Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/75/1 - March - April 1917 - Part 1

AWM38

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

Official Historian.

 

Diaries and Notebooks

 

Item number: 3DRL606/75/1

 

Title: Diary, March - April 1917

Includes references to the 11th, 12th and 48th

Battalions, the 1st and 3rd Infantry Brigades, Lt

C Pope VC, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt and Boursies.

AWM38-3DRL606/75/1

 

Diary 75

19 [[?]]27

Original
DIARY NO. 75.

AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 75 [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.

16 Sept., 1946.                                       C. E. W. BEAN.

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL

ACCESS STATUS

OPEN

 

 

Two of our posts of 26 Bn.

were captured yesty.

Last seen throwing bombs.

 

\
1

March 27.

Yesterday afternoon

on getting back to Vaulx'

from the front line at

Lagnicourt xx someone 

- Wellington, I think -

at 7th Brigade H.Qs told

Gilchrist & myself that

the dugout in which we

had been living at

Bapaume had been

blown up by a delayed

mine - clockwork, or

some arrangement of acid

working through a plate

before it set the fuze going.

There were two men

working there at the time -

 

\
2

xxxx the signal[[sergt?]]

& a runner - & they are

still in there, in the signal

office. The thing went off about

noon yesterday. The prisoners

whom we had  seen

up at Vaulx had just

come down & the escort

had sent down for the staff

Captain to see them. Staff Capt.

was out but Warreker the bomb officer

ws there; & he had been

up all night ^during / fighting & was lying

down getting a bit of

rest when the prisoners

arrived. He decided

to go up & see them.

As he stepped from / mouth

 

3

The British 7th Divn was

to have attacked Langatte

& I believe Croisille the

same day - but at the
last moment reported they

could not, as the wire

was uncut. I believe

the General of the 7^th

Divn was removed from 

his job on this account.

 

Ap. 8. 3 men who esc. from Germs.

Is [[?]] line held

Weather [shorthand]

[shorthand]

{10 Bn straightening

{12

Hermies

49 Bn to rly

15 Bde not up.

 

\
4

o / dugout / place

blew up - not loudly but 

enough to break in /

entrances. The German

prisoners all turned

& ran.

Gough's congratulates on Hermies.

Hermies: 

[Shorthand]

 

5

Ap.9. I saw today 2 of 3

English soldiers who were

brought to Corps H. Qrs after coming

in to 48 Bn lines. They had bn

prisoners of / Germans. They

Butler ws keen on my seeing

them as they show ^½in their bodies how / Germans

treat our prisoners.

I found them lying down 

- one man covered with boils,

the other so thin & pale tt he looked

like dying. He seemed to have

dysentery & was reching when

I got to him. He (Parsey) had

weighed 13½ stone before he ws

captured - he is abt 10 stone

now. This is due entirely to /

way they were fed & worked.

They were working on roads behind / line.

The Germans whom we see on 

roads here are well fed, well

clothed. These men lay on shavings;

in a windy hut - had no overcoats

unless they cd beg them off French

civilians; were given one blanket when

/ snow came; were butted w a rifle if

they didn't get up to time or didnt work

 

\
6

hard enough - not so much by / soldiers

from / line as by / permanent base

men. In / last stage, at Saucy Courtier

2 men became unconscious & had to be

carried back from work - They were not sent to hosp.

The 3 men were of the 

Dorset Regt 5th Service Bn. A Coy.

L/Cpl. Parsey - 

Captd on Jan 11 at

Beamont Hamel.

      _________

Private Downes same Bn D Coy

captd same time.

     _________

L/Cpl Piggott D Coy same Bn.

    __________

There were abt 100 in the party - & 40 became

so ill tt they had to be taken away - These

three got away 8.30 (German time)

night of Ap. 7 & arrd

in Aust. lines 2.45

Ap. 8 - just as our

men were relieving. They

were confined in a brick kiln at Sourci

Courtres - with a broken down corner. who

the guard relieved at 6 pm. they hopped over

/ abt 2nd line from here were

not held at all - only 

 

7

They made for the gun flashes

& then for the nearest flare.

At last they came to a trench - It ws unoccupied

& only half dug. There were posts for wire

Hand drawn diagram – see original
They got down into

the next trench

xx - very deep -

when they saw

a Germ. come

toward / traverse

unarmed - they

thought he belonged

to a working party.

The man cd have hit them - but he

ran away calling to others. Our

3 made a wide circle & got thro without

seeing anyone. There had been

posts for wire xxx but no

wire, shell in front o / 1st trench 

- but here there ws wire. They

crawled over all wire exc. in

the front line where it ws so thick

tt / three of them walked over it.

They came across 3 sets of trenches

as above - only 2 (black line) occupied

(they cd see German heads as if on guard)

& men movin In the front line was

 

\
8

people seen were a

also a Sentry group at corner

of Bullecourt? village.

wh fired at them & threw 2 flares.

(apparently on fire step of front trench).

          _______________

[The 2nd & 3rd lines of the

German last defence were 

held.] The flares made them sure

it. ws / front line. One man

(Piggott) ws hit in arm by a shot [[?]].

By the second flare they saw our men relieving 

- thought they were ours by the hats

Cambrai first - camped

in citadel in room.

Then to Ervillers - working.

  _____________

The weather ws v. bad

& men became weak

& couldnt go on w / work.

They had to shift back.

  ____________

Then to Saucy Lostry - camped

in a barn. Waking

on rd & rly.

 _____________

Lastly to Saucy Courtney -

 

\
9

Two men there were

carried unconscious

from work.

Start work at 7

Come back at 12

Go on at 2

Knock off at 4.30

No [[2 of?]] meal exc. coffee.

At last place they

worked from 7 to 3.

 

[Diary contd near

xx ¾ of way thro'

this Book]

 

10

Ap. 9^th News arrived this morning

of the attack opposite Arras.

Our troops gained first the black

line - Then the brown line (the

German 3rd Line running

into the Cojeul Switch) -

6000 prisoners, incl. whole Bn; 40 guns.

Our attack on Bullecourt

Riencourt (latter awfully difficult)

with possible 3rd objve in Hendecourt,

wh ws to have bn made

tomorrow by 12 & 4 Bdes - & was

put off for 8 days from what White

told Army Commdr yesty - is

now on again in another form.

As they cant cut wire, 5th Army

has supplied th corps with

all its tanks (12) wh will

go through the wire. White

went up & saw the Hindenbg

wire himself from near

Longatte. Gough ws keen on /

attack but had agreed to its postponement.

when news of Arras attack came

 

\
11

Reports recd have raised question

question - whether Gs have

evacuated Bullecourt

 

Ap 9.

11.30pm Patrols report Germans

holding U 28 B & fired 

at from U 28 A 60. 20.

              ____________

12 pm. News tt / Cavalry corps

which had bn sent ordered thro late in /

afternoon at Arras had bn

withdrawn. Attack at dawn.

[At 2 a.m. I went up to see

the attack on the Hindbg Line.

with Tanks - It did not come

off. Abt 5 a.m. tanks cd be heard

puffing at Noriuil - Gen. Brand recd order

for left to withdraw - Ten mins later two yellow 

flares went up

Gen. Gough sd to Corps: if we get on

in the Northern part o / attack

it is up to you to do something. What

are you going to do.

White sd: Well, unless theres

some worthy object to be gained we 

cant put a division up to face

very heavy losses in front of wire.

But if he likes to send tanks thro

wire first our infy will follow after.

The scheme decided on ws tt our

 

\
12

infy. patrols shd be

sent forwd to see if

line held - & if not

held shd be pushed into

it & inf. shd follow

thro' to Hendecourt & 

Cagnicourt. If it were

held, & things were right

elsewhere, then the

attack ws to be made

with 12 tanks.

  ____________

I ws out all day

today getting details of attack

on Hermies & Boursies from 1st &

3rd Bdes. These were

attacked at dawn.

The 3rd Bde went

for Bursies, Yesty,