Charles E.W. Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/54/1 July August 1916 pt7

64
9 
23 Bn. July 28/9 

Orders at 5pm. to Bn
in Bailiff wood to be moving at 8pm.
3 coys to be in
B. Brind [[Shorthand ]]
C. Smith Capt.
D. Kennedy Capt.
& Air support [24 Bn in reserve.]
Abt 9.30-10 followed up 7th Bde
No shelling - Didn't seem as if men
were seen going up. We were shelling
O.G. line w heavy stuff.
Bn had never seen / line
before. We had no marked out
jumping off place - only coordinates on
map.
Moved up old German advanced
line (destroyed) to relief - no loss
to notice - to rt along rly &
jumping off place ws prac. along rly.
Flares were too far off to worry us.
Line had to extend from jumping off
place. They crossed rly line
just on time & had to go
straight on. 12.15.
Hand drawn diagram - see original
[1 min. intense bombt.] As
soon as our fellows got up to go
on into under cover of our bombt.
 

74
9
in at the corner of Brinds Rd &
Bratts Rd.
This party in O.G. 1 was ordered
back & came in alright.
Coy commdrs, m.g. officers, bomb
officers etc went up in morning early
to see / ground; but / platoon commdrs
& NCOs had never seen / ground & know
nothing of it - & arrived there long
after dark.
26^th Cost 2 offrs K. Capt ^T. Hewitt
& Lt. Lindus
& 4 wounded: Lt Paterson
Lt Kennedy
Lt Neason [[shorthand]]
Capt Herbert
& about 300 men.
Hebert & Hewitt were coy commdrs.
went out in 4 waves on 4 coy front
1 platoon of each coy in each wave.
Abt 70 yds - 100 yds between
waves - 4th wave carrying [[shorthand]].
28^th Bn lost 8 offrs k., 3 w., 1 missing.
Glover & one man seem to have found
an opening in / Enemys wire & got thro!
McCrae ws killed - shot as he stepped
over the wire abt 18 in. deep. Others
were tugging at it. Hear it ws / wire
 

75
9
in front of / first trench tt ws 
difficult.
Of the 4th wave only an officer &
a corporal arrived unwounded. The 2nd
first wave found the 1st wave lying
down in front of wire - they thought
they were ^lying down waiting so they lay down
behind them - but they were mostly 
knocked out in reality.
All 4 waves got up to / wire.
practically noone got through it.
The 26th, on the left ought to
have had their right on point 58 - but
got away to the left. The 26th & I believe
the 25th, both hold tt we ought to
have been able to hold the 1st trench
if someone had not passed along /
fatal order to retire. Well there have 
been units gritty eno' to withstand /
order to retire; some o / 25th & 26th
did hold on in spite of it & they
shd all have bn able to.
The O.G. 1 trench was held on
strong points & w listening &
bombing posts out on / German
wire. These Germans were seen 
cutting back thro / trench but it is

 

76
9
doubtful if many others were seen in
O.G.1. The 25 or 26 Bn many some
of them dug in in front of German
wire of O.G.2 - or began to dig there -
but retired.
I think there may have bn a
misunderstanding between Fergusons
26^th & the 23^rd on their left. The two
front waves of the 23rd did come back after
going too far - & I don't think their
left quite reached its objective.
Aug 3
Last night heavy bombt - far longer lasting
than I thought (I thought it ws to be 
8-9 but it went on all night.)
The firing interferred with our digging
parties. Altho' hundreds of men
were sent up to dig I don't think
most of them got past the Chalk Pit
& Foss says nearly 3000 were there.
It is awkward work and & somehow
I don't think there ws ^always anyone there
to put them in place. The show is 
accordgly put off & the 25 Bn has bn
sent up to hold / trenches of the 19th
& dig.  19th has been in 8 or 9
days - no fighting, just holding on.
A nasty big gun on Albert.

77
9
I doubt if the tin discs of the 2nd &
4 Divns (worn on back) are much advantage.
They are all talking of taking them off &
just flashing them when an aeroplane 
appears - wh some in craters did
w success. But otherwise / ide
/ units think they gave them away in /
lights o / flares last Saty night. The
pink patches of 1st Divn were much
better.
One officer of 25^th told me tt /
"morale" of the 7th Bde has declined 
since Saturday. The 26 Bn has lost most
of its officers & n.c.o.s.  I wish they wd put
in the 4th Bde instead.  The 6 Bde wd prefer
this too.
The difficulty will be to stand / shelling
in tt much shafted trench when we get
over / top of / hill.  The Germans
will be able to see this target & to
concentrate on it. The 4 Divn if it
relieves will have (wh it must do
quickly if we are to hold) will 
have a harder job than any in 
holding on unless there is a big move
elsewhere at / same time to distract
/ German arty.

 

78
9
August 4^th. Lieut. de Tessan came
round today, sent on by Birdwood,
to ask me for a sort of general
account of what the Australians
have done.  Took him up to head
of Sausage Gully from wh he cd
get a good idea of Pozieres,
Contalmaison & the O.G. trenches.
We were shelling O.G.  Germans
occasionally dropping 5.9 into
Pozieres.  Our tramway is
already working over the top of
the hill at head of Sausage
Gully - within view o / Germans.
They must have a very slight
or bad observation. We have at
last, a screen along X road
to Contalmaison w. of Casualty Corner.
The attack comes off tonight
early. I can't imagine I am
very anxious about it.  The
2nd Divn will put in its 7th Bde.
Smith, Chaplain of the 25^th, says
the morale of his brigade is
not good.  The 25, 26, & 27 Bns
are to make / attack & the
28 to carry. The 28th, I know,
is a good bn - the best they have.
 

Charlie
(Gunn?)
K. at
Bapaume
79
9
The 25th has a C.O. who strikes me
on first sight, as / worst I have ever
seen - worse than Bolton - Col.
Walker.  How the C'th appoints such
officers I cant understand. The curse
of this Bde is some of its senior
officers. They impress me as stout
second class butchers or publicans, some
of them.  I don't know what type of
man is best - a smart strong university
man I fancy - school masters of a
good type - farmers, stationowners
engineers.  I
There are men in / ranks of
N.C.OS who wd make better Colonels
than a man like Walker. The tall
fellow who stands all night on /
corner of this wood giving coffee to
wd men - a gaunt grim kindly
cleanshaven Australian, w close cropped
black hair & kindly deep lines all over
his long face, wd on first sight do
better.  He has a theory about
shells - & they get quite a few about
/ coffee stall.   He says "The shell tt'll
"hit me will have my name &
"number on it" - to  he's not
going to dodge shells untill tt shell
comes along & he wont dodge tt.
 

80
 ^xi.e. the partition in
ther trench, in Becourt
wood  which we
bivouacked.
Before the 1st attack on / first
night July 22/23, a German in front
o the 9th Bn as they were crawling
out towards Pozieres trench, shouted
'Halt."
Gelly told me ^at 9.12 tt the x 23rd had just
one minute to get into position.
 

81
9
The men the other side of this ^x partition
wh ends our dugout are intelligent
fellows. They don't talk fifth & they
don't swear more than other people.
They discuss anything at all - all
day long - (they are a burial pty
but their duties seem to fall lightly
& I shd say they were having a good
time - occasionally they see a sight
- up where their work is - wh nearly
sickens them of soldiering.  "That shook
me up," sd one / other day to his mates
"I'd sooner face shells for a day than
see another sight like tt."
Aug. 4^th.  At 9.15 pm we opened
3 minutes bombardment with all
field guns & some big guns.
I watched  it from above Gelly's
dug out.
After 3 minutes bombt lengthened.
Before this the Germans had put up
red flares (breaking into stars) from
3 points.  After 13 mins our bombt.
lengthened again. The German flares
ceased except in left hand corner.
They still kept up a fire of flares on this left
edge.
News that 23rd blocked in Commn trench
9.48 2 green flares & an odd one
that means 22nd in.
 

82
9
10.5 went upstairs. White flares
fewer than last Saty but still
going up all along line at intervals.
v. little mg. fire in front - but
a fair amt on extreme right.
10.5. 3 prs of green flares opposite
cemetery - Enemy shelling appears
normal on village & commn trenches.
10.30. Plant was speaking to a Sergt who
states 6th Bde in - wher wire ws cut.
[2 Corps 36 Bde going on w operation in
Ration trench at moment  same time as
we.  Present position in trench
is X3a.4.6. to X2.B.9.4. 
Trench = R33d6½.7-X2d.4.7.]
Report to Lloyd  5 Arty that 7th Bde is
in.
Report from 5. Bde tt they have prisoners.
These prisoners  arrive - 7 of them Gellbray
guarded by abt 25 men w fixed bayonets -
Gelly has bn talking to one fellow - a
rtd X man - who ws in / dugout
when taken
Prisoner states tt m.gs were all
buried. Lots of men k by our arty -
Prisoner was 84 Regt.  Another man sd he
 

83
5 Bde. X5a9.5 to Bapaume Rd at X5a7.9.
& Torr Ave. at point where it crosses
Tram at X5.6½.5.  A "stop" to be constrd. here.
w str. pt. behind it.
Air photos show O.G.2 to be obliterated
from X5 bo.8. to R35c.7.4  Attack
there unnecy, but strong patrols w Lewis
guns to be pushed into craters & craters
later joined.
7 Aust Inf Bde. 1st objve. R35 c 6.o. to R.34d7.7.
                             2nd  "   "    R35 c 8½1½ to R34d6.o.

Windmill to be captured.
(i.e. From Bapaume Rd. two 3rds
of way to Brinds Rd).
O.G.2 as far N as R.35c.7.4
is obliterated - to be occupied by
strong patrols w Lewis guns.
Craters later to be joined & consold.
6 Bde - 1st objve. R34d7.7. to R34a.9.1.
              2nd objve R.34d.6.o to R34b.1.2.
(i.e.. O.G. 1 & 2 to Brinds Rd).
special pty to seize commn
trench between OG & 0G2
along Brinds Rd.  Line from there
along Brinds Rd to be held as a
defensive flank.
84
9
had bn in 5 days & we in second time.
11.5p.m 7th Inf Bde - All objectives obtained.
att digging in - all going well.
11.40. Five big explosions at intervals
on other side of ridge - numbers
of objects thrown up hundred feet -
Looks as if enemy were blowing
up his ammn-.
18^th Bn reports both lines taken &
consolidated.
20 Bn reports both lines taken;  a gt
deal of work necy. to consolidate.
Bomb Fight apparently proceeding
in Torr trench (x(new Switch trench
behind Munster Alley.)
2. Div^l order. To attack  German lines OG1.
OG2. from tramline at X5a.9.5 &
R35 c8½1½ to R34a.9.1 & R34b.1.2.
Left flank R34a.9.1 to  R 33d.8.5
to be held as a defensive flank.
(i.e. from Tramway OG1 & Bapaume Rd OG2
to Brinds Road.
Divn on left to attack in X3a
certain str. pts.
Divn on right to attack Munster
Alley & N of [[Baz. le Petit → (follow on
bottom of p.86)
 

85
This Bde has bn going for the trench
58 for several days - 3 days.
21 Bn. 1st day reported cdnt dig trench bec. of it.
2nd day^23^rd Bn ordered to attack it.  Sd it 
didnt exist
3rd day ordered to dig trench again;
trench cdnt be dug bec. post at
58 held them up.  ordered
4th This wsn't reported but trench
simply not dug.  Finally
avoided by means of compromises.
Gelly has got his bn commdrs out of
practice of excusing work not being done
by saying "shell fire too heavy."  That excuse
is not given now, he says.
But be cannot rely even on his
C.Os to give him a true report bec. he
cant rely on their going to see personally.
For tt reason / old chap is going up
himself into the thick of with his
staff - Plant & Norman - "to get things
pushed along" - as he says.  I might
have known he wasn't safe even as
a Brigadier. His men are in -  job is
done - so now he can be careless of himself
I'm sure tt's what he thinks.
 

86
9
1240. 22nd Bn report tt they have 2 coys. within
front line.  24 have 2 in front line.
22 have 2 in rear line improving
Commn trenches.  The men in frontline
are yelling for consolidating material.
Engrs had not arrived to tunel.  There
ws some shelling of
22 Bn (wh has both objves & is consolidating).
& 2 coys in advanced position 58,
75, 23. This coy had to improve
Commn trenches from there to Enemy's line.
11.40 shelling only desultory; 11.50 message
from front line tt sappers had not
yet arrd, want yelling for consolidating
material
Previous message had just sd
tt Bns were much mixed & x 7 Bde in w them.
News tt Maj. Mackay, 22 Bn, had
bn killed.  (had just got his promotion).
1.10. 15 Prisoners arrive in charge of
7 Bde.  Gelly goes up to talk to them.
__________________________________________________
[Troops of 5 Bde holding tramline trench
X5a1.5. to X4b2.9 to be relieved
on Aug 3 by Bn of 7 A. I. Bde.
Heavy bombt  5 to 6. Normal to
9. pm. 15 mins silence during wh.
(follow on p 88)
[*?2 Div order
from p. 84.*]