Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/48/1 - June - July 1916 - Part 1
AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/48/1
Title: Diary, June - July 1916
Covers the attack on La Boiselle and Fricourt
Wood and the fighting of early July 1916;
includes sketches and typescript copies of
despatches.
AWM38-3DRL606/48/1
Original
DIARY NO.48.
AWM 38
3DRL 606 ITEM 48 [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 writing 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.
1
48
Distant guns to S.
Hand drawn diagram – see original
On the night of June 29/30
there happened the biggest
raid so far undertaken.
It was carried out by all the
battalions of the 6th Australian
Brigade - the 22nd 23rd & 24th
making three ^assaulting parties, & the
21st making a covering party.
Ross Herbertson & I went down
after dinner to the Rue Marle &
found that Brand (who ws in charge
o / raid) had gone on w Gellibrand - just
back - & Plant. We followed on, &
reached a crowded dugout in the Bois
Grenier line - Lloyd (5th arty Bde) ws
there, & one man from each regt, & little
Clowes o / trench mortars ^ & sometimes Hore of the m.gs. It ws
very crammed - but we were a
very jolly party - old Gelly very
quizzical & funny; Brand very earnest.
6
They were to have used smoke. The follg
messages came in:-
11.45 wind. Unfavourable.
11.55. P.B. out 11.55. 22 Bn arrd.
(centre partys 11.59 23 " "
telephone) 12.00 24 " "
11.59 Guns like an orchestra.
12.13 24 Bn entered
12.20 23 Bn out.
12.25. R & B. Cease fire
P.A.
Nothing yet from the centre
22nd Bn.
12.27½ 23 out. P.C.
One prisoner just arrived. Dont know who got him
Hand drawn diagram – see original
24th got the first prisoner
A Hun prisoner there recognised that this raid ws very
cleverly carried out. He spoke English: "Bloody clever".
[*1916
June 29/July 11*]
2
3
Cut on 20th June -{ in diversion for another scheme.
Kept open by Shrapnel & m.g. at night
Without gas.
Wire cut at { 1.26 b. 9¾ 8¼ &
{1.21.c. 2¾ 0¼ &
{1.21 c. 6¾ 2 & 1.
3 Covering parties from 21st Bn.
6
4
Message
12.35 To keep up the fire on supports behind centre
battalion.
12.40 Hit on the top of the telephone dug out
put light out.
"Are you still there?"
12.42 Centre Out.
Hearsay message tt the 22nd got a man in.
Decided to cease fire & stand by to open? on? mgs
12.45 firing
22nd got in and found nobody there.
__________
O.C. Attack. Capt ARL Wiltshire 22 Bn.
Rt Raiding Platoon Platoon - Capt H M Conran 23Bn.
Scouts Lt. W.A.Cull 23Bn
Covering Pty. Lt. A.R.Macneil 21Bn.
127a. 0¼ 8½
121.c.7¼ 3.0½
Centre raiding platoon - platoon Lt WR Hunter 22Bn.
Lt R.D. Fussell 22Bn
21c7¼.2. Lt F. Sale 21Bn.
Left raiding platoon platoon Lt J. Carwick 24Bn
Scouts Lt AJ. Kerr 24Bn.
Covering pty. Lt H Sandford 21Bn.
5 Parties
3 of 61 & 2 offrs
240 men & 8 offrs. Covering Pty 60 m. 3 offrs
7k & 8wd.
They found the Borrow pit very sticky.
Wire good where hit it - but
He had seen one man lying in
trench dead - no one seemed to know him
3 missing men: Carwick ^ & some others went out to
find them but they had come in another way.
The 24th that cdnt cross had to hide in shell hole from the m.g.
Six tried to get into one shell hole. Bairns fathers wag
? (someone quoted him)
Conron's party missed 3 men- all but all these 3 are in.
Party went in 2s.
One man ^of 25thk. in their wire just
coming out by m.g.
24th had 5 k - 1 on wire.
4 in enemys trench on
left they met opposition.
6 or 7 prisoners
Three men were firing from / parapet by
the common trench and one on right.
We brought everyone k & all
back - 5 had to bring them.
They were big men & the ditch is full of water & his
wire. Took minute to get thro this wire
6
6
1.2½p.m.
22nd got in, killed several, bringing prisoners back but
did for a couple on way home.
24th 3 prisoners taken.
22nd left bombing pty. Wire well cut but a deep ditch
22nd. One in dugout showed fight. K.
2 on post.
A lot of galvanised iron for overhead cover.
apparently merely to keep off
the rain.
24th had 5 killed: (got 4 prisns.)
23 had to cut thro. wire. There ws
a German listening post &
23. had 3 k.
5 slightly wd in trench
3 a.m. heavy firing
7
Trench ws broken down
past bay
Bde report dawn.
Right & Centre parties met w great
opposition. Left party took 5 prisoners, &
killed 2 officers & 80 men. We had 7 k & 15
w. all of whom were brought in.
Same night: The 39th Divn attacked & reached / enemys
support trenches
Our 7th Bde released gas.
June 30. Down to hilly country.
Albert
At night continued, - but not heavy
intensive
The light in the air.
Amiens Troops passing - "Tipperary"
Cathedral all in helmets. "I got a little motor car"
Poor beggars
The Correspts.
xxx of -their people xx One thought they were
thinking of their people
probably
6
8
Concrete Dugout in wh battle
H.Q. was filled hit twice &
filled w dust but not smashed.
Rt Party k. 5 or 7
They saw one man in dugout.
Left party k. 5. - (Our loss: - One shot on wire
coming back. One mg. k one w.
One int. man k.
Hunter
22. killed 3. himself
10th Coy 231 Regt Hanoverians.
15 known to be k.
7 known pn. (1 unter offizier)
The first prisoner who came in
cd talk Eng. quite well, they sd. His
first words were. " Dont kill me -
I'm married." The fellow who got
him tapped him on / shoulder &
sd," You're all right, sonny". He
ws an Unter offizier & had been
a merchant or commercial traveller
9
in England. He pretended he
didn't know what regts were
on his right & left. The second
prisoner ws a kriegs freiwilliger;
a third ws a barber. I ws in the
dugout while Herbertson ws talking
to him. He sd they expected we
wd attack on June 29 at 4.5 am.
They expected we wd use gas & had
given special instructions to be careful.
They thought the attack might be at
Armentieres. [The N.Z. deserter
told them - so a later prisoner taken
abt July 2 told us - tt we had our
trenches crammed w Stokes guns
& were going to make a hell
of an attack!].
On getting back abt 5.20 am
to La Motte we heard tt a ^signal messenger
had bn for us. Next morning abt 9
a signaller came in w a telegram
from Hutton Wilson: If convenient
wd we come to Amentieres Amiens tomorrow
Friday”
Frid. June 30 Motored down to
Amiens. Went out in afternoon to Albert to
6
see / bombardt. Strangely little doing - it
seemed. Went out again at night. Bombt going
at abt 4 guns per second. - Cdn't believe we
were later to attack tomorrow.
July 1st. 5 a.m. Waked by a knock from Ross. To be down
by 5.30. Had a hot cup of coffee in restaurant. Other
correspts all there. Motored to hill above Albert. Just as
we reached it the Bombt (at 6.30) suddenly increased - like the
banging of many packing cases. Sun behind
Germans - our Last balloon just going up.
Albert & church tower & two tall chimnies
standing out. After ¼ hr or relax 10
7.10. 6 aeroplanes up.
Low hiss of big ^howitzers inploding
Flashes only of our guns.
Albert stands up in shade & then
fades out again.
7.15 noticeably hotter. (trench mortars)
Occasional flash heavy crump.
Can feel ground shaking.
Heavy T. M. - Lighter stuff like rifle fire.
7.20 Stokes mortars coming in I shd say.
Mistral Fricourt
3½ mins Heavies to go Heavies
Dist - Guns seem to keep up but
heavies - less
7.32 No shells but rifle fire. Shooting
at aeropl. Very distant - in between the
bigger stuff
White puff round an aeroplane
7.35 m.g.
-----------German shrap.
on our infantry - distant roar of
11
Hand drawn diagram – see original
The Bombardment 7.30 July 1. 1916.
6 12
7.37. Distant --- clearly Bosch salvos
on our inf. on our left
7.45. Infantry moving over fields to N
all w / [symbol] yellow square on back
8. Shrapnel in air. - Continual some
in front of further hills. Albert much clearer.
Horizon steaming like a low simmering
fire.
8.15 like burning off or a bush
fire w odd marks & notes & queries
& points.
Gas ^or smoke seemed to be escaping along the ridge.
“Everything is going well. We have attacked / Germs. on
a front of 25 miles, ourselves & / French. We & / French have
captd. the German front line on tt front, N & S. of / Somme
Albert. Many prisoners taken, & so far very slight
casualties.
13
(29 Divn near N end of attack)
Gordon were caught in square in ?Thiepval.
We passed troop load after load of wounded
in Red X cars - perh 20 of these cars.
going to Cas. Clearing Stn near rty. There at
C.C. Stn sev. men of Middlesex told me tt there
wsnt much; they
suffered little in getting
to 1st trench; shrap. began
as they were getting to
2nd trench. M.gs. in 2nd & 3rd trench gave trouble. Germans
were on firestep - not many in 1st line. Trenches
were tremendously smashed up. Many losses by m.g.
one man sd his regt ws nearly wiped out. Col. k. Capt k.
Serre N. & Montaubon S. two most imp places.
In / afternoon Ross & I with Coldstream
went out to Morlancourt again
(thro Corby) to see some German prisoners,
& to ask some questions of any
slightly wounded men we cd find.
In a compound at Morlancourt were
lying about 7 wounded men - the rest 140
had ^just been sent away. We were allowed to talk
to / wounded prisoners as they had bn examined.
I called up one & asked hnse for im if our bombardment
had bn bad. He sd it had. Many Germans had bn k.
They It had lasted 8 days & then intense for 1 hr.
They had had food eno, but nothing to drink, he
sd, for 6 days as / bombt made it too difficult
to get water - bombt of commn trenches. He ws
in the 2nd line. Their mgs. had not been
smashed & were good. He ws in the 2nd line &
was on the firestep when taken.
6
14
11.45. Heavy firing still to NE of Albert.
White trenches at Fricourt.
Colonel H. Wilson tells us the situation
Fa at 12 30: (from N to South): He sd-
"We hold Serre & some ground or position to / SW
Not Beaumont Hamel but the attack is now being
made. We hold a good positn N of Thiepval.
Thiepval Obscure and heavy fighting going on there
Our positn N of Th. almost runs up to / Germ.
second position. The Germs still hold Ovillers
la Boiselle. We are holding a bit of
Contalmaison. We hold ground north of
Fricourt but F. still remains German.
But we are in process of getting round Fricourt.
We hold about ½ Mametz - probably all.
The French have made good progress at Carlu & Faviere
Wood taking both
Prisoners - a good many. Prisoners surrendered
freely on / 1st attack. We are thro' / 1st line everywhere exc. possibly
Thiepval.
German is firing a good deal.
15
⇢He had a map of the battle on his table -
on it were three lines - red,
blue & green. The green
lines were marked 3.30 &
2.30 & 1.30 (if I remember
right.) They were / lines of
the objective. The red & blue
lines were considerably short
of them. They were the lines
which the British had actually
reached - Only in the South the red
lines ran further inland than
the green. At Fricourt the
position was as follows
Hand drawn diagram – see original
We are trying to move in / direction
o / arrows.
Charteris said -
6 (X)
16
At 5.45pm. at Beauquesnes Gen.
Charteris saw us all.⇢
"Between Ancre & Somme we have done
as much as we intended to do.
N of the Ancre fighting is still proceeding
We are thro' the Germ. trenches there too but we
have not yet taken several strong points in
their system of defences. The no. of prisoners
exceeds 1500 Full reports not yet in
This no will be very largely added to.
Fricourt is still holding out tho nearly
surrounded.
We are getting in on either side.
At Mont Auban the a fairly
strong Germ. c/attack ws driven back
At Thiepval / position is v. obscure. Apparently
our troops went thro' Thiepval
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