Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/75/1 - March - April 1917 - Part 11

115
we dont yet know where
all these 12 tanks have got to.
2 of them are in the German lines
opp. Riencourt - (1 in the wire &
one on the 2nd. trench). One disappeared
at a late stage into Bullecourt.
There are sd to be 4 others
destroyed in what is properly
Nomansland, & one right
away back near Vaulx -
one is near the rly line.
The Germans claim tt 9
tanks are destroyed by them
inside their lines. This must
include, Nomansland. The Germs.
destroyed some by arty fire - & they
state they also destroyed them by
m.g. fire using steel bullets. I
wonder if we have any cut & dried
plan agst their tanks. If so, I
dont think the infy know anything of
it.
 

116
same place, same
plan -
The tanks failed
utterly ^X - so for as I
know only 3 of 12
reached the wire
I watched / whole
attack - (notes
on an earlier
page in pencil)
from abt 8 centl.
It ws our experiment
- & failed.
On Ap. 15
the Gs. made their
experiment - a
cut at our guns, with
3 divns (16 Bns. if not
18) & their prisoners
 

117

Ap. 21 today I went round
Hermies with Baldwin-
& walked back late at night.
One cd see the shrapnel barrage
bursting far away to N in 3rd
army area.
At the 4 Bn Hqrs S. of Doignies
they told me tt / enemy had
suddenly startd shelling the
Sunken Rd fork East of
Boursies, where we had gas
& were to make a gas attack
tt night. A german plane came
over very low down & looked into
/ place. They think / Germs. have
sot some informatn of it.
A The German ^officer saw tt they know
of the thinness of our line from a
Sergt Maj. of 11 Bn. The 11 say no S.M.
ws captd - -but probly a sergt in/c. of one
of there small posts was.
 

118
admit they also
failed.
(ApEIEx
Last night,(Ap 21/22) out went
for a German post in
D14 centl. We found it
ws two posts, one
held by abt 50 men -
& they fought very
well; but I believe
we got the place.
Ap. 22 Tomorrow
M. Ehrenborg (a Russian
pacifist) & John
Masefield are coming
here to be taken round
by me & to see Genl
 

119
Birdwood. They
want to show the
pacifist tt / Germans
democratic Australian
can hate & fight / Germans
on principle; &
Mosefield is writing
a history for /
British Govt, I believe.

Our officers are
at present all anxious
abt Russia. Wherever
I go they ask - what
do I think of it.
There seem to be 4
Govts in Russia, &
the Labour Committees
 

120
are certainly trying
to make peace with
Germany - The
Labour & Soldiers' ctee
is agst it - The
Provisional Govt is
for fighting to / end.
What / Peasants Ctee
thinks I dont know
(if tt is a separate
body). But I cant think
tt / Russian Democracy
will give up / fight
for democracy & make
friends with the
German autocratic
Military regime
leave all / democracies
o / world in / lurch.
 

121
Visited The 11^th Bn who only
sent in their losses yesty -
177 missing - after I
had denied the German
account & said there were
only 190 missing.

Ap. 23. V. Heavy firing the
mng. The V11 Corps is attacking
Masefield arrived
with Maj. Lytton - also
Ehrenborg & my old friend
of the Grand Fleet trip -
Alexis Aladin. We went
round to see the Hindenberg
wire near Noreuil -
the Germans putting over
a fair amount of stuff -
 

122
A
A letter from Griffiths
to my brother Jack -
shows the sort of man
Griffiths is.

B
A letter typical of
those which all constantly
get from the parents
especially the mothers
of boys lost or mussing
at the front

C
A letter from an Australian
youngster - the right
sort of boy. Our recruits
are down to 5000 a month
instead of 16,000.
 

123
not far away - One
5.9 dropped almost onto
a little line of dugouts &
cookers - the men
just tumbled out, one or
2 of them - & stood there looking
on or talking - it was
a fine example of the
way they take shell fire.
Masefield is a quiet
most retiring man, not a bit the
bluff ratter crude man
I expected - Shy to a degree,
I shd say. He is writing
for the British Govt a
history of the Battle
the Somme. He is slight,
with a sunburnt, good looking
 

124
face & light moustache
- a regular cavalry
officer type but much
quieter. I can see in
him, now that I look,
the very quiet merchant
service officer.
We cd see the
battle going on the left
near Crois ille - while
that is, the dust & shells
of it - 5 miles away.
And our own guns were
cutting wire - tt Hindenberg
wire seemed to have
almost vanished.
At Corps, on getting
back, we heard tt the
 

125
 

They made 2000
prisoners.
 

126
V11 Corps & others had
made a good advance
- &, later, tt they had
bn ^in / centre pushed back by
a c. attack, 3000 Germans
appearing & not being
caught by the guns.
They are to attack agn
tonight, & / guns are
busy.
Our troops are getting
/ rest for wh Birdie asked -
& prayed - 2 or 3 wks at
any rate. The 11 Divn is
just going in- after 3
months out of / fight since
leaving Salonica.
The British got round
 

127
S. of Havrincourt last
night, or yesty - wh is
good so long as they are
not heavily c. attd.
The Germs. have raided
Dover & Calais - & lost at
least 2 destroyers in
conflict w our patrols

April 24.
In the mess, today -
(Gen. Birdwood asked me, on
coming ^here, to join his mess)
Gen. White ws talking to
Portal, a young officer
promoted to command of
the 8 83rd Sqn. of aeroplanes.
He said that his Brigade
 

128
(i.e. the 3 Sqdns of the 5^th
Army) put down 17
german planes yesty
without losing one; & along
/ whole front / Birtish
planes put down 38
& only lost 7.
The secret is - that
our new Sopwith "Pups"
were released with the
first fine day of spring.
They were never allowed
to go over / lines before.
They sent over an old
slow "bus" first, to drop
an egg on the G. aerodome
- just one. When / Gs.
looked up. & saw her they