Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/65/1 - November 1916

AWM38
Official History,
1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and  Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/65/1
Title: Diary, November 1916
Comments on Lt Col O Howell Price's death,
mentions the 1st and 3rd Battalion's attack on
Lard Trench and the 3rd Battalion at Pozieres.

AWM38-3DRL606/65/1
 

1916 Nov. 9/16 to
Plans 0 2
9 Nov.
stponed. 65
& find support

Original. DIARY No. 65.
AWM 38 3 DRL 606 ITEM 65 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

THE use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But, apart from those terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer’s mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half asleep;
also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not so — but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.
These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing, believed. Further, he cannot, of course, vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
16 Sept., 1946. C. E. W. BEAN.
 

1 66

For 1 BN see p 14.
Nov. 5. (cont).
It was a great shock when
de Crespigny told me that
Howell Price died last night.
I am sure he was hit going
round his line - he
ws ^a most faithful commanding
officer - never missed
his duty. I remember the
time I saw him in Pozieres
when his placed battalion's
positn ws uncertain. He
placed it right enough himself.
 

66 1916 Nov 9/16 to
[Attack of Nov 14. Plans  0
[For ^an orig. attack 9 Nov.  2
which was postponed.  65

Objve. Gird & find support

from junction of Bayonet T

Bite at M 24 b 35. 95

& M 24 a 10. 5

to the left of Div. Boundary

at M 18 a 35. 1 & M 18. c. 05. 90

Made in coop with

Divn. On left (50^th Div)

Orig. to be carrd out by 5 Inf Bde.

Bombing posts with T heads

up Bayonet, Bite & Bank trenches

to secure strong points at

Junction of Bite & Bayonet.

M   18 c 95. 15

18 c. 75. 35

18 c. 45. 65

Jumping off trenches to be improved ]

so tt is no delay in getting out. ]      

ladders to be provided. ]
 

3
Details obtained later
^(abt Nov.19) of Col. Howell Prices death.
He ws 26 - the youngest
Lieut Colonel in the Army.
[*?Scott of
56 Bn
is
also 26 *]
He was visiting the
front trenches early - esp. the
new forwd. line known by his
name. He had bn out to a
m.g. sap in Nomansland
& ws supe just back
whe in Price trench; there ws
some sniping - a m.g. also had
bn bothering tt place. Price
was directing them putting up
of a m.g. to reply to it -
when one of the gun section ws
trying to get the gun up but
something ws wrong with the
tripod & it cd nt be got up.
Price turnd to speak to Loveday
when he fell forward on his
face onto / parapet & then
rolled over on to his back. They
hurried him back in 20 minutes
to the First Aid Station Post, and he
seemed pretty well himself then.
 

66 4

[hand drawn map - see original document]
 

5 66 6 
on November 4/5th the 1st
& 3rd Bns attacked Lard Trench.
(with 1st Bn) in Lard Trench & strong point.
4-5/11/16  12.30 a.m. Nov. 4/5 Bombt.

[hand drawn map - see original document]
 

7
3rd Bn had 18 days in
front line or close support.
1 Blanket & own coat in
support line & w.p. sheet.
They probly left these behind
in front line!
 
66 8
3rd Bn. / pty  went out
from J. after 3hrs in Hill Trench
Lt Loveday 8 bombers
17 infantry 1 Lewis Gun (Corp.
3 crew) 2 s.b.s. 2 runners
(Believed Pty of 30 or 40).
2nd Pty from same place.
Lt Kemmis  & similar
pty exc. no Lewis gun.
1st Pty went out at 7. from J
mins past zero when
bombt ws lifting off Lard

Trench. (It was not an
intense bombt - only
barrage on Ham & Bacon
& other trenches.
2nd Pty went out from
same place (J) at same
time. They went to left.
1st Pty went to right.
 

66 9
When 2nd Pty got into Lard trench
Germans turned out of up
Lard trench & ran up hill
onto higher ground in
triangle. They saw
nothing of 1st Bn -
with whom they were
to join up. They k. abt
8 Germans incl. an offr.
(Germans had m.g. going
from Hollow Rd - but
it ws difficult to say origin
of most of the ironmongery
wh was going).

Left Pty were in abt

8 mins & retired.

Rt Pty: Germans opened 

m/g fire when party within

abt 5 yds. Pty went

right onto 5 or 6 Germans

in trench. The party k. all these
 

66 10
& cleaned trench w. bayonet
as far as the Chalk Bank
& road. There were dugouts
all / way along this trench.
They bombed down this -
k. 35 & got 5 [shorthand] 2 of
whom had to be k on
way back to 7 Bn.
They were 101 R.I.R.
Rt Pty clambered up
Chalk Bank & dug a
strong post under Ham trench.
They dug a new trench with
Lt Bishop (who ws k. next
day) to Left of Grease
trench (marked +++++++).
Abt day break orders
were recd to come in
& this had to be abandoned.
It ws abt 4ft 6 deep. Germs.
have since bn reported there).
 

 11

 (^x Air photo)

 (3rd Bn at Pozieres)

66 12
Losses. 2 k. & 5 wd. Rt pty.

1 k. 4 wd. Lft Pty.
abt. 12 or 13 for the attack
& abt another 10 by the
retaliation.
(There is a good photo of
Nov. 6^th).^x
There had bn 4 attacks
on this by 29^th Divn, before
1st Bn tackled it; there has
been one since.
————
The troops were not
withdrawn during early
heavy bombt. of this point
& many shells fell in
our own trenches. In later
bombts they were withdrawn.
————
At Pozieres, 3^rd Bn was
 

[I think this represents the 3 different locations
given ↓ to the 1st Bde's line at Morq. Farm
Aug 16 & 17. 1916]
 

[hand drawn sketch - see original document]

66 13 

to have bombed out
with 4^th Bn. to G. trench
N. of Courcelette Rd.
Bombg. parties were
all ready at B 4 p.m.
After tt the guns got on to
our men - German guns
were hardly ever able
to hit our front line there
but were on H Thom's
Cut. (Firing line ws
on far side of gully on this
side of Road - & Price
had put his H.Q. in a
dugout out in Nomansld.
Our casualties from our
own guns in Poz. this time
were abt. 80 -
At 6 p.m. order came from
Howell Price tt  Bn ws
 

66 14
not to go out - He
held tt / arty preparatory
ws quite ineffective.
————
Pte Reynolds & Cpl Roberts two
k. soon after landing.  k. at landing

Manly life savers were with
3 Bn at landing but both
were soon killed.
————
The 1st Bn in their
attack, made at 12.30,
& at 4.30 again, & each
time unsuccessful, lost
170 men. I have not
seen them yet.
 

66 15
[ This part of this diary is
written on Nov. 20 -
the last two weeks have
been occupied in getting
around the rest area
seeing battalions about
the Aremntieres fighting
^of July 19 & also going up & down
to & from Montauban
which is now a
full days journey].
 

Nov 6^th.