Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/187/1 - April - July 1918 - Part 3

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105
Diagram - see original document 

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June - July 1918.
4th Bn patrols.
Lieut R.E. Taylor ^went out w Pte MacDougall ws in charge of first patrol (following
on 2nd Bde patrols). He ws I.0. 4th Bn.
He took out a raid at 11a.m. next day.
Lieut. Thomas went out, later ^w Pte MacDougall next day & day after agst same post
& was held up by wounding of Sergt w whistle.
(Sergt Grant). Cpl. Pearce went to get whistle & ws wd too.
Next time in on July 11 they worked from
post to post Lt Barney Allen (original Pte. of OC. Coy
ws standing in post when he ws got by m.g. thro thigh
2/Lt Diamond & Sergt Maguire (D.C.M). who deserted
from Tg. Bn in Engld to get here.

DIARY NO. 187

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.

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187
28 Bn. July 9.
27Bn had got into trench N.
of Rly on July 8.
At 7 on morning of July
9 Gen Wisdom met Col. Currie
at point where our front line 
crosses the rly & told him
tt he had leave to take /
Monument Wood.
Col. Currie went back & saw
Lt Cockburn, Scout Offr. & he
sd he ws sure / thing cd be
done.  He & 11 scouts were to
form / rt bombing pty - (each
6 bombs) & Lt Loveday & 6
men the left pty ^(from Coy in Rly). They

were to creep out in /
crop wh goes to within
20 or 30 yds o / trench & then
rush over the clear space beyond
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105
- Zero hour ws to be 3p.m.
From / way in wh men cd
walk abt there durg /
day it ws pretty sure tt
this cd be done.
The crop ws standing
green. They crawled up to
/ edge till Cockburn cd see
through. They had to wait
abt a minute (at
2.55 the 6 in Newtons had
fired a few shots into /
monument to keep
down / heads of any
Germans there in case
they might see).
At 3p.m. C. gave them
/ word to go.
They jumped into /
trench right on to / m.g. post.
They knew / post ws fairly
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105
close.  A limber ws
just there in / wire.
The gun ws in a bivouac
in a cover. The crew
were just disappearing
down / trench towards
/ monument.
Part of the party
went down / trench
on / left & then to /
right down / support
trench - the trenches
were clearly heavily
manned at night.
The 2 Germans left trench
Diagram - see original document
petered out so
this pty came
back to / rest.  xxxx
The 2 Germs were still
running, ahead - thro
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105
a gap in / wall -
the Germans in / Monument
probably got news o /
attack from them, for
they ran. There ws no
noise at all. The
Germans were seen
some of them running
S. of the Hedge towards
the N.W. corner of it.
Cockburn searched abt here
for / trench marked on /
maps but found no
trench at all - only
/ ditch behind / hedge
into wh / Germans had
dug a number of
"bivvies".  He ^had waved (from the
road) to / front line, & /
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105
men there on / left
came over & occupied
/ German support line as
our front line, at once.
(The left party meanwhile
had bn moving down to /
left, & a party of an
NCO & 4 men came
across / rly from /
left - a little late. They
noticed / German sentry
in / trench & he noticed
them - but finding the
others coming down /
trench behind him he
cleared -)
Our right party,
not finding any trench,
ran along behind / hedge
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105
as fast as it cd &
suddenly a shower of
bombs fell on them
from / corner of / hedge,
& killed one man.
The Germans also sniped
one of his men. They took
cover & bombed  / Germans but /
German bomb outranged
ours & they took to
ground.  xxxxxx
One o / rifle party, a
rifle grenadier, who
ws pretty well puffed,
came up. A couple of
Germans had bn shot by
our men who were lying
on / top in / short grass
- there were prac. no
Shell holes. Luckily / Germs
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105
had no m.g. A bomb
from / rifle grenade burst
behind them & they ran -
Our people followed them
& worked ^down / trench to the tank -
Cockburn put up / white
rag - a half a signal flag -
on the tank; this ws /
signal for the rest of the
men in our front line to
come over – wh they did.
Our right party pushed
on down / trench & saw
a couple of Germs running
away down it -
Two blocks were
put in about 50yds past
/ tank. There ws any
amt of ammn for L.Gs.
lying abt - & 5 men of 48
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105
were found & identified
by their pay books.
The white rag ws up
on / tank within 24
mins o / start.
The Germ. fired a white
flare N o / Rly shortly
after / fight began.
This brought / Germ barrage
down. It began abt 4.30
& lasted till after 6 - on /
dead ground on our side
o / slope (The 4th Aust. 13Bde.
trenches were of course dug
a little on our side. The
German trench ws the summit.)
3 m.gs. were taken.
Our people went out at
once into / Monument
House souveniring. Patrols were
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Diagram - see original document
105
fired on in / wood from
Syria trench - but /
ruins hid men going up
so far as / house.
There were 2 deep
dugouts below / cellars
- the cellars, were still
intact. There ws no telephone
in / cellars but beds &
chairs. It seemed to have
bn used as an office once -
There were two entrances
to it & several rooms
one of wh contained a
piano. The remains of the
paper of / English H.Qs wh
once ws here, were still
in / place.
The whole loss ws 1 k. 2 wd.
At midnight / Germans
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