Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/2/1 - January - March 1915 - Part 9

February 6.  7.       79
You didn't expect the soles to be of brown paper,
but you did expect the article to be very rough
& possibly ready - & generally inferior.
The Ceylon planters Rifle Corps of about 
250, mostly young Englishmen of a very 
fine stamp, which came with us from 
Ceylon, has practically disappeared.  
Sixty of them got commissions on the 
Canal;  I am told a great number 
are getting commissions in England - 
so there will be very few left.  In fact 
I see a few about _^ still in their uniform but I dont really
know whether the corps exists any 
longer as a corps or what has happened 
to it.  Some of our best young N.C.O.s 
seem likely to get British commissions.
I am very glad for _^ One would hardly grudge it to them, but it
will be a big loss to this force, which 
needs _^ good N.C.Os badly & will need 
officers later on.
This evening I walked out from town to Giza & 
had a look at the zoo.  They have some enormous giraffes.  The giraffe is
simply a prehistoric animal which has survived.  When they die out we shall wonder
in what a glacial period these animals must
have lived which eat the leaves of trees.
The monkeys seemed all to be consumed in
senseless rage at the existence of the monkey next door.  I suppose that is just what we have returned to.
Sunday Feb. 7th
Went across to Maadi to see Oliver
Hogue, my old colleague (or rather young colleague) in the SM Herald.
Hogue. He was out; xx but as I was going into 

February 7 & 8       80.
the Continental Hotel who should come up but
he, in a smart uniform with the red gorgets
of a staff officer.  Had tea together & I took his
photo.
I took train to Giza & from there walked most
of the way back to camp in order to get some
photos of the Pyramids in the failing light.  There
ought to be some beauties in this lot.
Feb. 8th  Monday.  All the Generals - Birdwood,
Maxwell, Bridges & some British Brigadier
Genl.  went out to see the our artillery fire this
morning - possibly to find out if they
were good enough to go to the Canal.  The
4^th Battery, which is supposed to be
good, was firing shrapnel from a
concealed position & I believe they
made very bad practice.
Last night, a disastrous occurrence
took place at the back of the stables
- between them & the village on the edge of the
desert.  A money changer - a very
respectable decent fellow, I am told, who
is a keen supporter of the British here & a 

February 8       81.
really honest native - was going home from
his stand near the tram terminus taking
with him his money.  It was about 8.30p.m.
& he was crossing the sand behind the stables
when he was set on by four Austr men
whom he says were Australian soldiers,
masked & armed with knuckle dusters. 
The broke the head of the native who was
with him & took from him I believe £130.
It was clearly a premeditated cold blooded
affair, planned by somebody who knew
the mans habits well.  He says the
men escaped _^ back through the Mena House
stables - from which fact _^ some suspicion has
fallen on our Divisional Head Quarters men - 
but the clue is very slender.  There are a
lot of fellows of the larrikin class still in
the camp & no doubt a few professional
criminals.  They ought to be shot if they
are found but it will be desperately
hard to find them.  Those are the sort
of blackguards that bring discredit on the
whole of our force.
I went in today by arrangement to 

February 8           82
see Gen. Walker, chief of staff to Birdwood, about
my own position.  He says that Maxwells
staff sees no reason why my position is different 
from that of any other journalist _^ in Egypt which, if 
it is true is simply thick headed, because there
are clearly only three other journalists in
my position in the British Empire & none 
of them xxx is in Egypt:  that is to say -
"Eyewitness" whom the British people is allowed
to have with its soldiers; the Canadian 
"Eyewitness" appointed by the Govt of Canada;
the journalist who will be appointed by the
Govt of N. Zealand; & myself who have bn
appointed by the Govt of Australia.  I
think Walker saw the point before I left
him.  But he referred me to Capt Holdwich
on Maxwell's staff.  I asked Col. White if I
shd see Holdwich & he says he will
write him a letter - that wd be better
than writing to Sir George Reid, which
might seem to Maxwell like working behind
his back.  There is always
Our Engineers, it appears, have been
under fire.  Maxwell wires to Australia that

February 8           83
they have comported themselves as they  wd
have been expected.
I had a very curt intimation from
Capt. Newcombe of the local Intelligence Dept.,
today, saying that as Lord Kitchener had asked 
for all communiques to be xxxxx wired to him 
before publication, & they wd be published in 
London, I wd not in future receive copies.
This means, in conjunction with Maxwell's
decision to the effect that my position is the 
same as that of all other correspondents, 
that I simply can't do the job the Australian 
Govt. sent me here for.  As my work could
not by any possible flight of imagination
be considered as doing these the least
vestige of harm to the minutest
military interest, I dont mean to accept
the position without, if necessary, a reference
to the Australian Govt.  I have to get the
story of the war for them for subsequent publication.
How and I can't xxx possibly do that without seeing
something or hearing something more
than I am at present allowed to do under
these restrictions.

Wednesday February 10           84
Feb 10^thxx _∧  I have had luck in my encomiums on
the 1^st Australian Division.  No sooner do I
make up my mind that they are getting
thoroughly into the collar, well disciplined, well
set up & a credit to their country than
somebody goes & commits some wild wild 
crime & gives the whole show away; - or, what is 
at any rate truer in reality - proves that all the blackguards 
were not sent back in the Kyarra last week - 
I was walking in the Kodak shop, opera 
square today when a crowd rushed past 
the door.  Of guessed course I knew it was some Australian
in trouble.  I generally steer clear of these 
excitements; but just for once I thought 
I would go on & see.  They had The crowd had swarmed 
into a large cafe by the time I reached 
them.  They were piled thickly around the
door, xx all gazing in, some of the hanging onto the a lamp post 
outside in order to see over the heads of 
the others - Inside the cafe some native 
police were keeping more or less order 
throwing out the natives.  Australian soldiers 
in khaki were making their way in & out of 
the crowd room through the crowd in the confident

February 10          85
manner they have - nobody would stop them; & nobody 
each man who passed _∧ by the place wanted to satisfy himself what
was the matter; & pushed straight in, satisfied
himself that he wasn't wanted, & came straight 
out again.  I went in too.  Over in the 
far corner in the half light surrounded by 
the closest part of the crowd was of course 
the inevitable Australian.  He was a battered 
looking chap, with a big clean shaven face 
rather like that of a hard drinking broken down 
actor - the blue capillary veins rather which showed 
xx on his nose & cheeks gave him the air of 
having been living hard of late.  His hat 
was a rather dirty battered grey felt -
the buttoned up side brim had come down & 
all the badges were gone.  As I came 
Just before I came in someone had 
fetched one of the military police - a 
fresh looking English youngster, not half heavy 
but enough to tackle the crowd if there 
were any opposition & as I entered 
this boy had clearly asked the derelict to come with him, 
This boy & the derelict & another Australian 
were thrashing out the question of whether 
the derelict should go along with the 

February 10            86
policeman.  The second Australian, was talking  a big straight 
chap who had clearly been in the British Army, was 
talking "Yes, go along with him - thats my advice -
you go with him.  If you're right what 'arm can 
'appen to you?  You go with 'im lad".  The 
derelict seemed unconvinced, so the old soldier 
repeated - "You go with 'im, that's my advice".  
The derelict went - the military policeman 
with him - they got away by a side 
door.  As the door closed the old soldier,
who looked as if he might have lived pretty 
hard at times himself sat down at 
the table, near which he was standing 
with two mates, & ordered some beer. 
" Gawd strike me pink x-" he said
turning round to a number of his mates -
"Gawd strike me pink if I can 
understand you blanky Australians.  
It's not that I'm an old soldier and 
anythink different from you, but can where does 
your reason get to?  'Ere's a bloke - they 
say they've found 'im pinching jewellery 
from a shop - say they've found three pieces
of it on 'im.  He says they 'aven't.  Well 
if 'e's right what arm can 'appen to 'im.

February 10           87
'E's only got to go along with that man & 
he'll be cleared.  An' if he's wrong - Gaw Bless 
my soul, are you going to get yourself 
into trouble over a man like that?"
He looked round him.  Several men 
murmured a sort of subdued agreement.  
"Would Are you?"  he repeated.  "I'm not".  
Here's a chap said to be shaking jewellery 
out of a shop, but and as soon as he calls  
out you're all ready to out & wants you
to get him out you're all ready to run 
your 'eads into trouble over it  and do as
'e asks you.  If that the sort of bloke
'e's right nothing cant 'appen to 'im; & 
if 'e's wrong, is that the sort of bloke you're 
going to run your 'ead into trouble over?"
"That's right" said several of the onlookers.
They were quite convinced now, they sat 
down to their beer & dismissed the matter the whole lucid cut
had x disappeared from their consciousness 
before the beer arrived.  But if they hadn't 
had that chap their with an a bit of 
reason in his head the chances are that some 
of them would have got into really serious

February 10 & 11       88
trouble - made themselves criminals - by 
attempting to rescue a man charged with 
exactly the sort of offence which is bringing  
can bring disrepute on the whole force, 
& for which the force is not in the least responsible.   
Both the two main actors in this comedy - 
Both the derelict & the man who spe 
advised him to go with the policeman - carried wore 
the South African medal.
Feb 11th  Thursday.
As I was waiting for the train
to Cairo to come out to camp, I a  
private came up & asked me to lend 
him a pin to fasten his belt - the 
button was gone.  He was a private 
of the 8^th.  They have returned from 
Port Said today.  He I lent him my 
tie pin.  His name was Bolton, & 
he turned out to be the son of the colonel - 
a private in his fathers own regiment.
That night I strolled down to 
the lines of the 8^th & found the officers
just finishing their mess.  It seems that 
half their battalion was in the trenches