Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/91/1 - October 1917 - Part 7

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066659
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

1444 04 bring it I hope it will attback-when I read tpely wiith it t ans have The Bslandd on ded l in I Gulf of Regan Oeet whole mettnd their to have been an contreat t5 Extreane They landed atiipoti divisions 2 The day has on night cold clear. faiit write I thought Murdoch& tet fo cable to out.
p 62 D t H Ate of thist or fto whole o on b set 22 the Cents 4 e o th have 40 to W reinfts after Spaing a obatt Oensie 7ta it fall division it with on This 4 afterwa certain w brcak Den 4 offencive the 0 at le le ib 2 8 iti only conscription or bi
63 special eft some t iscryte to make bt pos it Dins keep votunt ary recieed thinh most untitaly to is approach this. T4 efore souscrepte or it i5 a division break up. of brote C) up 0n4 hat be now it 3hd rew ts wd lea Sprin the efter 9 stion sobve 4d 4 A tialian keep 8 together D this IAme At
64 t we 4 afan tried the i be able to we A natia toother are all de talian off1 under the and are to 4 dions up by recrustin keep 6 h we must by stronger even necessaty atle eof tt as ure adva i Th Divus o sent 4 all 21 st te we under Diond te
45 65 alean sat Bidwas hand will have to be fitz that orced to w0 toyat H staff t th od pe to his them l is out 40 ex 9 appointing e A when new tots nto have to be apt made any one exc perhi Else an or Hobbs i Bux Monach at Auatiatian Gi the gannot have. man. is purity & absenceof the fealousy for politic
66 Bi l e 5 a sto is a th 4 bti was n0 cnt te X tn it t6 o M White wd not Me eab de to not Aust 45 e tid rep men beca of th se e ir abilit 6 nati intor fe to Monagh tgeles hape Rosenth at 4 both tt quality though
87 d i 2ot spanetle 4 ase Rosentha d Bindward to to tt Rosen that Muidock tod ext divistion 24 Geteand mxt bes be after sawd. the lod aluost I Re tater sed Birdwood this d apense with than Getlibrant Hoppen tousand times too pyoud prish his own barrow a an who wd rate Sick crasts out 5 utte so begging
08 cla step promotion All he t knows I force 4 al bet t all devision for a he to see its force Ex 0 Bulleconst. after never fave Bendwood thanks 4 £ 4ord one afte Bullecourt never brgade about tohis Spoke them it ix patted n on back once fettebran is Had 1one man, white barry who wabe fitter to comuderd the1t than Sen. Berdwood himself.
4 619 at of do onpt a 70 t ordnang Salvage the officers bigg trophes fer 4 for H ta 64 maxted Thaj tacke ad Sptende if Hold Ganter up HDern . t Niner 2 the granter 40 of eent up Inanted 6 nits of Germa as from Bavania Anmuour o has given me to Museuin for Cipt. Baiter a boy Depot Coluecky cullett tas as been
wh fot The a hed las few the efort 4 ght Court X 6 O tom up have out 2 Either to ghts 60 ught aft tast torps the night it thinte 2t then wh Sid Goth 34 lost De tod in bu be be

61
D41
I hope it will bring it
all back - when I read
it - vividly, to myself.
The Germans have
landed on / Island of
Oesel in / Gulf of Riga.
Their whole method 
seems to have been an
extreme contrast to
Gallipoli. They landed
2 divisions.
The day has bn
fine & / night cold
& fairly clear.
Oct 19. Writing
Murcoch & I thought
out set line outline for cable to

 

62
D41
Hughes - First, the
results of this battle, a
big success on / whole ;
Secondly the certainty
tt we shd have no more
reinfts after a spring
offensive - probably 5
full divisions to start
it with, & only
3 afterwards. This
wd mean a certain
break up of one Divn
at the end o / offensive
- possibly 2, unless
recruiting improves.
Recruiting can only
improve by conscription or

 

63
D41
by some special effort.
Conscriptn wd
make it possible to
keep 5 Divns going ; voluntary
recruiting, we think,
is most unlikely to
approach this. Therefore
it is conscription or /
break up of a division ;
& if one is broken up
it shd be now. That
wd (1) leave reinfts in
hand after / spring &
wd (2) solve / question
of keeping all Australian
Divns together.
At / same time if

 

64
D41
we are to have
conscriptn tried again
we must be able to
assure Australia tt
all / divns are together
under Australian offrs.
And if we are to 
keep / divns up by recruiting
voluntarily, we must 
even more by stronger
necessity, be able to
assure / people of this
advantage.
Therefore in any
event - 4 Divns or 5 -
we must try & get all
Divns together under an

 

65
D41
Australian staff.
Gen. Birdwood's
hand will have to be
forced, to get that
staff. He is too loyal
to his old friends to turn
them out; tho' he is
keener on appointing
Austrlns (when new
appointments have to be
made) than any one
else exc. perhaps
Gellibrand or Hobbs.
But Monash
for an Australian C. in C.
we cannot have. He
is not / man.
The purity & absence of
jealousy or political

 

66
D41
intrigue in Birdwoods
administrn, is
worth anything. There
is no "eye-wash" - bluff
& humbug & insincerity -
in it ; & there is in
Monash's. White wd
do, but not Monash,
Besides we do
not want Australia
represented by men
mainly because of their
ability, like natural
& inborn in Jews, to
push themselves. Monash
& Rosenthal have
both tt quality, though

 

67
D41
Monash does not
use it shamelessly.
Rosenthal does.
Birdwood told
Murdoch tt Rosenthal
wd get / next division,
Gellibrand next best
after him, he said.
Really, I wd almost
rather see Birdwood
dispensed with, than this
happen. Gellibrand, a
thousand times too proud
to push his own barrow -
a man who wd rather
pick crusts out o /
gutter than go begging &

 

68
D41

claiming a step in
promotion - All /
force knows tt he is /
best man we have
for a division. All /
force expects to see him
in one, after Bullecourt.
Birdwood never gave
him one word of thanks
after Bullecourt ; never
spoke to his brigade about
it ; never patted them
once on / back...........
And Gellibrand is
/ one man, White barred,
who wd be fitter to
command the AIF than
Gen. Birdwood himself.

 

69

D41
Spent most o / day
going round amongst
the Salvage & Ordnance
officers begging for trophies
for the A.W.R.S.
Maj. Maxted has bn
splendid in backing us
up - & old Granter of
the 2nd Divn, & Viner
of the 5th. Viner, Granter thro'
Maxted ; went up & got
us 22 suits of German
armour from Bavaria
House.
Maxted has given me
Corpl. Bailey for / Museum
Collecting Depot, a boy
as keen on it as Gullett,

 

70
D41
who keeps me up to my
job.
__________
The Germans have
carried out either 2 or
3 heavy gas shoots /
last few nights - 60
gas casualties last night
in the Corps & 150 the night
before I think it was.
This morning & last
night there ws heavy
bombt on both sides -
we gave them gas ∧ shell last
night.
Today since midday
/ Germans have bn carrying




 

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Robyn GRobyn G
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