Charles E.W. Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/55/1 August 1916 pt10

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Part of Quest:
Charles E W Bean Diaries
Subject:
  • Notebook and diaries of CEW Bean
Status:
Finalised
Accession number:
RCDIG1066819
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

144 I stain had be during night But I know what Cilleban a little Howell. Price ad have done go along & seen for themselves & if necessary, sent a patrol out in port I teir trenche fee what t was happening inport. R. may have be upal &previous days night &been atterly wor out Personall think a devoted office wt have fore to spot. must And tel have devoted CO. Casey got a paide I Bn to take as on to from the the Co. Command as an front line. The said ws not. alwa certain of the way was more careful of he and
5 shells &Supers than tese meaasually Por are. chap he had a staied, almost t hanted, took. He had probablye been dodging shells & bullets for days. He came up like a shot & took upout. We way led back abong O.G.1. over those your dead whom we had seen before; tther to the left. & then suddenb at a meeting ofspc several let to the again. litle truck A can out here into a diat man with it at The faide Lentiter corner ad been here Ive oub hyht
Its here 16 be before Pd & thigs tooked different 6 day. we took the 1let 409.2 be thoI diot realin it at the time. led as presnt This it her of steep a o toe 151Bn (ot had bn tep in aa a farrison of this flank of attat the rest of 15t Bde had fove out for good) Presently guide toked ove his Hhoulder. have to look out he Gan they saw look right into a this dip? They smipt us you with a whizzbang here even its only one man. bove a litle right The trench turned straight down a moderate fairt It was stope
brokin you had to i herry over it very fast. fferan cllows us to kep you could in the Shoulders of two riggs opposite clearly stand in oot of wist as for there are germa I have put there crosses. (White had this part tattered in I night when he Deard attack ws held up ou right on present We came tow HC. in a dugont. e Sh dy fer didn't well very Jno
118 happing in hs what pont I suppose 1 little officer leave his part. didnt careto live [(wh loked dowp 8 walle towards Cam Hety X te went up hith ot about here wa Ht be saw th procession a from oateide sloely on coming Y. There were five men the aperec & walkin Stande at a snails pace, like a funeral upto the paropit of the carried a The one an poud on a short white handerchief behind carried Te two stick stretchers To The wer tdunde our 5.65. brayn a of the fifht.
9 hurree wa th were We the but I ad have what a to stop a second have twd phobgaph histor were for our we walking hurried turn in reached a quictl in where one of our o trench a, crouched was suppi p tumbers of some past the loes dug out Pold artille These were Beach the 3rd Bn dugo to keep the other failed &then dy atrenct has be night night then them in i
Bu the co 1HC.5 where were 124 were now on our times. ws a cmper they sd there on them it we best Shooten Keep (ow to We duckedou I hole in portof into entrance hd into ong wt below, the o cammander Coy we a bary a ver till waitd dick e Come then out down below. were fitten table t At tokn of the Captain another. 5 They Bi so the a little out way diging from the 7 notquitap 6 nearest goad. They had had vern Coses heave beforte to attack in the half hour
IE1 the men sel. they 120 men They shaken by i bad were rea for attack their had had hours men were all in the had gone tike place1 everyth Ake a propame Clockwort &ten, suddent then said there bombard e 6 down this onth The 4 waves had 8 be into Cha She en 34 went out. as hld up be right an m. 9 unplaced The 6p 3of in across Butt X ben no had ed 4 them 65 clear the Sit men were dribble an back 2 the 35 sol While there Habh were we
2 122 As we here sat we ol hearour 28 berrage shells ey fairl Quick succession whizzey of us over lf We & bursten just beautifully Onbar Nomousand $50,00,150 yds WE eact as ordered. A Seran shell would gross them an Exactly (opposite derich every minute or so & burst a sad way ensode our hi we wet A Gentleman later 123 came in who 11Bm of the had been down in Recourt wood. He as Saperntenden the depin of h 11th Bu He sd the1 had staek a handly seck up. had stick the 12 a pout pickhand le t6 Cn had eached tan arer acros Sappiing from one across Banken Othe oad He t It food hear to t 12 the were an their Capturn stil C Halahan sd he ad take alor as show us where this fax was. we started after £ ator the frontline from wh abeack sarts. The betive line at als led
124 tenet hilltog Coldae 4a over it (whole but way it we not bad That sa abs outside allowed usto 60 or 70 yards faig Cleart & I don't know how a dimly surface we ver The tevel. About 40 yar de outed. ts was a live ten Lein to we wenton we ew the Sliging Stendin right a Copen foll height out of the truch thereA Stretcher some Bart con men The Excuse in our were trench such as there moner. when they kept low ah struct me as shrange & but thee had been occasion they sd we afterwards form sinping

7
114
/ strain had bn during /
night. But I know what
Gellibrand or little Howell
Price wd have done - gone
along & seen for themselves;
&, if necessary, sent a
patrol out in front of
their trenches to see what
was happening in front. R.
may have bn up all /
night & previous days & been utterly worn out.
Personally I think a devoted
officer wd have gone to / spot.
And we must have devoted C.O.s
Casey & I got a guide
from / Bn to take us on to
the Coy. Commanders in the
front line.  The guide was not
always certain of the way;
and he was more careful of

 

7
115
shells & snipers than these
men usually are. Poor
chap - he had a strained,
almost hut hunted, look. He
had probably been dodging shells
& bullets for days. He came up
like a shot & took us out.
The way led back along
O.G.1 ; over those of our
dead whom we had seen
before; & then to the left;
& then suddenly, at a
meeting of sharp corners
several [[trenches]], to the left
again. A little trench
ran out here into [[symbol]]
with a dead man in
it. The guide hesitated at
/ corner - "oussrdd
"I've only been here by night

 

7
116
before", he sd - & things
looked different by day.
We took the left [[trench]] - O.G.2
We passed tho' I didn't
realise it at the time.
This [[trench]] led us presently
past a number of sleeping
men of the 1st Bn
(wh had bn left in as a
garrison of this flank o / attack)
-the rest of 1st Bde had gone
out for good). Presently /
guide looked over his shoulder.
"It's here you have to look out", he
said; "they look right into
us at this dip." "They snipe
you with a whizzbang here
- even if its only one man".
The trench bore a little right
& turned straight down a
moderate slope. It was fairly

 

7
117
broken in & you had to
hurry over it very fast. How
the German allows us to keep
a bit  xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You could see the
shoulders of two ridges
opposite clearly standing
out o / mist & as
 
far as I know there are
Germans where I have put
/ crosses - (White had this part
battered in / night when he 
heard / attack was held up
on / right.)
We came presently on
a company H.Q. in a
German deep dugout. They
didn't know very well

 

7
118
what was happening in
front (I suppose / little officer
didn't care to leave his part
o / line (wh looked down /
valley towards Courcelette)).
We went uphill & came
to where
It was about here
tt we saw a procession
coming slowly in from outside
the [[trench]]. There were five men
standing up erect & walking
at a snails pace, like a funeral,
up to the parapet o the [[trench]]
The one in front carried a
white handkerchief on a short
stick. The two behind carried
stretchers. They were some of
our S.Gs. bringing in / wounded
of the fight.

 

7
119
We were walking hurriedly
- but I cd have got them
to stop a second; & what a
photograph tt wd have made
for our history! - we were
walking hurriedly & very
quickly reached a turn in
/ trench where one of our men
was slipping in, crouched up,
past the low timbers of some
dugout.
 
These were / old artillery
dugouts wh the 3rd Bn reached
& then failed to keep the other
night. We had dug a trench
round them in / night & they

 

7
120
were now in our lines.
They sd there ws a sniper
shooting on them - it ws best
to keep low - (symbol) xxxxx
[*But that is where
the Coy.HQ.S were. *]→
We ducked down
into / hole in front of
entrance. & then down into
/ dugout someone ws below,
busy w / Coy Commander;  we
waited till a messenger
came out & then ducked
down below.
At a table were sitting
a Captain of the 10Bn &
another.
They sd the Bn ws
digging a little way out
from the [[trench]], not quite up
to / nearest road. They
had had very heavy losses
in the half hour before the attack

 

7
121
 -120 men, they sd, "The men
were badly shaken by it." They
had had their attack ready for
hours - the men were all in
place, everything had gone like
clockwork - like a programe,
they said; & then, suddenly,
there came down this bombardment
on them. The 4 waves had to be
changed into 2.
The men went out. The
right ws held up by an
unplaced m.g. The left 
got in - across 3 [[trenches]], they sd;
But they had been dril  What
had happened then ws not
clear.  The men were still
dribbling back in 2's & 3's, they
sd.
While we were there Halahan

 

7
122
As we sat here we cd hear our
barrage 1, 2, or xx ∧3 shells in
fairly quick succession,
whizzing low over / top of us
& bursting just beautifully
out in Nomansland 50, 100, 150
yds NE - exactly as ordered.
A German shell would cross
them in exactly / opposite direction
every minute or so & burst
a good way inside our lines.
We met tt gentleman later.
 

7
123
of the 11 Bn came in - who
had been about down in Becourt
Wood. He ws superintending
the digging of the 11th Bn.
He sd the 11th had stuck a
pick handle up, & the 12 had stuck a
pickhandle in / point they
had reached to, & they were
sapping across from one to /
other - across / sunken road.
He tol
It was good to hear tt
the 12th were in their captured
[[trench]] still; & we got Halahan
sd he wd take us along &
show us where this digg gap
was. We started after him
along the front line from wh, I
believe, / attack started. The
line led along an almost

 

7
124
level hilltop. You cd see
over it / whole way, but
it was not bad.  In The mist
outside allowed us to see abt
60 or 70 yards fairly clearly
& I don't know how far
dimly. The surface ws very
level. About 40 yards outside
us was a line of men digging.
As we went on we saw them 
digging standing right in / open,
out of the trench, full height
some of them. A stretcher
party ws coming in.
Decea  The men in our 
trench, such as there were,
kept low when they moved,
wh struck me as strange - but
they sd there had been occasional
sniping & we afterwards found 

Last edited by:
Jacqueline KennedyJacqueline Kennedy
Last edited on:

Last updated: