Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/48/1 - June - July 1916 - Part 1

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066811
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5

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AWM3S Official History, 1974-18 War: Records of CE W Bean, Official Historian. Diaries and Notebooks Hem number: 3DR160614817 Title: Diary, June — July 1916 Covers the attack on La Boiselle and Fricourt Wood and the fighting of early July 1976, includes sketches and tpescript copies of despatches. AWMISS-SDRLCOClASH
33 EAM 55 35 5 22 55 0 33 50 32 3 23 2 333 3227 30. 88 8- 5 2 8 4 205 35 SESE 5 t fol and. 13
465 1I Distant guns to S. on the night of June 29/13 here happened the byjist raed so far undertaken. It was carried out by all the sallations of the 5th Australian Brygade - He 22nd 23rd 120k assauly making tree saries, + the 21st making a covering party Ross Herbertson + I went down after dinner to the Rue marte+ found that Brand (who ws in charge ofraid) had gone on w Gellibrant - just back- & Prant. We followed on, & reacher a crowded dugout in the Boi line - Loyd (52 art Bd) ws. there, & one man from each regt, & little sometimes forf of the m.9S. clowes of treash mortars. It ws very cramnied but we were a very jolly party - old felly very guizzical ofrening; Brand very garnest. They were to have used smake. Wht foll messages came in. 611.45 wend unfavorrable. 11.55. P.B. out 11.55 22Bnarrs. 23 " (antre party) 2 telephope 18.59 guno like an orchestia. 12.13. 24 Bn Extered 12.20 23 Bn out. cease fire 1E.25. Rr Bn J wothing yet from the centre 22ndl. Bn. 12.27½ 23 out. P One persooer just arrived. Dont know who got him 1E6 &x 24th got the first prosoner. 2467.M A Hun prisoner there recopnised that this raid ws very cliverly garric but, te spotsinglish: i Boods clever.
in diversion Cut on 20th June- for another scheme. kept open by Surspael & En.g. at myto Withoud Gas. were cut at 1.266. 9½8 & 1.21.0.2½ Of & 1. 21c. 64 2 & 1. povities 3 Coverny V6 from 2150 on. 0 6 message supports behind centre 12.80 to keep up the fine on Go. be a I bollation 12.40 9 Hit ontheti of the telephone duy out ta put light out. 287. Are you still there? centre out 12. 42. pearcry missage tt the Rndsot a man in. 220 Decided to ceasefire & stand by to open on igs 12.4. 5 ing I. sot in, and found nobody tere. 22nd I F5. O.C. Attack. Capt ARL Wittshire 22 Bn. Platoon - Copt H M Conran?s Rr Raidin Platoon scouts 4F. W. A. Aull 25 Bn 127a. Of S. Coverie 1. A.R. Macneil 21En. Pi 121c H30½ pation Platon I WR Hunter 22 Mn. Centre rany9 so LTRD Fussell 22 Bn. 216 76. 2 W DF. Sale 21 Bor. platoon platon Left raiding 4J. Carvick 24 Bn I Scouts LAJ. Kerr 24 En. coverins F4 H Sandford 21 En.
Parties offrs me 3 of61720 378 Covern 1768m 7k8w 3offs. pit. They found the Borrow) very sticky wire good where but it - but one man He had seen its lying in trench dead - no one seamed some ofhe 3 missing men. Carvick, went out to find them but they had come in another way. ym E hi in that cont cross had to hise in shellhole from tht mg. tho 24th a shell hole. Barisfathe way by oomcone quoledhin Six tried to get into one party Coursis I meessid 3 men. -allbut hese 3 arem. Party went in 25 of 29t one man, K. in their wire just coming out by m.9. on were. 24th Led 5 k Ensurys trunck on 4 in prisoners left they wet opposite men were firing fore paregnt by 6or7 c Three the commn tranck right & Andone on L1 bi righ We everyone pall tem back- 5 had Theywere bi men & the ditct is full of wates & hais minute tis wise. took 1 to get thoo 6 wird know him 14 6 6 1.2p. sot in, killed several, bringing priconers back but 2 End did for a couple on, way home. 24th 3 pisoners teken. 2and left bombig pty. Wize well out but a deep ditch 22 & dugont 22nd. One in ) shewed fight. &. 2 on post Atold galvouised for over head cover. apparently werel to keep of the rain. prisro 24 had to killed: (wt 4 30) 23 had to aut thro. were. There ws Terman I listening post & 23 L3k. sightl ood in trenct 50 4 5am. Leavy Eg firing
French ws broken down past bay Bde reportat dawn. Right & Centre parties met w great opposition. Lef pirty took 5 prisoners, + killed 2 officers & somen. We had 7k r45 all of whom were brought in. 2 The S9th Dun attacke + reached I raigs support trenches our 7t Bds released gas Doyon to pitly country. Jine So. Albert night heavy At Sx continual, - but i intentive The light in the air. Ippear Ames Troops passay allblt go motor car Cath Poor by ass The Consspts. Stof people One thought they were thirkey of theis people p tat 8 Concrite Dugont in wh bette H.Q. was thit twice & filled wdest but not sashed. Rt Party K. 5or7- They saw one man in dugont. our woas: Left U. K.5. – (Onr shot on wire coming back. One mg.K one w. one cut. man (. Hunter 22. Killed 3 himself 10th Coy 231 Ret Hanoverians 15 known t be k. I known pr. (1 water offigeer) The first prisoner Who came in cd take eng, quite well, they sd. His first words were. "Dout Bill me- Im married. The fellow who fot him tapped him on I shoulder & sdt Yours all right, sonny. He as an unter offigier + had been a merchant or commercial travell
15 in England. He pretended he didn't know what regts were on his right & left. The second prisoner ws a kriegs freewilliger; a third as a barber. I ws in the duout whihe Herbertson ws talking to him. He sd they expected we Cod attack on June 29 at 415 am. They expected we iad use gas + had special instructus to be carept. They bonto the attack might be at tieres. (The N.Z. deserter Arme told them - so a taterpursonis taken abt Tuby2 told as - Ht we had w trenches crammed to stakes gun & were going to make a hell of an attack! On gtting back abt 5.20 am at t L a motte we heard to a messenges had bu for us. Wext mone abt g a sygnatler came in w a telepam from Hteetlon Welson: If convenient wdwe come to romentiins tomoriow aimens Friday Fd. Tine So motore down bo Amens. Went ont as afternoon to Albert to see 1 fombardt. Strangale little doing it 6 seemer. Weal out again at night Bolubtgan at abt 4 guns per, second - (dut believe we wwere leter to attack wmonow. b 15t. FaWeked by a know from (Loss. to be dawn y 530. Hada not cup ocopein respaurant. Other voptalken. Mownto will above Aiert. Tusba we readed it the Bombty af5. 30S4d lfethe banging of manpackcases. Sun behand germans-arast volloon just saing chimnies Albert & charch tower standing out. After t h 10 tD. Eaeroplanes how bess of b hoote t n p lat in Fashes onty of our guns Atberst stands up in shads of the ethe. (brinch mosters) Occas flast hea T. M. lib 48 rife fir stokes mortars coming in Isted see Four Dist. feens seem to keep up to wuslss No Ihells but rifte fire. Shostin 732 ces across very distant - inbetween the bagzer su an aeriptine White put cerman shrap or distant roar. our infant
3 Ia R r Mer et The Bomardment. July 1, 1918 12 Destan cleary Bock saloos 3 your inf. on our lef 45 Infarty maniy oow fields D all wPyellow square on back staphel in arr cntial in foat of Turker hiks. Albert mieh dearer. ar steam like a low smme 1 leke beerning off or a bast fire to odd marks & notes & if point seemed to be rocaping abong the ridgs. smkeo Everyting is going well. We have attacked 1 ferws. on a port of 25 miles, ourselves & 1 French. We & f Frunch hise capt. the ferman pont line on to pond, Dr S. of Comn BX NoS. of som Altert. Many prisoners taken, o so far very slight casualties.
(29 dwn near wend of attack [3 Gordon were cought in sqquare in Thiepet. We passed boad af load of wounded in Red X cars - perh 20, thess cass. vy to Cas. Cleari stam rty. There at C.Str seor men of Middlesga tolo me to there much the expened lithe in pely serre & montanbon two most S. ling to 1st Yz thrap. began N plecer. As tey were selling Ad Y. M. go. in gnd Bod ig gave trautle, german were on firestep - not many in 15t line - traches were bremendouily smashed (up. Many losses by m.I one man sd his regt ws nearly wifed out. Col. H. Capt. t. La afternoon & I with Coldstream weat out to Mortancourt again (tho corby) to see some ferman prisoner & to ask some quesstions of any slightly wounded men wecd find. In a compoined at Marlancourt were 140 lying, about 7 wounded men - the has been sent away. We were allowed to takk to I wounded prssoners as they had bn examined. I called up one & asked him if our bowbardeg had be bad. He sdit het many fermans had b k. May It hadlaste 8 days o tm inlense for 1hr. They had had food eno, but noting to drank he sd, for 6 days as I boult made it too sefficitt to get water - Coult of commnn trenchen. He ws in the 2nd time. Their ingo had not been 14 Heavy firms (1.45. Seik &Ne of atbert. 7C whate Es at Dricourt Colonel H. Wilson tells as the situation at 12 30. (from N t0 Solth): He sd. i we nos Serre + Someground or positi to 15 Not Beaumont Hanel but, the a back is now being made. wehold a goodpoit p of rncepval thin 28ou on there 3. Obscure and hapytig tacepva almost rang up to Germ. Our posit Nof Th. second position. In firns still hopd Dvillers we are holding abit of l Boiselle. Contalinaison we yo pround north of Irccoust but if spll remaingerman. But we are in process of getting round Fricourt. protablall we tole about manety. The dreggh have made good progres at Cart & Laviere taking both wood Prip oners-a sood many. Prisoners surrendered N10 fruly on 1 wt allack. We are thro' 13 line Every where exe possibly or theepoal we Sermary io fiis a sei deal. smashed mwghe good. He ws in the gred live was on the firestep when taken.
on his table He had a map fbett on it were three lines - ed. blue & green. The green lives were marked 3.30 + 2.30 & 7.30 (if I remember right. IThey were I lines of the objective. The red & blue lines were considerably short of them. They were the lives which the British had actual reached - Only in the South the red lines ran forther in land tan the green. A Frecourt the position was as follows F We are trying to more in 1direction 01 arrows Charteres saw. 16 At 5.45 Pm. at Beauquesnes Gen. Charteres saw as all. we have done Belwen t Ancre of Somig as much as we intended to do. fiptig is stil proceeding we are they' the ferm. trenches there too but we have not yet takn several strong points in their systim of defences. In no. of prisoners Exceeds Tull reports not yet in $1500 This no will be very bergely added to is still holding out the nearly Ficons Surraunded. We are getting in on either side afanh at Mont auban strong Germ. Fattack ws driven back a 1 positi is v. obscure. Apparintly At Thespoal. S0 our troops went tro thepral 14 9.

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. 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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