Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/244/1 - 1916 - 1933 - Part 17

I feel that I should like to go through all his letters end edit them
for publication they are so wonderfully alive.
Nevertheless I still feel it is a darkened view.  He says with such pathos
"We were lousy, stinking, unshaven, sleepless".  Now I remember halting
at a cooker as we came out of the line that morning and enjoying some
hot tea.  I suppose I was lousy, stinking, unshaven, sleepless", but I
didnt feel those things as tragedy, rather - as I said before - with an
exhilaration that one had been through such experiences. Does it all 
lie merely in the point of view?
You may, of course, use this letter in any way you like
but if you could give some of my remarks about the shells going over rather
than among us I feel it would be a corrective to some of the things Raws
says.  He certainly conveys the impression that we were being shelled
and fired at because we were known to be out there. Yet I am sure
such was not the case. We were only out in No Man'’s Land about two
hours, and I recall a night at Flers to which that night's experience
was almost a picnic.
I was very interested in your reference to the report on the dead.  I had
not heard of that. They were thick all round the sector and I thought at
the time what a demoralising influence they must have on newcomers.
With kindest regards
from Yours very sincerely
Lionel G. Short

C.E.W.Bean Esq
Victoria Barracks,
Sydney.

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JP:ML
Newcastle, N.S.W.  17th Dec. 1927
Dear Captain Bean,
I received your letter of the 4th
August on my return to Newcastle, and communicated with
Colonel Ferguson in regard to the point raised, and now
send you the reply received from him.  I am sorry there
has been any delay but you will gather from his letter that
it was unavoidable.  I am also enclosing copies of my
Brigade orders together with a brief report of the operation
of 4/5 August 1916 and some other orders and memos which
might be of interest to you.
I do not possess a copy of the
Divisional order but the Brigade order makes it quite clear
that the 26th Battalion was to use the Centre Way, and with
the knowledge that the 6th Brigade was moving forward on
our left, it is safe to assume this trench would not have
been allotted to the 26th Battalion without Divisional
instructions and an understanding with the G.O.C. 6th Brigade.
If I can furnish any further information
on this or any other subject please do not hesitate to let
me know.
Please return enclosures after perusal
unless you desire to retain them.
Yours sincerely,
J. Paton

Capt. C.E.W. Bean,
Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
SYDNEY.

ENCLOSURES.
1. Letter from Col. Ferguson with operation order of 26th Battalion
4th August and memo of 12th August attached.
2. 7th Brigade operation order.
3. Report of attach and capture of enemy trenches by 7th Brigade
4/5th August.
4. 7th Brigade memorandum 3lst July with General White's
pencilled comments.
5. 7th Brigade order to O.C. 25th Battalion re assembly trenches.
6. 7th Brigade memo repulse of counter attach 6/7th August.
7. Memorandum from General White in regard to same etc.
 [*returned*]

2799
21 December, 1927.
Brigadier-General J. PATON,
C.B., C.M.G., V.D.,
c/- R. Hall & Son, Ltd.,
Newcastle, N.S.W.
Dear General,
I have your letter and documents, for which many
thanks, I will go through them carefully and, if any are
indispensable, will avail myself of your kind offer and
retain them.  I am writing to General Legge to ascertain
if he has any recollection concerning the routes for the
brigades at Pozieres.
Please accept my best wishes for Christmas and
the New Year.
Yours sincerely,
C.E.W. BEAN 

F.4151
^xxxxxxxxxx
2801.
21 December, 1927.
Lieut.-General J.G.Legge, C.B., C.M.G.
Westangerra,
Federal Capital Territory.
Dear General,
In dealing with the attack of August 4/5, 1916,
on Pozieres Ridge, I find a descrepancy between the
orders for and action of the 7th Brigade.  I have tried
in many directions to discover the reason, but the only
explanation I can find is that it was a mistake of the
brigade staff.  All the orders down to 7th Brigade appear
to allot Centreway to 6th Brigade and Copse Avenue to 7th
Brigade, but the 7th Brigade order laid down Centreway as
the avenue for the 26th and part of the 28th Battalions.
The 22nd Battalion, arriving there, found it blocked
and had to take another route.  I can find no modification
of the Divisional Order to account for this, nor did
the 6th Brigade know of any, but it has occurred to me
that you may recollect some such modification.
General Paton cannot now remember the circumstances
but thinks that your order must have permitted the 7th
Brigade to use Centreway.  If you have any recollection
concerning this I should be grateful for your assistance.
Volume III, dealing with this period, is now
practically complete but will not be published until I
receive certain papers from England.
Please accept our best wishes, for yourself and
Mrs. Legge, for Christmas and the New Year.
Yours sincerely,
C.E.W. Bean 

H.N.
Westangerra
9 Jan y '28
My dear Bean
I have been hunting up old
papers but so far cannot throw
any light on the question you raise
Unfortunately, when the higher
powers played the trick on me which
resulted in my being recalled to
Australia, I was expecting to
return to duty in a few days &
all my papers, maps, & copies of
orders were left in France at the
headquarters of the 2nd Div.
These I never succeeded in recovering
No doubt it would have been
inconvenient for some people if
I had been able to refer to them.
I do not remember any modification
of orders for the 7th Bde, & if it had
been given by my staff there must
have been some note in 6th Bde Orders.
Thanks for good wishes which
we heartily reciprocate
yours sincerely
JM Legge 

F.4151
2820.
16 January 1928.
Dear Gelly,
In reading the records about Pozieres I noted that
the Centreway was allotted to the 6th Brigade and Copse
Avenue to the 7th, but that half of the 7th went in by Centreway,
blocking the 6th. I wrote to Paton, who informs me that
it is safe to assume that Centreway would not have been
allotted to the 26th Battalion except on instructions from
Division and an understanding with you. I then got in
touch with Legge, who has no records available, but who says
that, if any change had been made in the arrangements, there
must have been some note in 6th Brigade orders. I have
searched very carefully, but can find no such note; I find,
however, that 6th Brigade units state that the 7th were in
Centreway contrary to arrangements.^x Reference to the 7th
Brigade order shows that, they were allotted "Centreway" in the
Brigade order.
[*^xMy own diaries
have also notes
to this effect*]
Unless further records come to light, the evidence is
convincing that a mistake was made in drawing the 7th Brigade
order.  I am therefore writing to ascertain whether you have
any recollection of a change having been made in the Brigade
orders by which the 7th was allotted Centreway.
Yours sincerely,
C.E.W. BEAN

Major-General Sir John Gellibrand, K.C.B.,
D.S.O. M.P.
House of Representatives,
Canberra

F.4151
^xxxxxxxxx
3203.
1 May 1928.
Major-General J. Paton, C.B, C.M.G., V.D.,
c/o R. Hall & Son, Ltd.,
P.O. Box No. 4363E,
Newcastle.
Dear General,
I am grateful for your generous assistance to me
in trying to disentangle the origin of the mistake concerning
the routes for the approach march on 4 August 1916 at Pozieres,
but our researches have been fruitless.  There is no doubt
that Legge's order allots Centre Way exclusively to the 6th
Brigade, and this is also (as you will see) marked on the map
issued by Division and included among your papers, which I herewith
return.  Legge and Gellibrand, to both of whom I have
written since hearing from you, say that they know of no 
alteration in the divisional order, and Gellibrand says he had always
thought the 26th Battalion made a mistake.  The papers, however
show that the mistake was made in the 7th Brigade order.  I am
writing to Rowan-Hamilton to see if he has any recollection of
the circumstances, and, if he remembers anything, I will write
to you again.
Many thanks for the loan of the enclosed papers.
Yours sincerely,

3225.
4 May 1928.
Major L.W. Matthews, D.S.O.,
"Merriebogie",
Bygalorie,
via West Wyalong, N.S.W.
Dear Matthews,
In writing the story of Pozieres, I find myself in
doubt as to the route which the 22nd Battalion was ordered to
take on the 4th of August, 1916, in order to reach the "jumping-off" 
trench.  According to brigade orders, it seems to have been
up Centre Way as far as Gibraltar, thence along Kay Trench to the
Front line;  but some accounts would make it seem probable that
the route laid down was up Centre Way to the front line. The
7th Brigade, however, intended to use a route which led into
Centre Way north of Gibraltar, and some confusion was, I think,
caused by its taking a wrong route and straying into Centre Way
south of Gibraltar.
The records throw no light whatever on this point,
and I should be grateful if you could assist me with your
recollection. I am also writing to Wiltshire.
Yours sincerely 

Diagram - see original document