Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/213/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/213/1
Title: Notebook, 1915 - 1918
Includes references to the 17th, 19th and 20th
Battalions, Mont St Quentin, Beaurevoir and the
New Zealand landing at Gallipoli.
AWM38-3DRL606/213/1 

Beaurevoir. K
Aug 8 & Mt St Q
17 & 18 Bns 213

20 Bn Aug 8 - 12
Typed. 327-351
(also 352-356
[[?]]
?got near
Maidos?
Lieut F. H. Colbey. 10 Bn.
now in Adelaide
then a Pte.
No. 3.
ORIGINAL     DIARY NO. 213.
AWM38     3DRL 606 ITEM 213 [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

17 Bⁿ Montbehaim
Col Sadler          gas  AP

Lt Haig                  "     "
" McPhee              "     "
" Masterson            "     "
" Dark                     "     "
" Blackford            "     "
Capt McKenzie    "     D
" Ronald              wd   B
Lt Philps                "     B
" Adam                   "    B
" Robertson           "    C
" Pettit                  gas  D
" Booth                   "     D
" Moore                   "     D
" Harries                  "     C
" Nicholson             "     C
Capt Allen               "     B
" (MO) McLean       "    MO.

Joncourt. (Col. Sadlier)
Lt Gill
17 behind 18 (as on map)
Orders were verbal.
C.O. Had to take barrage orders to Coys
abt 10 mins before Zero.
While ^17 holding round Joncourt
Germs put down a v. heavy
gas concentrate on /  village
& / valley from ^11.30pm Oct 2 to 4.30 a.m. On
Oct 3. to Etricourt trench.  The men had to have a
feed, be withdrawn, & taken
to J.O. tape.
6.20 ws Zero.  8th Notts
& Derbys were on rt & 5
Bdes of F.A. behind.  The barrage
ws good.
The Beaurevoir Line
ws / 1st objve.  18 on rt
19 on left.  2nd objve
(17 & 20 ws ahead by
2 

Porchaux (sa on map)
17 Bn had 300 rifles.
The Bn ws pulled out
while gas ws still being thrown -
wearing gas helmets from 11.30 pm
to Jump Off - German c/barrage
ws gas - it ws very dark,
but fine.
Germans were holding
first objve - a traced trench
w 2 or 3 pillboxes & Strong
points at intervals.
Bn pt on to tape in
first class order.
On rt the 1st objve ws
taken well by 18Bn.  On
left towds rd they found
tt Estress ws not clear
& 18 Bn ws held up.
Consequently 17 Bn were held
3 

up for abt 2½ hrs.  They
were lying out in front o /
wire.  They had heavy
Casualties & / Centre Coy
ws pretty well wiped out
C.        Capt Wright  |
B.      Capt. Ronald   |  →
D.  Capt Mackenzie |

Ronald ws wd 10 mins after
/ show started.
The left Coy abt 2½ hrs later
worked thro into 27 B.  They
were held up by m.g. fire
from ^near La Motre Fm. & the heights
ahead.  20 Bn eventually got up
 4

the Torrens Canal.
Centre Coy ws so weak
tt some went w / left Coy
& some w / right.  All /
Offrs of B Coy ^exc. one were hit
Capt Ronald
Lt. Pettit.
Lt Adams.
Lt Masterson. xxxxx
Lt Richmond with his pty got
thro in / end to 27 B.
The Rt Coy went forward
very well & went thro
Liancourt.  By an hour
after Zero they were up in
29 A on / high ground, w
a tank, wh ws put
out as soon as it got onto /
high ground.  This ws /
only tank 17 Bn had - the
5

others were late & did not
take part.
The rt Coy ws in touch
with 8th Notts & Derbys on
their rt.
There ws a gap between
the two parties wh were as
marked on / map A & B.
The Casualties had bn
heavy - & barely 200 rifles
were now left.
The 18 Bn were ordered up
from 1st objve to fill / gap.
But this help ws slow
in arriving.  By midday /
gas had begun to take effect.
The men had begun to dribble
back blind & sick.
By 4 pm there ws only
a handful of offrs & men in
6 

either place.
With party A Capt Wright
(C. Coy) ws / only offr left.
With B pty there were
Lts Sams, Tisdale, & Richmond.
Wright ws recalled to take /c of
the Bn in place of Col. Sadlier
who had bn gassed.  This left
Sergt J.M. Young M.M. in/c of the
pty on / left, w only 10
men.  They were just in
potholes on / side o / hill -
& the B party the same.
This ws / situatn when
Col. Sadlier ws evacuated.
The ^remnants o / 18 Bn under Capt. Paine
came up by 6 p.m. & filled in /
gap.
24 & 22Bn went wh had
bn near Bellecourt went up
7 

thro' Estress- Arrangements
were made on / phone
abt 6 for a jump off
at 6.30.
On 17th Bn Sector the
23rd Bn moved thro &
dug in about 200 yds
ahead of the advanced position.
The 17 Bn line then became
a Support line
At midnight Bn
ws withdrawn to Etricourt
where it dug in.
wd. Col. Sadlier - his HQrs
ws in a big pillbox at the
E end of Joncourt - it
ws / only place where you
cd have a light & it ws
hit ^6 times in / night.   The 18 Bn HQ ws a few
 8

hundred yds in rear on /
road side - the Colonel had
reconnoitred / area very
thoro'ly & they were / only
places possible.  The gas
ws falling all night.  & stumbling
abt in / dark, if / show
ws to go, it ws necessary
to take off your ^gas helmet -
The Bn consisted of 3 Coy BCD,
A having bn cut out owing to
shortage of nos.
On Hqrs.  Lt Haig Adtj. } - since died.
Int. Offr.  Lt McPhee }                               were all
Asst. Adjt Asst Int Offr. Lt Masterson } similarly
L.G. offr. Lt Dark }                                       gassed
Sig. offr. & Lt Blackford }
C Coy. Lt Robertson wd. in front o /
wire.
Lt Harries gassed
Lt Nicholson (on liaison with rt
32 Britsh. Bde) - gassed
9