Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/87/1 - August 1917 - Part 6

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also crashed once in a pond - 
Third was C.C. Sands of Sydney,
a Victorian. (I think Edwards
sd he also went out on
July 31 w / Clouds at 300ft.
Capt Phillips of S.A. (Northern
Territory) was an offr who
joined as adjutant because he
had a leg paralysed. He
got other men to take him
up, however, & “got his wings”
in two weeks. His flying in
France was so good & so bold
that within 2 weeks at /
front he ws leading.
Leading means setting the
tune to / whole patrol - where
you go, they have to go. The
leader has to be / man who
keeps / others up to it - he
must be for anything, setting 

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/ standard to all.
G.C. Matthews had his
first fly on 5^th Aug.
G.C. Wilson had his first
flight on Aug. 7^th; & there ws
Lieut Forrest also (I am not
sure if he ws A.F.C. or R.F.C.).
As we drove home Gullet
was talking to me of my history.
"I only hope you'll take
3 or 4 months clear holiday", he
sd. "so as to x get away
from  at a bit of a distance
from it - so tt it doesn't all
seem too common place to you" -
He is afraid tt having lived in it
& became accustomed to it
I shall not see the real truths
- the wonder that all this
self-disciplined army in France 

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was until a few years ago
a crowd of young Australians
not one of whom had ever known
any outside restraint whatever -
not accustomed to be spoken
to with authority, much less
forced to obey it . . . . . that
sort of truth, he means. He
thinks I am writing too
much for the military critic
- the men of the A.I.F. &
such men as White; & not
enough for the people. One
always writes up to some
critic, he says; he himself
often has ^ in his mind his sister
Isabel (now on the Sydney
Sunday Times).
Gullet is a very 

brilliant, transparently
clean Australian, with a 

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59
wholesomeness that xxxx
simply able wins your
admiration & respect when
you consider the advanced
crowd he has mixed with.
I have always hoped to
see him Prime Minister of
Australia, but I think he is
too honest. He has a tremendous
admiration & friendship for
Phillip Gibbs; & a keen
friendship for old Faunthorpe
who, he tells me, is
amongst other things a
poet. Thank goodness
H Wilson is is relegated to
what he calls “ real soldiering
now “ - at Abbeville; &
Faunthorpe has his place
& has bn showing some
backbone. 

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60
Gullett does not agree w
me about the King. He.
agrees tt / monarchy is /
last centre & home of
feudal ideals & snobbery
in England; but he cannot
see how / British Empire cd
have a President at / head of
it. The mere fact of / colourlessness
o / King, & his independence
of any party means tt /
thing he stands for is above
party - & tt is / sine qua
non for / head o / Empire.
Well - I can see his point;
& I’m not sure tt he has not
made it good.
Aug 25. Went out to see
Arthur Maxwell. He is
at the 2nd Anzac Corps Officers 

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Rest Camp at La Motte,
(where little Chomley was a
few weeks back). Arthur
strolled round / beautiful
garden w me, perfectly
happy. He is having a complete
profound rest.
“I didn’t know how 
overdone I was.“ he sd,
"until one day I went
up / trenches & arranged
to meet young Arnott - I
was to go one way, he
another, & I ws to meet him
at / far end at a certain
place - he wd wait for
me. When I got there a
shell had lobbed  very
nearly on him about
20 minutes before. I 

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- well they tell me I went
quite off the handle - When
I got back I saw the
people back there & told
them & simply broke up -
I couldn’t speak without
crying - broke up like a
baby altogether.
Duncan heard of it
& he told the General &
I believe he sd: "That
settles it - there are a
dozen of them whom I
will pull out of the
line right away.”
Arthur was one, Harry
Murray ws another.
They have kept these
men at it so long tt /
strain breaks them -
Arthur sd to me: ”Well, I 

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don't mind going out now -
I managed to stick to it
till I broke down - &
that reconciles you in a
sort of way. One knows
tt one will be alright agn
after a spell of rest."
They are probly going
to send him to / base
& then to Op Commdg Officers
School.
Murray told him:
"You know, with me it
has come to this, tt I
have to go up / line
by myself now - without
anyone with me - so tt
they do not see me
duck at the shells.”
Everyone knows
they ought to have pulled 

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Murray out long before.
White has been, with
Gen. Fanshawe & Gen. 
Geoffrey: Fielding (of the
Guards Divn) on an
inquiry into some matter
- I think, the failure
of the 2nd Corps (British)
to take the ridge along where the
Menin Rd crosses it
at Ypres. I dont know
/ result. They say outside
tt / second Corps had /
hardest job, & at / same
time ws required to cover
/ biggest front; they say
tt  Gough first airily promised
the 2nd Army tt he cd
manage this front & didn’t
want assistance; & then,
abt a week before / fight, 

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asked them to take over a
big sector of his right for
him - & tt they refused,
as it wd upset all their
plans. This is all gossip
& may not have a word
of truth - or it may.)
White says tt, on / evidence
before him, / tanks were
not worth the expense of
them; & the barrage went
a little too fast.
I believe tt / barrage
has to go very much
slower thro woods. They
are most difficult to
get thro! At Inverness
Copse / infantry has
found tt / barrage got
far ahead of it as it
ws struggling thro' / great 

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battered down, shattered
obstacle.
The Turkish Greek White
Book, just out, says
tt Turkey, just before
making Germany declared
war, made an alliance
w her.  If so, the allied
diplomatists were fooled 
by / Turks for 3 whole
months!
Maj. Campbell of
the . . . Aus.