Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/112/1 - May 1918 - Part 5

103 39
another to look after / facilities for those
who are about to begin some course for /
first time . . . . & so on.
Rolland told me tt by / continuance
o / war Aust. ws losing to his knowledge
some invaluable men. Young Wanliss of
14 Bn, for example (a son nephew of Col. Wanliss) used 
to spend all his leaves studying industries
tt wd be of use to Australia. It is
noticeable tt we are losing many of / best ,
he says.
 

 103 40 
Speaking of this, Reynolds of our Flying Corps,
who is going out to Australia shortly to
try & get / training there on a proper footing
in each state before / war ends, told me tt
several of their most brilliant inventors &
instructors are Australians. There is an
officer named Nicholls (I think tt ws / name)
who has perfected wireless telephony to
such a pitch tt it is now used by planes pilots
in / air; indeed the C.O. of a squadron
 

 103 41
now sometimes takes control of a
raid; he sits in a specially provided quiet
old Headquarters plane, high up & well back,
& directs the other machines. Nicholls
before / war ws a station master in
Australia. He used to experiment in
wireless for a hobby.
Another youngster - Wackett - a
Duntroon boy, - has made himself
famous by / invention of aeroplane
 

 103 42
sights - the "Wackett" Sight now used from
the ground as well as the air is one of the
most valuable instruments lately devised.
He has a wonderful bomb-dropping sight
- & also I believe some telescopic sight
for machine guns allowing for speed, direction,
xxx & everything else automatically, so
tt if you see the other plane target in / telescope
& shoot at it you must hit it.
The ^marvellous sound ranging instrument, young
 

103 43 
Shellshears work in wireless I daresay
is worth a good deal - Australian
brains seem to be of the greatest value to
them everywhere in this stage o / war.
It is all tt same precious
quality of facing square at / facts &
then going for them freshly, frankly,
without prejudice. Freshness is /
genius of Australia.
The Germans this morning attacked
 

 103 44
the French on a 40 kilometre front from
Montdidier to Rheims. Our 9^th Corps
ws in it. The Germans are sd to have
beaten / French back 4 miles. The
British down there are ^now holding on a
line S. of the Chemin des Dames.
Several have asked we tonight "Is
this, do you think, the real German attack?"
He has interior lines & cd do it - but / idea
is tt it is the feint before Michael III. That ws
 

 103 45
not / original impression - originally /
War Office thought he wd immobilise the
English - then attack / French &
work on their feeling tt / British were
not coming to their help. Some one sd tonight
"If the 9^th Corps gives, / German will go
"a long way to succeeding. They called
"the 9^th Corps, up here, the Flying Corps."
For the first time I saw some
 

 103 46
American Infantry tonight, coming
up towards Bertangles. They were
very big men - some tremendous even
amongst them. They march more
slackly than Australians tho they had no
packs.
It ws a shock to remember tt /
old 1st Divn & / early light horse brigades
were as big as tt, once - every bit.
But those big men are gone from Australia
now, never to return in this generation.
 

 10  47
A heavy bombardment has broken
out somewhere far South.
The noise this morning - a tremendous
bombt, was our "counter-preparatn" at
V/Bretonneux. It was turned on because
/ morning ws misty.
The German planes seem to have mostly
gone over for / night - about 10 of
them. I can just hear / dull heart beat of some. Ours are still flying - Weather still
very beautiful - some big clouds in blue sky. Cold at night.
 

 103  48
May 28 Tuesday. The British - the 8^th & 50^th
Divns have been driven South of the Aisne,
& so have the French on their flanks. The Germans
have crossed the Aisne at Longueval.
The first three comments that I have heard
on Birdwoods going are:
A man of 2nd Divn whom I picked up in / car
near Bertangles. "I hear we're losing our great
"General -" I looked at him not quite understanding
what he meant- "Gen. Birdwood (he went on).
"The boys wont like that."
Maj. Plant, one of our original youngsters on
the staff: “I hear we're to lose Birdie - bad luck
losing C.B.B" (White) isn't it? Its him I care