Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/94/1 - November - December 1917 - Part 3

23
5
Funds, but, as Beaverbrook
is chairman it will probably
go as he desired. The whole
fund amounts to £100,000,
roughly mostly earned by
British film, then by Canadian,
lastly by Australian. We have
as yet no representative
on this committee. All the
cinema Beaverbrook operators in France
are the servants of this
committee.
Beaverbrook now wants
he told us - to establish a
similar committee of control
over the photographs. His
idea is to have one big
exhibition with an Editor
of pictures  covering the whole
front. This is to be taken
staff of photographers of
whom the committee is appointing
 

24
5
6 British ones. The
Canadian, Australian, &
N.Z. photographers are to
go under the control of the

committee & the committee will
send out an Editor to manage
the whole. They will bring the

salaries of all photographers
up to £12 a week. And they
propose to hold their exhibition
in February.
This was the first word
we had heard of any such thing.
Beaverbrook knew tt we Australians
were preparing to hold an
exhibition & tt Hurley had
gone to Egypt to get photographs
for it. He told us so. But
neither he nor Lytton had said
a word of it. Lytton asked
me if we wd object to Hurley
 

25
5
being asked to do work on
composite pictures outside
the Australian area (we
objected to them" inside") -
that and I wondered at /
time what he meant. Of
course he knew of this place then
-but he sd nothing.
I told Beaverbrook tt
he clearly had us in his
hand as far as/  exhibition
went - their exhibition killed
ours. The Canadians had had
theirs - now they wanted to
scoop in ours. We had no
objection provided they gave us
unlimited scope.
But one thing we could
not agree to ws tt they shd

control our photographers - we
have our own policy, records
 

26
Beaverbrook ws determined tt
Canada shd have the right to compare
pictures - "to fake them, Blumenfeld." he
said - "that's what you would call it."

Cassells the Canadian photographer

saw WIlkins the other day & told him
that, without knowing what pictures
the Canadians had taken at
Paschendaele, Beaverbrook had
arranged a Canadian exhibition
for December. Cassells ws just
going over then to see him &
tell him & they had not more
than about 50 photos altogether.
They went to Paschendaele

twice-- or tried to - but were bogged
& shelled ; & so they had really
not been able to get their record
of it - not eno' for an exhibition

anyway.
 

27
5
& no "faked" pictures except

such as are clearly stated _∧ in their titles to
be faked (Gen. Charteris objects
to faked pictures. ^X at all,
Beaverbrook says, & B. is
simply going to ignore him.)
I sd all orders to our photographers
must come through our
D.A.G. Beaverbrook We wd help them
in every way ws cd - & /
result wd not be different -
but we wd not give them

control.
B. sd he didn't mind
sending orders thro' me,
but he wdn't send them thro
the D.A.G because DAGs
were military & he steered
as wide of military people
as he could. "Anyway in this
 

28
5
matter you are the DAG"
he sd.
He clearly doesnt know

Colonel Dodds.
We left it there, I to see
the DAG & to write to him.

I told him Birdie had agreed
as to the loan of our photographers [*on conditions*].
to 6 composite pictures
titled to show clearly tt they
were composite. he sd
:Has Gen. Birdwood got a back?
Will he stand up to Charteris."
I sd he would. Apparently

the Beaverbrook's experience
of British Officers in / Canadian
force is tt they are not
sufficiently independant to back
Canadian interests.
Beaverbrook offered Smart

there & then a seat on this Ctee
Photographic Committee.
 

29
^X Ll. George's speech in the House
in reply to Asquiths question abt

the Inter - Ally Council has so
absorbed people tt I cd not
get a morning paper when
/ train started. All except /

illustrated ones were sold
out.

30
5
We i left Wilkins in London

to title the Australian film
up to / present & crossed

over with little Plant. ^X On
reaching Boulogne we found 

old_∧ Col. "Bill " Smith, who had

come down in my car on
his way to London on leave.
He told us tt the British
had attacked with
400 tanks at Havrincourt.
They had broken / German
line - 5 divisions of Cavalry
were down there & it ws
thought / cavalry had
gone in. They were near
Cambrai.
Since then rumours
have enlarged this. It is sd
it ws an attack without
bombt - they simply walked
 

31
5
over, - I suppose at dawn ;
the 3rd & 4^th Corps with
8 Divisions made it, &
the 4^th Corps had got all
its objectives except one
small point wh ws
being reduced, an the
3rd Corps ws thought to 

have got all its objectives
also. Flesquieres had bn
taken. A late rumour

sd they were beyond

Cambrai.
There is not enough
news in yet to judge this

success by. Well followed
up it might mean anything.
M. Painlevė, the other
day, made a speech
abt out taking over part o /

French Line down there, & this
 

Nov
 

32
is now put down as
camonflage to cover I movement
the germans (only had 1½
devns in i thereo no
reserve dions it all
tonight it as raiing
hard
snce about 11 pm
I
215
once o liwoce
wo the
during
I night - each time 1
rain sourin down-
aot help pitting as 1 tougt
of our cavalry & infacitry out
there ngar (ambray pursuin
& then thes
a great chance
celig descending
I remember steepily sugpesting
to Ftant (who lef at 6 am. for
t Dis at Abbevelle) that the
ttalmost looked as if Jernans
had found the key to makinanfall
He sd. Well it handly looked like that
 

33
 

a aot he pavient.
45
hat Hurley
ASPE
andte ote Borte.
se i
araved
2d
24
now w
691½ Sqn
owr
our
it ws down at Savy
altho
Corps
made a daylight-midday - raid
on Actos Now 8(when 15 plaines
yours dropped bombe on sppy
& put up a smoke barrage, phospd
bussting 100ft from (ground) did
not know th anything we
intended. It ws a complete
surprise
Major Blake
to
tells
Mc.
 

fa
 

94
Octgat Paschendaele
on
and as doubt the Contrary
instances prove tt
it cannot be
50
on reaching HQrs found
of the piish in 1 Somme
news
M. t
are a
came as a complete
had
to wennter, who had
surprise
ExC.
it in confidence from
heardd
Klyiy Corps.
the
Tomeone
in
Our troops are well tho
live; but Bourlon - the hill wh
as
there
one
remembers
down
district
dominating
whole
a great woolly headed lump wh
looks right down on
Ferman
year - is not ours.
Te
attack seems to have
reached
Ioasmodicat as far as Pullicars
2( pet. Cavay
not continuously

the
Din is vidinin
 

satint
W
on the
by moving
Eastern side
a
6
from
al
Moenveres.
Nov 22nd.
Allday answering
letters - my mothers birthday.
Poor little mater - the last years
her eyes have been failing or rather
have been too weak for reading. The
has had to give it altogether. Her
new house at Landy Bay & her
grandchild are her compensation
thank god. Wherever mother joes
The builds up a garden that is
like herself, a very perfect wweet
thing in every
corner, with all socts
of sweet hidden beauties; & she
also builds up around herself.
anconsciously
a little court of
admirers - women + men both- who
attend her almost as a band of devotec