Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/47/1 - June 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/47/1
Title: Diary, June 1916
Covers the raid by the 5th Infantry Brigade, a
letter to Andrew Fisher and discussions with Sir
Brudenell White, Brig Gen J Charteris, Sir
Alexander Godley and Maj Gen J Paton.

1916
June 16/28
Original  DIARY No.47.
ALM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 47 [ 1 ]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.  W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918
The use of these diaries and notes is subject of 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 contest 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

8     47

5           1                   
1916
June 16/28
June 16.  Heavy firing has been 
X  going on - This is continuous
rumblings & distant roars -
salvoes of 4 guns at a time
probably.
This is the N. Zealanders
making a raid at Armentieres
agst part o / line where /
Enemy have bn doing a lot of
sapping of late.
(For _^happenings in this part of line yesty
see Notebook X.    .X. 
& subsequent PP.)
Went in to Hazebrouck
today to Ordinance to mark
20 parcels of Anzac Books
for delivery.  Capt Moore, the
O.O. there, told me in confidence
of h.qs wh have bn moved today to the 4th Army 
(shorthand)
from the Army up here.  16 or 19 batteries
(shorthand)
from 4 to 12 inch.  They say the woods
(shorthand)
down there are full of them - 15 in - all sorts!
(shorthand)

2
Birdie is very like
Lord Roberts - perh. not
quite so firm or strong independent in
facing public opinion, but
very much more like Bobs
than in any other soldiers I
know of. 

5    3
I asked White to give me a hint as to whether it
(shorthand)
ws worth my while stopping up here all the time or
(shorthand)
going down as anything tt ws doing might possibly
(shorthand)
be the last of its kind.  One never knew. He sd
(shorthand)
to keep my eye on him & he wd do so.  He thought
(shorthand
it wd be well for me to go for a bit
(shorthand)
12.25 it is a very bright moon (shorthand) tonight
& those guns are going still,
at intervals.  I wonder if
all has gone well w tt
raid.
Birdie blushed very
very red when I happened to 
be standing by him tonight -
He took he sd nothing.  A little
later in Whites room he took
my arm - & held it for a long
time If while he ws talking
to White.  Dear little chap.
I had a talk to White
also about Murdoch's letter.

5     4
White sd he believed in press
criticism - he thought / press
ought to criticise.  But
he thought tt if Murdoch
got Hamilton removed he
might also have tried to
get Asquith & his friends
removed.  "You know my
opinion, Bean", sd White.
"I think they ought to have
been put on their trial
for undertaking tt expedition
-I do honestly" - & he grew
red with warmth as he sd it.
"Hamilton may not have
bn a success but we know
tt if he had had / help wh
these Generals here have - the
ammunition & guns & so
on - if they had backed him up
as they backed up other Generals
he wd have got thro."

5     5
Perry Robinson & / "Times"
who was in Servia last
year tells me that he
knew that in July the British
Govt had assured Bulgaria
tt we shd be in Constantinople
within a few weeks.
If we had got thro then -
or if we had promised Bulgaria
earlier what we promised
her later, she wd probably
have come in with us,
he says.
12.40 Still continuous guns.
I wonder if the Germans have
shelled XXXXXXXX nomansland? (shorthand)
All sorts of talk thro' this 
village (amongst the inhabitants)
of our moving to Bailleul in
a few days (7 they say).  This
may be the incoming of Godley's
staff & finding of billets for them.

5     6
Griffiths tells me tt there
is a tremendous amt of
duplication at our base.
The 3rd Echelon here does
our record work v. well - gives
us answers very promptly -
has a special dept for
us.  We get our information
from it.  Sellheim has a similar
unwielding office in London -
doing exactly / same work,
publishing lists printed lists
(a fortnight or a month after
we get / same thing from the 3rd
Echelon) & costing a great
deal & doing no more good than
a newspaper.  It ought to be
cut out immediately - that
dept - & replaced by a little
staff for report attached to 3rd
Echelon for reporting casualties
to Australia. "tt wd be much

5     7
cheaper," Griffiths sd, "to lay
a trunk line from London to
Boulogne than to keep up this
office dept."  White & Griffiths
both know this - but why dont
they stop it.   XXXXXXXXXX It is
that they dont want to upset
Sellheim.  They have got him into
their system of working & it
wd be inconvenient to change
to Moore who knows very 
little abt the A.I.F.
I wish Griffith cd do the
work himself.
The finance is also
causing great anxiety - the
men working it were not
trained to dealing in millions.
1 a.m. Incessant firing
still going on.  It seems to be
continuing altogether too long. 

8
Report (shorthand) of
Raiding Pty 4 offrs. 83 men. under Capt EB
Alley 2nd Bn Otago Regt.
Objective - new trench _^N.W. from _^36 C 23. C. 9. 8
& crossing rd from 4 Hallots Ferme
'Drawing - see original document' Pty left at 11 p.m. & lay up 120 yds
in front of parapet on either side
of road.
Night clear w bright moon.
11.15 arty began (w diversions also) 20 mins.
diversions intensive fire;  range ws then lifted.
Enemy retaliated & Alley & Lieut. Espiner (2nd
in C.) were wounded before any advance made
from lying up point.  Trenches empty - 2 Germans
seen & K.  4 Germans seen dead.  Observn post
blown up w gun cotton.

5    9
1.10. am.
Since 1 am. there has bn much
heavier firing down S. opposite
our 1st Divn.  I shd say.  Surely
/ Germans are either retaliating
or making an attack.  This house
is shaking & the door handle
rattled just now as if there were
a knock on / door with one
big explosion.
Sat. June 17^th The heavy firing last night
seems to have bn due to a German
gas attack North of us.  I cd
have sworn the firing ws from the
South - 1st Aust. Divn or 11^th Corps
-(First Army, beyond our boundary).
Ross came back in the early
hours & tapped on the window.
The New Zealanders, he said,
had got in to the German trench
but there had been too much
artillery.  The trench - a new sap

10
strong barrier found at further end
of trench
                                            K      W
Casualties Officers          1         3
                     O.r.                  1         5
                                           ___     ____
                                             2         8
                                           ___     ____
Party remained for 7 mins.
Very bright _^close night - Raid worked exactly
as pre-arranged.
Wire cutting pties cut thro our wire.
Enemy's arty replied on Houplines &
subsidiary line but no real counter-
barrage.
When arty lifted the wire cutters w
assaulting pty dashed forwd & this
ws moment tt Capt E.B. Alley C.O. Assaulting Pty & Lt Espiner CO wire cutters
were wd,  They were left on rd.
The gap cut by T.M. batteries ws 15 yds N. of
where intended.  Wire cutters (now under Seys) had only to
clear strands away to get in.
'Drawing - see original document' Left Pty came on 2 Germans & bayoneted
them.  At end of _^"The Breakwater"  they
came on listening post,
Lt A. T. White CO. of rt pty had bn wd by
same shell as Alley poor Alley but
at abt 15 yds from main trench came
upon wire and sandbags across trench
(?blown there).
When pty ws tired the enemy did not make
barrage in Nomansland
________________________________
Trench: :  4 dugouts already made under parapet. 

5     11
which the Germans had bn making
into No mans land - was empty
except for two dead Germans. And
very much knocked about.  The
Germ dugouts contained helmets
& a few papers were found by
wh the regt was identified.
But no prisoners were taken.
[ Two officers afterwds each separately
claimed tt they had shot these
two Germans, themselves, w
revolver.  I daresay both thought

they had.  An N.C.O. sd they
were dead when / party arrived
there, & / official report sd they
were bayoneted.  Anyway they
were killed ].  The fine young Officer
who led the party ws hit 70 yds
from our own trenches by one of
our own shells - through / lungs
I suppose for he was gurgling
when they brought him in & Ross