Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/256/1 - 1915 - 1936 - Part 11

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
THE SENATE,
MELBOURNE.
The only units left to absorb these

"bad hats" were the new formations.

For the first 6 months I had a

worrying time with my brigade but

after that I had no trouble at all.

The improvement synchronised with the

improvement in the calibre of the 

senior officers in the Bns.

Yours Sincerely

T. W Glasgow

 

20th June, 1925.
Dear White,
Many thanks for your letter, and Glasgow's. I
shall possibly discover, as I go through the papers, the reason
for the passing on of the rejects. Possibly it was that the
arrangements made by 1st Anzac Corps for culling before the 1st
and 2nd Divisions left for France were not known to Headquarters
A. & N.Z. Forces. The order to 4th and 5th Divisions to take
over the rejects is under your signature, but it looks as though
it might have been transmitted from higher authority. I will
let you know if I get further light upon the subject.
Yours sincerely,
C.E.W. BEAN
 

Major-General Sir C.B.B. White, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.,
Chairman
Public Service Board of Commissioners,
Melbourne, Victoria.
 

125.

27 June, 1925.
Brigadier-General H.E. Elliott, C.B., C.M.C.
D.S.O., D.C.M., V.D.,
360 Collins Street
Melbourne, Victoria.
Dear Elliott,
In the papers of the A.I.F. I can find no reasons for
the changes which occurred early in March 1916 in your command, and
that of Smyth and Irving. I take it that Smyth was anxious to go
back to the 1st Brigade, and you were keen on having the 15th, but
I do not know how the transfer was put in motion. Do you remember
whether it was on application from yourself or Smyth, or whom?
Yours sincerely.
C. E. W. BEAN
 

TELEPHONE CENT. 1871
CASLES ANO TELEGRAMS
"LARISTAN" MELBOURNE
———

H. E. ELLIOTT, B.A., LL.M.
LATE LYNCH MACDONALD & ELLIOT

NOTARY PUBLIC
CITY SOLICITOR
COMMISSIONER FOR ALL STATES
AND TERRITORIES

Royal Automobile Club Building

94-98 Queen Street

Melbourne, 2nd July, 1925.

H.E.
Captain C. W. Bean,
Official Historian,
Commonwealth of Australia,
Victoria Barracks
SYDNEY. New South Wales.
My Dear Bean,
I acknowledge receipt of your letter of
the 27th ultimo.
With reference to the change of command to which
you refer the matter arose in this way. General Birdwood
had told me that General Smythe had been selected to
command the 5th Australian Division and that he desired me
to take over command of the 1st Brigade and I proceeded
with that Brigade to SeraPeum. After about a week or so
General Birdwood again sent for me and stated that the
Commonwealth Government had informed him that General
McCay, whom he had assumed would command the 3rd Division,
was being sent to Egypt to command the 5th Division and
accordingly that General Smythe would not receive the
appointment as expected. Under these circumstances General
Smythe expressed a preference to command the 1st Brigade
which he had previously commanded and General Birdwood asked whether I
would have any objection to hand this Brigade over to him &
myself take command of th???? the 1^st

Brigade viz the 14th 
 

Captain C. W. Bean,    -2-      2nd July, 1925.
In the circumstances of course I could raise no objection but
suggested that I would prefer if I could have command of the
15th Brigade in preference to the 14th owing to my knowledge
of the men and officers in the former and this was agreed to
as General Irvine had no preference in the matter he having
served for a very long time in New South Wales after severing
his connection with Victoria.
By the way do you know that General Smythe is now
located quite close to Messrs. Cates, Wrigley & Company. on

the land near Balmoral
He could no doubt give you some information on the subject.
I trust that your health is now fully restored.
I have read the second volume of the history and
find an improvement even on the excellence of the first volume.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely,
HE Elliott
P.S. Please note the change of address as above.
 

PART II. Orders or other authority to be quoted

D.2084/12.22-C1640-20M

Commanding . . . . . . . .

275
20 August 1925.
Dear White.
Many thanks for your letter received today. The negotiations
must have been most interesting - I think the result worked
out as well as could be expected.

I have written to Godley and Birdwood to see if I can
find out who was the actual originator of the reorganisation proposals;

possibly it was Murray.
Do you remember whether you saw Birdwood's suggestions
before they were cabled to the War Office by Murray on January 21
(Birdwood arrived in Egypt on January 19)? You must have been
working on the preliminaries of the scheme while still Brigadier-
General in charge of Administration on Godley's staff.
Bye the bye, Elliott says that it was originally proposed
to appoint Smythe to the 5th Division as soon as it was ready at Tel-el-kebir
I don't think this was the case - at that time it was 

proposed to appoint Lawrence.
Yors sincerely,
C.E.W. B4AN
 

CHANGES

To include enlistments, discharges, promotions, transfers, casualties, on command, attached,

employed, deserted, &, showing changes from previous state affecting strength and distribution.

Regtl. No.   Rank   Name    *Particulars

 

 

[* Army Form C. 2118

WAR DIARY

OR INTELLIGENCE SUMMARY.

(Erase headings not required)

Instructions regarding War Diaries and Intelligence Summaries

are contained in F.S. Reg., Part II., and the Staff Manual

respectively. Title pages will be prepared in manuscript.

Place   Date   Hour  Summary of Events and Information    Remarks and References to Appendices

*]

 

289.

August 24, 1925.
Dear White,
You will remember that you told me some provision
existed for ensuring that,in the splitting up of their battalions
in February 1916, Battalion commanders would make a fair division.
Was this provision the fact that it was left to the
higher authorities to decide to which wing the battalion commander
himself should go? I note that McConaghy (the acting-commander
of the 3rd Battalion) was sent to the 55th, the 3rd being retained
under Howell-Price, its second-in-commend.
Yours sincerely.
C. E. W. BEAN
 

Major-general Sir C.B.B. White, K.C.M.G,.K.C.V.O.,
Chairman,
Public Service Board of Commissioners,
Melbourne, Victorie.
 

 [* C. 8488*]

PHONE

CENTRAL 5832
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
27^th. Aug. 1925.
Dear Bean.
This is in reply to y^r. letter of 
20th Aug. the 2^nd para of wh. thinks

that Murray was the actual

originator of the [?] proposals. It is

quite safe to say that he was not. 

I must have seen Birdwood's suggestions

before Murray latter then to the [?] [?]
19th 21st. January. I had been working on

the matter with Godley as you suggest before that date.
 

I think that Elliott is in error in

assuming that it was intended to

give Smythe the 5^th Divⁿ. In my 
recollection Aust. [?] {?] have
than the British O & they preferred

Cox to Lawrence. In consequence I

do not think it was contemplated

 to give Lawrence the 5^th. Divⁿ.
 You ask in yr further letter of 24 Aug if

the proposition of Bⁿ. Com^ds. was kept in

the hands of higher authority. In the main

it was ; Brg^sn being given a choice.

Now to another subject. I had "Tubby

Clayton" to lunch yesterday & I asked him

to try to see you when he goes to Sydney.

He wants your cooperative aid in

addition While your advice as to

kicking out from the A.I.F local

"Saints" to be the local equivalent

of Gilbert Talbot. I told him that I

thought you could help him more

accurately than any one else.

Yours Sincerely.

CB.B.White