Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/259/1 - 1917 - 1927 - Part 10

TELEPHONE NOS. F.2597.

F.2598.

IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE
NO. 20/3024

Telegraphic Address:
"Auswarmuse."
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
HOME AND TERRITORIES DEPARTMENT,
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL.
EXHIBITION BUILDINGS.
MELBOURNE.

26th July, 1926.
Dear Mr. Bazley.
With reference to your letters Nos. 1191 and
1257 of the 5th and 23rd July, I greatly regret that a reply
to the former has been delayed.
The following are the records which we have of
the Australian Wireless Squadron which served in Mesopotamia:-
War Diary. 1st Aust. Wireless Squadron & "D” Troop.
July 1916 to December 1919.
Diagramatic War Diary of Aust. Wireless Squadron.
Account of Operations with Sweet's Column. September 1918 -
by E. Keast Burke.
In your letter you refer to the diaries of the
signal squadron with the Cavalry division in Mesoptamia and
with the Dunsterforce. These I presume were British formations Units.
We are not in possession of copies. Mr. Heyes has been informed
it would be unnecessary to make a search in the British records
for Mesopotamia. It would appear, however, it will be necessary
for him at least to obtain copies of the diaries of the two
squadrons referred to. Before writing, however, it has appeared
to me to be advisable first to ascertain from you whether the
History Committee will require any other records. If you will
let me know this I will write to Mr. Heyes immediately and ask
him to give the matter special attention. The records should
then arrive in Melbourne within three months after the despatch
of the letter.
With reference to the Dunsterforce, in the early
days of its existence the Force was of course secret and the
War Records Section had no knowledge of its existence. Later on,
however, when the personnel returned to London a list of the
names of the Australians who served with it was obtained and an
effort was made to obtain from them accounts of their experiences.
They were not very responsive. Several accounts were, however,
obtained, notably one from Captain F. W. Lord. In 1920 Mr.
Pretty, whose section was still under the Defence Department,
invited a number of officers to supply accounts, but received
only one (from Captain C. G. K. Judge).
The Library has experienced some difficulty in
locating these reports. The last advice is that they were made
available to Mr. Pretty and it is thought that he probably
handed them over to you. You say that you have file No.
A515/14/11. This may contain the records. Will you therefore
kindly let me have a list of the contents of the file. If it
proves not to contain the accounts collected by the War Records
Section, I will have further efforts to trace them made.
I am sending herewith a list of the Australians
who served with the Dunsterforce supplied to the War Records
Section by A.I.F. Headquarters, and a list of the books dealing
with the experiences of the Dunsterforce in the Library.
Yours sincerely,
J L Treloar
Mr. A. W. Bazley,
C/o. Official Historian
Victoria Barracks,
SYDNEY. N.S.W.

NOMINAL ROLL OF AUSTRALIANS IN DUNSTERFORCE.
(Prepared by Records Branch, A.I.F. Headquarters, London.)

In addition to above the undermentioned officer was
reported from Stralis Cable of 9.1.19 C.R.4330/1/56 as
having disembarked intEgypt from Dunsterforce.
Wilson - Unit unknown
[*Not an Australian officer
There were two Wilsons, both Imperial officers
(Note by Col. Savige)*]

Telegraphic Address:
"Auswarmuse."
TELEPHONE NOS. F.2597. 

F.2598. 

IN REPLY PLEASE QUOTE

NO......12/3/17.

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
HOME AND TERRITORIES DEPARTMENT,
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL.
EXHIBITION BUILDINGS.
MELBOURNE.

[*By registered post.*]
12th August, 1926.
Dear Mr. Bazley,
In continuation of my letter of the 26th July,
accounts of their experiences by the following Australian
members of the Dunsterforce are being forwarded herewith :-
Lieut. J. H. A. Sorrell,
Captain C. G. K. Judge, M.C.,
Lieut. F. E. Williams.
Please sign the attached receipt and return it to this office,
The above accounts were collected in Australia.
We have not yet been able to trace the accounts obtained
by the War Records Section in London but it is possible that
they are included in the file referred to in the final paragraph 

of your letter No. 1257 of the 23rd July. The list of
the contents of this file, asked for in the penultimate paragraph 

of my letter of the 26th July, will enable me to verify
this and if necessary to take further action to trace these
accounts.
I am also sending a copy of a diary kept by Sub-Lient,
P. M. Munro, H.M.A.S. "Swan", who was a member of a mission
despatched to the Don Country at the end of 1918,
Yours sincerely,

J.L. Treloar
Mr. A. W. Bazley,
C/o Official Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
Sydney N.S.Wales.

AWM No. 20/3024.
1297.
10 August 1926.
Dear Treloar
I am enclosing a spare copy of a note which Bazley has
made from Defence files concerning the Cavalry Divisional Signal
Squadron for Mesopotamia. Before you write to Heyes, would you
like me to make inquiries at Defence as to whether any diary or
reports from this unit exist there or at Base Records?
I do not know of any diaries which are likely to have
been included in the British Mesopotamia records, except that
the First Half-Flight must be said to have an interest in the
records of No. 30 Squadron, R.F.C., and perhaps the diary of
the Cavalry Divisional Signal Squadron mentioned above.
I don't know whether General Dunsterville received
regular reports from his officers, but, if so, copies of reports
from the Australian officers and N.C.O's of his force would be
interesting.
I think I was wrong in stating that there was a signal
squadron with the Dunsterforce. His signal organisation
apparently only consisted of a number of wireless operators
detached from the Australian and New Zealand Wireless Squadron,
with a few British operators.
We do not possess the file containing the accounts from
Captains Lord and Judge. File No. A.515/14/11 consists of
correspondence between the D.A.G., A.I.F. and the divisions in the
matter of selecting volunteers for the Dunsterforce. It came up
to us in 1919 by mistake among some other records,
There will be no necessity to send up the diaries of
the Wireless Squadron, and the account of operations with Sweet's
Column, since Mr. Burke already possesses copies of those himself.
Yours sincerely,
C.E.W. BEAN

Mr. J.L. Treloar        
Australian War Memorial,
Box 214D, G.P.O.,
Melbourne.

D. (Dunham to Dunlop)

NOTES ON THE FORMATION OF THE CAVALRY DIVISIONAL SIGNAL
SQUADRON FOR MESOPOTAMIA,
The Secretary of State for the Colonies cabled on 15 January
1917 to the Australian and New Zealand Governments -
"General Officer Commanding Force D requires one Cavalry
Divisional Signal Squadron and one Cable Section for service
in Mesopotamia as shown in War Establishments 1916 part 7
pages 157, 158, 167, 168. War Office enquires whether
Australian and New Zealand Governments are willing to supply
units mentioned with first 10 per cent of reinforcements
same arrangements as drafts for number one Australian and
New Zealand Wireless Signal Squadron being made in sending
draft reinforcements. Suggested that proportion of personnel
to be supplied by each should be arranged between Australian
and New Zealand Governments. If provision can be made what
would be probable date of arrival in Mesopotamia. . . ."
On January 29th the Australian Government received a further
message from Britain stating that, since New Zealand could not
assist with the formation of these units, the Cable Section
would be provided from United Kingdom, "but War Office hopes
that Commonwealth Government may find it practicable to provide
Cavalry Signal Squadron." The Australian authorities replied on
February 2 to the effect that the personnel of the Cavalry
Divisional Signal Squadron would be raised without delay; and on
May 9 the unit, numbering 40, embarked in the transport "Port
Sydney" for Colombo.
On 16 July 1917 the Indian Government asked if the following
reinforcements for the Cavalry Divisional Signal Squadron could
be sent as soon as possible - viz., 7 motor cyclists, l field
line telegraphist, 4 office telegraphists, 4 signallers, and 4
drivers; but on August 15 this request was altered to 5 motor
cyclists, 1 shoeing smith, 2 field line telegraphists, 3 office
telegraphists, 1 artificer, 3 signallers, and 5 drivers. This
party left Australia on 7 September 1917 in the "Kyarra".
A further reinforcement (numbering 6) left on 2 February 1918.
In May 1918 the Secretary of State cabled that the Army
Council stated that, in consequence of the disbandment of the
Cavalry Divisional Signal Squadron in Mesopotamia, the surplus
Australian signal personnel (22 other ranks) were being sent
to France as reinforcements.

COPY.
Table No.31. - Issued with
M.O. 49/1917.
MILITARY FORCES OF THE COMMONWEALTH.
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE
TABLE SHOWING ALLOTMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF CAVALRY DIVISIONAL SIGNAL 
SQUADRON, WITH FIRST REINFORCEMENTS.

REMARKS -
(a) To be selected under arrangements to be made by the Chief,
of Ordnance.
(b) 2 operators, 1 motor cyclist, and I driver.
HUBERT FOSTER, Brigadier-General,
Chief of the General Staff.

Head-Quarters, Melbourne,      

6th February, 1917.                         

F.4151   AWM No. 12/3/17.
xxxxxx
1390.
14 September 1926.
Dear Mr. Treloar,
With reference to your letter of August 21. Mr. Newman
advises us that neither the Defence Department nor the Base
Records Office hold reports or diaries from the Cavalry
Divisional Signal Squadron. Would you therefore kindly ask
Mr. Heyes if he would make inquiries at the Historical
Section for these documents. This signal squadron was
attached to a formation known, I think, as the Cavalry
Division (Mesopotamia) - I do not know that it was designated
by any particular number. It would appear to have been an
Indian division, in which case the original diaries and
records of the Australian signal squadron may not be in
London but in India at Army Headquarters.
I attach hereto another copy of the notes on the
formation of the squadron in case you care to send it to Heyes
when writing to him in the matter.
The first commander of the unit was Captain W.H. Payne,
who died of small-pox in December 1917: afterwards Major
Goold was in charge.
Yours sincerely,

A.W. Bazley
Mr. J.L. Treloar 
Australian War Memorial,
Box 214D? G.P.0..
Melbourne.

F. 4151

xxxxx
1367.
4 September 1926.
Dear Newman,
There served in Mesopotamia during the war an
Australian signal squadron attached to a British cavalry
Division. This signal squadron was raised in February
1917, and disbanded in May 1918. The commanding officers
were, first, Captain W.H. Payne, who died in December 1917,
and, second, Major R.H. Goold.
There are no records of the unit with the official
records at the War Museum, and we ere going to see if any
can be obtained by Heyes in London. Before doing so, however,
we should like to know whether any reports or diaries
were received from the squadron by Defence or Base Records.
Would you be so good as to have inquiries made, and let me
know the result? These are primarily required for the
Mesopotamian history
We have written to Goold and to the relatives of
Captain Payne, to see if they happen to possess any letters
or other records which would be of use.
Yours sincerely.

C. E. W. BEAN
W.A. Newman, Esq,.    
Defence Department
Melbourne.

Sec/VW.
TELEPHONE:
CENTRAL 4780.

No.13864 
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE,
MELBOURNE. 

9th September, 1926.
Dear Bean,
Referring to your note dated 4th Sept.,
regarding the Australian Signal Squadron which was
attached to a British Cavalry Division serving in
Mesopotamia, I have obtained the following particulars:
1. Cavalry Division Signal Squadron (3 Officers,
and 43 other ranks.)
Unit raised 28th February, 1917
Embarked 9th May, 1917
Disbanded 23rd May, 1918
2. There are no Diaries, Returns or reports held

by either the Base Records or the Defence 
Central Registry.

[*Advised 

Aust War Memorial*]

3. Base Records hold Part II orders for 1917-1918

issued from the Office of the A.G. 3rd Echelon 

Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, Basrah.
4. In addition to the late Captain W.H. Payne and
Major R.H. Goold there was a third Officer named
Lieut. R. Houston whose present address is -
Irrigation Office, Leeton N.S.W.
I would suggest that you also write to
Lieut. Houston to ascertain whether he has any letters or
records of use in the preparation of the Mesopotamian History.
[*AWB 11/9/26.*]
Yours truly,
W. A. Newman
C.E.W. Bean Esq.,
Official Historian,
Victoria Barracks,
SYDNEY.