Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/214/1 - August - October 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/214/1
Title: Notebook, August - October 1918
Includes references to the 57th, 59th and 60th
Battalions, Flamicourt, Bellicourt, Maj Gen H E
Elliott and the disbandment of units.
AWM38-3DRL606/214/1 

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Original   DIARY No.214.
AWM38   3DRL 606 ITEM 214 [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 

57 Bn. Aug. 8. Col. Denehey.
The Germans certainly
saw us forming up - (saw the tanks
Denehy thinks) & put down a
barrage but which fell, however,
behind the forming up positn -
few casualties.
When 57 Bn moved it
was densely misty - & the
2 plns on / left o / Bn got
across on to / right - otherwise
there ws little xx went wrong.
As they got near to the old
German gun positns / Germans
had 5.9 guns ?hows firing direct over
their sights at them. There was
some fairly hard fighting in the
old German gun positions.
That finished / heavy fighting 
for tt day. After they the 57 Bn took
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up / fight all tt they had
was a pretty heavy barrage
laid down by / German arty -
not direct fire this time - to
pass thro after leaving the
halt line.
Then the Cavalry came up
& formed mass behind
Harbonnieres. The Germans
put up a m.g. fight at
Harbonnieres - The 57 Bn
ws moving in arty formatn
& the cavalry moved thro them.
& got to As / cavalry went
on / guns were still barraging
& some shots caught them
& emptied several saddles.
The Cavalry scooped a fair number
of prisoners in the Harbonnières
valley - & from tt time on /
2 

fighting ahead of the 57 Bn
ws done by / infantry -. cavalry.
Ahead xxx of the 57 Bn
objective was the old ?German
line. The 57 Bn when it
reached its objve did not
stay still. It had bn told
to exploit if possible, so
it went on & got into /
old ?German line.
Aug 9. Next day when / Canadians
at 11 a.m. were to attack & our 1^st Divn
on their left the 1^st Divn
ws many miles in rear
- & so the 57 ws just
about to hop over
when 60 Bn ws ordered
to do so - & had some fairly
tough fighting.
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Peronne.
When 5^th Divn reached /
Somme at / end of August
57 Bn ws to attempt /
Somme Crossing. They & /
engineers did this by building
a causeway, patrolling in
punts & so on. The Germans
let them build - the canal
ws no difficulty - the difficulty
was the 500 to 1000 yds of
marsh. They constructed
a path (? mended an old
German one). But / moment
they tried to push men across
it they were put off with
direct whizzbang fire & m.g. fire.
[Gen. Elliott was leading a party of
/ Bde himself when he fell into /
water - he ws also wd in this
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stage o / fighting].
Eventually 57 Bn ws
put in further north &
relieved 54 Bn in / S.W
o / town & 58 Bn in the E
o / town. They had to try &
get
away
to
Flamicourt,
Diagram - see original document
on the S. side. There ws a
causeway across the moat on
/ S. side & / German allowed
them to get patrols across
it onto / rly; but he wd
not allow them to send a
party - & / moment they
tried to do so they had losses.
(I think it ws in this they lost a
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valuable officer & some men.)
They tried it at Gen Elliotts express
urgent wish - agst / colonels
opinion). They also tried
to get out E of the town
towds / rly cutting.  A
party (?under Capt Mearer ?) got
out there but ws seen by /
Germans who dodged back
thro a tunnel, got onto the
bank o / rly cutting &
fired down at them. Our
party had to scatter & got back
thro in tt way without loss.
The Germans ^ after some
days made up their minds
to retire. As we noticed /
retirement the crossing
ws attempted again from /
E o / town & also at / S.W.
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& ws effected. The movement
of the troops ^ Southwards across the German
front from the E of Peronne
ws effected
Diagram - see original document
under cover
of smoke
shell /
Arty.
using
their
remaining stocks (? remaining
from when ?)
Bellicourt. Sept 29.
The 57 Bn coming up from
near Templeux found a
very heavy bombardment going
on of the point where it was
to form up (/ hillcrest once
looking down from the W. upon
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Bellicourt. The Colonel
accordingly decided to get
over / ridge (inst. of staying
there) as quickly as ever
he could. They found a
trench leading sideways
over / ridge & worked
through that & so down
into the Bellicourt valley.
xxxx The advance ws to 
have been by Coys in arty
formation so
Diagram - see original document
The Colonel took the two right
Coys - & someone else led
the other two & they worked
separately down to /
Hindenburg line. As they got

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