Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/277/1 - 1926-1939 - Part 8

April 26, 1930   SMITH’S WEEKLY    9
REFUTING SLANDEROUS ATTACKS ON DIGGERS

Newspaper article- see original document

10  SMITH’S WEEKLY   April 26, 1930

SCULLIN COULD BE SITTING ON TOP

OF THE WORLD

IF WE FOUND GOLD IN 

AUSTRALIA

Newspaper article - see original document

May 8, 1930  SMITH’S WEEKLY    9

War Writers who should have been strangled at birth
BRIGAD’E’S AND BATTALIONS - BACKBONE OF A.I.F.
Newspaper article - see original document

10    SMITH’S WEEKLY     May 3, 1930

Cash And Contentment Among The Cows, Cane And Corn
Newspaper article - see original document

May 10, 1930  SMITH’S WEEKLY   9
Giving Honor where Honor is Due

Magnificent Soldiers of A.I.F. Technical Units

Newspaper article- see original document

10  SMITH’S WEEKLY    May 10, 1930

Every bubble rising

is the finished 

Minchinbury

Newspaper article - see original document

May 17,1930  SMITH’S WEEKLY   5

SPORT and SPORTSMEN

Newspaper article - see original document

6  SMITH’S WEEKLY  May 17, 1930

MONASH’S BRILLIANT REPLY CONCLUDES

GREAT DAY OF VICTORY AT AMIENS 

WON GLORY FOR AUSTRALIANS

Newspaper article - see original document

"IONA". ST. GEORGE,S ROAD, TOORAK, S.E.2

U 2052.

22 WILLIAM STREET, MELBOURNE. C.I.

CENTRAL 8292.

19th May, 1930

SIR JOHN MONASH

Capt. C. E. W. Bean

Official War Historian,

Department of Defence,

Victoria Barracks,

PADDINGTON, SYDNEY, N.S.W.

My dear Bean,

I noticed your remarks in the last number of "Smith’s

Weekly", and I entirely endorse everything you say.  Those
articles in that journal, attributed to my pen, were not really
written by me.

I was strongly pressed by a very plausible and able

interviewer representing that paper, who had come over to Melbourne,

 to talk at large about the Australian Corps during the

period of my command, and this I did during part of two afternoons, 

be that the matter would be published in my own

words, as an interview.  Instead of this, he padded out my

remarks extensively, and dished up the whole in a vulgar and

undignified literary style, which is quite foreign to me.  He

also colored what I had said by many unhappy phrases of his own,

which clothed many of my statements with sinister insinuation.

The passage to which you refer is one of these.

I talked to this man only of the Australian Corps

during my period of command, and remember telling him that there

were then only two officers of the Regular Army left with the

Corps, viz. Carruthers and Maclagan, and I spoke in terms of the

highest appreciation of the latter. The phrase "one of the

few imported officers that were really liked" was never used by

me.

It is hardly likely that I would say anything in disparagement
of officers of the regular army, seeing that there

were large numbers of them with the Heavy Artillery, Air Force,

Tanks, &c. &c., under my command, all of whom rendered noble

service.

- 2 -

After the publication of the first of the articles, I

tried to check their continued publication, but without success.-

I am so vulnerable to enterprising pressmen, and ever and always
so pressed for time to get through the day's urgent work, that, as
on this occasion, I sometimes "fall in", and suffer much embarrassment

I hope you will understand.

Kind regards,

Yours faithfully,

John Monash