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

75
be seized - 3rd Bn to conform by
moving up a few posts, 1st
Bn to do / attack. (This ws
M^'Ks order).
It ws abt 3 p.m. M^'K went
back to Bde to give BM instrns
& he got out a written order.
All / material ws ready, M^'K 
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'K & asked him specially to 
come to telephone. "Cd / 4th place
some posts in rear to collect
stragglers," M K asked what he
meant. S. sd there had bn some
trouble & some o / men were
straggling out to / rear. M^'K 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^'K 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'K 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'K ordered him to form
them up, give them their meal, &
march them back. By then G.O.C.
Divn came up & M'K 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'K
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'K busy. At / end o /
 

78
day Mackenzie reported to M'K 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'K 
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 instrd
to send these men rations.
It ws a very difficult affair -
M'K wanted to handle it firmly & 
yet not make it worse. M^'K ^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'K 
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'K told them what
/ Bn had done without them. M'K 
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
4th Bn ws in August 1916 between
 

80
the two tours in / line.  D A Q M Gs &
all sorts of officers came down; now
there is almost one offr ^deserter 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
198