Charles E.W. Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/52/1 July 1916 pt3

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Part of Quest:
Subject:
  • Notebook and diaries of CEW Bean
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
RCDIG1066816
Difficulty:
4

Page 1 / 10

16C 16 m 80 Womansland became very wide -5ooyds apt 200 furter up, dnd the R.Leyes crossed it at an augh. 4 The Bcle ws to have crossed his as in this sketsh. But instead, when i go openidon the men the Sugow L0 af Satient tey seem to have sheered to the right. One officer to to me he didnt think they really knew much abt what tey had to do or where the had t go -- but it is hand to say hre far to is tiue. They seem t have got into the river channel & keri a 4 Mr.9. probably opened on them from the Case. 69
17 of salient firing straight up I stream. There were by shell creturs celory (stream & many jobub these. Those who tried to get in to the I.W. aI straam went straight into m. gs. Elliott thinks there were 5 m.gs in to satient firing at them A very few distraught men quite broken up & wild & almost beside themselves came in from this part of Nomansland in 1 monnng after nights shelling & m.g. fire. Only 1800 of the Bde reported in morning, but there may be more. The wounded can be seen cist into shell crater by riow & we are to try & get thm in lonigt As usual S. bs were very short
69 18 & lots of wd, are lef in Romansland, But he tale of missing is getting smaller. It is not quite (disaster whicht first appeared. I shd say we lost someting between 4000 & 5000. Ho Mackay we burg I went round all three Bde H.Go. Poor old Trvey looked quite over done - to eyes like boile gooseten He had been up for two nights had bto his truches today Cquity a fair no. of men were lost in our trenches this morning be ferman selling). The one ting he seemed anxious to assure humed of us to his Bde had be tried as hard & hed done as well as i yu who were at a beles in Talepoti, y sato shell fire in Pallepoli ws childrply to this he told me – & Ive nodoubt it was, anote
69 19 Sth Bde man told ae to a Callipoli Oficer who wa in faction at Lone King tota him to even then they niever hed any shelling like this. And Fevey sd to me simply- 1700 - thats about as heavy as some of the bryades lost at te landing, isnt it?I so itws. Well- from what Iwe heard - the Ea Bde to it dis come back fought as well as nost o Anzae troops ever did of the 14t Bdg Eot Poply rather disgusted me by I boastful way he talken I think he bad bu refresting himself after 1 staain Well -we were only Bdo wh didnt wine "back titl we were toto to, 4 sd w meaning. He ws rakin contemptions abt Elhott The 15th Bde. old chiok ws deed aslep
69 M Cay 20 when I called– but th came in a woke him up. When wthott came out I fell almost as if I were in presence of a man who had just lost his wife. He looked down + a hardly peak - be we clearly terribly depressed & overwrought. MLay was also, I thought, anxious abt an order wh he & Elliott had fiven for 2 cogo Ot58t Bn to support between the 14th Bde & 1 British The Butin M Cay Explaind, reported at gon to they had captured the cap & so Elhot-to his of Salient full approval - sent in Ecoys of 580 to fill in 1 gop - an impt. point ofI gop had existed. The Men went thro long grass and low scrub & were going fiele
21 when mgs pot them & laid most of them out. M Cay explained to me to they had to be put in to to dap as the 61st Din reported to it ws in. As a matter of fact it never lad the Cap oI salient, by wh our peope understoo Allla the part shadeshere If the 615 got anything it got the part shaded in t this drawing. I believe it also got in on] right, where there ws little oppositi crawght Our ne wensover paraplt at 5.45-- before bombt ended - & they has infanty fire on tem atonce They went forward whenI bombt lifter at 6 & the m.co
33 started I wrote a cable calling it an attack & Taying [losses were severe" I took this to Owiens Carriving there at 8.Bm) I believe the Censor passed it. He wdn't have be bombdt described as intense as 4 army objecte to tere never as an intenss bombt. The other prsoe (or reter Russell) had be apts Carvy H.D. So I suppose be got his telepanof before we. H. Wilson got him to ceusor it to see t I did not say anything wh disagreed to Bt Army. They Lay H1 official commanique calls it an important series of trencl raids!- What is the good of deliberate lying like that? The
69 23 Termans know it wos an attack they have numbers of our wouder as prisoners. We have abt 100 anwounded & 30 wd. prisoners (I ws told 250 but I believe this is woong). One feature ws (way our work parties of infanty & Engrs day the Commn treudes. There were A two for the 15thh Bde. They were tohave started at B a partially made + Sep at A Ibet at te last moment the 615t sd they wanted this So the 15th dug at AI. They had 30 casualties in Ilittle working pty on this sap alose. Thy also trut one at B- but as 1 troops did not go across the river this party ws working right out
24 in port in the air. The Jewises delaged Womansland w J.Qshell. The 14th Bdl had one goed sapon eiter flank (I think & te one on the left got thro. It as a realy good deep truch in parts. The Pn Bdl had one & hadveay casualties from m.J. fire (I believe) What is the result of it. What did white say. we wanted (to mn didnt realise it ws only thisrrake some of them didnt, I know) - we wauled to mcke (Germans trink lol were attacking there – So to be wd hold his troops there. As a matter of fact we proved to him (what he woud
written shireton in case this book were stolw - I was Contay. Copst.G. 69 25 know otherwise) to al intended notiiiy serious - he ws in doubt until we attacked; We have now given him could now ohe wanted. informater He with row half the mey who are on thas pout And we have put outof Action a five division contay Heturns to Shereton b 10 pm. Would have fone to Albert but when I asked white to be tomerrge night. It ws to have Id it DS been tonight but we got it put of in onter to heve the wr anguents comppte. At heve tie Breash make a by atfecke ta litte tty a t ening if tis dont The fet army told the correspts th I Anstilis did quite well & haveheldonif the 615 Din had done so . The 61st Diva, they sd, were rather serond

16 l.
 

69   16m
32
Nomansland became very
wide - 500yds apt 200
further up. And the R. Leyes
crossed it at an angle.

The Bde ws to
have crossed this
as in this sketch.
But instead, when m.gs opened on
the men from the Sugar Loaf Salient
they seem to have sheered to the
right. One officer told me he didn't
think they really knew much abt
what they had to do or where they
had to go - but it is hard to
say how far it is true. They seem to
have got into the river
channel x there a
m.g. probably opened
on them from the base.

 

69   17
o / salient firing straight up
/ stream. There were big shell craters
along / stream & many got into
these. Those who tried to get
[*?*] in to the S.W. o / stream went
straight into m.gs. Elliott
thinks there were 5 m.gs
in tt salient firing at them.
A very few distraught men -
quite broken up & wild &
almost beside themselves,
came in from this part of
Nomansland in / morning after
/ nights shelling & m.g. fire:
Only 1800 of the Bde reported in /
morning, but there may be more.
The wounded can be seen crawling
into shell craters by / river &
we are to try & get them in tonight.
As usual s. bs were very short,

 

69   18
& lots of wd. are left in Nomansland,
But the tale of missing is getting
smaller. It is not quite / disaster
which at first appeared. I shd say we
lost something between 4000 & 5000.
As Mackay ws busy I
went round all three Bde H.Qs.
Poor old Tivey looked quite over
done - w eyes like boiled gooseberries.
He had been up for two nights &
had bn thro his trenches today (quite
a fair no. of men were lost in
our trenches this morning by
German shelling). The one thing
he seemed anxious to assure himself
of ws tt his Bde had bn tried so
hard & had done as well as /
bdes in Gallipoli. "They Men who were at Anzac sd tt /
shell fire in Gallipoli ws childsplay
to this," he told me – & I've
no doubt it was. Another

 

69   19
8th Bde man told me tt a Gallipoli
Officer who ws in / action at Lone Pine
told him tt even then they never had
any shelling like this. And Tivey sd
to me simply - "1700 - thats about
"as heavy as some of the brigades
"lost at the Landing, isnt it?" & so it ws.
Well- from what I've heard - the
8th Bde tho' it did come back right
fought as well as most o / Anzac
troops ever did.
Elliott Pope of the 14th Bde rather disgusted
me by / boastful way he talked
- I think he had bn refreshing
himself after / strain. "Well - we
were / only Bde wh didnt come
"back till we were told to," he
sd w meaning. He ws rather
contemptuous abt Elliott & the
15th Bde.
Old Elliott ws dead asleep

 

69   
20
when I called– but McClay McCay came
in a woke him up. When Elliott came
out I felt almost as if I were in /
presence of a man who had just
lost his wife. He looked down &
cd hardly speak - he ws clearly
terribly depressed & overwrought.
McCay was also, I thought;
anxious abt an order wh he
& Elliott had given for xx 2 coys
o the 58th Bn to support between
the 14th Bde & / British. The British
McCay explained, reported at 9pm
tt they had captured the cap
o / Salient - & so Elliot - w his
full approval - sent in 2 coys of
58th to fill in / gap - an impt.
point if / gap had existed. The
men went thro / long grass and
low scrub & were going finely

 

69    21
when m.gs got them & laid
most of them out. McCay explained
to me tt they had to be put in to tt
gap as the 61st Divn reported
tt it ws in. As a matter of
fact it never had the cap o / salient,
- by wh our people understood
the part shaded here.

If the 61st got anything it
got the part shaded in
this drawing. I believe
it also got in on /
right, where there ws little
opposition.
Our men went crawled over /
parapet at 5.45 - before /
bombt ended - & they had
infantry fire on them at once.
They went forward when /
bombt lifted at 6 & the m.gs

 

69  22
started.
I wrote a cable calling it
an "attack" & saying / losses were
"severe". I took this to Amiens
(arriving there at 8.15 pm-) & I believe
the Censor passed it. He wdn't
have the bombdt described as
"heavy" "intense" as 4th 1st Army
objected tt there never ws an
intense bombt. The other pressmen
(or rather Russell) had bn up to
1st Army H.Q. so I suppose he
got his telegram off before me.
H. Wilson got him to censor it to
see tt I did not say anything wh
disagreed w 1st Army. They say
tt / official communique calls
it an "important series of trench
raids" - What is the good of
deliberate lying like that? The

 

69   23
Germans know it ws an attack
- they have numbers of our wounded
as prisoners. We have abt 100 unwounded
& 30 wd. prisoners. (I ws told 250
but I believe this is wrong).
One feature ws / way our working
parties of Infantry & Engrs dug
the Commn trenches. There were
two for the 15th Bde. They were

 to have started at
a partially made
Sap at A but
at the last moment the
61st sd they wanted this,
so the 15th dug at A1. They had
30 casualties in / little working
pty on this sap alone. They also
built dug one at B - but as /
troops did not go across the river
this party ws working right out

 

69   24
in front "in the air." The
Germans deluged nomansland
w 5.9 shell.
The 14th Bde had one good
sap on either flank (I think -
& the one on the left got thro.
It ws a really good deep trench
in parts. The 8th Bde had
one & had many casualties from
m.g. fire (I believe).
What is the result of it -
What did White say?
We wanted (tho / men didnt
realise it ws only this - or not rather
some of them didnt, I know) - we
wanted to make / Germans think
we were attacking there – so tt he
wd hold his troops there;
As a matter of fact we
proved to him (what he wdnt

 

X written Shireton in case this
book were stolen - It was Contay.
Corps H.Q.
 

69   25
know otherwise) tt we xxx
intended nothing serious - he
ws in doubt until we attacked;
We have now given him /
information. He could now if he wanted
withdraw half the men who are on that front
And we have put out of
action a fine division.
Returned to Shireton Contay by
10 p.m. Would have gone to
Albert but when I asked White
he sd it ws to be tomorrow night. It ws to have
been tonight but we got it put off in order to have the
arrangements complete. At / same time / French make a big attack, (a
little later in the evening) further South
The 1st army told the correspts
tt / Australians did quite well &
wd have held on if the 61st
Divn had done so - The 61st
Divn, they sd, were rather second

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