Lt Morgan, Sig. Offr. connected up a no of
posts in O.G.2 & ran the show - posts were ahead of OG 2.
36
Bond reached
O.G.2 w 12 of his
men at dawn
next morning
& ws there a 
few minutes.
1
25 Bn
Bullecourt
26 Bn Malt trench
Lagnict.
Bullecourt 

2
Maj Davis was hit on
afternoon of Ap 19 up
reconnoitring in front.
Lt Ryan ws wd reconnoitring
up there on 17^th April.
Whilst the Bn ws in the line
betw. Ap 19 & 26, Lt S. Turner ws
k. A shell blew up a bomb dump,
& blew a _^ Mills bomb across to him
It exploded & he ws hit & died
at the Grevillers C.C.S.
36      33
25 Bn.
Went into line on
April 19^{th X} into rly cutting
from (U27D to the road in 
C 5 a.
They were in till
relieved by 26 Bn. (abt 8
days later). Went back
to Sapignies into tents;
sent up agn on
night of 2/3 May.
They went into area
C 4 a & c.
At 6.12 a.m. 2 coys
of 25^th were ordered to
rly line to replace
6^th Bde.
At 6.40 Divn ordered an
attack on Bullect by one Bn. 

36                   4
6.49 order from 7^th Bde to 
attack Bullecourt
from S E.
C Coy went up thro
the main C.T. to rly
embankt & thence along
just into U27 d, mostly in
28c. A,D,B, followed
in that order.
C Coy were the leading
coy wh jumped off from
rly embankt in 28 c,
2 plns of them - the two leading
platoons. There ws a little
trench behind embankt
where it crossed top
of hill near the top of

36                        5
embankt. The embankt
became steeper on the
W of this again. Then
again it became
shallower & another
trench had bn dug. It
ws out of this trench
that they jumped off.
[*without artillery}*]
at abt 8 a.m.
towards S E corner
of Bullecourt. The
two plns went off
one behind the other.
2/Lt _^ F.H. Barlow led first
wave (from 31 Bn) &
2/Lt M. Healey (brother of the
late Lt W P Healey who did
so well at Pozieres
& Nav.) _^ the second. The first wave

36        6
was prac. wiped out.
There was a little dip
at the top start &
probly the Germans cd
not see them from there
or for 100 yds. There ws
abt 300 yds to go. The
Germans held some
positn round there &
guns in it _^ & in the buildings & they cd
see this attack from the
Bullecourt Rienct.
directn also.
At 100 yds fire ws
opened on them from many
m.g.s The fire ws very
heavy. Those who were 

36      7
not hit got into shell
holes before they reached
the wire. This cd be
seen. A couple of men
ran to get back - but
the Germans knocked one
- his hat flew & / other
lay low till nightfall.
The men cd be seen
plainly lying in shellholes.
That evg after dark
the survivors came back.
About 30 were lost.
What wd there were
were brought in after
nightfall.
3 Coys stayed there
all day. One coy 

36                        8
during / morning dribbled
back in ones & twos
to the cutting in C. 4 c.
The only trace of
British on left ws a
couple of wd men in
the road S of Rly in U27D.
They were wounded &
cdnt get away & knew
nothing of their mates.
During this morning a post
ws placed by the 25 Bn 7th Bde
at abt 3 B central consisting
of Vickers Gun & some men
of m.g. coy as left flank
ws realised to be in  the
air. This slope ws
heavily shelled for some 

36        9
reason altho' no traffic ws
there. The men in front were
too close for shelling - most
of it came over / embankt.
Our own guns firing on
Bullecourt came closer.
That night carrying
pties were supplied to the
[*(4^th)*] Hindenbg line. Abt 4 a.m.
relief ws completed back
to Sunken Rd by Noreuil
(Morchies Rd). They
were here for 2 days &
then reld.
Night of 6th went up &
reld. 27^th Bn. in the posts
facing Queant. The
rly line (where part of this