Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/81/1 - June 1917 - Part 7

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quality - he is

completely & entirely

unambitious. He doesnt

want / job for himself,

& if told tomorrow tt it

ws being taken from him wd

simply say: "All right - have

you got any other job

where I can be useful"?

(he is All the man whom

White beat over the evacuation

plans, at Anzac.) or rather

at Imbros).

Allenby - well;

Birdie & White, when we first

came under the 3rd army

the other day, went up with

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many other Corps Commanders

- 6, I think, including Haldane
- to the 3rd Army H Qrs to 

a "Conference". They sat

round / table with

this huge, good looking

fellow at the end. He

has a brusque rather 

bullying manner - in fact

he is a bully - He pulled

out a paper with some

scribble on it, & cleared 

his throat, shot his

cuffs & said.

"Hem! I have noticed

of late many Highlanders

in Arras sitting in the

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streets - hem - displaying

their manly proportions -

hem! This must be stopped."

As tho' even the inhabitants

of Arras ever cared two pins-

such as there are! This for

the start of the Army Conference.

Then: "I have seen troops

drilling of late" (in this very

abnormally hot fine

weather since ^mid-April)

"in their shirt sleeves. This

must not be allowed. It

gets troops into a habit

which makes them discard 

their kit when it comes

to action" (which is not true)

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& I wont have it. In

future all drill must

be done in full kit.

All the Corps Commanders

sat dumb ^White sd. No one sd "Does

tt mean tt I am to order

tt no platoon commander

may let his men take

their coats off?"

Allenby went on: "I noticed

one man ^not with his shirt

coat off but with his shirt

unbuttoned right so tt he

showed bare flesh right

down to / waist. Disgusting."

Then he said that 

Arras was too crowded.

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Corps Commanders

must see tt this ws

rectified.

Here Ferguson did

have the guts to retort.

"But can you tell me

where I am to put my

troops. You will see

(pointing up at I map)

tt my area is very narrow

& there's little accommodation."

(Of course it ws not a 

matter to be blurted out

on a conference but

to be looked into by

Q staff at Army HQrs

who cd advise how

many troops of each Corps

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were there & then Allenby

cd give his order - Instead

he xxxxxxx planted the question

down there - not one of them

knew how many troops

they had in Arras.

The he sd "Well, Ahem, 

it must be looked into

by you (not by his staff)

& you must rectify the

matter - the place is

too crowded."

On the way back

little Birdwood, buzzing

back like the others,

30 or 40 miles in his

motor car sd quietly

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to White: "I wonder

how much tt cost 

the country in petrol?"

Someone - I cant think

who - who has a sister

working w / French

Army, tells me that the

state of the French Army

is very serious. Trainloads

of troops have bn seen

by her, going thro to /

front, shouting to passers

by "A la Hachette! A
la Hachette!" meaning

"we are lambs being

sent to the slaughter:.

The same girls saw a

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number of French

troops following an officer

who ws walking ahead

w a stick and not

interfering with them in

any way - & they

were all bleating like 

lambs - The French don't

seem to have the stick of

other troops. The faintest

sign or suspicion of tt

movement has never

appeared in British or

Australian troops. In

fact it looks as if

British & Australians 

wd have to take the

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burden of this war from 

now. Yet the French

are enthusiastic about

our Messines victory.

They cheered & cheered

Perry Robinson in Paris

because he noticing his

khaki.

The Russian relaxation

of army discipline 

"voluntary" salutes etc -

has not affected our

men in the least. I 

suppose Australian

salutes are mostly

voluntary as it is.

Desertion (not to / Enemy)

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has increased.

While I was with

Arthur Maxwell news

came in tt Maj. ^Capt. Stubbings

a civilian batman had bn captured

& brought in A civilian

ws outside. He ws under 

guard. It ws Capt

Stubbings' batman

who had bn captured -

he had deserted &

got into so French

civilian clothes.

The men know they

are not shot for this,

& expect all sentences

to be remitted at / end