Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/66/1 - November 1916 - Part 4

72
30 ‘A’
others knew - in the first days
at Anzac. Later he hung to his
work tho' he ws miserably
weak w dysentery. He xx
often spoke to me over a matter
wh interested us very much-
the old attack on the 2nd day
made by the 4t Bn. White, I
people fancy, half blamed old Glasfurd
for that - but I don't know
perhaps because of something
tt I said. But it was not
fair to do so.  Glasfurd had
nothing to do with the origin
of it. Months afterwds he
showed me the old trenches where
thexx events of tt day
happened - still visible in
the scrub near Whites 
Gully.  He had found them
in some of his wanderings. 

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31
Glasfurds notebook of those
early days wd be a most
valuable record.  I know tt
he kept one.
His brother ws there when
we reached / cemetery - &
Genl. Cox & Brand came;  &
Austin & White - looking very
pale, I thought; & Birdwood -
but not one representative
of the 1st Australian Division.
Perhaps they had not heard
of it.
The last few days there
has been such a constant
bumping of guns xx along
the Eastern horizon as I
have never heard before.
All the night of November
10 - then easing a bit - but
later continuing tremendously again. Today 

72
32
we hear tt, in spite of
thick fog.  / British have
attacked at Beaumont Hamel
& all tt part north of the
Ancre where they lost so
lost heavily in unsuccessful
attacks on July 1st.  This
attack has been going to come
off ever since October 18 I
believe. The Germans may
be weaker in men - or more
probably they have bn a bit
shaken by shell fire - & a
couple of thousand surrendered
at the xxxx first charge. The British
losses were slight - except
at Serre where they were
unable to get on; they seem
to have lost hardly more than
we did in tt wretched Expensive
little attack on the Bayonet trench on
Nov 5. 

72
33
November fxx.
I hear tt we are to attack
Gird Trench again tomor.

Two days ago news came
tt seemed to show tt the xx army
ws to dig in for / winter.  Tonight
I hear tt the attack on Gird
Trench is on again - tomorrow
morning at dawn. The 5th Bde
I believe is to do it.  The
weather has bn fine & dry
for a day or two.  Perh. they
have changed their minds
abt / attack winter tactics,
tho' Haig doesnt genly alter his
mind.
I decided not to go up to
see this attack. I may go up &
see / prisoners afterwds.
14^th November.  I went up &
along took young Thornhill,
Bde Major of the 5 Aust Divl
Arty who are just Taking over 

34
* Our 1st Div. Arty took
over from / New Zealanders.
They have been since digging
up some of the N.Z. guns
to see if they cd get them out.
They say I hear tt some of these
guns are sunk right up to
/ tops of their shields in /
mud.

72
35
from our 1st Div ^Arty who are moving
to the left into / place of some
British Arty. *  We went to
2nd D.H.Q at Carlton trench.
As far as ws known there
our men were still in
the trench wh they took
last night.  I went back
afterwds to the prisoners Cage.
There were 19 prisoners there of
the 5th Grenadier Guards.  Kapp
asked them some questions for me.
They had all bn very much
impressed by the speed of our
attack (see the prisoners'
examinatn wh Butler asked
me to write this day from this
material & Herbertsons & 3rd
Corps, who were on our left & got 15
prisoners).  I got Kapp to ask
what they thought of Australians 

(our left)

72
36
as compared to British
soldiers - what the Australian
reputation was - if they had
one; (these battalions of the
guard had bn on / extreme
right at Moquet in part of
August) were they better on quicker
than English Soldiers or what ....?
The whole crowd nodded
& began answering eagerly
"Ja wohl" "Ja"
"What - you mean that of
the Australians compared w
/ English?" sd Kapp doubtfully.
"Ja - Ja wohl" - they all
said - & began explaining
all about it volubly.  I
could not follow them for
they spoke very fast - but I
got their meaning - there is
no question tt the Australians
had / reputation of being more 

37
I asked four men who were in a
different part ^of the cage the same question. They
sd they did not know whether the Australians
were better than other British soldiers or not -
it ws hard to say.  They had noticed some
good regiments & some bad ones (I dont
know if they meant amongst the Australians)
Australians (I think they sd) were tougher
than  The London troops were less tough
than others (I think they sd) & the Paris troops
less tough than they.  "It is the same with our
troops" xxxx they sd.

72
38
formidable opponents as far
as his regt. ws concerned,
& I wish I could have understood
all the reasons for Kapp only
gave me one short sentiment
"They say the Australians are
much faster - much quicker
after the barrage," he said -
"'klang' - 'viel klanger' or
some such word - " (I think it ws)
"that means much more
"active - dashing."
It is only fair to remember
tt these soldiers had just
experienced our men's dash. “You were
much kinder to us at
Moquet Farm" - one of
them sd to me.
There ws very heavy
firing up there this day - away
on our left over Thiepval - a 

72
39
barrage like this all of white shrapnel.

(diagram as per original)

I took it for a German c. attack
opt Regina trench being barraged
by our artillery.  As we
left the guns were thundering
in the direction of our
troops in front of Flers - in
the captured trench.  There were
red & orange flares going up
over the hill - I cdnt see
the battle ground.
When It took xxx us
three hours to get past one
lorry stuck in the thick putty like
mud on Carnay Hill on /
way back.  This ws in the 14h
Corps district area.  The block
had gone on for three hours - but
when we left it there was only
one policeman trying to help 

40
*All exc. abt 40 lorries have
been taken off the Montauban rds
now.  Horse traffic can always get
thro' somehow, & it all goes in
horse drawn vehicles now.

72
41
it to a solution. There must
have bn 3/4 mile of traffic
held up behind tt lorry.
& this one perfectly respectful
& cool headed, but quite
inadequate policeman ws /
sole contribution of the 14^th
Corps towards solving the difficulty.
The whole return traffic from this part
of the line ws meanwhile held up.
The guards are in the 14th Corps
& Lord Cavan commands it.
So when they accuse  I have heard
it sd tt / Australian police
cannot control / traffic - but
I have seen nothing wrong w
their control at all - this is
the worst block I have seen &
it cd have bn cleared in
10 minutes by capable handling.
As it was, 2 other officers & myself
got the lorry to the side & let the
light cars through & / horse traffic. * 

72
42
I sometimes wonder if it
is easier to fight down hill
than uphill.  At present we
are going downhill - & for
2 miles the enemy can see us
all the way; xxx

(Diagram - see original)

When we were at reached A (Switch trench) &
the Germans at B of course
our positn wd be easy for
we cd see everything we wanted
to shell & he cd see nothing.  But
now tt we are at C & he at D
he can see ^nearly as much as we
can; the whole way down to
C  we are in view - (as he is
most of way to D) - & if we
stay there for / winter he can make
it very hot for us.  At / same
time we can also see him.  The
worst positn wd be when we reach
E & he is still at F.