Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/166/1 - September 1917 - Part 1

AWM38

Official History

1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,

Official Historian

 

Diaries and Notebooks

 

Item number: 3DRL606/166/1

 

Title: Notebook, September 1917

Includes references to the 7th, 8th and 29th

Battalions and 2nd Pioneer Battalion, Polygon 

Wood, Broodseinde, Bullecourt and Menin Road.

29 Bn 26/9/17

 

Original AWM38  DIARY No. 166.

DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN

CONCERNING TH WAR OF 1914 - 1918.

3DRL 606 ITEM 166 [1]

 

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. 

 

The 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 should be read with this in mind.

16 Sept., 1946.                            C. E. W. BEAN.

29^th Bn  26/9/17

7^th Bn     4/10/17

8^th Bn      4/10/17

   "               20/9/17

18^th Bn      9/10/17

                1

Anzac Picture:  EF115

 (shorthand)

 

 

When see rear clear of

barrage, shakes out

 

(Diagram) 

 

46                          2

From Lt Sid Gullett. I.C.

29 Bn ^on arriving at Halfway H

on Sept 25 heard it had

to go straight on.

 

It went on to tapes

thro Glencourse Wood by

Glencourse track & though

barrage ws on it arrd

with few casualties.

 

It formed behind left

of 59 & went ford on time

 

Most of its fighting

ws in taking Red Line

(first objve)

 

The Germs put up abt

18 little fights. They were

almost always men who

had survived in shellholes.

When they saw our men

come up with 20 yds all

round them they out

3

The rest o I crew seemed

to be lying dead around

him -

 

It ws a stand gun

on stand.

 

46                                      4

hands up & were genly killed.

One man Sid Gullett (acting

I.O., saw in shell hole firing

his gun. You dont see

them till they are few yds ^within quite

short distance. Then hear

swish of bullets. Line hesitated

just one instant - then all

swung together at him from

flanks - no time to

get into shell holes or you

lose I barrage - all swung

together for him. Many 

dropped. But When I crowd

got to him, & the leading man

got him w I bayonet in

chest, he still had his

thumbs on the handles o I 

gun. (the trigger release)

 

Those who were in 

hillboxes were lost. They were

5

Saw Germ getting away a

gun almost immd after I attack (^it ws on Polygon Rd.)

Later a horseman galloped up th road &

galloped back - 500 yds away, fired at but unhit.

 

46                                  6

cooped up, blocked w

wounded - the first few

out were almost always k.

in hot blood - shot or bayoneted.

The rest were taken, as soon as

blood cooled. 

 

The 29 on reaching

Red Line lay down & got into

shape for advance. But as

the 31Bn had decided not

to go on, (the British not

being on starting off pt at

Zero, but in Inverness Copse)

the order came juts in time

to 29 Bn not to go on.

The barrage ws kept back

-but as a fact went well

on ahead of Red line; while

14 Bde went on. The 31

ws right back on rt; &

during these 2 hrs lying

down the 29 suffered v. 

7

At one dugout the Germans disgorged

the prisoners first; then a number w

their hands up including one Middlesex

offr. When this man in British uniform came

out the Austlns simply rushed him

suspecting he ws a spy. He came talking

loudly, so th they wd not bayonet

him. He sd he had bn out on patrol

reconnoitring & had bn hit by a sniper in I back

o I neck & taken prisoner, & taken into

I dugout. They kept him there for

3 days as they cd not get him away.

Noone cd leave I place or reach it

-all I wd were kept there. He had

a scratch on I back o I neck, a graze,

eno' to have shaken him badly. They

had bound him up & treated him very

kindly.

 

As soon as ever our men reached

their objve the German planes were over.

They came over very low down,

two or three of them - a pilot & an

observer in each plane, the obsrver

working his gun on a swivel. They

dropped flares to show I Germans

where I infy was & then came over &

over agn & agn in a most interesting

duel w I infantry. Everyone ws blazing

at them - they wd chase little parties

of 2 or 3 men - & by Jove, you

 

46                                 8

heavily by shelling ^m.g. from the

right, where no one ws.

The ground went up on

their rt & the Polygon Beak

a little trickle widened by

shellholes, but still a

stream not a march -

quite easy to go thro.

 

Sid Gullett had a great friend, a

captain, shot beside him - bullet thro

forehead - he fell backwards - Gullet cd nt even look

The xxxx law o I barrage had them - you

must go on or you lose it - & they had 

lived together in Melb. for years.

____________________________

had to take cover from them.

L.Gunners & everyone else ws

at them; & they brought down 3.

The planes most obviously led I

c-attack - came over dropping

flares & going back & wheeling & dropping

more flares to show their infy where our

men were - Our men didnt worry

for I c.attack - they were ll for I

planes.

 

The English had much harder

ground to attack over - or be c-attd.

They cdnt see I enemy over a good part 

o I way, whereas we saw every movement

                                         9

29 Bn (cont)

The Middlesex R.W. Fusiliers

had to attack thro our line abt

aftn ^noon & they moved up thro our

line; but they didnt get on. We

had to go on at I same time,

without I barrage. We had almost

practically got up to the blue lie 

beforehand, really, creeping up to

I barrage. We soon There ws no

barrage, this time (?other than protective)

They got to I blue line & consolidated

in depth - got their little shellhole

parties going; & then within a

few mins. collected sticks & made

fires & cooked themselves tea. In I

bottom of ^nearly every shell hole ws a film

of blue smoke & a few men, grinning

up at you.

 

The way I men wd come up &

ask a question in I morning behind

th barrage ws admirable - perfectly

cool & normal. And every little group

in its little shell hole were generous

as far as I situation in their immediate

front went - they knew every bit of it.

They were convinced I Germans never cd

have got thro them.

 

The 15 Bde did carrying as 29 Bn ws

depleted - & no food water or ammn

came. They had to use shellhole water & fall

back on iron rations. They had 5 rounds

per man & only one for Stokes men till at

last C.O. got a 15 Bn party thro

 

46                                 10

2 Pioneers.

Were building

Bellevarde Rd before

Sept 20 (came up on

Sept 7.) Made abt 1400

yds of Rd w some of 7^th

field Coy. 1^st Pioneers

came round from Menin

Rd thro Chateau wood

to meet them.

 

One Sept 20 rd ws

begin at once to Westhoek.

Between Lake & Bellevarde

Ridge when Germs saw

what ws intended they

pour in 5.9 & 8 in

46                                     11

The men had to knock

off for a while & then

go on. This Rd took

off abt 300 yds this

side of Birr X Rds. xx

 

They got into Mustard 

gas about Sept 10 -

one coy ws in it near

Bellevarde, making 

formation - lot had

burns like those of

hot irons. (Since then

a change of clothing

has bn kept).

 

A tramway has bn

made also & destroyed

by waggons.

46                                       12

On Oc 4 the 2 Pioneers

ran a mule track

(quite new) from the

brick kiln S of Zounebrek

to the S & E of lake

to the gasometer on the

Broodseinde Rd.

Next day ran one

to De Knoete fm.

 

The rails for tram

wh shd have bn at

Westhoek last night

were found bogged

this mg at Birr X 

Rds.

 

At Pozieres it ws