Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/158/1 - Notebook - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-1918 War : Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/158/1

Title: Folder, Notebook
Includes references to the 33rd and 52nd
Battalions and Messines.
AWM38-3DRL606/158/1
 

Original   DIARY NO. 158
AWM38  3DRL 606 ITEM 158 [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 fo 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.
16th Sept,. 1946.  C. E. W. BEAN.
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

1  
Fletcher. C.Coy. 33 Bn.

38

33,34
BNS.
52Bn

Messines
33nd Bn
34^th Bn
52nd Bn

& notes on German raids at
Messines May 17 & 18, 1917
             _____________
 

38                                                                   2

A Coy ^ on left Douglas 2/in C. 
(now commands C.Coy).

33Bn. Pte John Carroll.
when enemys barrage lifted he
rushed enemys trench & bayoneted
4 Germans.   He then noticed
a comrade in diffy w a German
& ran over & k. the German.
He worked w determination - came 
across mg. & team of 4 in
shell hole.   They resisted but he
k the whole 4 & captd gun.
Later 2 comrades were buried

by a shell & he extricated them
under fire.   He went out
wiring each night in front of 
line.
                  _________ 
The m.g. ws just on left of
Broken Tree House where [[the/tar?]]
road went in.    Carroll had 
lost his pal in Houplines

& vowed vengeance on / Germs. 

3
There ws a Smoke
barrage further right
wh protected Flank
agst m.g. fire to start
with -

38                                                               4

33 Bn struck gas heavily 
200yds from Ploegstiert 
Wood.   Had to get respirators
on - it ws heavy stuff
(4.2 prob) thrown a the
batteries.   One was 
out of it before wood
reached.

In the wood the duckboards
& trenches had bn smashed & men
had to go thro' the wood.
Little parties used to loose
touch - cd not see
thro' goggles.   They
pt in in small pties. 

An offr ws at Dead
Horse Corner (wh they
all knew - & it ws
a rendezvous) & he
sent them from there to 
/ line.
 

38                                                                 5

Maj White just saw the last 
man of D Coy into the
line when / mine went 
up - he hadnt even 
time to watch Zero.

A Coy (support) ws
behind - further still.  
They had assembly trenches but
cdnt find them for 
shell damage, & came 
straight on.

In front line ^ concrete dugouts
every 40 yds, & Germs in 
every dugout.   These were 
caught before they got out
- no Germs in line - they 
were bombed & bayoneted.

In the nest at corner
of Ultimo Ave & Ult . Switch
ws a HQrs of some sort - 

outside rt o / objve. There 

38                                                                6
 
ws a m.g. there &
it got going as [[3B?]] got
there.   It got 3 men out 
o / party wh ws to 
mop up there.

One o / remaining
men - Pte Spence - gathered 
up 4 others;   worked round
w Rifle Grenades & got 
the gun & killed 11 Germans.
They bombed the dugout - 

it burnt, being lined w pine; 
& useful papers were 
thus lost - cdnt be helped.
There ws a Red X dugout 
just behind it but only a
few dressings there.

Some o / men followed
/ barrage up till it stopped,
- moppers up - but got 
no resistance. 
 

7  
Every party got onto its
work.   The moppers up in
Ultimo trench etc.    The Rt 
flank pty struck the Support
line exactly where they were 
intended to reach it.

Insert sketch here from the original


The German front line ws in good order, 
parapets standing firesteps etc. 
So in the support line also. 
These were everywhere recognisable. 
Ultimo ave. ws impassable. 
All other trenches quite trafficable.

38                                                                  8 

There ws a concrete dugout
in Ultimo Lane which gave
a lot of trouble for a time. 
Our Snipers kept this down,
& Maj. White got a 
Stokes to work on dugout
& silenced it - v. little more 
trouble from it. 

The line came down 
to crater & 4 posts were
put out by W. on lip 

of crater wh just lifted 
the road. 
 

The whole rt flank
& back of crater ws 
dominated by m.g. fire

from about Ultra Lane - 
where were one or two nests
of strong pts - & anyone
who wandered too much
 

38                                                               9

to the rt ws apt to 
be caught from there.
The arty were asked to 
get onto it, but it ws
risky & we had to depend
on snipers - These got
every man they saw
moving on Factory Farm.
It was another crater - 
6 Germans were hit there,
probably at reconnoitering 
it.   Our snipers allowed
no movement there.   One 
sniper ws in / crater, &
a man name Partridge New England (Nyangle NSW)
did splendid work just
S. of Ultimo ave. 

Within 20mins they
were working on the
line, starting to dig. 
On the right owing to 
the crater they were a 
 

38                                                                     10
little forwd on the low
country & had to be
withdrawn - The original
intention ws to  go round the 
crater but its brim ws
too big - The only
unsatisfy part ws
opp. junction of Ultimo
support & Ult. avenue
- where there ws a high
point where the dugout
was -   W. went forwd
to see what positn there 
was ahead, but the 
line taken up ws / 
best tt cd be managed. 
The front had to be covered
in Enfilade by C. Coy
on left o / extreme right - 
A listening post ws put 
out near / dugout - Spence
ws put in this.