Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/20/1 - November 1915 - Part 6

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066574
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

ferm Fiance Nov 14 ( poor; but if they choose to be very poor, & think tt I game is work it I have as doubt to they can go on a I was i not for a gear, or 2yis or three - but for ever & ever, they like, they can make it a sort of a permanent industry. I a prosperous business man chooses all of a sudden to make the building of a pyramid the (or co other icliotic improfitable enterprise) the serious beaue of his life he can probably cat down his business hours hours to two per deem, & devote I remaining eight to sicking up stones & carrying them up out his stone heap - he can probably go on doing so till he dies He can't make as much money in the two hours he now devotes to business as in I ten hours he used to give to it. mak He cant live in his big house, or keep a motor car or even have threemeat meals a day; but he can live in a cottage on rye bread & cheese at worst he can make enough
Jorr Fiine Nov 14 in those two hours to pig along (5) Domnchow, + parsue his expensive inxury on I remaining eight. If a Yorkshire t village decided to devote itself to sproduation of best beating all 1other villages in I world at crecket & to that end resolved t adult four fifths of us, male inhabitants should play cricket allo time I have no doubt that the remaining fift of the men; with the young boys & I women to help them, could manage to raise enough food & money toos to keep the crecketers alive although they pactired cricket for 12 hours in every 24. They ad all be very poor - they wa have to crowd their houses & cut down their meals to 1 very roughst & cut out their beer altogether - but they id do it ogo on doing it for ever & ever & ever if they liked. And so, I think, Germany can go on making war. She is only peling up debts to her own
Jerm Fran Nov 14 (51 people - trusting perhaps to an in demnity to repay them; & when they find out to she is unlikeh ever to repay them they may be discontented about it & gow tired of war or they may not. That all depends on what they think thy are fighting for I how poorly they are prepared to live in order to get it. It may mcan increasing prospect of wretched poverty f But if t natore & it may higt & it may brang I stupedity of war home to ken when there is no prospect of indimnity or further success. But it will not of itself force them to end. I war. The British Empere could certainly raise all necessaries of war within itself also- & if it comes to fount & our gold supply disappeared 8 we were sufficiently strong of will we cd) always take
you Irn Nov same course as fermany. Upto I present we are purson a different policy altogether. We are onying our supplies largely from outside; but we are also still exporting some of our peaceful manufactures in return for those supplies, + not merely gold. Instead of organisey our own two class o those To manfactar people Light who iand those who manufacture supplies for fighter (asfermany does). we leave our people in three classes: Hose who fight those who manufacture goods for 1 fighters s those who manufactin to pay the goods or people in forcyn countries who manufacture goods for our fighters. The two systems may perhap balance one another -except in this respect. If you keep your wartracte within your own country you can organise it as you please; you can -if it comes to that - faice your
Firance Nov14 53 people to accept a poverty wh you cannot focce on a foreign people imight have Out other hand our own system thisd possible advantage financially - tt trough less effective I may during I wasr is enable as to equire genman trade wh we shall shd be able to keep after & war. Bat neother oyotin will But a citter system if opanised as it can be organised, I war can be kept poing as long as there are men to fight it. The only questie is what degree of poverty is nation prepared to put up with in order to even the war. If it is prepared to accept a certain dlegree of private I have as doubt to it can go on making war for ever- wordo InotherI end of way might come by Shortags of men & not by shortage of money
Nov1S6. 59 Nov15. There has bee circulated a seeg captared ferman orders gevey their precactions met for gas attack - constant in spection of masks; pattey them on frequently. practicny firing wo them; arranging for fires to be always dry & ready for lighting in poublo trenches. I wonder how much of this we shall practice. One Successbt (as attack is enough in thi place Nov. 16. yesterday after noon, At 5 pm., we blew up Turkish front trench on Hill 60. the explosion hs enomous & all the lep of Angac conpryated to see it (it had bu spoken of for days &we shalled in conlquenct. The Krks felled back outs I Gater & we poureda very
Dug by Welsh Yeomanti Inglewood we told to it wd have to be trench DE to be taken; or a mine show simply He sd - well blow up mine & be as interprising as possible afterds - wh scant nothi CoBC in a new trunch. They blew up DE but did notheng else - didn't occupyy sapheads or anything. As a matter of fact there troops a no good. 55 Leavy Combardnt in on t. We werent all to attack. There willh Fusiliers or Pioncers or whoewer it is who have bu dipping this trunck have done wonderful work, I'm told They say the place ws a perfect an catacont - but1 To had got close to us as their gatteries & We cdhear them - & it had to 50 up Monitors bombander back of Achbeber & Koithia Hill. D. H. Spintall today with andke Wellington MR. UR. Otago Iuf & Wellington Lafgetting thei story of Aug 6 -10. Nov17. Whole day with Auchl. Mf. getting their story - intensely interesting. there ws a fairly strong wind reiy in Ihills. You cd see 1breakess rolling in, white, s deep, allalory 1 beach. But I never realised up there what beach itself wd be like. The seas were breaking over whole lengt of Milo - our breakwater shep Hging selves against (stern & then throwing their foam over
an B. 2 844 Mary to Rnode. Nov 17 o 3 p 1 foct of R Se 01003
whole length of here. 0 Williams peer wo fairly right. But little walker ridge pr wo it we yove all except & piter. The water we own I beach right ap tT. Naval transport oficers door. I went along 1 beach where natives & by falyng parties of Austilus & sold Vaveyo Cips (27 Labour Coy ASc. were lined up & helping to hant occasional rebis out of water. The sea had made Ari Burnn Point almost impossable & C other side of point where some small ammin dumps & shell dimps are on slobs or shelves we spallered w spray alog impassable right ap to 1 Edge ol dumgs. Males were being booked up & luged or coared of Deadmals were being washed up. Further Dear Fisherans Hat several bodies
buried shallow in sand had bn half uncovered. Around in Anzae cave the beack ws simply a littler of (trestles of old piers - old evp barges half broken up pumping abt like elephants dancing some slow step on walers edge. The beack ws lettered w by devris of peers over oh I waves were bursting in mass aftermass of from. One man wev. nearly carried outby I waves - falyue parties here toot were cartin (slores to higher levels but tots of amo boris were still halfin, water; & chellcases (now worth (0f each) abt $10000 of them, were in conmunit danger of being burin altogether. Further on the amrrc. dug outs had be protected agot Isea by piles of boxes but every 7th have weshed in & treetie to carry them out to sea altogther. I ws almost risky to go along Ibeach further but I cat cnland & them down again. The by condons plank ws sast abt one fortover

Germ. Finance

Nov 14

49     

poor; but if they choose to be very 
poor, & think tt / game is worth it 
I have no doubt tt they can go on 
w / war; not for a year, or 2 yrs, 
or three - but for ever & ever, if 
they like, xxxx they can make it 
a sort of a permanent industry.  

If a prosperous business man 
chooses all of a sudden to 
make the building of a pyramid 
the be (or any some other idiotic
unprofitable enterprise) the serious 
occupation business of his life he can 
probably cut down his business 
hours to two ∧hours per diem, & devote 
/ remaining eight to carrying st  
picking up stones & carrying them
up onto his stone heap - he can 
probably go on doing so till he dies.  
He can't make as much money in 
the two hours he now devotes to 
business as in / ten hours he 
used to give to it.  But he can 
make enough He cant live in 
his big house, or keep a motor
car or even have three meat meals 
a day; but he can live in a 
cottage on rye bread & cheese - 
at / worst he can make enough

 

Germ Finance

Nov 14 

50
in those two hours to pig along 
somehow, & pursue his expensive 
luxury in / remaining eight.  If a 
Yorkshire ∧farm village decided to make 
devote itself to / production of / 
best cricket team beating all / other 
villages in / world at cricket; 
& to that end the resolved tt 
four fifths of its ∧adult male inhabitants 
should play cricket all / time,  
I have no doubt that the remaining 
fifth of the men, with the young 
boys & / women to help them, could 
manage to raise enough food & 
even money too, to keep the 
cricketers alive although they 
practised cricket for 12 hours in 
every 24.  Rest They wd all be 
very poor - they wd have to 
crowd their houses & cut down 
their beer meals & their to /
very roughest & cut out their 
beer altogether - but they cd do 
it & go on doing it for ever & ever 
& ever if they liked.

And so, I think, Germany 
can go on making war.  She is 
only piling up debts to her own

 

Germ Finance

Nov 14  

51                                  

people - trusting perhaps to an 
indemnity to repay them; & 
when they find out tt she is 
unlikely ever to repay them they 
may be discontented about it 
& grow tired of war or they may 
not. That all depends on what 
they think they are fighting for & 
how poorly they are prepared to 
live in order to get it. It may 
mean yet an increasing prospect of 
wretched poverty; for sm the. 
But if / makes x & it may 
like tire them of the  & it may 
bring / stupidity of war home to 
them when there is no prospect 
of indemnity or further success.  
But it will not of itself force 
them to end / war.

The British Empire could 
certainly raise all / necessaries 
of war within itself also - 
& if it comes to / pinch & / 
our gold supply disappeared 
& we were sufficiently strong of 
will we shd use cd always take

 

Germ Finance

Nov 14

52

/ same course as Germany.  Up to 
/ present we are pursuing a 
different policy altogether.  We are 
buying our supplies largely from 
outside; but we are also 
still exporting some of our peaceful 
manufactures in return for 
those supplies (or for gold to pay for those supplies) or for gold wh we cd 
& not merely gold.  Instead of 
sent organising our own 
people into two classes to manufacture - those 
who fight manufa and those who 
manufacture supplies for / 
fighters (as Germany does), 
we leave our people in three 
classes:  those who fight; 
those who manufacture goods 
for / fighters; those who manufacture 
goods to pay the for people in foreign 
countries who manufacture 
goods for our fighters.  The 
two systems was really may perhaps 
balance one another - except 
in this respect. If you keep your 
war trade within your own country you 
can organise it as you please; you
can - if it comes to that - force your

 

Germ Finance            

Nov 14 

53                                     

people to accept a poverty wh you 
cannot force on a foreign people - 
on the other hand our own system ∧might have
this advan possible advantage 
financially - tt though less effective 
during / war it ∧may enable us to acquire 
German trade wh we shall keep 
shd be able to keep after / war.

But neither system will 

But w either system, if 
organised as it can be organised, 
/ war can be kept going as long 
as there are men to fight it  
The only question is what degree of 
poverty is / nation prepared to 
put up with in order to win the 
war. If it is prepared to accept 

real por a certain ∧high degree of 
privatn I have no doubt tt it 
can go on making war for ever -
In other ∧words case / end of / war wd might 
come by shortages of men & 
certainly not by shortage of money.

 

[Very faint pencil diagrams]

Nov 15. 16  

54                               

Nov 15.  There has bn 
circulated a set of 
captured German orders 
giving their precautions 
for ∧meeting gas attack - constant 
inspection of masks; 
putting them on frequently; 
practising firing w them; 
arranging for fires to be 
always dry & ready 
for lighting in front o / 
trenches.  I wonder 
how much of this we 
shall practice.  One 
successful gas attack 

is enough in this place. 

Nov 16. Yesterday afternoon 
at 5 p.m., we blew up 

Turkish front trench on 
Hill 60.  The explosion ws 
enormous & all the left of 
Anzac congregated to see it 
(it had bn spoken of for days) 
& was shelled in consequence.  
The Turks felled back into / 
crater & we poured a very

[*An Anzac Sunset*]

 

Dug by Welsh Yeomanry.  
Inglewood ws told tt it wd 
have to be trench D E to be 
taken, or a mine show simply.  
He sd - well blow up / mine 
& be as enterprising as possible 
aftwds - wh meant nothing.

[Sketch of trenches A B C D E]
(ABC is a new trench)

They blew up D E but did 
nothing else - didnt occupy 
sapheads or anything.  As a 
matter of fact these troops are 
no good.

55

heavy bombardmt in on them.  We 
werent allowed to attack.  These Welsh 
miners Fusiliers or Pioneers or whoever 
it is who have bn digging this trench
have done wonderful work, I'm told.  
They say the place ws a perfect 
mine catacomb - but / Ts had 
got close to us w their galleries & 
we cd hear them - & it had to go up.

Monitors bombarded back of Achi Baba 
& Krithia Hill.

Nov 16.    Spent all today with 
Wellington M.R., Auckland Otago MR.,
Otago Inf. & Wellington Inf getting 
their story of Aug 6-10.

Nov 17.  Whole day with Auckl. Mf. getting 
their story - intensely interesting.
There ws a fairly strong wind rising 
in / hills.  You cd see / breakers rolling 
in, white, 3 deep, all along / beach.  
But I never realised up there what 
/ beach itself wd be like.

The seas were breaking over / whole 
length o / Milo - our breakwater ship 
flinging themselves against / stern 
& then throwing their foam over /

 

56

[Sketch Anzac landscape showing location of positions]

 

 

57

whole length of her.

[Sketch of breakwater]

Williams' pier ws fairly right.  But 
/ little Walkers ridge pier N of it ws gone 
all except / piles. The water ws over 
/ beach right up to / Naval Transport 
Officer's door.

I went along / beach where 
natives & big fatigue parties of Australians 
& / old Navvys Corps (27 Labour Coy ASC.) 
were lined up & helping to haul 
occasional relics out o / water.  
The sea had made Ari Burnu Point 
almost impassable & / other side 

o / point where some small ammn 
dumps & shell dumps are on slabs 
or shelves ws spattered w spray & almost
impassable right up to / edge o / 
dumps.  Mules were being hooked up 
& tugged or coaxed off.  Dead mules 
were being washed up.  Further N. 
near Fishermans Hut several bodies

 

58

buried shallow in / sand had bn 
half uncovered.  Around in Anzac 
Cove the beach ws simply a litter 
of / trestles of old piers - old 
barges half broken up ∧sawing & bumping 
abt like elephants dancing some 
slow two side step on / waters edge.    
The beach ws littered w / big debris 
o / piers over wh / waves were 
bursting in mass after mass of 
foam. One man ws v. nearly 
carried out by / waves - fatigue 
parties here too were carting / stores 
to higher levels but lots of ammn 
boxes were still half in / water; 
& / shell cases (now worth 10/- each) 
abt 10,000 of them, were in imminent 
danger of being buried altogether.

Further on the A.M.C dug out 
had bn protected agst / sea by 
piles of boxes but every 7th wave 
washed in & threatened to carry 
them out to sea altogether.  It ws 
almost risky to go along / beach 
further but I cut inland & then 
down again.  The big condensing 
plant ws just abt one foot over /

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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