Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/113/1 - May - June 1918 - Part 6

104    52
said.
I told him tt Monash had, I ws sure,
worked for this job by all sorts of clever
well hidden subterranean channels; that
White had never stirred a finger in his own
interest, & though he was really G.O.C. A.I.F. had
subordinated himself so tt it ws Birdwood
who appeared altho it ws White who came to
/ difficult & responsible decisions. That White
held tt if he were fit for a job it ws for others
 

 

104    53

- not himself - to put him there; & tt I
considered tt it ws up to Whites friends to
do all they could for him, in such being /
case. Monash has had friends working for
him - never doubt.

Dodds, by his face, knew that these

things were true - & seemed half to assent.

June 2/1918 I have written to Murdoch this

letter -

Headquarters

Aust.Corps

2/6/18

Dear Murdoch,

I am sorry to say that the changes in the administration

of the force and of the corps seem to have been definitely

approved and accomplished, as you foreshadow in your letter, and 

there is no chance whatever that they should be altered in the

direction which I am sure, if it had been suggested in time, would

have been best for Australia.
The on ly course which, so far as I see, we can usefully

follow it, as is ^the administration is now I think beyond the possibility

of change, to support it, so long as it does its work well; and to

make sure, as far as one can, that when in future any similar change

occurs, the system which we believe the right one shall be first

thoroughly considered, and the men also. I cannot reconcile myself

to the loss, so light heartedly, of White to the A.I.F. That the

biggest and ablest influence in it, the man who has been more 'far

more the father of it than any other, should after four years be

suddenly and simply lost to it will always be, in my mind, a big

mistake on the part of our Government. Still, it is done. There is

no present possibility of undoing it. The team has suddenly given

up, without a word, its Trumper. But Monash is a very capable man,

a Clan Hill or a Bardsley. And as he is there now and further change

would do no g ood, as things are, I intend to work loyally by him.

I shall be in London on the evening of June 4th probably

104    54

went with Cutlack to Glisy - saw Gellibrand

who is settling down (but the 3^rd Div staff - very used

to dugouts carefully made, - is not yet used to him.

Dodds doesn't believe in Gellibrand - he as good as 

told me tt White got Gellibrand this positn by insisting

upon it. "You & White are dazzled by him," he sd)

We went on to see Goddard, who now has the 9^th

Bde; & I went on to the trenches N of

V/Bretonneux. I had never been on Hill 104,

55    104
Diagram - see original document.

104   56

& wanted to see it.

The top is very flat - then there is a dip;

& our present front line is well beyond

this dip, on / further rise like this:-

Diagram - see original document.

104   57
Diagram - see original document.
104   58
Diagram - see original document.
There were 2 good communication trenches running

through wheat & mustard & lucerne fields.

The wheat is growing up so high as to present

104
59

a problem. It is only so in patches; but there

are patches in wh you cannot see 20 yds

thro it - & where / German front line is

only 100 yds away. We are putting out

wire but it is difficult. The German has

concertina wire out.

Just before reaching the front line

we passed the road leading to the 3 houses

104  60

shown in my sketch. One house is on

our side of the line. Further E, on the opposite

side o / road to / nearest aerodrome, are

3 houses, in / German line. At this end,

near / road,  / German uses rifle grenades,

& so do we.

The German had for / first time shelled

our support line last night; & while we

104      61

were going up he was for / first time

registering the front line with 5.9s. On 

/ right, N of the rd, it is probably too close

to his own to register.

He gas shelled it this morning early,
largely with phosgene. This, the registering,
the tanks all seem to show an early
attack - & the troops & others think so.

104   62

Like all this week it has been a glorious 

day. On / way back I walked through

the isolated orchard NE of the town (where there

is a gun under / trees - certainly an anti-tank 
gun. (The 5^th Div ^Arty (still in) have put in 2 more antitank 
guns & have now 5 - 3 15 pdrs & 2 6 pdr tank

guns. They are in the outposts. The 9^th Bde

have at least two - one 15pdr & 1 salved 6 pdr

(but I dont know if these are amongst those

mentioned by 5^th Div.) There were no signs