Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/198/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 9

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he seized - 3rd Bn to conform by

moving up a few posts, 1st

Bn to do / attack. (This ws

M^cKs order).

It ws abt 3p.m. M^cK went

back to Bde to give BM instrns

& he got out a written order.

All / material ws ready, M^cK 

had arranged w Arty & m.gs.

Later on Zero hour ws told them.

Coys had only to draw material.

Zero ws 5.30 or 6 a.m.

Abt 1.30 am Col Stacey rang 

up M^cK & asked him specially to 

come to telephone. "Cd / 4th place

some posts in rear to collect

stragglers," S. sd there had bn some

trouble & some o / men were

straggling out to / rear. M^cK asked

as to numbers -- ws it only one 

Coy ? or / Bn ? S. sd it ws pretty

serious, involving men in all /

Coys. They sd they werent

 

76
going to attack & had marched

out. But he cd count on a

fair number o / men & ws

going on w / attack. He 

had seen Capt Collingwood of

2nd Bn & they had arranged for

Collingwds Coy to stand behind

1st Bn. S. ws very determined

to go on even if he only had

himself & H.Q.

M^cK in matters like this

always told them tt, if occasion

arose they cd arrange to support

one another & inform him.

(so as to save time - this ws always

well done).

A pln of 4 Bn ws placed to

collect stragglers at a bottleneck

where they must pass. There

ws not a gt deal of trouble expected

in / attack. Staff Capt. ws sent to see abt

stragglers. He reported back tt there were none.

Abt 4.30am Stacey rang up to

say tt he ws on / assembly tape
 

77
with 110 men. (Bn strength 250 to 300.

120 went away). The attack took

place at Zero, succeeded, & captd

50 prisoners.
M^cK made inquiries - cdnt
find / men - Nucleus Bn (Capt Bootle)

rang up ) to say 60 men 1st Bn had

reported there - what ws he to do

w them. M^cK ordered him to form

them up, give them their meal, &

march them back. By then G.O.C.

Divn came up & M^cK told him

abt / affair. While they were there a

message came from Bootle tt there were

abt 100 now & they refused to go back.

Glasgow ws there - they sent for Mackenzie,

then C.O. 4 Bn; & asked for what light

he cd throw. They sent him back to use 

every effort & march them to Bde HQ 

to prevent it being too serious. M^cK

ws going to HQrs of Bns when the Germans

attacked & drove / Tommies out

on / left & 3Bn made a flank to 1st 

Bn. This kept M^cK busy. At / end o /

 

78
day Mackenzie reported to M^cK tt he

had got these men to / E side of

Roisel but they were dead beat &

cdnt march further without a 

rest. While they were resting he 

came on to Bde.

The relief ws then going on. M^cK 

told Mackenzie to put these men in / 

trenches at Roisel & give them /

nominal duty of remaining there &

hold these trenches till further ordered.

The 1st Bn went to / other flank

behind Jeancourt & were instructed

to send these men rations.

It ws a very difficult affair.

M^cK wanted to handle it firmly & 

yet not make it worse. M^cK ^had intended

when they got to Bde to look at them

& then put them behind / Bn but

it ws too late then so he put them

before Roisel. Next day M^cK 

inspected them - had to look at / men - 

they were all right, only one or two

appeared a little insolent - the others
 

79

behaved normally. M^cK told them what

/ Bn had done without them. M^cK 

told them tt in / meantime, till / inquiry,
they were soldiers & wd remain

where they were as reserve to /

Bde to be called on if required.

Meantime arrangements were made

for a compound near Proyart.
The next day they were marched

to / reinforcement camp under a 

mixed guard of specially selected

men - they piled their arms at 

reinforcement camp & were then 

told tt they were under arrest 

& wd be there in / compound 

under this guard.

When Bn came out each 

man went before C.O. in orderly 

room & then sent on for Court

Martial.

They are still (Nov 27) away in

Corps Compound at Flixecourt.

The first case of desertion in

4thBn ws in August 1916 between
 

80
the two tours in / line.  [[Daquifs?]] &

all sorts of officers came down; now
there is almost one ^deserter off per week
In this 1st case the sentence ws

death; this ws commuted to 15 yrs; later

he ws let out. In those days / 

court martial ws an event - & it had

a big effect on / Bn to hear this case.

Later the C.M. became less

formidable & AWL much greater. The

C.M, had less & less effect. Now a 

man goes for CM. He is sentenced - does 

3 months & meets other bad men.

He comes back & takes 3 men w him.

They do 6 months & then goes back to / 

Bn & breaks from / guard - & 

does it again, During their liberty 

they rob their drunken companions,

get to Paris - break from / guard 

room - get to Paris agn. After

5 or 6 months they probly get 

into "Quod". This is ordinarily 

not very severe & the thing is now

a profession. This certainly exists 

now as a system owing to the sentence 
 

81
of C.Ms not being enforced. The

men are let out from prison if

they give no trouble - even if

Bn has not recommended tt

/ sentence shd be suspended. (If a 

Bn recommends this he has to wait

in a ^Divl or Corps Compound, not a prison,

until the papers go thro'. He

doesnt go to prison till Bn 

sends thro a commitment 

form to a Governor of a prison).

This is due to a policy

of weakness & has imposed 

tremendous worry on Bn C.Os.
If luxuries (smokes etc) were 

not given in prison it wd have a

very deterrent effect. There is no

comparison between / discomfort

of a prison & / trenches, & it has 

bn preached by these men as a doctrine.

The men were in all cases

{found not guilty of "joining in a 

{mutiny "but 'guilty' of desertion".
 

98

10 Bn Lihons Aug 23

1918 & Sept 18

Tasmania Post, Aug [[?]]
1st Bn Sept 21 1918

The Armistice, Anzac

(at other end

1st Bn)

June 28

T9

Do not

photostat

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