Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/78/1 - May 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/78/1
Title: Diary, May 1917
Includes references to Lagnicourt, Bullecourt
and the 15th Infantry Brigade.
AWM38-3DRL606/78/1
 

May 5 - 15 1
Diary
Original
DIARY NO. 78.
AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 78 [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

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
4
1
May 5-15  
Diary
78
Refs
35 Lib.
15 Hughes
25 Opp. Labour.
May 25
Last 23
Senate
Lib 10
Hughes 13
Opp Lab. 13
May 10
Lost. minority 1

4      2
May 5 (contd) There
was a heavy bombt
about 11 p.m. An SOS
signal had gone up in
our line - The Germans
are Counter attacking.
Gen. Russell (NZ) is
here w Temperley.
Temperley says tt if we
are not supported by an
extension of / line we are
sure to be put out, Gen.
Birdwood & White quite
expect us to be put out.
Boase tells me - he told
me / absolute truth abt
5 Bde - that yesty
afternoon before 3. 30
our s.bs out picking up
 

4    3
wounded were not fired
on. So they came back
& the 2nd Bn suddenly
rushed abt 200 yds of
O.G. trench is from near
Sunken Rd.  Afterwds
2nd Bn bombed a long
way. When the bombing
in O.G. 1 got ahead of tt in
O.G. 2 they crossed over
(or 4 Bn did) from O.G.1 to 2
& reached the old Bde
objective. They were
trying to put posts further
out to protect / flank
but hadnt managed
it - a very good
show, he sd.
He doesnt know
why the 5 Bde failed & is
 

4     4
clearly broken up
a bit by it. He think (as
does Gelly) tt it ws
partly lack of offrs. When
once / attack ws broken
up it ws of course
disorganised for good &
all & everything seemed
to go wrong.
Gelly says tt when
the 28 Bn came back,
[during the G. c.attack at 10 pm]
the men were streaming
to / rear; but any his
offrs ran out & shouted in
dark - "here men, tt
isn't / way to / embankment"
& they sell turned
& lined / embankment at
once. The 28 Bn had

4     5
claimed to reach a
pt 1200 yds along / trenches
before they were minenwerfered
out of it, but
this of course ws impossible.
The next thing tt ws
known ws their
streaming to / rear
out of the ^29 road wh they
had bn lining. If tt
rd were gone all ws
over; it ws / only channel
of supplies (& when the
2 Bns of 1st Bde were in
/ sap there the carrying
pties had to use the open
road!)
Our men were thick
in / trenches when / aeroplane
went over - but only
small pties of Germans
 

We were driven
back a bit on left.
4     6
There were no 5^th Bde
in yestys bomb attack.
Same day the 5 Bde got
into our own barrage. Gelly
says some of our own
shells fell behind the
rly line.
May 6th Evg. There were
3 attacks on our line
last night - a tremendous
noise abt 11, 1, & 4.30
- it seemed to me. In
one of these the Gs. got
well in amongst our
3rd Bde, 11 Bn troops -
But they suffered very
heavily from bombs &
m.gs. & were thrown
out agn - some say by
the 2nd Bn^.x

4     7
The attack they say ws
made by one Bn.
The army seem to be
doing nothing in particular
to help us out. At present
there is an almost endless
vista of Bdes put in
to hold this impossible
position - The 7th Divn
is going for Bullecourt
again tonight - I believe
- one brigade of it. (It
ws two Bns the first
night) They have crumped
Bullecourt a lot today
White says - & Murdoch
who was up there.
noticed the difference.
White is very angry
with the way in which
 

8
Lagnicourt Fight Ap.15.
The Sergt of 12 Bn who bombed
a m.g. & captd. it on the
Rd from Lagnict. ws Sergt
Whittle.
12 Bty had 4 guns firing
with open sights at abt 1200 yds
13 Bty got out one gun & a
stray shell got one of them.
4     9
Gough has messed up
this corps. It is
very hard luck that the
first Divn shd be dragged
in like this just when
it was coming out -
Birdwd ws saying
today tt he might give offer
the army to take Bullect.
With our 5^th Divn if
they wdnt do anything.
He could guarantee
their ^the 5^th Divn doing it.
Devons & Gordons got
in at 3.45 - 5.30 am & joined 9 Bn.
May 7. 5.45 p.m. Very heavy
shelling on Bullecourt
Scotties coming back thro
wire -
Abt 3.30 pm aeroplane
found Germans swarming
over the open SW of
factory & put guns
onto them
Catacombs in Rienct.