Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/66/1 - November 1916 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066831
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

ent worne easy to Clmeens 1070 ASLS DeWP. MCONGTUES O EPESITSNe JOOA 0 10 den separated & dinen 84
into Ameens. From the Gemnan wireless, rovember 25th 1916. r.... According to all reports this Somne offensive has come to a standstill in mud and byood. The weather conditions are ak such that it is hopeless to attack. The majority of shells fail to exolode in the soft ground. Storming parties reach our pos- itions wet to the skin and half frozen with their rifles jammel with mud. Lying there they anait their pitiful fate. These stug 1d attacks of which neither the French nor the Erglish commandn can hide the futility are only made for the sake of prestige and the wish to prolong the offensive. Weither the English nor the French send their own countrymen into the firing line but enploy for these futile attacks Colonial or coloured troops. On the 5th November the English put in three Australlan Divisions, regardless of cost although the Australians had been enployed on the Sonme since & the 22nd July. For fully six weeks they fought in the fiercely contested area of Pozicres. The majority of these Australians are youngsters with no experience of fighting, who had only received a short training. These Australiana were sent against the German machine gun fire regardless of cost. In the only sernous offensive since the beginning of the Pattle of the Somme undertaken on the English front near Fromelles on July 19th. an Australian division of quite inexperiended troops was put in and suffered enomnous casualties. Austallan Kmks divisions are always appearing in the front line al though they have been repeatedly decimated. During July August and Sept- ember Australian Divisions and New Zealand divisions have lost 35,000 men and another 5000 at Fromelles, Three of their ar divisions were completely wved out on the Sonne. "The Canadians were also sent to the Somme in Septem ber although they had suffered so heavily at VPRES in June and had been reduced to half their strength. In all the heavy ft Highting from the 8th September to 23rd October they were in the front line. The South African brigade was wined out at Delville Wood. Complaints from the various colonies led the Eng lish higher command expressly to order that in the attack on Beaunont hanel and Beaucourt troops from the British Isies were to be employed. i Nevertheiess at the butte de Wariencourt the Austre allans came in for nore casualties. n According to statements of prisoners the Ristralians have been deceived by the English. The Australian contingent was recruited for service in Egypt. Later on they were sent to the Dardanelles. The French have also employed their colonial twops regardless of Enxt:loss. 84
SVIERSTTO SANOE 84 1841 158 759 20 3I7 GRSSIete &Lo BeHS1 ARISSB Jae VTHOBAt 345 20O1 Ist No, 251. 03 370 84 Emeens tat Rawing Nov. 25 or Celli Amicens for Baldwin on n the evening There the press people me the fave Gervan Wereless, just received apparently, with the following bombshell in it (attacked paper respecte Anshahian atack of Nover). this is very chairly done very clever indeed. They have pot hold of the facts Extraordinarily well especiel tosses wt are right witing the a tousand, I shd say. There is just so much truth in it t antract we have bn treatet worse than (British) 1s not easy to ding separated dinen
staff realised or coi the Bribich & undoubled it now realises to feet tm in that was unwisl witout a ver second time They forget that the good rest
the t 5 o X PRESS R.T.P. UMIIMRE CONNOMTEALTH SELETTE ERITISH HEAEQUARTERS FRARCE FOUENBER EIGHTEEY THIS BATTLE OF SOMRE IS CONTINUIHG UNDER CONBITIOES E IN TEICH WORLD EAD PREVIOUSLY TAKEN IT FOR GRANTED IT LAPOSSIBLE TO FIGHT STOP IF THIS 15 pe LASRKEKEEKTEIE FRT OF SREAT LFTCRT TO. ASSIST POUIAMLA IT 15 WELL THAT FORLD SECULD. KHO: EOY DLMETNED THET PPFORT IS STOF 177U2 CONSTANT KLKLEX RAIN UREEDLLC RUD OF LETT -TG KPEKS CTARGED SOME DAYS SLECE TO BITTERLY COLD CLEAR DAYS STOF YESTERRAY EVEY AT MLDNAY ROADS POULS TEIE FROLEE TAST STOT THIS HORYIEG FOUYD WHOLE COURTRY URDER TILTE COUERLEG SLOY STOP DIRLNG DAY THIS TURNED TO SLEET THEN STEATY RALN SIOP TOMIGHT KEE DRIPPING WIN- -TERS FOG COVERS PATTLEFLELD SIOP THROUGH ALL THIS SOME BATHLE CONTIBUES STOP FO COYFORTABLE TEEICHLS THLRE STOF BRKKKEEERLER FRRKLEKINKESKRYEYEEEKEARETRERREELEERESERXEESAKIKEN KRKCKXKRGRESEREKEXEXXTARRENELLGNRYKEREEKNKIKKNTERRKKIKKESTSTAR BATTLEGROTED HXXEKELXELERG HAS BREN SEATTERED AS HO CTHER BATTLE GROWED EEGEFT VERTN EVER DREY STOF TRELCHES ARE EO EORE THEN MUDI SHALLOW DITCHES IN MIIGH MEY HAVE TO TACE OUT LOHG FREELEG WINTE
(2) nights stop HROUGH ALL THIS GOES ON PERIODICAL ATTACE COUNTERATTHEY WITH LHCESSANT SHELLIEG MORE OR LESS HEAVY KLLKLKXLETHR NIGHT AND DAY STOF IT IDLE PRETEHD NEN ARE NOT UNDERGOING VERY SEVERE HARDSHIP STOP TET DAYS STHEE I PASSED AUSTHALLAN BATTALION COHIEG OUT OF LLNE STOP IT FIRST TIE I EUER SEHR AUSTRALLAE TROOPS PASS WITHOUT SLNGLE SUILE ON ANY MANS FACE SIOP LXEXLKHAKERXLERLKKRLXY VERY PALE NAN AFTER KAN PASSED EVERYOYE VERY GRIM, VERY VERY TIRED STOF TN0 DAYS LATER SAME TROOPS TERE OLD CKEERTUL SELVES STOP REST IS FIRST AND LAST NLED OF TRESE NEY EKEX AND OMLY TAY I KHOY OF BY THICH AUSTRALLANS CAY KELP THE IS BY COMLHG ELRE ES TO GIVE THEN REST STOP TETER HAS OMLY JUST BEGUN AND THESE THINGS HAVE BE FACED THROUGH FOUR OR TTYL HCLTHSCT EEDLESS BITIIR HIGHTS STOP IF DIV- ISIONS ARE KEPT UF TO STRENGTH KEN CAN CET REST ARD WITH REST ALLUHEM THESE KEL TRLALS ARE BEARABLE STOF BUT IF DIVISIORS/FALL BEROY STRENGTH THIS IS SIMPLY ASKING KEE RERE TO SLAVE UNTIL THEY DROP UNREF STOP IF YOU PUT LAN HOTHUER SFLEYLID TOO OFTEN KKXLKET UNEEAR. ABLE STRALY YOU HILL BREAK HM AAD THET IS RISK HICH IAKRXXREKILI THESE NAGHIFICENT AUSTRALLAN DIVISIONS ARE THREATERED WITH STOP AUSTRALLAN COYFORTS FUNDCAN PO LUCH BUT REAL NEED CAN ONLY BE XE MET BY ACTUAL KELP OF KKK MEY STOP SEAR IN THIGEEKS FIGHTING GERNANS REGMTN-D KELKXXN TRENGY WRICH AUSTRALLAYS WON TYO DAYS EETCRE STOP GERANE ATTACKED FROM TRONT AND FLANK LHDRIVIRG BRXXIR RESTERE FET BRITIST TROOPS ON FLAEK STOP VOUNGjAUSTRALLAN OFTICER LED HIS KEN STRAICHT OUT IN OFEY AGALNST ADVANGLHG GEREANS AUD THIS BOLD HOYE JAS SUCCEEDLEG HHEN OFTIGER HIT STOP EEY TITHOUT LEADER TERE OUTDRIVEN BEAE
85 & it However it is not true is (point o whole statment. At I same time if ourmen some battalions - saw this sterf they might quite well (believe it 5 or water they do believe it - many of them think they were treated worse than the Britial divisions - & they would let their friends a England know that they agreed to it ws truetho reture custalia cod do the same The statment is intended to get to asit ceustalia via America will be published in America aid probably happen. this There is this also, that the Austalian Corps in Posceres did have hardso fighting than staf realised or coin the British now realises & undoubled f it to et t in that was unwisl witout a ver second tie They forget that the good rest
86 Austalian Corps w fighting an isolated secton battle, & that on the summit of the ere whole battefield ✓ wheres the Britich & Canadian most of their fighteng & te troops made in very big geveral advances of which we never took part in one. This mrakes it all the harder deal with this German insenuation the only thing to can be aabout it being the bare fact, that however plausible it looks, we know it is not true. I cannot give figales to prove to 1British losses were as great as ours because, I dont know British losses; I if I did I wdnt be allowed to state them. And my article has to go out headed British Headges, France altho. it we not written there & does not emanate from there - it looks as if
mornin for the this up I wrote papers (letter 19. The willing man almost exactly as he too it to mc- except that the staging Camp Neren were wnts at Frecourt each meant to hold 50, 50 they packed in 75a letting the first lot drof to sleep & then fitting the dhees in amongst them; & the second camp was a Rest or Reserve Camp in the deigonts German. I have put a further back 88 weakens it. did it too While I saw in bed. on Nov. 26 my return & showed hai I went home Ferman Wereless look it reply oSketcher a this in to Birdwood & white the tence to morny Aniens. Censor in went out to 2nd Afterwards & Dr Bno in Fesselles & Sr. Snvenr of het Bn. gave me a The Adg very funny account of his badations experiences, going into the mad tis second purney on Ty had abt the Somi cases of trench foot. 30 While I was there I saw Tacoby - of the 15 Bn - fast tatel returned. He was probably the 1511 in order to give no hent of crowded camps so close to the German guns - They went up in plations at company interval and then were packed, the whole bryade, into about an acre or two. A raval gun does shell the place & it drapped a shall in beside a tent but purt no one
abt4pin Set of cowardly buggers, he said, I work thought Austialions were such a blood ver n tot of curs hews half ayng. "Whats the mater Son as kir Jacobs. "My officers out there wounded, he sd & these curs are leaving him. I didn't thank wt were such cowards, sd T., to retire then - but we gt some men aned went back to the place he showed - the same back brening his officer, badly wd- in the shoulder. 90 I man at Guinns in Gallypole He tells me to at back of quinus p we a steep. gully, not more tran 1005200 yds across, with some right heets in it. He went to the , OIreame & shout & may. kind on to Bt the lep. He chabed abb where BS quinas was & went over the gally BS & over the next ridge + slightl I down the fore slope - & there were FAustiahans, I think he sd, ahead of of him - including Maj. Richardson of 2nd Bn. They wereforing at the Ihill opposite, booyds away. To 3 their sight they could see taiks 25 crossing the flat, far away. with 5 a mg. they ad have for them; but 343 snot without. It ws he right giving I way (or being attacked) to made them Io withdraw anto I shelter of the valley Ife & then aponlo Dead mans Ridge, who o they held. That evening the 4th Bde coming 2 up on to Popes & firing at them made 111 them retire onto Popes Hill 4 Asthey were retirny from Qunns down fint the fully a youngste of the Brd Bn. was seen on the slope above them, cursing & growti at them for all he was

 

72  84
into Amiens.
 , is not
easy to deny ^be separated & denied.
 

 

 

72  84
into Amiens.

72/84
From the German wireless, November 25th 1916.

".... According to all reports this Somme offensive has come to
a standstill in mud and blood. The weather conditions are xxx
such that it is hopeless to attack. The majority of shells fail
to explode in the soft ground. Storming parties reach our positions
wet to the skin and half frozen with their rifles jammed
with mud. Lying there they await their pitiful fate. These stupid
attacks of which neither the French nor the English commandx
can hide the futility are only made for the sake of prestige xx
and the wish to prolong the offensive.
"Neither the English nor the French send their own
countrymen into the firing line but employ for these futile
attacks colonial or coloured troops. On the 5th November the 
English put in three Australian Divisions, regardless of cost,
although the Australians had been employed on the Somme since x
the 22nd July. For fully six weeks they fought in the fiercely
contested area of Pozieres. The majority of these Australians
are youngsters with no experience of fighting, who had only
received a short training. These Australians were sent against
the German machine gun fire regardless of cost. In the only
serious offensive since the beginning of the Battle of the 
Somme undertaken on the English front near Fromelles on July
19th, an Australian division of quite inexperienced troops
was put in and suffered enormous casualties. Australian xxxxxxx
divisions are always appearing in the front line although they
have been repeatedly decimated. During July August and September
Australian Divisions and New Zealand divisions have lost
35,000 men and another 5000 at Fromelles. Three of their xxxxxx
divisions were completely wiped out on the Somme.
"The Canadians were also sent to the Somme in September
although they had suffered so heavily at YPRES in June and
had been reduced to half their strength. In all the heavy xxxx
fighting from the 9th September to 23rd October they were in
the front line. The South African brigade was wiped out at 
Delville Wood. Complaints from the the various colonies led the English
higher command expressly to order that in the attack on
Beaumont hamel and Beaucourt troops from the British Isles were
to be employed.
"Nevertheless at the Butte de Warlencourt the Australians
came in for more casualties.
"According to statements of prisoners the Australians
have been deceived by the English. The Australian contingent
was recruited for service in Egypt. Later on they were sent to 
the Dardanelles. The French have also employed their colonial
troops regardless of xxxx loss."
 

 

 

72  84
into Amiens.
Nov 25. Raining. Called in
for Baldwin in Amiens in
the Evening. There the
press people gave me the
German wireless - first 
received, apparently, with
the following bombshell
in it (attached paper respecting
Australian attack of Nov 5).
This is very cleverly done
- very clever indeed. They
have got hold of the facts
Extraordinarily well - especially
the losses wh are right within
a thousand, I shd say. There is
just so much truth in it tt /
untruth (tt we have bn treated
worse than / British) is not
easy to deny ^be separated & denied.
 

 

 

The British staff realised or even
now realises and undoubtedly it
was unwise to put them in that
second time without a very
good rest. They forget that the
 

 

 

72/85
This is not the 
telegram referred to 
in my diary - that
referred to was dated 
Nov 26.

PRESS R.T.P.

COMMONWEALTH GAZETTE   MELBOURNE

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS FRANCE NOVEMBER EIGHTEEN THIS BATTLE OF
SOMME IS CONTINUING UNDER CONDITIONS XX IN WHICH WORLD HAD
PREVIOUSLY TAKEN IT FOR GRANTED IT IMPOSSIBLE TO FIGHT STOP
XXXXXXXXXXXXX IF THIS IS PART OF GREAT EFFORT TO ASSIST ROUMANIA IT IS
WELL THAT WORLD SHOULD KNOW HOW DETERMINED THAT EFFORT IS STOP.
CONSTANT XXXXXX AUTUMN RAIN UNENDING MUD OF LAST FEW WEEKS CHANGED
SOME DAYS SINCE TO BITTERLY COLD CLEAR DAYS STOP YESTERDAY
EVEN AT MIDDAY ROADS POOLS WERE FROZEN FAST STOP THIS MORNING 
FOUND WHOLE COUNTRY UNDER WHITE COVERING SNOW STOP DURING DAY THIS
TURNED TO SLEET THEN STEADY RAIN STOP TONIGHT XXX DRIPPING WINTERS
FOG COVERS BATTLEFIELD STOP THROUGH ALL THIS SOMME BATTLE
CONTINUES STOP NO COMFORTABLE TRENCHES THERE STOP XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
BATTLEGROUND XXXXXXXX HAS BEEN SHATTERED AS NO OTHER BATTLE
GROUND EXCEPT VERDUN EVER BEEN STOP TRENCHES ARE NO MORE THAN MUD
SHALLOW DITCHES IN WHICH MEN HAVE TO FACE OUT LONG FREEZING WINTER
 

 

 

72/85
(2)
nights stop THROUGH ALL THIS GOES ON PERIODICAL ATTACK COUNTERATTACK
WITH INCESSANT SHELLING MORE OR LESS HEAVY XXXXXXXXX NIGHT AND
DAY STOP IT IDLE PRETEND MEN ARE NOT UNDERGOING VERY SEVERE
HARDSHIP STOP FEW DAYS SINCE I PASSED AUSTRALIAN BATTALION COMING
OUT OF LINE STOP IT FIRST TIME I EVER SEEN AUSTRALIAN TROOPS PASS
WITHOUT SINGLE SMILE ON ANY MANS FACE STOP XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
MAN AFTER MAN PASSED EVERYONE VERY GRIM ^VERY PALE VERY VERY TIRED STOP TWO
DAYS LATER SAME TROOPS WERE OLD CHEERFUL SELVES STOP REST IS FIRST
AND LAST NEED OF THESE MEN XXXX  AND ONLY WAY I KNOW OF WHICH
AUSTRALIANS CAN HELP THEM IS BY COMING HERE THEMSELVES TO GIVE THEM
REST STOP WINTER HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN AND THESE THINGS HAVE BE FACED
THROUGH FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS OF ENDLESS BITTER NIGHTS STOP IF DIVISONS
ARE KEPT UP TO STRENGTH MEN CAN GET REST AND WITH REST
THESE XXX TRIALS ARE BEARABLE STOP BUT IF DIVISIONS ^ALLOWED FALL BELOW
STRENGTH THIS IS SIMPLY ASKING MEN HERE TO SLAVE UNTIL THEY DROP
STOP IF YOU PUT MAN HOWEVER SPLENDID TOO OFTEN XXXXXX UNDER UNBEARABLE
STRAIN YOU WILL BREAK HIM AND THAT IS RISK WHICH XXXXXXXXXXX
THESE MAGNIFICENT AUSTRALIAN DIVISIONS ARE THREATENED WITH STOP
AUSTRALIAN COMFORTS FUNDCAN DO MUCH BUT REAL NEED CAN ONLY BE XX
MET BY ACTUAL HELP OF XXX MEN STOP XXX IN THIS WEEKS FIGHTING
GERMANS REGAINED XXXXXXX TRENCH WHICH AUSTRALIANS WON TWO DAYS
BEFORE STOP GERMANS ATTACKED FROM FRONT AND FLANK INDRIVING XXXX
FEW BRITISH TROOPS ON FLANK STOP YOUNG ^WESTERN  AUSTRALIAN OFFICER LED
HIS MEN STRAIGHT OUT IN OPEN AGAINST ADVANCING GERMANS AND THIS
BOLD MOVE WAS SUCCEEDING WHEN OFFICER HIT STOP MEN WITHOUT LEADER
WERE OUTDRIVEN BEAN
 

 

 

72  85
However, it is not, & it
is / point o / whole statement.
At / same time if our men 
- some battalions - saw this stuff
they might quite well believe it; or
rather they do believe it - many
of them think they were treated worse
than the British divisions - & they
would let their friends in England
know that they agreed tt it ws 
true; & those who returned to 
Australia wd do the same.
The statement is intended to get to 
Australia via America, & as it 
therefore will be published in America
this will probably happen -
There is this, also, that the 
Australian Corps in Pozieres
did have harder fighting than
the British staff realised or even
now realises & undoubtedly it
was unwise to put them in that 
second time without a very
good rest. They forgot that the
 

 

 

72  86
Australian Corps ws fighting an isolated
sectional battle, & that - on the summit of the
whole battlefield - here ↓
[Sketch - see original document]
whereas the British & Canadian
& N.Z. troops made most of their fighting
in very big general advances of
which we never took part in one.
This makes it all the harder
to deal with this German insinuation
- the only thing tt can be sd about
it being the bare fact, that, however
plausible it looks, we know it is not
true. I cannot give figures to prove
tt / British losses were as great
as ours because I dont know /
British losses; & if I did I wdnt 
be allowed to state them. And my 
article has to go out headed 
"British Headqrs, France" altho'
it ws not written there & does not 
emanate from there - it looks as if
 

 

 

87

I wrote this up for the morning
papers (letter 19 - The Willing Man),
almost exactly as he told it to
me - except that the Staging Camp
were ^Nissen huts at Fricourt - each meant
to hold 50, so they packed in 75 as letting the
first lot drop to sleep & then fitting the others
in amongst them; & the second camp was 
a Rest or Reserve Camp in xxxxxxxxx - &
the dugouts German. I have put it further back
 

72  88
it did; & tt, too, weakens it.

Nov 26. I saw White, in bed, on
my return; & showed him /
German wireless; I went home
& sketched a reply & took it 
in to Birdwood & White this
morning - & thence to the 
Censor in Amiens.

Afterwards went out to 2nd
& 1st Bns in Hesselles & St. Sauvour.
The Adjt. of 1st Bn. gave me a 
a very funny account of his exp
[*X*] battalions experiences going into
the mud this second journey on 
the Somme. They had abt
30 cases of trench foot.
While I was there I saw
Jacobs - of the 1st Bn - just lately
returned. He was probably the 1st
————————
in order to give no hint of crowded camps so close
to the German guns. They went up in platoons at
company interval and then were packed, the whole
brigade, into about an acre or two. A naval gun does 
shell the place & it dropped a shell in beside a tent but hurt no one.
 

 

 

89

? X abt 4p.m.
worth: "Set of cowardly buggers," he said, " I 
never thought Australians were such a bloody
lot of curs" - he ws half crying. "What's the matter 
son" asked Jacobs. "My Officer's out there wounded,"
he sd, "& these curs are leaving him." I didn't think we 
were such cowards, sd J., to retire then - but we got 
some men and went back to the place he showed - & we
came back bringing his officer, badly wd in the shoulder -
 

72  90
man at Quinns in Gallipoli.
He tells me tt abt / back of Quinns
was a steep gully, not more than 
100 to 200 yds across, with some
huts in it. He went to the left ^right &
Freame & Shout & Maj. Kind on to
the left. He climbed abt where 
Quinns was & went over the gully,
& over the next ridge & slightly
down the fore slope - & there were
Australians, I think he sd, ahead of 
him - including Maj. Richardson
of 2nd Bn. They were firing at the
hill opposite, 600 yds away. To 
their right they could see Turks
crossing the flat, far away. With 
a m.g. they cd have got them; but
not without. It ws the right giving
way (or being attacked) tt made them
withdraw X into / shelter of the valley
& then up onto Dead Mans Ridge, wh
they held. That evening the 4th Bde coming
up onto Pope's & firing at them made
them retire onto Popes Hill.
As they were returning from Quinns down 
into the gully a youngster of the 3rd Bn. 
was seen on the slope above them, cursing
& growling at them for all he was
[* carrying him over his shoulder, he was.
[Next day, another man, a N.Zealander, came and offered to fill Jacobs
water bottle - he went down with this & a lot of others to the bottom o / valley several
times just as Freame did - but his name was not taken] It ws vy dangerous then]. *]
 

 

 

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