Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/115/1 - June 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/115/1

Title: Diary, June 1918
Includes references to W M Hughes, Sir Joseph
Cook and the higher command of the AIF.
 

AWM38-3DRL606/115/1
 

DIARY, June 16 to
Original   DIARY NO. 115.
AWM 38   
3DRL 606  ITEM 115 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

The use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But, apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half asleep;
also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing, believed. Further, he cannot, of course, vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sep., 1946.                   C. E. W. BEAN
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

107
1
115 
[*Hughes
Cook.
J Mortimer.
Italian [shorthand] June 15*]
June 16th
I wrote my diary all / morning,
next morning Christian Bassett - who
is in / British yeomanry & who is now being
trained as an infantry officer owing to / shortage
of reinforcements, rang me up for lunch at
the Hyde Park Hotel - a delightful lunch in /
big glass balcony overlooking / Park. After 
lunch I had to go to / British Empire club
to meet Murdoch & drive w him to see
 

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107
Mr Hughes.
As I arrived at / club, looking
into / lounge I saw a big party there
- Murdoch, with Howse beside him;

Dodds, Griffiths, Brain, & Col. Wilson -
dear old Tom Griffiths luncheon party. I
know why / old chap had given it -
it was to let Dodds meet Brain, I am 
sure.
Griffiths sd to me / other day w
 

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his gentle simple earnest old face ^ unconsciously pleading
all / while the goodness of his cause. If you put
Monash in - if these changes come off -
you know I shall take / opportunity to
get out."
"Why, Tom," I sd - "there wd be no
man so greatly missed in / Australian
Army" - or something to tt effect wh is
what I feel about this grand true soldier.
 

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107
"No - I know I'm not a big enough man
for this job," he sd. "I know it wants a
really big man - the biggest man they
can get - I know I'm not up to it ....
"Not tt they wont find the place
in order." he sd, "I've no fear of that.
It has been a tremendous difficulty to
straighten - we started w a millstone of
muddle round our necks. What work
Selheim did in / first place I'm blest
 

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107
if I can discover - he left us a
legacy of confusion. Their accounts
- their pay accounts - & their record system
ws in / most hopeless condition. We
have pretty well straightened tt out.
But a man here has to handle great
financial transactions of wh I know
I am not capable - Anderson could
have done it - he wd have bn big enough,
 

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but he ws unsuitable in other ways.
I am not big enough - they shd send
here / biggest man they can get."
I told him tt / absolute trust of
everyone in / fairness & singlemindedness
of his administration was a tremendous
advantage to us - the HQrs in London
had worked smoothly & contentedly under him
where under his predecessor it had been
all pulling in opposite directions - a hive of
 

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107
suspicions & squabbles.
"No - I dont think they will find much
wrong with the system of accounts or with the
records now" - he sd. "But I know
quite well I'm not the right man, Bean.
I have written to the wife; & if she will
agree, I'ld like to go out there & ^drop all rank & this business & settle
on a farm - a farm in Victoria"
"You'ld want to get back into it."
"I might - but that is what I want to
 

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do," he said.
- Well - to return to the British Empire
club - after lunch- there was the whole
cabal, having coffee after its lunch.
Dodds told me tt he had seen Mr
Cook; & tt Cook cordially approved of the
university scheme during / period of
repatriation; & agreed warmly tt there
must be some liaison official for repatriation
in England from Millen's department. That is