Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/258/1 - 1914 - 1927 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/258/1
Title: Folder, 1914 - 1927
Covers the RAN and wartime events in New
Guinea; includes Bean's notes and letters to him
from correspondents such as Sir Robert Garran,
Cmdr R G Bowen and Lt Cmdr O W Gillam.
AWM38-3DRL606/258/1 

NEW GUINEA, etc. No. 258.
AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 258 [1]
1^st SET 

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 those 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 consuiting, 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

Occupn of
Nauru.
Notes from files W 124 112/4.392.
& W.112/4/1052
W389/2/456.
Sept. 9 (reptd fully on known Sept 24?) Melb.
Sept 15 [[Macardie?]] to Sec Defence
Naval Bd suggest cable be sent to S. of S. for G
asking tt Resdt Commn Gilbert & Ellice ls may be
authorised  to occpy Nauru when circs permit.
xxxxx 

Opporty when Ooma leaves Brisbane on Sept 17.
Propd to remove G. offls by Ooma (from Nauru).
Messina ws going to send take provns from to Augaur. abt
1st wk in Oct.

Coy wanted to start wk but cdnt if G. offls on Is.
Sept 15 S. of S to Aust Govt.
Pac. Phosph Coy being infd tt as soon as
Nauru occd by Brit forces they shd take steps
to ser a vessel to provision it & remove offls
of coy, but not GoT offls. Also to provn Angaur.
Sept 19. Pearce suggs. offls at Nauru be brt to Aust as prisoners.
Sept 29. Ooma sailed to Ocean I.
Not to go to Nauru till occpd by Brit when Coy is to
send provisions.
Sept 29. Navy Bd says Govt offls will be dealt w by force tt occupn I.
Bd want to help Coy start work y^ even if Gs [[xx?]] control. Garran replies cant
to so unless under Brit occpn. exe. under license from Brit Govt
Sept 24 C.O. of "Melbourne" repts on Nauru (seized Sept 9. Govt surrendered &
provided no resistn). Recds - let coy go on wkg & provn
Nauru but dont occupy unless want for Comml wireless.
No use to G. warships.
30 Sept S of S wants to know when N. is occpd
10 Oct. In Aus. to this Nav. Bd recds vessel for Nauru Oc. I.  to be used to
order Comms to occ. Nauru. To embk gd at Rabaul
return w G. or Aust resdts, but gd not to stay at R.
Phos. coy to provn Nauru.
13 Oct. Naval Bd  Residt Commdr at O.I. to take possn of Nauru. P.P. Coy under [?]
to admin Nauru.
This at request of Imp Govt. (& leave of High Co for Pac. being asked)
S of S infd.
15 Oct. S. of S. says H Cr being impl officer from Gilbt Is Protector 
17 0ct H.C. W Pac. Wants Messina to call Suva to take offr. or send ^him from via Sydney
20 Oct. To H.C. W Pac. Messina left 160 ct for Rabaul. Other ships [ments?]
22 Oct Messina to arr. Rab 24 Oct w letter to Resd^t Comr Ocean I. Navy Bd says must settle.
22 Oct S of S. v. urgent wants Messina to call Suva.
Aust suggests  wires  to S of S. Went arrgts of Oct 15 to bring ofrs from
Gilbert I be better. (as suggd by S of S Oct 15).
23 Oct To Holmes. In Political matters pty to be under H.Cr. 

Nauru (2)
26 Oct.To Holmes.  Gd to be 2.50. Half gd to stay till arrival report H cr. W. Pac.
Admin wk to be left to [repves?] of Coy.
24 Oct. S of S says no offr avaclable from Gilbt Is.
Offr fom Suva must go later.
4 Nov. Aust suggs Nauru may now be declared open to trade.
9 Nov. S of S. Not until I. in charge of official from Suva (Workman)
30 Nov. Workman sailed by Canadn Tpt. for Oc.I.
28 Dec. Sof S. infs. HG. tt Workman under him for political matters,
under Holmes for milt
Legge says gd will return when Workman arrs.
But in Jy s^1915 Ashburner ws apptd Offs coy farm there.
Therefore Occupn of Nauru ws carried out at request of
Brit. Govt & in name of Brit Govt by
a small special force sent from Rabaul
by Holmes in October.
On Nov . . . it occpd Island. Half force
returned w German prisoners.
The British Admin. (Workman from Suva)
cdnt arrive there till December.
The garrn ws to be withdrn on his
arrival, but for some reason,
was not (Reason not blown on file).
Workman ws under Homes & Peth.

form military matters, under High
Commr for W. Pacific for political matters.

8550.
9 March 1934.
Wing Cormander R. Harrison, R.A.A.F.,
3. William Street,
North Brighton, S.5. Vic.
[*X1495*]

Dear Wing Commander Harrison,
In looking through some of the early war-records
of the Defence Department, I see that a flight of the Australian
Flying Corps, comprising yourself and Lieutenant Merz, with
two machines (a B.2a and a Farman waterplane) left Australia
for service with the expedition to New Guinea on 30 November
1914, and returned to Melbourne early in 1915. I should be
grateful if you could let me know whether these machines reached
New Guinsa, and, if so, whether they ever flew there.
Yours faithfully.
C.E.W. Bean
Official Historian.
Dear A.J.W.
As Wing Cdr. Harrison has not replied to the above letter, I
wonder if you would either ring him, or see him at the
Air Board (if he is there), and try & get an answer.
Please return this with your reply.
Yrs
C.E.W.B.
14/6/34
Dear Bazley,
Wing Commander Harrison had mislaid Dr Bean’s letter and
asked me to convey his apology.
The Flying Unit which left for New Guinea on 30th Nov. 14
consisted of 2 officers (Lts Harrison and Merz), and 4 other ranks. It
has been claimed by Ministers at various times that it was the first
Flying unit to go abroad for service against the enemy. The unit
took two machines a British Experimental land biplane with 70 h.p.
Renault engine (B.E.2a) and a Maurice-Farman sea (or Hydro-) plan, also with 70 h.p. Renault engine.

The planes were not assembled as, the purpose for which they had been sent did not exist at

the time of their arrival i.e. spotting some enemy vessel that had been in the vicinity, and the

cost of fitting them up etc would have been about £700. The planes were transshipped at Rabaul

to another vessel and returned to Australia.

[signature]

19/6/34

Diagram - see original document
THE RUSH OF THE COVERING FORCE (3RD AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BRIGADE) UP THE

HILLS ABOVE ITS LANDING PLACE, 4.30 TO 5.30 AM., 25TH APRIL, 1915

Jan 30
73 to go Marinda.) Feb. 25 Legge Stanley cancels it.
40 later                  )
[*p.3

Military*]

Feb. 22 Stanley says to Sydney 1-53 not to be evackd to Rab.
Inquire if willing to enrol in A I F.
Feb 6. 2.63 left from Sydney by Morinda
Jan 27 to Petherbridge
NSW & Vic. Coys & my sectn & med. details 11. 264.
Embarked eastern - Jan 25 Rest to follow
Jan 10 Petht asks for 16. AMC NCOS or men & 50 tons
rice - also front jam.
Lee Brisbane to Defence. Trop. force complete (29 Dec. 1914)
& leaving for Syd Dec 31.
30 Nov. Definite instrns gn. I Coy NSW
1 Brisb
1 Vic
1 M.G. Sect.-
18 De. P.24: In view altered conditns due to absence enemy
ships consider total torce not exceeding 350 ample for whole
acquired possessions S Equator. Understand about
50 Colonel Holmes force willing to re-enage. That
wd therefore mean only one more corp of
100 need be sent from Australia. Colonel H. &
most of  his Admin Staff willing remain if
desired.
Tpt to Aust for abt 1000 tps shd be at
Rabaul not later than 1st wk Feby.
On return to Rabaul 5 Jan Peth knows nothing & asks if
above recd exc. message from Legge to Holmes (intercepted undated)
referring to Nov 28 Desp. & speaking of relief & P to be asked to act as Admr.

Nov 14. Def to Lond. P. will sail 26^th to relieve Japs at Yap & other Is. N. of Equator.
Nov. 21 Aust to Lond.  Something abt Angaur.
Nov 23: Lond to Def. Not to go to Angaur.
Nov 24 Peth to Def. Confa w Jap. C.G. re
Marshalls Carolines & [Ladrones.?]
Pearce's minute:
Cable shd be sent to Sec. of
State for Col. asking is we are to S c their
cable of Oct 13 ^also includes Marshall
Caroline & Ladoone Is. (Cable adds. from Def. to Sec. of State.
Nov 24 Pelews -Except Angaur)
Nov 24 - Sec. of State to Def- Not at prest to go to
any Is N of Eqr.
Nov 25 - Def to Sec State: Had arrgd for expn to start
Nov 26. 4 trps already embarked

Asks for definite infn as to what is now

desired "Expn wont sail pendg reply.
Nov 25.  25  S in C. China's message
Dec. 3. Final London reply.

Diagram - see original document

220.
July 28, 1925
Commander R.G. Bowen, R.A.N
Naval Office,
Fremantle, W.A.
Dear Commander Bowen,
I wonder if you would be so good as to note
down in a few lines what you remember of Brian Pockley's death?
Both the Naval and Rabaul volumes are shortly going to the printer, 

and we are rather vague as to one or two points.
1) Could you tell me definitely of your own
knowledge what was the occasion of Pockley’s handing over his
Red Cross brassard?  His father’s account is that Pockley amputated
on the spot Maunderer’s hand, and sent him to the rear in
charge of a man to whom he gave his brassard. The genefal
account is that the brassard was given to a man whom Pockley left
in charge of Seaman Williams.
(2)  Before Pockley’s death, according to his
father’s account, he was with you lying behind a log underr sharp
fire when a call was raised that a seaman was lying wounded out
in front. Although you had warned and ordered him to go to the
rear, he insisted on making his way to this seaman and was bending

over him, twenty yards from the trench, whch a German stood
up and shot him. This account was wrong in some particulars, as
Pockley's father stated that the seaman was Moffatt, who did not
come up till some time after Pockley was hit. Would you mind
giving me the facts, as far as you know them, from your own

memory.
As soon as your answer arrives the chapter

will go to the printer, and I would therefore be much obliged if

you could let me have a reply as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully
C.E.W. BEAN