Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/106/1 - April 1918 - Part 5

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way from tt in wh they look
on the British soldiers.
Our Australians are
full of the impression, which seems
to me right, although it does
not help the cause to say so,
that the ^present British soldier & staff
cannot stand up to / Germans,
(except for the Cavalry & / Scots &
possibly a division here or there);
& tt / only troops who can
be relied on to face / Germans
are colonial troops - Canadians,
South Africans, Australians. The
impression our men have
obtained from having the Tommies
pass thro them in various
places is tt, though there are
fine men amongst / British,
the majority of them are not 

83                                                  47
fit to face / Germans. An
influx of American battalions
amongst _^them may revive the British
battalions - the example of
a determined force is man
amongst them is what they
want x The Fusiliers at
Dernancourt when they had
our men amongst them, stood
firmly & "hopped over" against
/ Germans when first we
arrived there. But / British
troops lack the men w / determination
to fight who are necessary
to make a stern defence.
Our officers & men are
all talking of this; they all
speak of the British retreating
without putting up a fight
after the first few days -
when they see British troops
retiring it is "the same old 

83                                              48
game starting"; & this
makes the situation of
British offrs in our messes
very trying for them - They
cant help noticing / atmosphere,
& chance remarks will
occasionally let / cat out of /
bag, even when / discussion
is not open - wh it sometimes
is.
The Prime Minister &
Mr Bonar Law are looking
round for a cause - the
reason of this breakdown;
they both refer to Gough -
we could have told them that
in 1916; they hint at
Haig - we cd have told them
tt also, long ago. But they
neither of them hit on the real
cause - The real cause has
been plain as an open book 

83                                  49
Ever since Suvla Bay -
it is far far deeper than
the failure of this or tt
division or general. It is
The real cause is / social
System of England, or the
distorted relic of the early middle
ages wh passes for a system;
the Exploitation of the whole
country for / benefit of
a class - by which accepted
by the a system quietly assumed
by / "upper class" & accepted
by / lower class, so tt /
upper class does not have to
employ brains or ability or
any virtue of modern value
except tact to move or manners in order
to occupy all the positions of
command; & / lower class 

83                                                 50
has to exist without any
hope or right of betterment
in whatever hovels & slums
this "system" allows for its
workers. The upper class
has no remains "upper" without dependence on
brains, by a sort of feudal
right; & / lower class has
no right to develop either
brains or bodies. This System
is necessary to the development
o / "national" _^wealth - which
means the wealth of the
upper & middle classes. The
other class, tho' an Englishman
wd wonder what you meant
if you said so, has no
rights.
Generals without brains
& an army without physique
- & there you have it. 

83                                               51
The 1st Aust. Divn has gone
into GH.Q Reserve in Cassel.
April 13^th.
Sent _^Wilkins / car down to get
meet him - he has bn to
England for 3 days - &
sent him a note to
Evacuate Corbie Steenvoorde if he
thinks well to do so.
I hear Paschendaele is
Evacuated by us ; the Germans
are near the Forest de Nieppe
- near our old La Motte! close
to Hazebrouck.
Two machine gunners of
the 24^th m.g. Coy taken in /
Quarry on Apr. 5 have escaped.
A wonderful story - Cutlack
has seen them. He will give
me a note of it. 

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Ap 14th
Three raids were attempted
by the 2nd Aust. Divn last night,
21^st Bn, 24^th Bn, & 26^th Bn.
The 21^st Bn lost Lieut. Sibiston killed
& several others. Two o / raids
lost prisoners. All were hurried
affairs & / arty barrage went over
/ posts to be attacked.
The attack by the 5th Bde ^near Hangard will
not come off. We expect another
great German drive & / policy is
not to use our reserves until
that push is over.
The 2nd Bde is sd to be
in / line in front of Meteren.
The German seems now to be
held in front of Walverghem,
Bailleul, & Merris. He is
sd to be attacking strongly.
We hear a rumour tt
our 1st Tunnelling Coy was last seen 

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fighting in Wul Ploegstreet Wood
- but I don't know if it xxx is
true.
The units all tell one tt /
French people received them w
open arms - sometimes w
tears - when they came down
here. "Les Australiens et les
Ecossais sont de tres bons
soldats" an old Frenchman
sd today to Cutlack who had
a ride in his cart. The
4^th Field Coy tell me tt the last
British defeat has made /
French alter in their attitude
to who there very much. One
of their offrs, sent to reconnoitre
a road in case of possible
retreat, was treated with
very scant courtesy. The Aust.
Comforts Fund Officer who has
just destroyed £12,000 worth of 

83                                                54
comforts in Bailleul - abt
/ last man there - says tt
the old French people were
saying - "When the Australians
left we knew the German wd
come."
It is curious tt since ever
they knew us - as John Buchan
told me in July 1916 – the French
people have put down / Australians
& / Scots as / best o / British
troops in France.