Charles E.W. Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/54/1 July August 1916 pt14

167
AUG 8/9 1916

9
makes them more talkative. They
all tell me tt it is an absolute
fiction tt German machine gunners
are chained to their guns. But I
think I understood, them to say
tt the Infantry man is allowed
to retire sometimes;  while the
machine gunner must not retire.
It takes 5 men to carry one of
their heavy m. gs.
We got one of their m.gs.
But I think it had to be ∧was dropped
by the man on the way back.
The result is th at the time when
I left we had our first objective
on the right
Germans here

m.g.here

74
old line on
Courcelette Rd.
78
a party had bombed up O.G.2; &
we were digging in back to our
front live on / left behind the
trench we had left (---- digging); & Gen.
Brand had just ordered cannon to
see if he cdnt dig out tothe trench
we had left (digging........) So far I
dont know / result. The Germans told

168
AUG8/9 1916

9
tt this trench was now empty
Moore sd the same.

*Aug 9/10*

The 16th Bn. (of whom A Coy.
ws in somewhere last night) is to
make good this line at midnight
tonight.
[I hear from Hutton Wilson
th he is at last letting my stuff
go thro' to London again].
So ends another expensive
petty operation. It has cost a
fair part of a good Bn (15th
Queensland & Tasmania); &
it has accomplished abt ½ what
was hoped for. When will they
give us some operation in wh
the whole line plays its part or
on a big front?
One takes these things 
on trust? But I cannot could not help
wondering being very bitterly
depressed as I came back
this morning. With all the will in
the world one cannot see a
spark of the genius or imagination
wh one wd like to see in /
British plans. Have they a
plan? At present it looks as 

 169

AUG 8/9 1916

9

leave each division to think out
its petty "stunt" & its act
on its own when it likes.

This business last night ws
even worse, thought out than usual.
Our whole success depended on
/ success of the Suffolks on our
left in getting the German
machine gun positn  at Point 78.
Someone, whoe ws there before the
Suffolks went over (I think it was
Moore himself) told us th they
were simply shivering at /
prospect - quite / wrong men
to do it (a company of our own
*9/10 Aug* 16th is to go for it tonight).

*8/9 Aug* Communications from the
Suffolks had to go back thro their
bde, to 4th Divn,  to our 4th
bde, to our 15th Bn & so to our
line. When they wanted to tell as
th they were
* 78     15th Bn*  attacking agn.

*Suffolks*   at 5 am.The

*15 Bn H.Q*. message wd
*Bn H.Q.*   take probly
*4 Aust*  2 or 2½ hrs  

*Bde HQ*  to reach Col.                    
*35 Bde H.Q.*  Cannan - for                 

*4 Aust*

*Div* there ws a terribly

*HQ* 

 170
AUG 8/9 1916

9
heavy barrage - esp. between
Cannan & his fighting line. There
Moore & his 25 men left the
trench (wh they had taken) at abt
4.45 - without the faintest
idea th cost the British were
attacking at 5 am. Indeed
Cannan seems to have regarded
an attacd at about 3 am. as
final. I have little doubt he
was wrong in withdrawing his
men from a positn won - it is
a step only to be taken w / greatest 
reluctance. He says he had no
troops to support them with but
Brand had specially given him
part of 16Bn; so I dont
understand this at all. They
His men successfully bombed up
O.G.1 & I fancy th from O.G.1
w / trench empty as it was,
they might have supported Moore
without being exposed to the m.gs
in Point 78.
There may be some explanation
Our men now th they see
/ German face to face, are not badly
disposed to him on / whole. "These
seemed quite decent fellows", some

 *The other side of our
partition of boxes are
sleeping some of the 13th Bn
in a similar, rougher, shelter.
Outside - up above in / wood is
our fire, & / mess shelter etc.*

172
of them have told me. "I dont think
they're a bad crew opposite us."
It is the tenets of the German
military caste wh we cannot
stand - not the Geman himself.
AUG 9 - 1916
As I write it is night
 - some distant guns are very
busy - possibly a c. attack on
our people; an aeroplane is
humming overhead for / second.
time in / dark. I don't know
if it is ours or German. A
single German gun is firing
over our heads into a valley
perhaps 1/3 mile away - &
one wonders if / 'plane is
directing it. I think / plane
is probably ours.

We are in an old
British trench in Becourt wood.
wh crosses under the road.
Sausage          

Valley

Chateau

Wood

Boxes piled

in pigeion holes
Tramway

Tin roof on logs

(here)  A  B

(Day light)

Table made of box wood

D  E  C

The wall A is covered w

grey blanket; the wall

B is brown earth with lumps of

chalk in it. The floor C 

used to be chalk & dirt - but is now a platform of wood.

D my bed (stretchers on boxes)

E Padre Disters "       "         "    

AUG 9 - 1916  173

9
one of / minor worries of this existence
is the fleas. For two days I have been
bitten all over. Most o / men suffer
from lice;
"I kept 'em down until I slept
next to him," I heard a man next door
say,  "but I cant stand a bloke thats too
lazy to louse himself." I gives you a
new standard of cleanliness. The decent
fellow at least goes thro his shirt sufficiently
to keep even with the louse .lice.
I have bn extaordinarily lucky here
in only being troubled w them once, &,
as far as I know, getting rid of them in
one day. I manage to get into pyjamas at night. There is plenty of water in our 

actual camp, & I get enough for a 
fair bath (i.e. abt a hand basin half full). The 

water is laid on up the valley in pipes -

I dont know how far these go now. The

Germans had them in Pozieres &

one of the dugouts there is leaking

& dripping thro a break in / German

pipe above it. I believe / wells in

Pozieres are quite plentiful. The 

German telephone system there, tho'

splendid, is too broken by shellfire

for us to use it, I am told.

When I told a German officer /

other day th we knew their system of

174
* AUG 9  - 1916
artillery went up to near
Pozieres this day
(mostly  Lahore Divn
with 4 Aust Div on their

Limbers)* 

175

9
observation ws good he opened his
eyes & was so astonished tt I cd see he
ws searching for a remark- it is clear
th they think th down here in this battle
their observation is rotten bad. (I
meant at Armentieres).] Their
planes fly very very high.
At / same time one of their draughtsmen
who has bn drawing maps for them
from aeroplane photos says th tho
their- photos are on a smaller scale than
ours they are clearer - They must
be, or they wd have to come lower.
Their lenses are probly far better than
anything we possess.
AUG 10 1916
Aug 10. Last night the 16th Bn
was completely successful.
Brand went up during the day
& sat down with Cannan 200
yds from font line & there they
thrashed / whole thing out.
Brockman & Brockman's Coy  [[coudve]]
& a Suffolk officer - They arranged
to go for the objective sideways,
not straight; wh Brand says
makes a gt. diference.
The 15 Bn had been shelled
by our own arty out of

AUG 9/10 1916      176

9
trench wh they occupied on right.
They crept back towards our line
& Germans trickled across into
our line - but very few. And
these were taken down easily
shoved out when we crept back
at dark.

Our scouts went out first to
reoccupy this trench 43-53-74-95
in R34. They reported th enemyy had
3 strong patrols out & had tench
fully manned & possibly m.g.
Cannan asked for arty to
shoot at this for 5 mins before
2nd stage (asked at 11.30 p.m. by Cannan)
Brockman at 9.15 reported
th his Bn had arrived at Pozieres
& he ws getting them into Position.
Trench mortars had arranged to
shell circular trench (86-96) for
5 mins before Zero time - lifting

w artillery.

*AUG 8/9 1916*
Message fom Anzac (11.45 pm.)
Prisoner captd by 4 [[?]] Bde belonged
to 1stBn 69 Regt - new on
this front. They retained 9th Jacque
after our attack. 3rd Coy lost
50 from arty during relief &
Since (sd to be) reduced to 1 offi. 10 men.

177
*Barber is out of Engrs.
They want give him a
Job an Engrs Training Depot
in Sydney . He had bn to
Director of Engrs. in Sydney
(where they have men who
cd come away) although
wd not give him a job.
So he has to go into
civil life.
AUG 10 8/9 1916   178

9 4th Coy had 30 casualties. 3rd Coy
had bn reinfd & had 6 m.gs 2 in trench
& 2 in one sap & 2 in another sap.
AUG 10 1916
At 2.50 am. O.S. 16 Bn (Brockman)
reported th: "Circular trench captured.
Strong Pt 78 captd; enemy line
R.33 D 85 - 77 captd; Line from
R34A42 to R34A 1.1 also captd;
gather from indefinite report line
from R 33D 78 to 33D 89 also taken.
No report yet al the balance of objective.
22 prisoners now at Bn H.Q additl
prisoners reported taken. Approximate
numbers 50. Official reports state
/ m.g. captd; unconfirmed report
states 2 additional m.gs captd.
All wires broken. Shelling not heavy.
Circular trench is presumably R33D78
 - 89-99.-
(Captd at 2 am.)
O.C. 16 Bn reports at 2.50 th he
is everywhere successful. Joined
up w 15 Bn & rt & Suffolks on left.
Consolidating. Has also occupied
advanced position w small
party & Lewis gun in addition to
objective. Ask arty not to shell
tench R34 a. 13 to 12 or between point 

AUG 10/1916
179

9. R34 a 1.3 and 33P7.2 wh is apprxim 
 -ate whereabout of point mentioned.
Pioneers Repat: Line swung round  R 34 B 60
abt 4 am.
to R 34 B 24
Heavy shelling on right of line
& along commun trench. Enemy
using minenwerfer in right
(? from trench reported late yesty)
O.C.16 Bn.  2.50am (Recd 4.55am)
wants 10,000 sandbags. 500. tins
water.
4.54 am (Recd 4.57am From O.C. 15 Bn) O.C. 16 Bn
reports line 43 - 53 - 74 - 24 being
well dug in. Everything satisfactory
w 2 commun trenches.

Barrage at 12pm..
5 mins 78 - 99 - 13 - 34 -
65 -
diff to  28.... 61....13...34
and rest same as 1st