Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/79/1 - May 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606 /79/1
Title: Diary, May 1917
Includes references to Fifth Army Headquarters,
Lone Pine, Sir John Gellibrand, and Lord
Birdwood on the Germans at Lagnicourt.
AWM38-3DRL6O6/79/1 

Diary 79
16 May.
Original Diary NO. 79.
AWM 38
3DRL 606 ITEM 79 [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 

1
7
May 16^th 1917. This
day I went to stay with
Gellibrand.  Last nigh
evening I got hold of.
the report of yesty
mornings attack - &
it turns out tt / Germans
did attack us heavily
on right & 54th Bn
pushed them out &
200 dead were counted
(Hun sd literally counted)
in / trenches & about
them.
Just as I ws
leaving with little
Townsend (going to Amiens
to get his officers uniform
-newly promoted in the
AAGs office) he told 

2
7
me tt / message had
tt moment come in that
/ Germans had evacuated
- & tt our men were
walking abt outside
/ front line.
Later rang up Butler
who sd tt the Germans
had evacuated in front
o / British at Bullecourt_
Machine guns etc remained
in front of us.
Gelly has had great
difficulty to get at /
truth abt his battalions
& their performances.
He has bn screwing &
screwing the C.Os to
try & get it.  Davies 

3
7
of 22nd has had to
go - his chief shortcoming
ws overlooking hard
drinking in his battalion
-he sd it ws  just
cheery conviviality.
Gelly sd tt he just
roughly knew what
had happened - not
more.
May 17th.  The British
have taken / Germans
prisoners who remained
in Bullecourt _∧so long - a
very brave defence.
We were going to
gas them _^heavily tonight but
did not as / wind 

4
7
changed at dusk & is
now blowing from /
Germans.
Sir Newton Moore here-
May 17.  Our 1^st Anzac
troops are really very
good.  We always have a
1 in 5000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000,
100,0000 & 250,000 map
& sometimes  1 in 2500.
We are / only corps I know
of (certainly / only one in
this army) wh publishes
a daily situation map -
The aeroplane photos are
taken say by 9 or 10 a.m.
100 units may have to be
supplied with 20 copies
each - ie. 2000 copies.
This cant _∧all be done the same
day.  So as soon as /
'plane comes in the men
whom this corps has down 

5
7
there studies the prints,
gets down / new work
(Lucas is a regular very trained expert)
sends it down to the
Corps topographical section
at Pozieres ; they put it onto
their old map in a different
colour (blue) - & by 12 p.m.
the units have this map
with all new trenches &
additions on it.
May 28 (Friday)
Went up to see 54 Bn
& found them in the
Hindenbg line still -
Bn H.Q. in sunken Rd.
near Rly.
Hearne joined me
& we found Midgley
sniping Germans over
/ parapet - great
sport, he sd. He had done 

At one point Midgley told us to keep
low (I was getting rather to exposed) as
the Germans could see us down the
road (he sd) from Riencourt, & kep
sniped of fired with a m.g. down it.
CEW.B.
30.7.30.

6
7
big game shooting but
this ws better. Hearne
observed for him -&
he certainly made them
run across a wheatfield
& get down into shellholes.
Some German ws sniping
back.
Midgley took us on
-myself only half keen -
to a dugout between
our bombing block & /
German block - in
the O.G.2 trench - there
were 3 or 4 dead Germans
there, & one burnt
dugout; & _∧then a dugout
which they had stacked
with stuff - overcoats,
& waterproof sheets 

7
Diagram- please see original scan.
There ws a small post
here, deserted- 5 or 6
rifles lying together against
/ side o / trench; left
there exactly as when /
post ws withdrawn.
I dont think the trenches
had been filled in.  But
they were badly battered.
O.G.1 may have
bn filled in.  We
seemed to hold two
big shellholes or
Diagram- please see original scan.
round posts at / end
of it.

8
7
& bombs, & surgical
dressings.
Opposite us - ten yds
away - ws a low parapet
of sandbags - & beyond
that a turn o / trench. And
you cd clearly hear /
Germans hammering at
something like a wire
stakes beyond.
We were sniped at
regularly from Queant
as we came back but
/ range ws long , & as
long as you didnt
show / German tt he
ws close to you he
had nothing to go by.
Big guns are going away from our part
back to Albert and further. 

Ap.. 10

9
7
- A part of the history of
the 1st attack on Bullecourt
is tt after the abortive
arrangements of ?May 10
a conference ws held at
5th Army H.Q. in Albert
at wh Birdie outlined
an some local objections to the attack.
However it ws made clear
tt it ws part of a big
scheme of Haig's - & it
had to go on as part of it.
as to Tanks: The army, tank Commdrs
were confident tt at least
75% wd reach / enemys
trenches - we were new
to them.
When / Germans made
their attack on Lagnicourt