Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/106/1 - April 1918 - Part 4

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her mother & she sd tt as
/ girl was set on it, & it
was her wish & happiness to
marry him, she wd not
object in any way - but
she did not know what the
father & / rest o / family,
who were away, wd say.
However Barton came
back.  He told this to Witham.
He ws left out o / Coy
when it went up / line,
& ws indignant.  “Well, you’re
not going to attack, old man,”
sd Witham - "there's no disgrace 
in being left out w / nucleus.”
But Barton begged so hard
tt W. sd tt if an opportunity
occurred it might be possible
to get him up later.
When reinfts were wanted
 

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Barton ws sent for & sent
forward.  He ws very
sure (for some reason) this
day tt he ws going to be
killed.  He ws hit in /
knee - & died.  He ws
one of three men who
did a magnificent bit of
Scouting at Ypres (this is in
my notes on the 52 Bn at
Dernancourt).
It ws so foggy tonight
tt Boddy, who drove me
back from Neuville, cdnt
see / way & we had to
crawl along I keeping
my electric torch close to
/ roadside & shouting
"right" or  "left" as we
 

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wandered about it.
The 52nd Bn ws amusing
itself in Neuville shooting
pigeons.  All / afternoon &
evening there were cracks &
pops of rifles (even in /
backyard of Bn Hqrs.) one
chap wd shoot at / pigeon
on the tiles & another wd
go round & stand / other side
& catch it.  Julin ws
priding himself tt while the
Gen. (Glasgow) ws there he
had shooe-d all the pigeon
shooters to / far end o /
town & kept them quiet.
However, while the Gen^l ws
talking outside Hqrs a
pigeon dropped _^off / roof dead at his
feet.  Presently a shock head
 

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poked round / corner &
withdrew.  "Do you think
/ general saw we ws shooting
pigeons?"  one the rifleman
asked the adjt afterwds!
One man had a cobber
waiting round / other side o
/ house when he fired & hit
a brick wh fell onto /
man waiting & put a
dint into his tin hat.
Another man fell out of
a 3rd story window without
killing himself.  The 52nd is
in splendid heart.  It ws
joined by a fine lot of
reinfts today - I saw them
being drafted in.  They heard
"B" Coy had bn "slathered up"
So they volunteered for it heavily.
 

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There ws plenty of pigeon
pie - the 52nd is enjoying
itself like a lot of boys.
I saw no looting; & tho' the 
Town Major of Corbie says
it is very bad - our men
are not one atom worse
than / British, -  not so bad
so far as I have _^any experience;
nearly all / looting I have
seen was done by Tommies
xx who had bn in / retreat.
Poor chaps - I daresay they
needed something to  cheer them
a bit.
April 11th.  At Corps we heard 
tt / Germans are now in
Steenwerck.  Armentieres is
evacuated.  There is a lot of

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firing tonight.  Our 5th Divl
attack is definitely cancelled
for shortage of men - / policy
is to preserve all we can
Birdie consulted / army (?or GHQ.)
on / point & asked what they
wished - if they thought /  necessary
loss worth while.
The first Divn (wh has
just arrived from / North) is
ordered back North again.
Tonight the 4^th Divn
has bn warned tt it maybe
sent off also at anytime.
So Norman (who bet me that
the "Mobile “ Divn" wd be sent
N within a fortnight) may
win his bet - a dinner in
Australia.
Yesty "The Times" brought us
news tt / British war office
 

41
X  Had a wonderful day out
today - gloriously fine for /
first time - photographing with
Sergt Jackson the Dernancourt
battlefield from Buire & Treux
Wood.  Scarcely a shot fired except
at Vaux Sur Somme. 
 
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had decided tt in future
Generals were not to be
promoted by seniority but only
by selection.  It has needed
/ British army to be half way
to Boulogne before they did that!
And then they have only done made
a third of / necy reform.  If
they had added "nor for social
standing qualificatns" - they
wd have marde covered
2/3s of the trouble -
Apr. 12. ^X It is explained in / Press
tt /  promotion of British Generals
by selection instead of seniority is
a very small reform - affecting
only Generals - not Major - or
Lieutenant-Generals (who apparently
have always been promoted by -
selection?); at any rate it means only
 

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/ doing away with an old piece of
routine & doesnt affect any General
in / field.
The Germans are reported to
have reached Merville - & are
pushing North, clearly for Hazebrouck.
If they get Hazebrouck rly junction
the British army in / Salient has
I believe only one single line of
rly commn via Bergues.
The private who ws helping
Gullett to clear / war trophies has
arrived at Corps Hqrs & says tt
they were all cleared from Caestre
on April 8 & tt by / morning of
Ap 9 - when / bombt began up
there - the train had left. They
are marked for Havre &
England.  The help of Maj. Gen.
C.G. Donald the British inspector
of Trophies to whom Butler &
Gullett took my letter on April 8^th
 

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has got them assured of carriage
to England.  Gullett has been
commandeering lorries from
lorry parks, general service
waggons, anything, to do his
work.  Butler has been getting
Red X  & Comforts Fund Stores
from Bailleul - giving them
away rather than let /  Germs.
get them.  Bailleul has lately
been too hot to enter - but
Gullett ran through in /
photographers little car &
chanced / shells.
He has done most excellently
to manage this.
The 1^st Divn had a very bad
time entraining at Amiens
last night.  The 2nd Bn at Amiens
station (^I don't know if it was while waiting for / train
or actually in it) was bombed
or shelled or both, & lost 12 k.
 

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& 50 wd.
 Vign Today on my way
through Flesselles to Vignacourt
I found / village, wh yesty
was full of our 3rd Bde, now
full of French troops in their
bright light blue uniforms.  In
Vignacourt, our Corps Headqrs,
"B Echelon" is in  / middle
of the French - The French
get on well w / Australians.
I don't know if I am ultra-sensitive;
but it seems to
me tt when one drives thro'
a French village now,  /
people look at one with a
sort of surly half-contempt.
There is a general impression
in our Corps that they the people regard
the Australian in a very different