Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/92/1 - October - November 1917 - Part 4

Colonel  knew of his value &
had him marked as Colour - blind - it
is said - to preserve his life.
 

32
11
started w it, & at / end of 3
years ws 2nd in Command.
They lost 17 out of 25 of
their white officers, apparently.
He always had someone to
carry his things for him - so
his hands remained supple.
It ws near / end of / expeditn
tt they first heard o / war.
Williams returned to Australia,

got into / Flying Corps, &
came over but ws found to
be Colourblind ^X. The official
photographic work needed 2 men,
& so he got the 2nd job - He
has had to carry his cameras
here in order to do /
work xxx properly, & it
is having / worst effect on his
fingers fro 'cello work. But
we cannot get a 2nd motor
 

33
11
car yet for him & so
he cannot take a man
w him - Hurley & he &
Hurley's man fill / car.
at present.
Addison, one o /
Intelligence officers, who has
had some strange experiences
since / war began. He had a
factory in Courland on / West
side of a river not far behind
/ German Russian lines. The Germ Russian
lines were thought to be
almost impregnable & so they
Addison lived, his factory people
worked, as comfortably as they
used to here at Armentieres.
He ws playing bridge one night
at 12 when there ws a
tremendous noise of bursting
shells, bombs, & every sort of
 

34
11
racket. By I am. Addison
ws making across country w
his pyjamas toothbrush &
a few things in a handbag,
& his servants & people
following w him. The Russians
had pxx Germans had started
shelling heavily & / Russians
had pannicked. There
were aeroplanes overhead,
dropping bombs, 2 Zeppelins
shells falling in all / villages,
people lying dead in /
streets as they passed through,
houses ablaze, explosions
going on all over / country;
as they crossed / bridge
o / river the Cossacks
were dashing over it at
full speed towards/ rear,
fugitives were running
over, tumbling off some of
 

35
11
them, & trying to scramble
out o / water - the
place was a pandemonium
of crashes & flashes from
shells, aeroplanes, Zepps,
everywhere.
As Addison looked
back he saw / chimneys
of his own factory blown
up, one after another;
by / Russians. Bridges
were being blown up too at /
same time. The man Addison had
bn playing bridge with had
rushed off to his home &
packed 9 prayerbooks
in a bag & run with them
-he ws clean off his head
Addison says.
As an illustration of
what is going one in Russia
now Addison says tt when
 

36
some Brigades are ordered
into / line by their Divisions
/ men go to /Brigadier &
say:" If you go into / line
we will shoot you."
He says : " But what can
be done – it is an order?"
They say: "Oh you can say
that you have not /
amnunition & so on."
"But, "he says, " the ammn
is there - they can see-we
have all we want"
"Leave it to us - there
it wont be there tomorrow,"
they say - & they pitch it
in / night into / river.
In many cases these
soldiers have deserted &
formed armed bands & are
simply living on / country -
go into a farm, turn out /
 

37

11
owner, & live on / place
as long as it supports
them; then go somewhere else.
One of the Battalions of Death
ws sent to Petrograd to keep
order. The crowd there sd
this ws an infringement of
liberty. They has 6 machine
guns at / station & turned
them on them as they came
from / train & shot down 120.
All this - both Addisons
& Wilkins - is my casual
recollection; but it is near
enough to what they sd to
be interesting. Addison
had lost his home, his factory,
his sister died or killed (he
thinks by / Germans). & his
father's factory, too, now tt
Riga has gone. But he still has
some money in England.
 

38

11
"You've heard the good news !" Two
of our officers sd to me at different
times tonight.
I thought - not the Italians
successful at last - or the Russians,
or a big French victory again.
"The 5 _∧ Australian divisions are to be
brought together!"
So it has been got thro' at
last. Splendid.
Also, we are to go into a
quiet sector o / line for / winter
at Messines - from Armentieres
to Wyschaeti.
Old Monash will be pleased
to be within the pale again w his
3rd Divn. Everyone is as
pleased as punch. I think
tt little Hughes must have
more real true live patriotism
in him than we often credit him
with.
 

39
11
Nov 4. Sunday. It has been
a quiet day. There ws
heavy firing yesty all day -
the German battering / Canadians
all over their area. Today
has bn much quieter. The
German has put in 3 new
divisions &  / Canadians,
from what prisoners say & from
other sign, expect an attack
tomorrow at dawn.
The German has bn
drenching our batteries w
gas shell. He has a good
shell & he is using it. He
must have noticed / effect.
Our gunners daily are
being showered w exactly /
same stuff which broke the
Italians  - Two offrs were k.
the other night by a shell
wh burst in their dugout.
 

40

11
The German is using gas
shell now as one of his
main weapons.
I believe we have a gas
far worse than any wh he uses
one wh wd blind him. Our
statesmen quite rightly will
not allow it to be used, - to
flood / world w blind helpless
people on both sides. It is
quite possible / German has it
also & is not using it. I wd
rather lose / war than use
this stuff. But I have heard
soldiers argue tt if we dont
/ German is certain to -&
then we shall merely be
surprised & driven back before
we can use it. _∧ & shd have to use it later. I dont
believe in it_∧ use by us first-even so- with
our profession of faith we cannot
do it. If we do use it / German
is certain to follow; we effect
 

41
11
nothing, & flood / world w
helpless people. Our loude
politicians are perfectly right.
 

17773