Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/3/1 - March - April 1915 - Part 5

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& my own into camp Cooks- it is expensive
storing the things there but what nothing else seems
feasible. Still as we Left my diaries
& notes for the book & copies of
past articles with Dr Ferguson of the
Medical School. If he leaves Cairo
he will hand them to the xxxxxxx British Consulate
to keep for me until I call for them on
my way out after the war. This is safer
than sending them from here to Sir George
Reid - besides which the diary is private
& not written for the Defence Dept. If ever
it were used it would have to be used
most carefully. For one reason, it contains
a good deal of criticism; the bright side has
to be written up in one's letters & that
leaves a great deal more than the due proportion
of criticism for the diary - I cant write
everything xx here as well as in my letters.
Tuesday April 6^th. Slept last night The H.Q. tents were taken
down yesterday; & we slept, as we did
on the first night of our arrival at
Mena, on the floor in one of the
rooms in the manager's house. Just over
 

73   39 45
four months from the beginning of Mena Camp
to the end of it. The division has mostly
gone now - the 1^st & 3^rd Brigades of artillery
are away- & only the 2nd is at Mena with
its tents down, waiting. The Divisional
Ammunitn Column and the 3^rd L.H. Brigade
are there still - perhaps 3000 to 4000 men
at the outside.
I am attached from today to the
Australian Section Base Depot at Cairo
& have gone in to the Continental to live.
Bazley & the pony have gone across to
Abbassia where the odds & ends which
came through to the base are encamped
chiefly the reinforcements. its
These reinforcements are getting becoming
a serious problem. ^Some of the infantry
reinforcements now coming forward from
Australia are very unruly - and
very slightly trained. The third
reinforcements coming over in the
Runic seized the ships boats at
Colombo & made off ashore in them.
the alternative, I suppose I suppose an order had been given, after the
row kicked up by the second contingent there,
 

73   40 46
that put a xx these troops were not to land.
The officials at Colombo reported to
the behaviour of the the authorities in Egypt what happened when
on the arrival visit of the second contingent
called there. But This third lot seem
to be more unruly than any – in
fact our first Australian Division is, with
the exception probably of the Light Horse, about
the model for best behaved of the lot, as far as I
can see. The reinforcements have been
camped at Abbassia; & there, two
nights ago, they had a riot. The
price of beer was put up by the canteen
contractors. The men did not make
any complaint that reached the
Base Commandant, Col. Selheim - if
they made any it never got so far.
What they did was to take the law
into their own hands & smash up
the canteen.
The trouble is probably very
largely due to a want of the
right sort of officers. The gazettes
coming from Australia now
show subalterns being promoted to
 

73   41 47
majors - the shortage of officers is
clearly acute there; at any rate the
training they must have had must
be very sight. Our division, although
its officering was naturally every not
in every way perfect, got the
bulk of the experienced officers
throughout Australia; the 1st Australian
Divn is probably officered at least as
well as the average division
in the New Army – probably better -
& has a very able staff. But
the base reinforcements as they come
to Egypt, instead of coming under
strong a make the voyage under
inexperienced officers; &, when they
arrive, instead of coming under
strong able officers xx to be trained
up to the standard of the other
troops, come fall under the
men who have ^often been more or
less rejected (for one reason or another)
from the Australian Division. The
thing that they really want is to be
placed (as the 3rd Brigade recruits
have been) under a strong officer
 

73   45 48
like Major MacNaughten of the 4th Infantry.
It is wonderful what can be done with
men under such circumstances. As
I heard Gellibrand say, it would be
worth while to choose half a dozen of
the best majors in the division,
promote them to Lt-Colonel, &
send them to Abbassia for 4 months
on the understanding that they themselves
shd be sent straight to the front then with
a command  & should after the had picked out some
capable officer from below them to take
their place.
As present it is these details are shortly
coming under Gen. Spens, (?) an Imperial
officer who, one hopes, will be able to
do something with them. But he
will need good Australian officers to help
him. When this disturbance occurred
the other day Maj. Blamey (the Intelligence
Officer on Gen. Bridges staff) was sent over
to take command, & he did something
in the course of one or two days to
find out how things were & get them
into some sort of shape.
A sort of temporary Battalion
 

73   43 49
was made up out of reinforcements
& put under command of Col. McVea
a few days ago. It left with the First
Brigade. Its duty is to do ^some of the digging
work necessary. I dont know if this
has anything to do with the provision
of water at Lemnos; because it is want
of water & not the objections of Greece that has caused
our forces (or rather the French) to withdraw from there.
Our Naval Brigade I believe was there as well as the
French troops; I believe that some very fine British troops
form part of the Expedition. Russell Bey, ^second in command of the police here,
very kindly took steered Casey & myself around the lower parts of Cairo. - Most interesting.
Wednesday April 7. Still no reply. I
wired to Sir G. Reid. "Still unheard (have not heard)
"Would write nothin until permitted. No possible
"harm my accompanying our force but immense
"pity if Australian Governments eyewitness &
"historian cannot be present on such conditions."
No answer tonight.
Thursday. April 8. I was writing up
the last few days of this diary this morning
when the General sent for me (he is staying at
the Continental). I've been talking to
 

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Skeen about you, Bean," he said, and I
think you had better wire to Sir George Reid to say
you must have an answer within twenty
four hours." I said I hadn't done so
because (although I wanted to) because I
had not wired to indicate that the expedition
was likely to start. "Well, you can say
just that," he said, that delighted me of
course because I knew I should get an
answer now. I sent the wire off at once
A little later Bazley came in from THE
base, to which I w The General added,
"What Sir William (i.e. Birdwood) has said is
that you wont write anything will come
as an officer attached to my staff &
I will not write anything." I took it, of
course that this was the arrangement all
along suggested, that I shd write nothing
until authorised. I sent the wire off at once.
A little later Bazley came in. with I had sent
him with a message to the H.Q. Australian Section
Base & he came back will a big envelope.
It contained a message from the General Staff
in Egypt telling me to report at once to the
Staff of the M.E.F. in order to obtain instructions
"as to my your further disposal."
 

73   45 51
(The wording seemed an unnecessary anticipation
- it may come to that, but I hope not).
I went off at once with Bazley. We had lunch
in the little cafe in the street to the Post Office half
way up from the Opera square – bread & butter &
some cakes & coffee - he had chocolate - for the last
time. Then we motored out to Abbassia; arranged
to transfer the pony to the remount depot to be sent on
at first opportunity; transferred him; got Bazley's kit;
motored to Heliopolis Hospital which I was to have
visited & toure that afternoon, & to Heliopolis
camp to see young Craig (but he was out); then
to the Bank; the Army pay office ^to get leave to draw gold; back to the bank
to draw my money in gold, the Australian pay
office to arrange about future remittances from
London; the bs to Dr Fergusons to deposit
No 2 Diary; to the Base to see Col. Sellheim about
horse & get Bazleys papers; Cable office to
give address & find what cable facilities existed
in Turkey - & back to Hotel; packed, finished
off half a dozen letters - & just caught the
train.
Col. White showed me a signal. By
instructions from G.H.Q (I think that is the War
Office) I am allowed to go attached as officer
to Gen. Bridges Staff on giving a written undertaking
 

73  46  52
that I will write nothing until permitted.
It is the chance of a life time.  It means I
shall eventually be able to give the Australian
people an account of one of the most interesting
events in History from a position closer
than that of any observer who has been allowed
to write his impressions in the present war.
White & the General have got me this
privilege - its a great reward for all the
discretion restraint one has worked under up imposed on oneself to have
got their confidence to this extent & it is very
handsome of them to have supported me like
this. White is clearly genuinely happy about about
it - & the general is glad too. He has been
very nice indeed about it.
Frid April 9^th. x Came to Alex. by 6.35 train.
The Majestic Hotel was full although the Savoy was
not, the Staff of the Exp. Force having just moved out.
It is curious that very few people in Alex. seemed
to know that we were moving out; they see
troops going through the streets occasionally
but they don't know who or what they are. A
couple of senior officers at the office of the base (they
are fitting out the Hotel Metropole as Headquarters)
3rd echelon) asked me if I knew where the Australian
 

73   47  53
Divn. was - As a matter of fact it had almost
all sailed, but they didn't know. Officers on
our own staff have several times asked me if I
knew whether the N.Z.& A Division were moving. A major in
the artillery in Alexandria was under the impression
inquiring feelingly after the Divisional Ammunition Col.
- who have either left Mena or are leaving; & I
only found out that the 2nd Artillery Brigade were down
here by actually meeting some of them. The ship
containing them as a matter of fact passed us on her
way to the front tonight
At Alex. there was an immense collection
of ships - x but we did not know what any of
them were doing. The French ships seem to be
unloading whilst we are embarking; & at least
one division of British troops is going on board
at the present moment. I suppose it is the 29^th
we do not know but there are also some naval
birds about; they have been seen in Cairo the
last few days, with car Khaki, & curls on the sleeve
I don't know what force they belong to; whether
they form part of the 29^th Divn. or whether they are
separate - probably separate. There are some fine
troops in Alex - L Battery R.H.A which was cut up
at Mons; the 5^th Bn. Royal Fusiliers (or is it
Dublins); a battalion of the Essex Regt. We do not