Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/50/1 - July 1916 - Part 3

*x Not quite accurate - 
They had been 
with 3rd Australian Divn as 
well as their own  
C.E.W.B.
16.7.26*

63 
23  
this town last night moved
out into 2nd Corps area 
today - abt 8 miles (they were 
very very footsore, some of 
them, after their time in / trenches) 
And the first of the staff of the 
4th Divn moved down here - 
Dickinson of the GSO . 3 - an 
Australian - abt only one 
on their main staff. They are 
not bringing their artillery; 
they will have the arty of the 
Lahore Divn - brand new 
untouched x British regular 
Arty - That ought to make 
a great difference to them. 
July 14 News tt our troops 
last night  at 4 this morning took Bazentin 
& Baz. Wood & Longueval -

[*Armentieres*]

63 
24  
The cavalry then broke 
through & reached the 
Bois de Foureaux  just 
in front of German [[shorthand]] 
line.  

4th Bde Raid 
2/-3/7/16. (Night of 2/3 July.)
11.59 message reached brigade H.Q. : in allright
& now coming out. All lines 
cut trench. after.
Gate closed at 12.10. 
Arty fire stopped at 12.16 .
Enemy m.g. fire on wire 
caused some delay both going 
& returning × RT parties found 
dugouts full of Germans 
who they bombed. 
Enemy wire little cut 
nearly all our casualties while 
in enemy's wire vx

25
All 14th Bn. 
(all Capt ∧ A R Cox's Coy)

63
26   
Ind. after crossing Coursan
wire found - 2 belts. Big 
craters of them but wire
hardly touched.  M.g. on them
in wire
Left ∨ party found neither men
nor guns - dugouts empty, much
artillery damage.
Rt party led by Sergt
Garcia (wd). Bombed 3 to 5
dugouts - one had Elec. light
still burning. Estimated th
25 men k in these. (screams
heard). our wd. had to be
got thro wire wh made slow
work.
Both telephonists w. on 
way out, put out of action.
lt Wanliss ws wd but carried 
on till he collapsed.

63
27
All officers were wd.
(some enemy shrapnel on our
wire)
Absence of loot ws due 
to loss of time in crossing wire.
Returning Y having hands full
w wd.
w. Lt Wanliss, Harvey,
Roderick & 25.
m. Lt Julian - & 9 others.
J. ws dead - carried
part of way back &
then abandoned for a 
w. man.
(All intgce. had to be carried
by runners to Bde H.Q.
our scouts encountered
enemy patrol in Nomansland
when Bombt began it
drove them back into our

63
28
bombt.. Some of these ∧ mens bodies
were seen by some men.
6 dead k. by our bombt
in trenches were seen.
Left p trench did encounter
Germans - after Roderick
ws hit My they bombed
3 dugouts w Germans in 
them - lifted cover of 
dugout & threw bomb in.
Prob. casualties              : rt party 25
                                               left        10                                                
                  Bombt. nomansland    10               
                                      trenches        6
                                                         ______
                                                              51.
Nomansland
6095x
Lt Harvey ws hit while
cutting wire - shouting
"Come on Australia"
Wanliss hung on till gave
signal out - then collapsed.

29
x This sounds rather like the
sort of story which Monash used to 
be fond of telling, but which those who
really knew the front line did not 
credit. It struck me as such & I
have often heard it cited ∧ in th A.I.F.^.as typical
of an 
improbable
battle story. 
C.E.W.B.
1925
(opp, Trench 57)
63  
30
Some of scouts & wd.
x threw themselves on wir
to help rest of pty. cross.
Replica trench very like.
Enemy threw shrap.
on his own wire after 
own bomb^g started.  Party
had to go thro. this.
Loss of officers made no
diffce to Pty, Sergts
taking on.
[[???al]] -uncertain range
of M.T.M.
German raid next night
on same Bn same point - 
2 hrs bomb^g aft 10.30 to 12.30
(seen by patrol in nomansland 
& by flanking Lewis guns

31
abt 50
63
32
who were on look out
for them.  They were shown
up by their own flares.
All 12 reached parapet &
some 5 got in. They were 
bombed on Parapet by all
5 of our men in bay then
entered (Trench 57)
They tried to pull out
Lieut Mackay who ws
buried by fall of earth.
Caught his leg. They
were bombed by our 
men. One man ws sd
to have bn bayoneted (carrrying
revolver). We got 5 rifles
in our trench, 2 on parapet,
& 2 bodies infront of wire
Bloodstained cap on 
parapet etc. Our cas. abt

33
Pte E. Calway
14 Bn.
Sgt Edmonstone
(since died
of amputatn)
63
34  
25 W. in this part.
5 k in working party
away to flank
Sergt in front on patrol
wd saw En. coming - wds dressed by Pte who
stood by him. When saw
En. coming Pte carried
him in through wire to 
barrage to S.Gs. &
then went back to his
patrol who lying out
(under gen. orders) & later
came in our flank.
Sund May 2.  Turks
attacked Quinns (sap)
& counting in mass
abt 30 towards. M.g.

63
35
on Sund night Ap.25
the 15th Bn ws put in  (part
of it) at Steeles & ws digging
support line behind front
line.  They managed to dig
standing up. On Monday
morning they had to advance
thro troops then there &
dig in part of frontline
- those in scrub managed
to do this standing  - w picks
& shovels, all day & completed
trench. There seemed to be
few Ts near ).
Saker was the heart 
and soul o /  line there.
"If ever a man deserved the 
Victoria X, he did" sd Dickinson.
(clearly, of course, it ws near
Whites Gully, not Steeles Point

? Probly[[ meant]]
for Becondel.
63  36
at all that they were digging.)
July 14th. later. I went out to
the battle with Dickinson
G.S.O.3 of 4th Divn. We found I
roads crowded w guns
around Bethincourt^x & Fricourt..
We had to leave the car at 
Bethincourt & walk & cd only
get a little E of Mamets.
Mamet wood - / farther
edge of it - seemed to be
being attcked for we were
pouring artillery fire onto
the farther edge of it & /
Germans were peppering it.
Our Artillery was simply streaming
up the Valley towards
Bazentin on / heels of