Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/131/1 - July - November 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-1918 War: Records of CEW Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number : 3DRL606/131/1
Title: Notebook, July - November 1916
Includes references to the 19th and 20th
Battalions, the 4th Pioneer Battalion, Flers and
Pozieres.
AWM38-DRL606/131/1 

20 Bn Pozieres
19 Bn
4 Pioneers
Original DIARY NO 131                                                                  
AWM   3DRL 606    ITEM 131 [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 Sep., 1946.      C.E.W. BEAN.                                                                                    
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
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11 
2                                                
20^th Bn.
C.Coy:
22nd July  20 Bn left Warloy for Brickfields.
23-4 still at Brickfields.
24 evg pushed up to Sausage Gully.
25 evg. I saw Claude.
25/26 C.Coys stunt.
C .Coy _∧ Capt. Hoskins, Lts Harper, Evans,
went for OG1 & OG2 between
tramline & Bapaume Rd.
X5a.
It ws to have bn B & C. Coys.
When B Coy relieved 1st Coy.
it was dawn & B coys
attack ws countermanded.
B ws to have gone behind C
to make the attack deeper.
They were pushed in as they
arrived - they went along
tram & Harper & some others
got to German trench - wire
ws not cut. Harper ws hit 

 2a
3rd Innings
Diagram - see original document

11

3
going on to German parapet_∧ in head & was hit going 
back in leg (invalided to Aust).
It ws a dawn attack. C Coy
came back as best they cd.
Some did not get back for days
from the shell holes. Hoskins
& some others went over
next day to help pick
them up.
20 Bn went into front line -
wh ws at that time behind
tramway trench -(trench in wh
I found 21 & 19 Bns)
26 
After C. Coys stunt Bn
went back into Long Drive
(a trench E of Chalk Pit to
Sunken Rd). There were
German dugouts there:
one had Zur Unterweld
in chalk on it; another
Wann 1st Friede? Gar nichts. 

11 
4                                                  
Ja, August 17!"
27.  Doing fatigues in same place
(17 & 18 holding line).
Shelled by gas shells. Barrage
always heavy.
28. Same.
29/30 1st attack on O.G. lines.
Moved up overland in Evg.
Walked along top of sap skirting
s.. side of rly s. of Poz.
Across rly near triple
junction, & began to form
up in shellholes abt 9.15
p.m. in tree stumps S. of road.
B Coy were to take the
line - (Capt Rush); C. Coy
to come over after.
2/Lt Alexander ws in charge
of 1st. Line. Lt M. Jones
in charge of 2nd ; Lt Caulderwood
in ch. of 3rd. 

11 
5                                                                
1st line ws half formed up
when Germans opened out on
them with m. g. & shrapnel
2nd line were then coming down the 
tram line. Jones stopped on the
corner of the trees - cleared the
tramline - pushed the men into
shell holes N of the line &
went into shell hole himself
; they wormed forward to get 
away from the barrage & stayed
in shellholes. Flares thick all
night
The m.gs seemed to be on
the Bapaume Rd - like
a hail till abt 3 a.m. &
in the hour between then &
dawn the 20^th's two Coys
managed to get back into
Long Drive.
Later on they pushed
back into Sausage Gully &
got the men a hot feed.
The crossing of the tram line
ws a ticklish job — & the 

11 
6                                                   
Germans certainly saw
the men moving — they
did not stop when the flares
went up.
30 Sunday. Abt 30 p.c. of Coy
had bn lost - many on
fatigue work - few lost on
29/30.
31 . .  to Long Drive agn, on fatigues.
Aug 1. Started digging trench
from Kirk's strong point.
Still uncertain as to what 
ws to be done - the
suspense very trying &
men getting v. nervy.
Aug. 2 & 3 went up each night
digging (from Long Drive). 
Aug 4 . at 9.15 went over
from Jumping off trench.
The Right boundary was
the road. 18 Bn on left, 

11
7
17 Bn on right. 17 Bn had
bombed up & 20 had to
join up w them.
9.15 were only partly formed
up. B & A to take O.G 1,
C & D .OG 2
There ws very little fire
at all that night as they
went across. B were in
first line on left. It ws dry
& shell-holey. They trotted across
the 150 yds & fell into the trench
before they knew they were 
there. There were Huns
out in nomansland, & some
few out of way of barrage - who
held up their hands.
A few in O.G. 1 - mostly
the garrison ws in dugouts.
They put up no show at all.
If they understood they wd 

11
8                                       
do exactly what ws wanted.
If they a man did not understand
then he rolled down a
bomb & they sometimes fought
them. But if you asked if
they wanted to surrender
they always sd yes - you
sd come up w your
hands up. & up they
came. They were mostly
84 Regt ^Prussians & Ersatz — had 
relieved a Prussian Guard Rgt
2 nights before. They had
plenty of food in dugouts
wh were very dirty -
refuse of months of food
- equipment etc trodden
into the floor. Their equipment
was generally hanging
up - they seemed to have 

11
9
been caught on the hop.
Jones went down w Sergt
Burnett ^later killed (after unwounded
men had come up) without
a light - asked in dark
where light was - voices
in German told him - went
to it round corner & lit it
& so on. Rush went down
similarly. They dressed
the German wounded (mostly
w. in bombt - few with
bombs - provided they knew
that you were not going
to hurt them they did
nothing. One isolated officer (wd)
in a deep dugout threw a bomb
at Jones as he ws coming
down the stairs - J. jumped
into a corner clear of it,
fired where he saw the
movement, & shot him &
k. him w a bomb as well.