Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/63/1 - October - November 1916 - Part 3

68 FEBRUARY, 1917 19


15 THURSDAY [46-319]
1915.  S.S. Dulwich "blown up" in the Channel
(Last Quarter, 1.53 a.m.
Men were not even
taught the first
principles of business

16 FRIDAY [47-318]
1915. British air raid over Ostend and Zeebrugge
& credit. It ws
just ^ all adding up of
endless figures - His
life in those

17 SATURDAY [48-317.]
1915. Moliere, French dramatist, died
S. R. 7.14, S. S. 5.16
days was to be a

barrister - I expected his
father had implanted that.

The Kiwi.

Diagram-see original
New Zealand has a wonderful bird
in the Kiwi. It has no tail, and,
to all appearances, no wings. The
hen birds are larger than the cocks,
and for the size of the birds the
eggs are extraordinarily large. The
plumage is more like a covering of
hair than of feathers, and the beaks
of the birds are long and slender.
They are of nocturnal habits, and very swift and strong on foot
 

20 FEBRUARY, 1917 68

18 Sunday [140-316]
Quinquagesima
Matins.—Genesis o9to 20. Matthew 26, 57
Evensong.—Genesis 12, or 13. Romans 2, 17
1915. German  "blockade" begun
in him.

Now old Legge

who is an L.L.B & 

19 MONDAY [50-315]
1915. Bombardment of Dardanelles begun
M.A. & a highly
educated man & has
not even the beginnings
of learning - He is

20 TUESDAY [5I-314]
Shrove Tuesday
1855. Joseph Hume died
not an erudite man
nor one to strikes you
as even highly educated
-though he is bright

2I WEDNESDAY [52-313]
Ash Wednesday
Matins.—Isaiah 58, to 13. Mark 2, 13 to 23
Evensong.—Jonah 3, Hebrews 12, 3 to 18
1915. German air raid over Essex
- New Moon, 6.9 p.m.
& intelligent & full

of ideas.
 

21

40^th Dn going out

1st Res . N. 

23 Res. Dn.

 

68  22

 

Oct. 29th Sunday ^ still at Villers Bocage. This day the

long expected care arrived. I went
with Herbertson to the two Divns
wh are in or near the line. The
First were in Bellevue Farm, near
Albert. they are taking over from the
29^th Divn tonight. On their left xxxxxxx
be on  the 5^th Divn which has bn
in the line since Saturday October 21^st.
The 1^st Divn have their right near
Guendecourt & are in front of Flers;
the 5^th Divn has its left near Eaucourt
L' Abbage.
This is the first time tt the 29^th
Divn * the 1st Australian Divn have
ever met as complete units - though
our 2nd Bde was near the 29^th
at Helles. There is no force in / world
our people have quite / same feeling
for as for the 29^th Divn.
the 1st Anzac Corps has bn
brought down here, as far I can
judge, to take the Bapaume Ridge, if
possible;  &  anyway, to dig in for
the winter - unless, that is to say,
we had such heavy casualties tt

 

68  23

it became impossible. It looks
as though conscription wd not go
through; & if it doesn't I dont
know tt we shall be able to keep
the divisions up to strength.
If the Corps stays here for /
winter I expect the 3rd Divn.  will
be brought over. t   making the Corps
up to 5 Divisions. The 5 Australian
Divns wd then all be under Birdwood
& the N.Z. Dvn. under Godley. It
wd be a trifle stiff for the 3rd Divn
to to straight into this str afterv area
where shelling i continual & the
tension is always heavy. But
they have been very well trained
by Jackson; I believe the King,
when he inspected them, could
speak of nothing else for a day or
two.
The trenches opposite our men
now are called mainly by the fields
though wh they are dug, apparently
We are on a down stope - on
the fingers of the Pozieres - Ginchy
ridge, reaching down to
 

68  24

 

Diagram-see original
valley of a tributary of the Aucren
something in this
style. On the left
our trenches have
to cross the valley
& I expect those
are frightfully wet
trenches. Opposite us is a pair
of isolated little undulations
like a minor wave with two
crests, one just behind this crest minor
wave is Bapaume; & then another
valley with an altogether different
system of heights beyond.
Diagram-see original

 

68   25
 

5th Divn are:

 

(1) Below us on our own side

o / valley: Bayonet trench

(2) Further below: Bank trench - Line trench

(3)Still further below: Wheat-Rye_Barley trench

(4) On the minor hill in front of

Bapaune : Till trench

(5) Through or around Bapaune

on the further side o / minor hill

-the Bapaune trench ( I do 

not know it's official name

 

Front of the 1st Divn is the S. There are 

not so many, apparently

(1) Hill trench

(2) Continuation of Rye trench

(3) Till trench

The 29th Dion & the 41st  Divns neither
often had their own artillery here.
our 5th divn is taking over the

arty.   The 29th Divn had the Arty.
 

68   26

of the 12^th Divn; & any 5^th ^ Aust Divn
to taking this over.
The N.Z. Arty is money out but
has had to leave either all or some
of it's guns behind, & our 1st Aust.
Divn is taken them over. The
2nd Aust. Divn. art, is being
put in split up amongst / others
for / present.
The N.Z. Divl, arty had a
rough time - 60 officers hit (20
of them killed, I believe). They had
to move their guns up onto these
downward slopes. Amongst others
they lost Davies the O.C. 10^th N.Z.
battery one o /  finest officers they
had. I asked Johnson if he had
not others as good coming on. "No,"
he sd. "These were gentlemen - public
school men - devoted to their work
for the works sake without thinking
of themselves.  Those who take their
 

Card No.

Enlist No.

Merchant ship 

Discharged to   Date:   Date T.P.C sent to camp.    No T.P.C
 

68   27

place are good enough fellows-
but more thoughtful of themselves."
The Headquarters of 1st Aust. Divn
is at  Bellevue farm near Albert;
it moves to Pommiers rd out tonight
when they take over from 29^th Divn.
The H.Q. of the 5^th Divn is at

Fricourt Chateau - mostly

underground; you go downstairs

to get to that Chateau.

The attack on the further heights 

up to Bapaume- is foretold

to take place as soon as we get

3 fine days. It is impossible

to attack in the wet w / country

as much torn up as it is.

Somehow, in war time, country

always seems to be clay-with

it's slipperiest side uppermost.

The first thing we heard on getting

 

68   28

down from Flanders to the Somme

district, this time,m was general

talk of the difficulty of transport.

When I was talking to him before we

went to England, White sd to me tt

he ws thinking about pack animals

a system of pack-transport; &

down here I see tt they have pack

horses going backwards & forwards

to the lighter guns. Going in to Meautis

or Becordel. The first thing we 

noticed was small files of horses

each with those old German wicker

baskets (for carrying three shells)

slung on it's side. They have a 

railway or a system of [rlys?]

doing nothing else ( so we are told).

But supplying ammunition to the

big guns.

This makes one wonder

whether, w all the provision in

the world, they will be able
 

68   29

go on advancing. Three

dry days is a perilous 

short time for preparing a first

rate attack. There are very

few Germans about their

front lines - some of our people

havent seen any at all.

one o / great difficulties

Oct 30. Monday

This day the Corps took

over from the 15^th Corps; & we

moved in to our billets &

messes at Heilly . I am in

a cosy little cottage with Herbertson

they have given us the Intelligence

officers' billets. Churchill knows

tt we are pals & has arranged 

it; surprisingly good natured this

old Churchill xxxxxxx in spite of

all they say about him. 

Our mess is up the 

muddiest street in all France, I