Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/193/1 - August - November 1918 - Part 3

29
Oct 31. 1918.
The news arrived tod At Eu - 3 miles from Treport,
I found poor old Cutlack, only just
back from his broken arm, was down
with the 'flu, & in No 3 (British) Genl
Hospital at Treport.  (Thirty four men
died of pneumonia, following influenza, in
one day, at Abbeville in our No 3
Aust. Gen. Hospl. - including Ward
orderlies. It is raging amongst the
German prisoners there.
The news arrived today
that Turkey is out of the war -
an armistice at noon today.
Exactly 4 years, (is it not?) since
she entered it.
The Corps is going back to the front,

 30
- probably into the line, as one expected.
Monash today told me that,
in the question of the employment
of the Corps, Hughes stood alone on one
side & all the War Cabinet authorities on the
other - Wilson, Lt. George & all of them.
They urged that for Australia herself
it was important tt / Austln
Divns shd be put in again.  Fina
There is to be a big push on
a wide front ^of 80 miles? on Nov 4^th? & they are
to be put in immediately after: 1st
& 4^th first; then the others
one at a time.
Nov 1st. To 1^st Bde Hqrs to get
the story before of Sept 18 & Aug 23
before they go into the fight again.
Their B.M. (Hutchins) is just moving
to A.I.F. Hqrs, a generl of 3rd Bn
taking his place.
The news came in while I
was at 1st M.G. Coy - that Austria
is out of the war. An armistice with
Italy was arranged, ^to begin at noon today. The
Italians (with British  14th Corps & French)
had taken 50,000 prisoners yesty. 

 31
MacKay told me / story of the
meeting of 1st Bn. The Bn of the
2 Bde - its advanced parties -
were already in the line, he sd,
when 1st Bn ws told to make its
attack. Mackay was with Glasgow
up the line when Glasgow had word
from Corps tt the attack was to be
made. This was on the aftn of
Aug 28 Sept 20. Glasgow gave
him the word - the detailed order
wd follow.
The men were tried for
"joining in a mutiny."  Most of
them got from 3 to 10 yrs. I dont
know to what number - abt 12 I
fancy (or else 12 got off).
Nov 2. Sat. The troops are all discussing
the chances of going into / line
again before Xmas. The offi Every
pair one passes on / road is
talking of it, dispassionately -
arguing one side or / other. They
have a sort of idea tt 3 months
rest had be promised to them - not
definitely - by Hughes. The offrs
are beginning to realise that there 

32
will be a move in a few days
- & are taking it very well -
w a joke or a laugh.
They know tt / Allied terms
are being discussed & settled - / last
two days;  / idea (coming from
Rawlinson) is tt / Germans wd
accept / land terms but not /
British naval terms.
I visited 3rd & 2nd Bns.
Sund: Nov 3^rd.  Austria has sent in her
White flag for an armistice but
but no definite published news
yet of her accepting / terms. Bitterly
cold grey day today - I watched 1st Bde
football & visited 4^th & 1^st Bns.
Mond Nov 4. Austria has accepted
our terms - Italy's terms perhaps.
Italians are in Trieste & Trenti.
The Armistice Starts at 3 pm
today. The move of our 2nd Bde
into / line has bn postponed
24hrs. One wonders if this
because of a chance of Germany
accepting her term also or
bec - of some connection with 

33
the offensive wh I believe
ws to have started today - A beautiful
clear sunny day.
Our 2 Bde (w wh I am now
Staying) ws to leave tomorrow
night. The great discussion
among / men is whether the
move is into a near area for
moral support - or into / line.
They are disappointed but not
taking it at all badly so far as
I can see. Some think it a
shame tt they are not getting
/ full 3 months rest & all /
Offrs say our strengths are
very low. A beautiful
They hope to be out again
by Xmas. I visited 6 & 7 Bns.
Nov 5^th. Tuesday
News ^today tonight that we
had taken 13,000 prisoners &
250 guns in the big attack
which started yesterday. 

34
Today is a dul wet day - dull
& drizzling. I visited 8^th &
then 5^th Bns. It is curious
to see the difference. The 8^th has
a young Colonel, Mitchell - a
youngster with sporting tastes who
keeps a young sporting mess - a
brave chap who alway goes round
& sees for himself the moment it
is possible to do so, in battle; as
^young Howell Price did - a very
religious boy, he was, with high &
conscientious motives.
The fifth Bn has a very courtly
formal mess. Hastie is now their
2 in/C but is going to Aust. on
leave wh will make little Lillie
2 in/C. Trail of 8 Bn has command
- a very brave but not a pushing
man. Herod of 7 Bn - a
NSW youngster (as young as 

35
Mitchell) is a different sort
again; very quiet, & shy
(Mitchell is shy of me, but in another
way) - & with a quiet mess -
living out of his Bn rather than
in it; a great man for training.
His direction o / battle of Aug 9
from / roof of a house in / firing
line was a fine bit of work, it
seems to me.
I finished 2nd Bde; & as
they are leaving tomorrow I
came back late to Corps at Eu.
Nov 6. Wednesday. Came up with
Cutlack to Lille to the Censor
leaving Crawford to go with the
lorry & our gear to 1st Divn
Hgrs tomorrow - wherever
tt may be. We will meet them
there.
The battles have bn going 

36
well. The British are not far
from Avesnes - 13000 prisoners
& 350 guns captured; and /
Americans who attd on Nov 3
are within 12 miles of Sedan,
& / French got on 12 kilometres
to day.
Lytton tells us tt in
yest the battle of Nov 4  the
NZ Divn did extraordinarily
well. They attacked Quesnoy
& got the outer defences. The
place is an old French fortified
town w outer & inner defences.
The Germs in / inner ramparts
held out. The NZs sent a bde
round one side o / town & a
bn round / other & then
summoned it to surrender.
The Boche refused. We then 

37
sent aeroplanes over it
dropping notes telling them
to give in; and a ^few Boches
came in but their offrs still
refused. A N.Z. offr accompanied
by 2 German offrs & a white
flag agn summoned them to
surrender, but they refused.
The N.Zs  then attacked
/ place w scaling ladders &
scaled / walls (so Lytton Says).
They got it to Surrender at
last & took 100 prisoners
there. Around / town & just
S of it they got in all 4000
prisoners & 80 guns - one
battery of Germans driving
its own guns back as prisoners
into our line.
Tonight comes news  

38
as I was sitting with
Phillip Gibbs & Percival
Phillips, there came up a
French offr, attached to the
British Press, who sd tt /
German wireless at Nauen (so French
G.H.Q. headqrs announced)
had sent out a message
saying tt they were sending
in a party to the allied
lines to ask for / terms o /
Armistice.
This looks as if it
may be - may be - at last
the end. It is not 3 months
since Aug 8 - xxx only 3 1/2 since
July 18 - & it has changed
So. The French offr thinks
tt the German civil population 

39
is frightened - frightened o /
war coming into Germany
& o /  bombing of Berlin.
The Czechs will probably
get quickly into S. Germany
unless something is done.
The soldiers - the army -
is not yet beaten so as to be
broken; it is still fighting,
as White sd tonight when I
saw him. But / civilians
behind it are giving, according
to all appearances.
The terms are sd to be:
the retirement o / Germans ^Army out of
Belgium France Alsace Lorraine
& to a point 30 miles E
o /  Rhine - leaving its guns
behind it; we to bring our