Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/142/1 - September 1916 - Part 3

9    21
as a passenger, en route to
Amiens, when Duncan bicycled
up. "I want you to keep me out
of it - promise you wont mention
me. or my name, ever" he
sd. "You see I told you the story
more fully than I ever told it to
anyone - even Arthur - partly because
I wanted to get it off my chest &
partly because I wanted to see
justice done to the Australians"
[The Canadians had been filled into
these trenches & took a big part
in the fight - they were now
very tired & one officer came up
to Colonel Buchanan & said "I
cant keep my men in the
trenches, Sir; they will keep
leaking back. I'm at my wits
ends to know what to do".
"You must order them flatly
to stay there" - sd Buchanan.
"That means I'll have to
shoot them" - sd the officer.

9    22
Our own Australians straggled
back a fair amount in this awful
fight too. Any troops would do
so; many troops wd certainly
have withdrawn & left the trenches
empty.
I told Duncan I would certainly
not bring him into the story. I wasn't
allowed to mention his name
anyway.
He said - "I dont want you to
mention it ever"
I said: "My dear chap I certainly
will not promise that. When it
comes to writing the history of this
show I will certainly have to
mention names & I will do it
as fairly as I can all round."
He asked me not to say that
our men got into their own barrage
(I suppose, because it wd grieve
their friends). I sd I shdnt
be allowed to say it. But his
request did not apply to the eventual
history, years after?
"Oh - you can do as you like, then"
he said.
I would I shd have refused to agree anyhow.

For pages 23-26 - ?list of serial nos of
British Official photos of AIF -
see other end of book

9      26
Courcelette
Stretcher Bearers (2)
O.G. Trenches
Mouquet
Chalk Pit
Dugout

9      25

3 of R A A

9     24

^X  We got, I think, most of
the negatives afterwards
by courtesy of the British
Authorities. (As they
wd not - at this time -
let us have a photographer
& had agreed to lend us
theirs whenever I
asked for him.)
C.E.W.B.
Sept 1927.

9      23
British Photos which were
taken for us. ^X
C. Series