Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/159/1 - June 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/159/1
Title: Notebook, June 1917
Includes references to various battalions, 10th
Machine-Gun Company and Messines.
AWM38-3DRL606/159/1

[*159
37^th BN

June 7-9

10 mg coy.
40^th

38^th

Also 47. 45. 48.*]

[*at S Germs

were hanging
out at V.*]

Original   DIARY No. 159.
AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 159 [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

39
1
Diagram - see original document
45. 47 & 48
Bns.
7^th 47} 45} got in A to abt X.
That evg abt 6. Germs c.attd
47 Retired on Red Dotted
& Black line
8^th 12 a.m. 48^th (2 coys) came to 
Bde, 1 of each Bn. to suppt
were not in
possessn of
orders in
time to
have attack
arranged at 
3 am. but
were on
red dotted 

line.
Shortly after
48 Bn officer
found Owl
unoccupied. 
At S. Germs
were hanging
out at V.
47. xx dug New

oxygen trench back

refusing left where
13^th Bde were far

out of touch.
Diagram - see original document

47. 48 occupied 
& consold.
trench to V till
5p.m. At same time put str. posts in from M to A.

and when opportunity

occurred extended 

them to left.
In meantime
advd posts thrown out.
in front.
Then 47 & 45 came up
& strengthened line (night June 8.)
& it began to be
pushed left.
German holding
in strength at P.
At 5 pm 8 June 45^th came in - On June 10/11 attd stonehouse
got it - were driven out, Then 48 got it at 4am.
[*See Grieve
Fraser
37 Bn wd.
10 mg coy.*]

39      2
37^th Battalion
June 7-9.
Moved from Rue de Sac at
11.25 to Subsidiary line by
plns at 25 yds interval.
Lost 1 offr. (Lt W F Robertson)
k. by a shell in Ploegst.
Ran into gas midway
betw Regina & Romarin
Gas ws starting to fall before
11. There were belts of it.
Men put on helmets at
11.45 (¼ hr from start,
abt betw. Reg & Rom).
From there they had their
gas masks on all time
Offrs (Storey & Stubbs) had
gas goggles off
Gas stopped at Hill 63
- not much the other side. 

3
(Tucker of 39^th
ws gassed -
they say by picric)
Diagram - see original document

39      4
38^th ahead lost a fair no.
by gassing - lots were
lying by roadside - once
a man coughed he seemed
done.
37^th except the last
platoon ws in the
Subsid. line when the
barrage started.
They went by brown
route (Romarin to Plugstreet,
Plugst. thro'  wood on further side of xx Hyde Pk Corner
abt 50 yds beyond it
& then up thro the wood.
by Heath trench, some
branching by Ash trench.
On downward slope
they went thro Heath
& Ash trenches.
German barrage
began to pitch into Ash

39      5
trench - at least 5.9 & abt
dozen men were killed
there. (A Coy, 40^th, & ^ 10 m.g.
coy). He ws ^ shooting a little
above the junction.
Nothing cd be seen
for dust - only from
prisoners & runners
Excellent reports came
of them being 600 yds in,
guns capt'd etc.
Before 10 am you
cd see - by 8.30. The
diffy then ws to keep
men down.
The 47 & 37 had to get
to meet on black line
together (37^th ws there much
first). Croseed Douve

6
Diagram - see original document

39     7

at 10 a.m. They went over
in arty formation, in 
lines of platoons.
C..D 1st wave.
A. D 40^th 2nd.
B 37. Bn Reserve.
½ Coy 40^th Carrying pty on
left of Reserve. (These took
first supply).
Each man carried all he
cd - 4 or 5 bombs per
man. (One man carried 20).
It is doubtful if they
were seen at first but
fire quickened as they 
crossed Douve by
bridges (wh were all
on the right of Messines
Rd. between it & enemy
front line). Then 
continued N of Douve, 

39      8
one Coy going South of
Schnitzel Farm & others
North. They had their
first rest in shell 

holes about 200 yds
in front of Schnitzel;
& finally got to second rest
on further side of
Ungodly Trench. Germans
were straffing Ungodly
Trench but we always
avoided German trenches.
They were on the black resting here behind Bethlehem
line b by noon. Had
to be ^ ready to move forwd from Black Line by
1.10.  Cd see troops
on black line (38 Bn) 

39     9
One pln under a Sergt
(& more) ws there helping
to dig. The Black line
was a recognisable line
by then - somewhat
ahead of the Bethlehem
Farm hedges to join
w NZ who were also
ahead.
Zero hour ws known
to be likely to be postponed,
but hour ws to be notified
at Zero + 6. The hour
ws not given by Zero + 6
so men had to be sent
forward.  At abt 11
the Bn ws notified
tt Zero ws 3.10 -
& asked if line cd be
brought back. Of course 

39      10
this ws impossible.
Maj. Storey established
forwd H.Q. in centre of field
just behind Bethlehem
Farm - Germs were
straffing hedges but
not so much the
open spaces. There ws
an ammn dump - & a whizzbang
gun on rt of hedge -
covered from view but not
otherwise, and another alongside
the hedge of a small Farm
just S E of it. The guns
were quite good.
At abt 1.50 3 tanks
came up on left of
Bethlehem Farm. One
got stuck there, 2nd came
up alongside it. Tinkered
& got on move. A few