Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/87/1 - August 1917 - Part 4

10    31
on August 29th.]
Joy ws as glad to
talk of the Australians as
could be until it came to
a question of definite stories
to be published. That he avoided
every way he could - partly
from the hatred of a good man
to immodest. publicity for his
corps, I think; partly for
fear of getting into trouble
by saying something for wh
he wd be blamed. But he
sd tt Edwards- one o /
best fliers - ws an Australian 
& he wd perhaps be able to
help us. He sent for
Edwards to come in.
Edwards There came
in a man not unlike
Rex Rabett to speak to - a
 

10   32
typical man from one o /
big Victorian public schools -
Melbourne Gramar School
as a matter of fact, He
seemed nervous & speechless
when faced by a journalist,
and had an odd twitch in
his neck, as if he had
like Ashmead Bartlett.
"I'm not very bright -
as a matter of fact I've
just waked up," he said
He spoke very direct.
quietly, but jerkily. The
Australians had done
a lot of real good
work, he sd. Better get
the squadron book (that daily
record of often wonderful
work in a few trite
sentences which does not
 

10
33
go in with the Brigade
dearies) + cun trough it
and Dec. What were kein
names - "Funny, hesd
as he looked thad the leaves
searching for names to
remind him who these
men were - they had
ly lef a few days befoe-
funny - I flown with con

all- buty
oremember names now.
kings ceem to go too
fast.. he sd vaquely
in his curious indecisive
ferky way-
and I think it ws
t remeark which began
to make me realise
to I ws talking to a
man t a new discese.
 

4
that this man's nerves
were being wrecked
withen a fe wherlwoond
weeks by a new craze
anew crave.
He had been
flying high + comparatine
calily a mont ago- I
engaged in an occasional
Scrap with german Icouts
-risty enough. Then
in the first dawn of the
Yous Battle, July 31, the
new pobicy of his service
had flong him low down
into I dust of the battle
low over (heads of
infanto
cheering them
terrifigly the coven
wropping bombs on
on

Germans in shellholes,
them screting low
 

10
 

35
flycy actually in our
barrip, careless of
shells or machinegun
bullets, or anything except
the weld excitement of
wroment.
Then he had fone
outing low, like a
Skate on a river bottom
out along the German
roads. He took one
of new austialion Flyn
Corps airmen, Wells,
with him on one or two
of these trips & then wells
got bitten with that
excetment too, & went
with him every day,
low down bomben
+ scarv ferman
groups in the madholes
 

0
 

36
four days running; until
on the fifth day the fermans
who had previously only
blazed at them wildly
with riftes or a few
machine gans, suddenly
spence on them with abt
forty machene Jano
it may have been fourteen
but it was forty to
them) - evidents be had
waited for them, The
gave ten a real shock.
Wells was wounded &
that sent back to England
recommended for a Meletar
Cross. Edwards to to
recommended for a
Mr.C. - & he told as he
thought he wd get it.
 

10
 

They - I dont know if
it ws wells or another w
him - but Edwards5
Someone out one day
along a Jerman road
saw a moter car &
chased it. It hurried
all it could, t tried
to get away - finally
the occupants. Saw a
cottage, made for it, left 1
dived
car & rected cuto, it
unfortunately they dis
not see that the roof was
off. The acroplane
rose up above it &then
dived at it from sky
firing its m.g at the
staf officers inside. These
did not know what to
do. They went from
 

10
 

38
one wall to another
just as infantry will in
a trench; finally one of
them publed out a revolver
& fired with it impotentl
up at them.
Of course we didnt
do them much harm
we didn't hit them; but
we rained then car
Edwards said
Fhom the day when
they started fleing on
barrage the pace had
become so tremendous
to Iend of it ws certain.
Noman ad live at th
pace & last. He as abread
out of touch w I world
his memory going
his nerves twitching
 

10
 

39
He could not give it up.
yet in a way he dreaded
sooe things in it.
Those shells of ours flashing
past you - they put the
wind up you, hedd
with hapshuddercahis
you can see em you
know. I dedat mind
lo at first - hardly
knew what they were
Bat I dont like them
now- The 40machan
guns too, be spoke of
with a wina. Hc
spoke of fights with
fermans wikout
repet, &o perfect
confidence in the abilil
of any British place to
fool a ferman in
 

40
In the yors battle
they tried to fly between the
two barrages - under the arc
wh they made
1414 it

British Shels
Infy.
Term
shells
(and one cd just see him up
there like an activec
o
tumbling turnan
flasheny through
the middle of a great
iebevy of hawks
all with one grim purpose
You mustn't look as if you
were frightened, "be sd, "thats
part of secret (just as tho' 1 German
were a restive horse, to be mastered
 

10
 

1141
battle. "We got cut off
4ofus - by 30 of them.
he said. We all yor
back all right - thats
when you have to bry
every damned then
you know - mose dive
tail dive, side stp, every
you an thenk of. You
dont consider the sabeh
of the place at all
don't thank of it - That
i how the ferman cant
follow us - he cant do
that He only fights on
a certainty. He just
makes one dive
of be nesses
yeis away under
you as jast as be
can.
The Jermans are