Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/93/1 - November 1917 - Part 3

12 19
like all as in all battalions
their manners are pretty.
They drank / health o /
King w all / old
formality, in a dash
of cognac, no heelers;
& thlanding the President
Calling "Mr Vice" & the
Vice President - a junior
officer at / far end
of one o / tables in
the village school
room answering
"The King".
___________
 

12 20
Oct Nov 9. Friday. After breakfast
came / splendid news tt Gaza
had bn taken. Our Light Horse
& other troops worked well
north of Beersheba first
& British infantry tackled
other positns between / two.
The Italians are retiring
onto a further river - the
Levement or some such
name. Livenza.
Was round to the 44^th
& 41st Bns. Heron, the
young officer commdg the
41st has made a fine
bn of it. One can see tt by
/ smartness of the men. It
 

12 21
is probly as good as the
9th. As with the 37th yesty,
I notice tt he has a battalion
mess going & tt he insists
on the outward forms. He
wears gloves, for example,
in this French village. The
men are neatly dressed, &
are most smart in saluting 
- I have never seen a battalion
more so. He wdn't let me
go & fetch my overcoat -
told one of his men to get
it; his voice completely
changed when he gave / order 
- there was a cold decision
about it & he spoke it out
like a command on parade.
 

12 22
He is an older looking
man than Morshead, spare
clean shaven & more lined;
but their methods are very
similar -
Heron, like Morshead, is
an educated man. His
father has a motor boat
& is therefore probly pretty well
off. It is curious how this
type of man appeals to
Australians more than ^the type that
the Bulletin wd give you as
/ typical Australian - the
rather punctilious type rather far
more than the slack type.
The 10^th & 11^th Bdes are
remarkably healthy in this
 

12 23
respect - they are
great families. The
battalions in them stick
together, are enthusiastic
abt one another - & dont
crab one another as
some of our battalions
do. The offrs in the 37^th
yesty were all speaking
as proudly o / honours
won by the 38^th, 39^th & 40^th
as of their own. "My
word - I'm glad old
Hurry (38^th Bn) has got
his D.S.O.", sd some of
them - "There's nothing
cd please one more."
 

12 24
It is not so with the 
9^th Bde.
The 11^th Bde Bns too
are delighted to be in
1^st Anzac. And everyone
is hoping tt no division
will have to be broken up.
I hear tt Reuters says
tt conscriptn is to be tried
agn in Australia.
(as from 7^th Nov).
Irvine is working for it &
most people think tt
M^cCay is helping him.
I sent a cable 2 days ago -
not knowing of this -
telling / delight of Australians
at all being together, &
 

12 25
saying clearly tt for / first
time / apprehension had
arisen amongst them
that one o these divisions
might have to be broken
up in / Spring. There was
a chance tt this might
help recruiting.
Sat Nov. 10. 3rd Divn
yesty started to move North -
9th Bde yesty, 10^th Bde
today - by busses - 11^th Bde
on Monday.
I returned with Dyson to
1st Anzac - "The Australian
Corps," I believe it is now
to be. In Cassel we saw
 

12 26
Montaque, of the Censors
Branch, who told us tt the
1st Canadian Divn had attacked 
today along / Ridge for abt
1000 yds past Paschendale
& the 1st British Divn on
their left in the mud.
Both had got their objective.
Later we heard tt the
British had bn driven back.
Both they & / Canadians were
subjected to tremendous
shellfire all day. The
attack had bn on a very
narrow front - almost
as bad as Pozieres, & the
 

12 27
Germs were hardly met
with at all. But they
concentrated an enormous
amt of artillery on to
the area we took - &
the British were driven
in. This leaves / Canadians
holding a line like this 
beyond Paschendale.
Sketch- please see original. 
The night
is simply
vile - & /
day too -
cold & rainy 
- & if / Canadians
can hold on
they are wonderful
troops
 

12 28
It ws on such a day
tt our 3rd Divn came
back, but under rather
more trying flank fire,
perhaps, from Bellevue.
The 1st Div. is going
to Abbeville. 2nd to close 
support; 3rd & 5^th in
line. 4^th to Etaples
or thereabout, under GHQ
but with a right in Gen.
Birdwood to have it up
whenever he likes. All
men who previously
fought in it to go back to
it but no reinfts. The
W, Austtn bns are the