Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/98/1 - February 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
 

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/98/1
Title: Diary, February 1918
Includes reference to No 3 Tunnelling
Company, Messines and the Somme winter.
 

AWM38-3DRL606/98/1
 

to get our own    1
DIARY  Feb 4 - 11
1918
Original
DIARY No. 98
AWM 38
3DRL 606     ITEM 98 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

THE use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War memorial. But apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half-asleep;
also, not infrequently what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing believed. Further, he cannot, of course vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sept., 1946.                   C. E. W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL

ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

Maj. Ottley
6th Bty ? Parker  [shorthand]

Trying to get our own to
DIARY Feb 4-11
1918
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Thurs. Feb. 7 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Sat 9
Saw white Egypt.
Letters from France  xx
for Somerville.
_____________________________
Gen [shorthand] Rifle, chair, flag etc.
table.
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Gen R. had [shorthand] taken steps as to
British [shorthand]
__________________________
[shorthand]
Navy Pictures Let W. know
Let W & Cutlack know what [shorthand]
__________________________________
 

84
2
Mond Feb 4. Tonight dined with
little Baldwin at "Simmys" -
the Strand. He is broken down
- as he himself says - by his work
illness contracted in Mesopotamia.
And as he cannot get milk
diet at this time in London he sees
no chance of pulling together except
by giving up his work as photographer
for the "Daily Mirror" - (the excitement
of competition now sets him
trembling - "I have lost my nerve,"
he says - "I let a policeman stop
me from getting my camera into
the Old Bailey the other day - And I
accepted No his 'No' for an answer!"
That was the last stage of nervous
weakness for a press photographer
- so he decided to set up a
photographic agency in Fleet St.
because it was indoors, quiet,
 

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unexacting work by comparison!
He asks us for a few of his
shell photos for the show cases; & for
what patronage the A.I.F. and
High Commissioner can spare.
Len Griffiths promises to try & get
him the right to have a telephone
- restricted now to "work of
national importance."
Baldwin has been lately in
the N. of England for his paper.
He says that the temper of the people
up there is explosive. The Clyde
workers are especially so, & not
very responsible - he thinks this
is owing to the strong Irish element
there.
The N. of England is undergoing
really severe trials, he says. His
brother in one of the factories (at
Middlesborough, I think) tells him
 

84
4
that the men now seldom can
get meat at all - not more
than twice a week at most and
probably often less. They are doing
their work on bread & cheese & that
is not enough for a man who is
"drawing" or "pulling" (I forget which)
steel. They are working very long
hours & without ^the normal rests - & they
are really undergoing considerable
hardship.
"It wd take a lot to make
the Sheffield men strike for any
revolutionary aims just now," Baldwin
sd. "because they are full of a
really patriotic spirit & do not
want to embarass the country.
But things have happened ^about which
make you really ^I dont know whether to be anxious -
For example at one place (I think
 

84
5

he sd Middlesborough) "they got
'fed up' and decided to knock off
work on Saturday morning &
go & visit the Mayor & demand
tt meat shd be sent to their
town. When Saty came they did
stepxx not go to work but went
to / Mayor & addressed him -
He got busy & flew around the
authorities - &, as a result,
meat was sent to Middlesborough
(I think tt ws / place) ....
"Well then the other day down
by my place at Croydon abt
10,000 working people - I'm sure
I dont know how they came together
there, but they did - got together
& decided to knock of work on
 

84
6
Saty morning if they did not
get meat. They went along,
abt Wednesday of Thursday, &
told / Mayor, & he 'got the wind
up' thoroughly & rushed off to
the authorities - & before Saturday
they had their meat right
enough."
Of course, if true, the existence
of this practice is very dangerous
indeed. ^According to Baldwin the Clyde may
be making common cause w / 
Bolsheviks; but Sheffield is not.

Tues Feb 5.  Col. Butler, who has
seen some of his men from
France says tt / atmosphere
there is very quiet - but very
 

84
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electric. Because o / 
quietness everyone expects an
attack. They We are fortifying on
a system of strong points difficult
for / enemy to place. Our men
dont think / Germs. can get thro'
but expect a bad time.

Treloar & I have decided
to get / Govt of Australia to
rescind its permission to the
London Museum of the War to take /
pick of all our trophies, & to get /
collection of all our trophies recognised
as being in Australian hands. We
saw Lord Beaverbrook & he agreed
to work with us heart & soul. If we
cd get N.Z. & S.Africa to join, he
wd see if he cd get the decision
overturned without future action.
We saw Asutr S. Africa & N.Z. but they
 

84
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are not so strong - so Beaverbrook
& we are going to act alone. If
B. cant do it quietly here, we
will appeal to Australia thro'
the press.

Thurs Feb. 7.  Murdoch tells me
tt the idea in London is
tt / Germs. were to push at /
end of next week - but he believes
it is thought to have been postponed.
There is an idea, he says, of a
Main push agst / French in a fortnight.

Frid Feb. 8. Crossed to Australian
Corps Hqrs with Howse, to
lay before White a number of
points abt increasing / number
& scope of artists, etc.