Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/113/1 - May - June 1918 - Part 2

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066559
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

had noticed - there was a lot of signal wire about See you get th reeled up, White, he sd- We ought to save as much of th as we can. I thought "Heavens - what does he think we are doing here – whey I wd gladly have lefs all guns behind if ved only get men off sabely. I sd. yes- its a difficult job writing this telegram - because I don't want to make 9
out to fen. Berdwood made Antialians. I don't think he did – in spite of his services to them it wd be trues to say to 1 Austialians made him to se No Mr. it wd be most entrue t fen. Berdi made Aushalians, sd White. I do not think to he ever drew up I plans of an operation wh they carried out - it was not an clement in his capacity; & of course he has never been an organiser . When Bordie went out for 1
day he never brought back a him a reliable summary of what he had seen there. He wd spend a couple of hoars up w one of the brgades + I have often tried, when he came back, to fet a cstimate real of position there from him. I found you could never rely upon its being at all like I fact. I ty told himacon He wa say to soand so had a couple of companies over looking such & such a part - & I wd find out dater to this ws completely wrong
18 12 keeping up "Biidie had a power of 1 fighting spcrit in 1 men; & be one who wal not have lost to spirit however badly things went- he wd have kept his fight in him even if matter had sone badly w us – that is a great quality. Them he was stong- surprisingly careless of result - in his dealing in others "Is that so 3d Isd. There again I thought sometimes to he as weak - in his dealings w his brigadiers for example. I thought to be
did not like to getred of those whom he ought to have got rid of I meant in his dealings to those above, "white sd. He stood very ferm in his relations to them. For example, when the A.R.F. came here from Sgypt, there arose question of our states in relation to G.H.O (were we to be administered independently o subject to them in matters of personnal?) Gen. Berdie did not maken it a fightin matter he never tought in those questions; but he 13
14 set out to gain his ends by a curious circuitous channel - "White wound his finger I chaped over 1 table? It has gove on t way ever since. I had thought it over & ws rakes inclosed to give them a statment perfectly solite but pretty pank & firm - from beginning. But Berdie took his own course- & to course it has bn going on & it has got there - St.B is under us now to a wonderful Extent. o you know it is important to take
a strong cousse in dealing wo armies, White added. [They have a way of ptting a proposse to you why looks as tho' they were accepting I responsibility for it when they are really not they are really throwing I responsibiliy on you. The army commander comes along & says he wants you to undertake some thing It tooks like an order, but it is not. For one
16 thing they will nearly always ask you to do something additional - after you have undertaken what you believe you can do. It doesn't do to be unwilling to fight – its not the right spirit & one does not like even to seem unwilling. But at I same time one does not. want to undertake a fight without knowing to it is going to be of value - to have results of whatever loss worthy undertakin othe lose involves
17 Now you take the case of th little plan about Hamel. Kawhinson asked us to take Hamel. Birdie agreed. I think he had two reasons. first he wanted I Austalians to make a name for themselves down here; they had be down some time & had not really made their name yet. Secondly he did not wish it to appear to be wanted to spa the Austialian Corps to be spared losses more than any other corps - t he wished to keep them from fighting
Schene accordingly he asked me to draw ap a t to send to Rawlinson? I told him to I did not like the attack - it seemed to we to be risking the cutting up of a division without any particular advantage worth the cost to preservate t at a time when it was likely use in a these divisions for an energency ws very important However he still asked me to draw up

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had noticed - there was a lot of Signal wire
about - “See you get tt reeled up, White,” he
sd - “We ought to save as much of tt as we
can.”  I thought "Heavens - what does he think
we are doing here” - why I wd gladly have left
all / guns behind if we cd only get /
men off safely.”
I sd:  yes - its a difficult job writing
this telegram - because I dont want to make
 

 

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out tt Gen. Birdwood made / Australians.  I dont
think he did - in spite of his services to them it
wd be truer to say tt / Australians made him.”
“No - Gen B. it wd be most untrue ^to say tt Gen. Birdwood
made / Australians," sd White.  “I do not think
tt he ever drew up / plans of an operation
wh they carried out - it was not an element in
his capacity; & of course he has never been
an organiser.  When Birdie went out for / 
 

 

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day he never brought back w him a reliable
summary of what he had seen there.  He wd spend
a couple of hours up w one of the brigades & I
have often tried, when he came back, to get a
real idea ^estimate o / position there from him.  I found
you could never rely upon its being at all
like / fact.  If they told him a con He wd
say tt so and so had a couple of companies
overlooking such & such a part - & I wd find
out later tt this ws completely wrong -
 

 

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"Birdie had a power of making men keeping up / fighting
spirit in / men; & he ws able to one who wd
not have lost tt spirit however badly things went -
he wd have kept his fight in him even if matters
had gone badly w us - that is a great quality.
"Then he was strong - surprisingly careless
o / result - in his dealing w others . . ."
"Is that so?"  I sd. "There again I thought
tt he ws often very sometimes weak - in his dealings w
his brigadiers for example.  I thought tt he
 

 

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did not like to get rid of those whom he ought
to have got rid of . . . . "
"I meant in his dealings w those
above," White sd.  "He stood very firm in his
dealings relations w them.  For example, when
the A.I.F. came here from Egypt, there arose
/ question of our status in relation to G.H.Q.
(^i.e. were we to be administered independently or
subject to them in matters of personnel?) Gen.
Birdie did not make it a fighting matter -
he well has never fought in these questions; but he
 

 

 

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set out to gain his own ends by a curious
circuitous channel - "White wound his
finger S shaped over / table!  "It has gone
on tt way ever since.  I had thought it over
& ws rather inclined to give them a statement -
perfectly polite but pretty frank & firm - from /
beginning.  But Birdie took his own course - &
tt course it has bn going on & it has got there - G.H.Q.
is wonderfully under us now to a wonderful
extent."  
"You know it is important to take
 

 

 

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a strong course in dealing w armies," White
added.  "They have a way of putting a proposal
to you wh looks as tho' they were accepting
/ responsibility for it when they are really
not - they are really throwing / responsibility
on you.
"The army commander comes along
& says he wants you to undertake some thing.
It looks like an order, but it is not.  For one
 

 

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thing they will nearly always ask you to do
something additional - after you have undertaken
what you believe you can do.  It doesn't
do to be unwilling to fight - its not the
right spirit & one does not like even to seem
unwilling.  But at / same time one does not
want to undertake a fight without knowing
tt it is going to be of value - to have results
worthy undertaking of the loss of whatever loss it involves -
 

 

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"Now you take the case of tt little plan about
Hamel.  Rawlinson asked us to take Hamel.
Birdie agreed.  I think he had two reasons -
first he wanted / Australians to make a
name for themselves down here; they had
bn down some time & had not really made
their name yet.  Secondly he did not wish
it to appear tt he wanted to spare the
Australian Corps to be spared losses more than
any other Corps - tt he wished to keep them from fighting.
 

 

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accordingly he asked me to draw up a letter scheme
to send to Rawlinson.  I told him tt I did
not like the attack - it seemed to me to be
risking the cutting up of a division without
any particular advantage worth the cost -
& xx this at a time when it was likely we shd tt / preservatn
xxxx of these ^fine divisions for ^use in an emergency
ws very important
"However he still asked me to draw up
 

 
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Robyn GRobyn G
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