Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/74/1 - March 1917 - Part 1

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066840
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AWM3S Official History, 1974-18 War: Records of CE W Bean, Official Historian. Diaries and Notebooks Hem number: 3DR160617417 Title: Diary, March 1917 includes references to the 2lst and 23rd Battalions, the 7th and 15th Infantry Brigades, Malt Trench and Lagnicourt. AWMISS-SDRLGOGITAH
30 5 52 5 58- 35 s 2 55 35 5 d s 5.E 5 2 as. 00 a 328 3 a 0- 3 25
Notes in Bapa I on day of occhpatian The 15t man kelled past Bapannne smiped from lef) was Pte RN French Dloy 30 Bo Het. From Merewaa. 1 1 He is buried just on the outshirts S. Af Fenecouit of Bapaninis. Rd. PIn Bapanns, 15t day, 2 In the Observate fost on too of the mound in rampants waw Rot. Sparkfever gell Der nickingsfener Nun Vorverlegun a Gott strape England "wretten on a awntrie trunk. on another sawn trunk was: Erband mit vicler May and bettres Kob Allis ant angit oor dein Heldentod At I1 am, while taking up new positin in front of Bapanine wa opened up fire with riste & mg from N28c 3.2 on a party of enemy at N28c & drove them out.
M 300R composite Most AsW but some Viciete oldfactor Enemy Then went into Bapaining & orsancod on less of mainted Message to take lep newpontage at 10.30 Immediately withdrew from their post in the town & &at 11 am came in contact a1Enemy We broke into Skirmishing order & gained our new line & drove them out like a lot of Jack rabbits dire The a X 28 Rt Flank We found them before Bapanme old farm with tower £ Left on rly Lieut Richardson wells Capt Barbour 2 knocked w ings in frond 2 sinped one hit suiping Town Burning Capt. Cheeseman OC 2i1 Col. Clark 23 on lept stock up by ig fire. Will join at dusk. 58 Bri on RI. (Notis MarC7, Beyond Bapo with Barvown)
9 whieae 20 2 gtwearg W peran te t Ael WI 10 Faclor Engrars hroduit new dugorts Rough Sketch of country beyond Bapanine - made from Capt Barbours pactu on Mar 17 alt 2pm.
20 6 Hares mane. 10 145 up in 105 4 whistter blown Peteot Htaro in Bihucourt answered from monumnt where gennatC.w arrayed Sluat 65p for 3 am by lette oou conntermanded. tii Hereving columnai Molis Mar 17th, From Gen. Sellibrand Etc. see notebook 73, & cable viessages o letters Mar16s1
& 600 gd vey raflic kind 9 t cntig iply J & bith WG. 4 XX 1XX t wrorte m VXXXX X 26. XXV XX Gemans 11P&6H. in Jamp. no wire acrows trnch this Emma dugocits i- dother live only abt 18in deep it tt bt 0 possible 65 bourt down it Trench. fydt malt H-B as garrisond b 30 abb 20 germous & an officer. Kugs Coy & Allen's Raidin Party (trained for the Bath Jch.) went agst Co. from W. They former up on tapes in pout Yamp Y. Hws Sam & wiste Their left ws toward revellers 2 (200 wen in waves, extended, 5abt 2 paces 1s. abt 2ooyds port). They found were ancab & my traunt on it from prevellers & from the imatus The grevillers guns
Son 20 cd not see as Serms we were prace. on their till wire. The gan wh ws wore down the firey as a little of where our block was atterwos put. ron right The men were. There up to the in i lase nota alle only ove small by germans them L Allen toth immediate to take tetie were ex Co He shellboles. eno doe aond to wikdraw The servians in Jamp were boorbiry them also as mortal wh we late cptured. Hares were goi fom Malt. The german arti retaliate ws poor & further back. Those men Car b by. I were fixed frrem 83 250 down the were (on a Hband of fire - sparks c 6 or be seen). Some o omen were hung up 18 18 on the were dead 57 They with drew + were reformen in House B4 Sed & Dry Ditch 535/ Lieut Leaver, got a6 43 in the attacking pty 5 party of bombers, afence 53 moved round Camp Emma trench to 5 the lett of 26 Bn where they got in and bombed up D. There the y sudden 385to 5x becaue obt 146 deep. B Lever wet bombing porm Rok B & C & was hit
25 There ws a ferman the Pemple medical orderly in at entrance to deort be seemed anxious to a come in 26Bn bowber to revolves fiel ark Harris (28132) The Forte (bomber) of 26 Fort Bn. weletory medal) ws K bombwound in lyvn week out on poatof happ the in the Rimple d sap. He was the who waa of 26 on Bn Russells top walked out from our bout pits Wrk Boubaits 6 one he boight morning sd be & Allen cote King their parties together remf. were ordered. to Deaver it ws a lovg way round - they got y where dave Enmia Alley to D. abo2 rashed t Iey then Germans Pimple M cleared had but went down then they Ja prmans were found under the were ten there. Gamp dogonts knife to was covered rests very fery Embeddis we going to get some turt bombs sandbay with a He shouted outin Maj. Davis 39
cme over here Captain its like a bloody pipty? then his had blew over parapet atarmentieis hees dto have fore over all it Darky Forte. boub tt ot. Leaver The same got him Harris & another 28 Bn Bomber went over sot this amc. Jerman Abt voydo down wolt were a Y.Ne. there. number more df Jermans. Tey were cas seen & dinit seem of fight to want 1 n went forward & tries to beckon them over. They dedno seem been way but stopan. either

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item number: 3DRL606/74/1

 

Title: Diary, March 1917
Includes references to the 21st and 23rd
Battalions, the 7th and 15th Infantry Brigades,
Malt Trench and Lagnicourt.

AWM38-3DRL606/74/1
 

 

Original
DIARY NO. 74.
AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 74 [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 these 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.
16 Sept., 1946.                   C. E. W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

 

1
23
Notes in Bapaume
on day of [[occupation?]].
________________________
The 1st man killed past
Bapaume,
(sniped from left.) was
Pte R N French
D Coy
30 Bn A I F.
From Merriwar
17/3/17
he is buried just on the outskirts
of Bapaume S. of Fremicourt
Rd.

20
74
2
In Bapaume, 1st day.
In the Observation Post on
top of the mound in ramparts
was "Rot Sparkfeuer
"Gellx Vernichtings femor
"Grün Vorverlegen
______________________________
"Gott strafe England" written
on a sawn tree trunk.
On another sawn trunk was:
Erbaut mit vieler Müg
und bettrer Hob,
Alles auts angst vor
dein
"Heldentod"
______________________________
"At 11 am, while taking up new positn
"in front of Bapaume we opened up fire
"with rifle & m.g's from N 28 c 3.3
"on a party o / enemy at N 28 c
"& drove them out.
[
 

 

3
The 30th Bn is composite
Mostly NSW but some Vic etc.
20
Then went into Bapaume
& organised on left o / main Rd
Message to take up new frontage at
10.30. Immediately withdrew
from this point in
the town &  & at 11 am
came in contact w / enemy
We broke into skirmishing order
& gained our new line & drove
them out like a lot of Jack
rabbits"

The underground

74
4
We found them
before Bapaume
xxxx
Rt flank
old farm with tower
left on rly
Lieut Richardson
- Wells
Capt Barbour
2 knocked w mgs in front
2 sniped
One hit sniping
Town Burning
Capt Cheeseman 0 C.
2 in C
Col.Clark
23 Bn on left stuck up by m g.
fire. Will join at dusk.
58 Bn on Rt.
[Notes Mar 17. Beyond Bapaume
with Barbour.]
 

 

20
5
Hand drawn diagram – see original
 

 

20
6
.o. 145 flares went up in 105 mins.
4 whistles blown.
[[?]] Stars in Bihucourt
answered from Monument
where German H.Q. ws.
Start ws arranged for 3 am by Gelley &
[[?]]
11 p.m. countermanded.
Hand drawn diagram – see original

[ [[?]] Mar 17th. From
Gen. Gellibrand etc.
see notebook 73, & cable
messages
& letters]
Mar 16 & 17
 

 

Hand drawn diagram – see original
 

7
Malt Trench. fight.
20
A - B ws garrisoned by
abt 20 Germans & an
officer.
King's Coy & Allen's Raiding
Party (trained for the 
Butte de W.) went agst
G. from W. They formed
up on tapes in front of
Gamp Trench. It ws
3 a.m. & misty.
Their left ws towards Grevillers
Trench (200 men in 2
waves. Extended to abt
2 paces i.e. abt 200 yds
front). They found wire
uncut & m.g. trained
on it from Grevillers Trench
& from the Tumulus.
The Grevillers guns
 

 

20
Germans cd not see us
till we were prac. on their
wire. The gun wh ws
firing down the wire
ws a little S. of where our
block was afterwards put.
The men ran right
up to the wire. There
ws no a lane in it -
only one small alley
vode left by Germans.
Lt Allen told them
immediately to take
cover - there were
eno' shellholes. He
gave word to withdraw.
The Germans in Gamp were
bombing them also w
sm. mortar wh we later
captured. Flares were going
from Malt. The German arty
retaliatn ws poor - & further
back. Those men crossing by
Dry Ditch were reformed by abt 4.15 a.m. Ordered to have another go.
Allen took a couple of men up to examine wire & found it uncut (before daylight)
As day ws breaking. Allen ws going via Gamp when order cancelled. Abt 8.30 Leaver
ws ordered to go round as described
on left of 26 Bn.


8
were fixed firing
down the wire ※ (on a
band of fire - sparks cd
be seen). Some 6 or 7 o /
men were hung up
in the wire dead.
They withdrew &
were reformed in Howse
Rd & Dry Ditch.
2/Lieut Leaver, got a
party of bombers ^(in the attacking pty) at once
& moved round Camp
& Emma trench to
the left of 26 Bn where
they got in and bombed up
to D. There the trench suddenly
became abt 1ft 6 deep.
Lever met bombing from
B & C - & was hit.
 

 

The Scouts who
had reported
tt xxx wire
in this part
ws cut had
clearly
lost their
way, & fog.
Possibly they 
got betw.
Gamp &

Malt where
wire was cut.
9
There ws a German
medical orderly in the Pimple
at entrance to dugout &
he seemed anxious to
come in. A 26 Bn
man ^bomber w revolver with xxx Lieut Harris (28 Bn)
Ford Pte Forte (bomber) of 26
Bn. (Military Medal) ws
lying k. w bomb wound in
neck out in front of
the Pimple in the half
dug sap. (He was the
man of 26 Bn who on
Russells Top walked
out from our bomb pits
to Turk Bombpits one
bright morning - he sd he
ws going to get some Turk
bombs - with a sandbag
He shouted out to Maj. Davis

20
10
King & Allen w they
got their parties together
were ordered to reinf.
Leaver - it ws a long
way round - they got
up where Leaver did &
Emma Alley to D. abt 12 noon.X
They then rushed the
Pimple - got 3 Germans
but m.g. had cleared;
then they went down
Gamp & Germans were
found under the wire in
dugouts there. Gamp trench
ws covered w knife
rests very firmly
embedded
_____________________

 

 

20
11
Come over here Captain,
it's like a bloody pigsty."
When his hat blew over
/ parapet at Armentieres
he is sd to have gone
over after it - Darky Forte -
The same bomb tt got Leaver
got him).
Harris & another 26
Bn Bomber went over
& got this A.M.C. German.
Abt 100 yds down Malt
Trench. N E. there were a
number more o /
germans. They were easily
seen & didn't seem
to want to fight. Capt Kerry
went forward & tried
to beckon them over.
They didnt seem keen
either way but stopped.




 

 

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