Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/160/1 - June 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
 

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item number: 3DRL606/160/1
 

Title: Notebook, June 1917
Includes references to the 47th and 48th
Battalions and Messines.
 

AWM38-3DRL606/160/1 

Original
DIARY NO. 160.
AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 160 [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 these 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 Sep., 1946.                   C. E. W. BEAN
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN 

40
1
48^th Bn.
47 Bn
160
 

See McKeon
Williams
Bn op. order 139. 

2
Hand drawn diagram - see original document

40
3
48 Bn ws near Wellington
Camp. (ANTRIM LINES)
Left at 8.40 a.m.  Moved
up to Midland Support South.
During night men had to
be warned 3 times for
gas shells wh were falling
around the guns.
Arrd Midland Suppt abt
9.30.
Remained there for day.
Watching fight.  At 9 p.m.
C.O. ordered to send up 2
Coys to support 45 & 47 Bns.
one to each Bn.
Mayersbeth with C. Coy.
went to 47th Bn.
Lt Stubback with A Coy
to 45 Bn.
A Coy moved off at abt 

40
4
9.20 to report to 45 Bn HQrs
xxx just behind Black
Line in Unbearable trench.
At 11.30 Col. Leane recd
a wire from Bde to send
up rest of Bn to Support
the 2 Bns in making a
c-attack on the Green line.
xxx B & D Coys moved
forward (B Capt Cummings, D.
2/Lt Allen) & reported to 47 Bn
H.Q. in Ulcer Sap.
A Coy reported to 45 Bn.
& they sd it ws their wish tt
he shd dig a secondary
Support line in rear of
black line.  No tools were
available so this idea
ws abandoned.  This ws 12.15 -
12.30 a.m.  The men were 

40
5
lying up under bank abt
U 3 B 2.9.  Then Stubback
went back for further
orders & while there
at 2.30 heard tt they were
to make an attack on
the Green line at 3 a.m.
[Till then idea had bn to
wait till dawn to defend
black line]
At 2.40 the order ws
received by Stubback.  He
put Coy into positn for
attack by 2.55 a.m.  Up
to this time no support ws
to hand from 45 Bn & the
other Coy of 48 Bn ws not
to hand.  At that time the
other Bns had not their
men at hand or organised 

40
6
probly because of their
own arty having put down
a barrage behind them.]
As A Coy ws
unsupported at 2.55 Lt
Stubback reported back to
C.O. 45 Bn stating tt it
ws impossible to attack
as he had only 1 man
per 10 yds & the men
had no knowledge of
ground - it not having bn
reconnoitred. Col. Herring
agreed & ordered them
to withdraw to a sap
dug by the 4 Div Pioneers
abt U3 A 9.9.  The Coy ws
taken there after dawn.
Abt this time Allen arrived
with D Coy - & ws shaking 

7
Hand drawn diagram - see original document

40
8
them out on the tape
at the Red dotted line.
Lt Stubback brought him
back to the same sap. ^X
It ws after 4 a.m.
when they were in positn
here.
The O.C. troops in black line
further north sent over to
find out what troops
were retiring (these were
N.Z. 2nd Aucklands in
Black Line NE of Messines].
Stubback went over &
explained & on our way  back
saw B Coy - men moving
out past trees first S. of
Huns Walk (nearing the tape
on black dotted line). 

40
9
Stubback got permission
to see Col. Imlay - thinking
they were going over unsupported.
He found Col. Imlay who
told him they were going out
to dig in.  He thought that
A Coy had better move
along side of B Coy & dig
in.  Stubback reported that
to Herring tt he ws going to
do this - & a message at
this moment and from
Capt Cumming that Owl
trench ws not held ^there. Stubback
told Allen & both asked for
permission to go up personally.
They found Cumming in
front of Oxygen trench. 

10

Bremner told Cummings tt C Coy. of
48 Bn wd be on his left.  That 47 Bn
wd be on C Coys left.  And the 3rd
Divn xx (44th) on his right.  37 ws there too

40
11
In the meantime B coy
& D Coy, under Maj. Brearley,
had orders at 11.50 to
report to Col. Imlay, 47 Bn.
Capt Cummings . B. arrived there
with B Coy & ½ of D coy - the
rest of D coy becoming disconnected.
They reached 49 Bn H.Q. at
abt 2.30 a.m. Col Imlay
explained the disposition
& Lt Bremner (Int. Offr.) gave
Cumming a realistic acct.
of all the German m.gs. up there
& approximate positns.  Orders
from Col. Imlay were to get forward
as far as possible towds Green
Line &, if impossible to go on,
to take up a positn & dig in;
sending back map coordinates.