Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/276/1 - 1928-1937 - Part 16

instead of a court martial for desertion, with
a certain 10 years to follow, he assigned them
to a raiding party which was hopping over
that week, and told them they would expiate
their crimes if they made good. One
cornered 5 huns in a communication trench,
and after they had 'kamaraded' was
unfortunate enough to stop to stop first of a 5.9,
which blew him to smithereens – The other (I
wish I could mention names) lost a leg that
night, but earned a D.C.M. and a trip
back to Australia - Pompeys methods were
unorthodox, and not according to Field Service
Regulations, but they were ever effective.
And so to Polygon Wood, another
mighty blunder, that wiped out half the
brigade and left nothing achieved. September
1917. - Menin Road under constant shellfire,
Dead horses, & men, smashed gun carriages &
ambulances, mud & slush, blood & stench - Ears
ringing with 9.2'^s practically firing alongside your
eardrum, and at last the temporary safety
of Hooge Crater – Attacks at Glencoise ^& Polygon Wood. and
no word coming back. All lines of communication
cut, and runners skittled as fast as they poked
 

their heads out of shell-hole or pill-box No
good to Pompey. Inaction always left him
pacing up & down like a caged lion - xxx
I had the 'honour' of accompanying him up
to what was supposed to be the front line, if
any. How we ever got round the reputed line
through the mud & slush is a mystery, but
with mud & slush up to our knees, Pomp took
short cuts & missed nothing. The boys who
looked abjectly miserable when we arrived at the
various pillboxes ^& shellholes managed to raise a grin when
the old man spoke to them. If every anybody
was glad to get back to Hooge Crater, I was,
but Pompey arrived just as unruffled as when we
departed. A very depleted Brigade went back to
Parenty ^ /or from the line to recuperate. Pompey was a prime
favourite in the various villages, and often
dipped his hand deep in his pocket to aid
the struggling, half starving froggies. He
always tried to do good by stealth, and
his exterior covered a very kind & warm
hearted interior. 
Early in 1918 The Prince of 
Wales paid us a visit, and stayed for
lunch. Pompey had him in fits from
 

the time he arrived, and they were staunch pals friends from
then on. Pompey told him of the time he
ordered a full dress parade in Egypt, and
threatened dire punishment to any body who
appeared on parade not fully dressed and equipped.
The lads had become careless, and were wearing caps
instead of hats etc. There was a record turn-out
the following morning, every member having
managed to find or borrow a hat. When
Pompey went to put or his own hat., it was
missing. Some wag had souvenired all his
headgear. As he took about an '8', he
appeared in a hat about 3 sizes too small.
it was lucky for the offender he was never
found out. Many have since laid claim
to have done the job, but nobody seem to know.
This story tickled the Prince to death
From March 1918 onwards
Pompey thoroughly enjoyed himself From
then on, fighting became more open, and
thanks to his initiative & foresight, the
15th Brigade covered itself with glory.
When we were rushed down
to the Somme, when after the tommies
were getting got it in the neck, we were
 

billeted in Corbie. Our billet was a regular
mansion with a bounteous wine cellar. Although
we had wine with our meals, Pomp had a
record kept of every bottle consumed, and paid the
French Mission for it. Such was the man.
Honest & Just to a fault.
Who will ever forget the 15th
Brigade Dinner at Doullens at the end of
1918. If ever Pompey doubted his popularity,
an or what were his officers opinion of him,
his mind was set at rest from that night.
The wine flowed freely, but before that stage was
reached, we had cheered the old man till we
were hoarse, and had sung Jolly Good fellow till
our voices failed up. us
I did not arrive in Australia
till the end of 1919, and as the 'Ypiranga'
pulled into the pier at Melbourne, I could
see a familiar figure on the wharf waiting to meet
me. Yes, it was Pompey. He never
forgot his officers or men, and on the way
to Menzies where he took me to lunch. we
must have been stopped 20 times by
diggers, who wanted to shake his hand,
and tell him where they had served under
 

him. General Elliott received a 'C.B',  'CMG',
& D.S.O. for his services. I used the
word received, not earned, you might notice. If
he had been given what that which I think he earnt,
he would have finished up with much
higher rank, a knighthood, many more
decorations, and a decent sum of cash to
partially compensate him for what he lost by
going to the war. People who never heard a
shot fired received similar decorations. He was too
blunt, honest, and straightforward for the
powers that were, - His interest in and
love for his diggers made him particularly
outspoken when it came to needless loss of life,
and naturally those above him did not rush
to reward. He ^has marched on, but wherever he
may be, I hope some day to join him. 
I was going to conclude by saying
'Vale Pompey.' but instead I'll say 'Hail
Pompey, when the roll is called up
yonder youll be there!
 

Appreciations of 
Brig. Gen J.Heane
 

A.M P. Building
Edwards St.
Brisbane
5.11.36
[*Major 
General Sir
William GLASGOW*]
R.S.S.I.L.A.
N.S.W. BRANCH
9 Nov 1936
[*JMC*]
Dear Sir
I am in receipt
of your letter of 31^st Oct
advising that it was your
intention to publish in
the "Celebrities of the A.I.F"
series an Article on Brig.
General Heane - asking
if I could give you any
anecdote of him.
Unfortunately I am
unable to call to mind
any incident such as
 

2
you require.
I can say, however, that
anyone who came in
contact with Gen^l Heane
would be impressed with
his thoroughness.
He took his responsibilities 
very seriously. While he
was a strict disciplinarian
he was just & very thoughtful
in the care of his men.
He never spared himself
& expected a high standard
of conduct from his
subordinates.
His dispositions &
arrangements ^both in attack & defence were very
carefully thought out
 

3
& he saw that his instructions
were carried out
This is the bare bones
of my knowledge of
General Heane but I
hope it may be of use
to you.
Yours Sincerely
J. W. Glasgow
 

[*JMC*]
R.S.S.I.L.A
N.S.W. BRANCH
6 NOV 1936
RECEIVED
[*Lieut K H McConnel*]
4 Wallarey Road
Woollahra

Nov 1936

Dear Sir
I have your letter of Oct 31st re
General Heane & I have been racking my
brains to think what I can give you.
but I am afraid I will not be very
useful. I was under Colonel Heane only
from March till July 1916, & being a
very junior subaltern at the time had
not much personal contact. We were all
rather terrified of 'Jimmy' but held him
in the greatest respect & affection, & I
shall always remember how after he left
for the 2nd Brigade he never missed an
opportunity of visiting the old Battalion
to find out how his old officers & men
were faring, & we got to know him
better than than before, though I can
remember nothing of that period that would
be of use to you.
On the occasion of our first trip to the line ^in France
I remember well how with my platoon in
close support I woke up one morning to
hear much noise of shelling over towards
BHQ which was in a farm not far
from V.C. corner in front of Estaires.
I went across to see what was happening
I arrived at the same time as a shell
[*I have already given over a few
stories concerning Jimmy to Reveille
as you will remember.*]