Charles E.W. Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/52/1 July 1916 pt4

69   26
rate territorials. Why do they
put second rate terriers in w
our men on a job like this?
They sd our Aust. arty ws not
quite so good - tt it fired on /
61st Div, hit a gas plant &
gassed 70 men - (May or
may not be true - it may come
from the rival artillery).
1^st Army (11^th Corps ws in charge,)
sd tt anyhow, the attack "had
succeeded in its object." That is
not true - it is the opposite.
Tomorow is a more important attack - white told
me tt he was anxious chiefy abt / artillery
3 C.O.s.
more or less - army, 10^th Corps, and Hobbs have to do with
them. 
Between it all, have they a fixed
plan? HC has a begged Reserve army to see that there is
a definite written arrangement tomorrow.
He has also asked Walker to let the 2 Bdes go on &

69 
take not only the 1^st miserable trench but the outskirts of the village
very shortly after / first attack the waves to go on
and lie outside. If they only take the shallow
trench they will come back when they are shelled during / day. But
if they go on into / village it will be very hard for /
German arty to shell them.
Lying out in front of their own trench waiting
for the 2nd phase they ought to escape the German
barrage by getting both lines in front of it at once.
They will be too close to / German for him to
shell them properly.

The staff of 13^th Corps told us several times / other day
& many other British officers have told me - that the
troops are not making many prisoners. "You can tell by the. numbers," they said. "Only about 100 for the day- that's not much." 

69                 
G.H.Q, says:                   28
Enemy is working "feverishly"
on xx line behind 3rd line just
in front of Flers. Heaps of
what appear to be entrenching
tools lying abt.


Another message from Maj. v. Reity C.O. 3rd Bn. 16 Bas/R.
c/. little red notebook   11 July. 1916. 2 pm.
Battalion partly not existent. Could not the
fire o / heavy how. battery, wh for several hours has
systematically and successfully bombarded / dugouts
o / second line not be kept under by our arty?
As regards condition o / 3^rd Bn o /
16 Bav Inf Regt, I regard it as my duty to point
out that / men remaining are severely shaken, so tht
their fighting value is to be rated v. low. The heavy
fire; / the impression made by / wounded &
dead; / diffty of bringing up food & its frequent
absence are / cause
From / front line I have no report
till now.    v. Reity

29.
July 21. Came to 1st Aust D.H.Q.

69                30

July 21

From Albert-Becourt Road near top
of hill before entering wood.
 

[*SIDING
COOMA LINE
N.S.W.*]

31
 

Sketches made on
July 21
Found out afterwards tht our
men were right up against the
tramway where it entered / wood
(we cd see 2 officers there
        

69   32

Salvo of German black shrapnel
between us & control maison

from memory next day)
One of four flame shells
somewhere near German 

look out with long top.
(From memory next day) Two officers whom
we cd see watching / shelling
right up asst to accuracy

33
  

69    34
July 21. At 11. o'c . today I came into
Albert to 1^st Aust. Divn HQrs
The 1^st Divn is always exceptionally
kind to me. Ramsay had asked me
in to their mess two days ago.
They night I ws had a beautiful little
mess in the Rue de Boulan. Everyone The Town Major
sd to them when they went in - that there
were some excellent digs in tt quarter
-plenty of room. They cd have /
whole street & the Chateau. They
were delighted w everything - there
ws the beautiful Chateau; & several
fine mess houses in / street. The
chateau had not one hole in / roof or walls & /
houses had sinks & W.C.S w water
in them - if you pulled / plug they
were flushed! It ws too good to be
true. So they went in. The little

69      35
day I ws there 3 shells had fallen
in the Chateau gdn - & one in / back
wall of chateau / day before. That
evg -I wd have gone into C mess
but it ws late & when I asked
Gen White if it were necessary
to go back at night he sd- not for 24
hrs. So I stayed at Coutay. At 2
in the morning the  gene inhabitants
of mess C. were awaked by several
big shells falling in / street. Mitcham
went up to Ramsay & sd "Look here
Bob, isn't this getting over / odds?"
How abt / Cellar?"  So they went
down into / cellar - next minute
the house ws shaken by a tremendous
crash with a dazzling flare. Bits 
o / garden came thro all / windows
& an unsuspected well ws found to
have been uncovered there in / morning.

19     36
Then there were 3 into the street
& one into / house next door. I
think they were aiming at / rly station.
Anyway, next today D.H.Q.  shifted
to N^o 12 Rue de Pont de Noyelles off the Rue de Doullens
I am writing this in the C mess N^o 12 Rue de Doullens.
The 48th Divn wh ws to have taken some trenches
W. of Pozieres last night had
failed to take them; there ws a
conference in / Chateau when I
arrived. Gen. Owen who had been
in Coufee w Gen White told me tht
there was a mistake in / artillery
plans. Our infantry ws to
advance  & the arty
barrage as arranged wd have
cut into the second line of infantry
arty - So White ws
right to be anxious abt this.

37
I think it was next day we went up farther
to trenches of 2 Bn in front of the Copse. XXXX
(Must have been next day July 22. since
the sketch on p. 46 - made up there during
the slow bombardment - seems to have
been made drawn that day (The date & time July 22.2.10 refer to it).
Lost abt 50 men
in this show, I believe
The bombardment being on the
Cy. trenches they were very
quiet, & you could
watch comfortably. The position
was a sort of advanced post towards
Pozieres trench.
C.E.W.B.
16/7/26
The diary was not
written up as I
was too busy but
there may be something
in my cables for
that day. The men
were writing letters home
- it was a bright hot day,
& they were in good spirits
We found them in shallow red brown earth
trenches (similar to those
in Vol XII, beginning of Battle of Pozieres)
 

69      38
He had evidently sent off Walker Owen
w full instrns to Hobbs.
I went out to / trenches
w M. Maze, a young French artist
on the Reserve Army staff & Casey.
We went thro Becourt wood & up
behind / guns in "Sausage" valley
& through a long commn. trench.
Our tenth Bn ws resting back there
[*Northants.  The 3rd Bde is to try tonight 
1 & 3rd  (1st Div   to bomb up / trenches
3    Bde   Brit.)  wh / Northants failed to 
4 *]                       bomb up - as far as
Munster Alley (wh is German). The
Divn Staff dont think they will
manage it.
Walker sd to me tht the 1st
Aust. Divn wd be knocked out
by this attack tho most people
think they will succeed - the
3^rd & 1^st Bdes first night & the

69     39
2nd Bde second night.
Aeroplanes. 8 Germans: "Do you think we'll win, Sir?"
Guns are banging off all
round - abt 40 or 50 to the
minute, sometimes more all the
time. Some are near - one
or two v. big ones - every 15 mins or so whose great
report makes one jump & one
can hear the report shell climbing
w / swish of a great rocket,
or escaping steam. The Every
now & then waggons or motors
- sometimes one or two waggons galloping
thro'. Then the fut fut of a
despatch riders motor bicycle.
(70 shells tt second fired by us tt minute incl.
one big one) Motor Lorries whizzing
past.
It is a curious sensation sleeping
in a house in a strafed town - rather
an nervous uneasy one. Harry Butten