Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/276/1 - 1928-1937 - Part 4

language. said [[Lily?]] B. bath. I will & the Prince
changed his mind to keep him Company.
(dont know if you can doll the last up.
[[?Ln]] Wickain was always bluff and outspoken &
exceptionally well liked by all his officers &men.
Sorry cannot think of anything more.
Yours faithfully
Jas Hans
You can send me Reveille regularly.
 

(JMC./JB.)
R. S. S. l. L. A.
N.S.W.BRANCH
6 NOV 1936
RECEIVED
JMC
5 Liston Street,
Parkside
2nd November, 1936.
The Secretary,
Returned Sailors and Soldiers
Imperial League of Australia,
Anzac Memorial,
Hyde Park,
SYDNEY.
Dear Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 19th ultimo, I
wish to impress upon you that General Glasgow would not appreciate
any effort on my part to supply you with a "write up". He
would undoubtedly proceed to "twist my tail" to use a favourite
expression of his, if he could see any of my handy-work in any
article appearing in your paper.
However, I would like to mention the affection and
respect which all ranks held for the General. The General was
never served by a very brilliant staff, and he was very tolerant
of them, but the one unforgiveable sin for any of his staff, was
to show negligence or apathy in any shape or form towards the
well-being and comfort of the troops. As an illustration of
this, I remember on one occasion the General heard the movements
of a large fatigue party as it arrived at the 13th Brigade Head
Quarters 4 a.m. one morning, but coming out some quarter of
an hour later he discovered the party still waiting, and found
that the Staff Captain had not arranged to be wakened to
despatch the party on time. What he said to the Staff Captain
nobody but that individual knew, but it is a fact that for months
afterwards the same staff Captain got up in the small hours
every morning just to see that no fatigue party happened to be
about. Similarly some mis-guided individual once brought a
gramaphone to Brigade Head Quarters from the comforts fund, but
when the General found where it had originated from, it went back
far quicker than it had arrived.
Although General Glasgow held the undying affection
of all those who worked with him, they at the same time
held him in the most profound respect, and I have seen strong
men go into the General's office to be reprimanded and come
 

Returned Sailors
and Soldiers League.
-2-
2nd November, 1936.
out looking a wreck. One instance showing the force of character
 of General Glasgow does not seem to have ever become public;
I was at the Conference prior to the famous counter attack at
Villers Bretonneux.  General Glasgow had very little to say
and the English Generals under whose command he had been placed
to make the counter attack had decided on a certain plan of
operation, this plan apparently did not suit General Glasgow,
for all of a sudden he thumped the table with his fist, and
turning to General Elliot who commanded the 15th Australian
Brigade said "no I will go up here," and with a sweep of his
hand on the map indicated his proposed movement, "and you, Elliot
swing across and meet me here." General Elliot promptly replied
"so we will,"  and that was the way the plan of the counter
attack on Villers Bretonneux originated.
1 could, of course, relate personal anecdotes
about General Glasgow, but refrain from doing so as he would
spot from where they originated. General Glasgow's extremely
verile personality and his undoubted qualities as a leader of
men made him one of the greatest soldiers Australia has ever
produced.
Yours sincerely,
T. G. Clark

10017.
14 December 1936.
Captain T.G. Clark, M.C.,
5 Liston street,
Parkside, S.A.
Dear Captain Clark,
The Editor of "Reveille" has shown me your letter
about General Glasgow. I have not been able to get any
other information as to General Elliott's presence at 8th
Div. H.Q. at Glisy at the same time as General Glasgow. Are
you sure of this, because the account we have from General
Glasgow relates to an interview with Elliott at Blangy-
Tronville later, when Elliott was instructing his battalion
commanders.
I should be grateful if you can give me any other 
details.
Yours faithfully,
C.E.W. Bean.
 

10045. 
 13 January 1937.
Major T.S. Louch, M.C.,
20, Howard Street,
Perth, W.A.
My dear Louch,
I hope you willnot mind my troubling your memory
concerning a point in the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. Some
accounts say that Generals Glasgow and Elliott were present
together at one of the two conferences held by Glasgow with the
staff of the 8th Division on April 24. General Glasgow and
Morell de not think that Elliott was there; T.G. Clark and
another officer (Capt. White, 30th Bn.), who were present, think
Elliott was there; Elliott himself makes no mention of it in
his records.
Glasgow saw Heneker twice on April 24 - first, early
in the afternoon, before going up to the Bois de Blangy; second,
later in the afternoon, when Glasgow settled the final plan.
I am asking merely for confirmation, as the chapter
dealing with the fight is in print and the volume will be
published next month.
I understand that Glasgow and Morell are both very
well, and I hope you are also,
Yours sincerely.
C.E.W. Bean.
 

[[?]]
18.1.37
To Editor
Reveille
W Cusack
R.S.S.I.L.A
NSW BRANCH
21 JAN 1937
RECEIVED
Dear Sir
In the January issue
of "Reveille" I read an
article on a famous A.I.F.
celebrity in the person of
Major Gen Sir TW Glasgow
The article referred to him
carrying down a badly
wounded trooper after the
charge on the "Chessboard"
on Aug 7^th 1915

I happen to have been that
badly wounded trooper and
John Glasgow was assisted
on that occasion by L. Cpl
Brian Keyes of the lst LH
(now I believe on the staff
of Dalgetys Sydney what
a flood of memories that

article brought back to
my mind especially reading
it after twenty odd years
and also to think the
action of these two great
diggers was witnessed by
others The position in brief
was just this I was badly
knocked on the morning of
the 7^th and a mate of mine
named Collett carried me
down part of the way & I
pleaded with him to drop
me as I could not stand
being carried any further
with a smashed arm & leg
I was laying there for some
time when Glasgow & Keyes
came down I heard the
former say we will take
this lad down with us
Brian which they did
otherwise I would be
still there Since coming
home I have had

the pleasure of meeting Keyes
& thanking him and I hope
to live long enough to do
the same to Sir Tomglasgow
Could you knock this into
shape & publish it in your
next issued & sign it No 365
1st Regiment
Yours with best wishes
J W Garratt
[[ ?Melbourne ]]

General Monash
 

General Monash
✓ Extreme thoroughness 116/18
Dr Bean's opinion of 82/37
91/65,66 (Oct1917)
117/3
✓ 115/56-7 (June 1918)
✓ 116/47,74 (Aug 1918)
✓ W. Dyson's opinion of 109/29 (May 1918)
✓ Comparison between Holmes & Monash 94/55-7
✓  His dread of an unfixed objective 116/63
 ✓ His views as to his own responsibility to GHQ. 90/18
✓ Illustration of his "bigness" - less  crime in 3 Div, than in other (1918) 116/4
Gellibrand's heart to heart talk with Monash 30/9/18. 117/14
Unwillingness to disband bns. 116/121

117/1
WM Hughes's negotiation with re relief of Aust Corps 117/25, 54
WMH's opinion of.  Oct 1918 117/54
C.EW B urges his appointment as Director of Repatriation 116/4
117/54
188/2
Hughes & Murdoch's  opinions 117/54
✓WMHughes keeps  information from, re 1914 leave 116/124