Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/243A/1 - 1916 - 1934 - Part 11

[*2nd BULLECOURT   5 Div.*]
At Pronville we relieved (I believe)
the 23^rd "Londons" My platoon officer
was a gentleman named Munro
a bonzer little officer, game as
they make them, but it was his
first time in the line. As the
tommies hadnt rigged, even a
strand of barb wire in front
of the trench a patrol was
ordered out and wire party
put to work. I had risen to the
giddy height of lance corporal
by this time and as I was
the only N.C.O. available, had to
go out with Mr. Munro: Sgt Les
Grogan, being in charge of the
wiring party. He wanted to go
out diamond formation with
himself in the lead. We argued
and finished up by going out
in a semi circle, with the
bulge in front, where I had
a Lewis gun, and the officer
next to me. It was about nine
hundred yards across the valley

and we were about half way
over when Fritz yelled Hala Hala
and started shooting. I think I
must have beaten him to it as
when they got up to run the Lewis
gun chopped them to pieces. Lt.
Munro wanted to go on and get some
prisoners but I persuaded him
to go a little ahead and he'd
find wire; he did so and could
not find a gap in it so we were
compelled to return. Next night a
patrol went out and was met in
the long grass by Fritz suffering
twenty two casualties all between
knee and ankle. Next day I was
promoted corporal, my wife's
allowance automatically ceased
also three kids, but Daddy was a
corporal so what did it matter.
The whole letter reads like a lot
of skite Sir You asked for it, so
can do what you like about it.
I remain Sir
Yours faithfully
W. Miles
Ex Sgt W. Miles
1178 29^th B^ttn
A.I.F.

Mooroopna
1/8/29
Mr. Bean
Dr. Sir
It is only at my wifes request that I am forwarding
the enclosed. She says, You're a sick man Will,
think of Aussie; If anything happens to you, four
shillings a week wont keep him. I am sending
a few names along of witnesses, who, if they
will, can testify that this is a true account
of the armistice. at Fleurbaix.
Lt. Col. McArthur. Drill Hall. Surry Hills.
Major Murdock.  31 Queen St. Melbourne
R.S.M. Jim She^aan. C/o Equity T&A&Co Ltd 85 Queen St. (Melb
Sergeant Bob. Rahilly C/o S.A. & ASA & C.A. Buildings
Collins Place C.1. Private J. Collyer. Employed
by Louis Coen. Wireless Agents as motor driver.
Capt. "Micky Coates. (still on staff.  I believe at Essendon.
Sgt. W. Amos. Billiard saloon proprietor.
Chapel St. Prahan.  Sgt. Rob C. Kimpton
216 Rathmines St. Fairfield.  Capt. Charles Derham
(Swallow & Ariels).  Capt. Ainsley (Conn's Motors)
Capt Elllis. Author of History of 5^thDivision & Lt. Jerry
Davern (ex. R.S.M. now of Melbourne plain clothes
police.
Yours etc
W.M.

AWM No. 17/3/146
4680.
23 July 1929.
Dear Mr. Treloar,
I am sorry to have kept you waiting so long for a
reply in the matter of Private Miles at Fromelles, but the
delay has been mainly due to our desire to obtain particulars
of Sergeant W. Miles from Base Records. These particulars,
now to hand, conclusively prove that he was serving with the
29th Battalion on 19-20 July 1916, as was the Private H.N.
Miles, who in November 1917 transferred to the 8th L.T.M. Bty.
But, in view of W. Miles's statement and those of the other
people which accompanied your letters of June 18 and 21, there
seems to be no doubt that a mistake has been made in Volume III.
This will be corrected at the first opportunity.
You might be interested to read the attached copies
of letters which we have sent to Miles and Colonel McArthur.
Yours sincerely,
AW Bazley
Mr. J.L. Treloar,
Australian War Memorial,
Melbourne.

AWM NO. 17/3/146
4707.
6 August 1929.
Dear Mr. Treloar,
In connection with Private W. Miles and the
truce at Fleurbaix, I append two further letters on the
subject.
Yours sincerely,
AW Bazley
Mr. J.L. Treloar,
Australian War Memorial,
Box 214D, G.P.O.,
Melbourne. 

4706.
6 August 1929.
W.Miles, Esq.,
Mooroopna,
Victoria.
Dear Sir,
I am quite satisfied that your account of the incident
at Fleurbaix is accurate. The mistake arose not through your
"personal" recordsat the Defence Department being inaccurate,
but through my not having heard of your name when I made an
enquiry there. As far as I can see, the record that they have
is accurate. It was not at the Defence Department, but in a
quite different list in my possession here that your name was
given under the 5th Battalion. This list has nothing to do
with the Base Records Office at the Defence Department, and its
arrangement is different.
As you ask me to do so, however, I am writing to ensure
that the authorities may know that you, and not the other Miles,
are the man who was responsible for the Fromelles truce. I
am returning your discharge certificates herewith.
Yours faithfully,
Form R1 - see original document.

6 August 1929.
PERSONAL.
Dear Tom,
In Volume III of the Official History dealing with the
Battle of Fromelles, through an error of Base Records a mistake
was made by me of attributing a very fine action to a Private
H.F. Miles of the 29th Battalion instead of to Private W. Miles
of the same unit. The mistake was that, when we asked Base
Records for particulars of "Private Miles, 29th Battalion, on
that date", they sent us only the name of Private H.F. Miles,
although the true Miles was also a member of the 29th in July
1916. This was probably a mere slip on the part of Base
Records, but the little chap (W.Miles) has got it into his
head that there is a mistake in his "personal" record, and that
some service has not been credited to him. He has had very
hard luck in the matter of his health and that of his youngest
child, and is applying for an increase of pension, but, on
learning of this mistake in the history, was greatly disturbed,
thinking that his good service is being credited to another man
and that this will prejudice his chance of obtaining the
increase. His wife also is very much upset, and they have
written to most of the officers who knew him, and to Treloar
and me, to get the mistake in his personal record corrected, if
there is one. I feel sure that there is no mistake in his
record either at Defence or in the Repatriation Department, but
on the offchance of there being such, I would like to say that
I have received ample evidence that the man mentioned in my
history for the fine action at Fromelles is Private W. Miles
(No. 1178), and not Private H.F. Miles. Lieutenant-Colonel
McArthur, Major A.W. Murdoch, and numbers of others can bear
this out.
I have not the least notion where this information
ought to go to, and so am sending it to you, feeling sure that
you will direct it to the quarter which may at any time deal with
an appeal concerning W. Miles's pension.
Yours sincerely,
Brigadier-General T. Griffiths, C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.O.,
"Mareen",
Lempriere Avenue, East St. Kilda, Vic.

1078.
26 May 1926.
Major-General the Hon. Sir J.W. M'Cay, K.C.M.G., K.B.E.,
59, Brighton Road,
St. Kilda, Victoria.
Dear M'Cay,
Among the many accounts of Fromelles, there are a
certain number of references to some negotiations between the
29th Battalion and the 104th Saxon Regiment concerning an armistice
for the picking up of wounded. As the matter was apparently
referred to the German divisional headquarters and to your headquarters,
I would be very much obliged if you could help me by
letting me know whether the matter was transmitted by you to XI
Corps or first Army, and what was the principle upon which it was
decided.
With kind regards,
Your sincerely,
C.E.W. BEAN

[*HN.*]
59 Brighton Rd,
St Kilda, Vic,
6 June, 1926.
C.E.W. Bean, Esq
Official Historian &c
Dear Bean,
Your letter of 26^th May has duly
come to my hands. The facts relating
to the very temporary armistice to which you
refer, are these:
1. G.H.Q. orders, & all subordinate orders,
were extremely definite, to the effect that no
negotiations of any kind, & on any subject,
were to be had with the enemy.
2. It was duly reported to my Divisional H.Q.-
the date I do not recall, - that some arrangement
had been made, apparently at first between
a Captain in my trenches, & a German
officer, for a temporary "armistice" for
picking up wounded.
3.  In view of the definitiveness of GHQ
orders, as soon as my H.Q. became
war aware of the tentative arrangement,

orders were at once sent to put an end
to the "truce", & this was done.
4.  I did not refer it officially to Corps
H.Q., GHQ orders being too explicit to justify
any such action, but I afterwards told
the Corps Commander, & the Army Commander,
about it: & they approved of the
action taken.
White has spoken to me also about
the march to Moascar of two of the 5^th
DW. brigades, which some people have spoken
of as being a "test" march, & I enclose
a note on that point also.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
JW McCay