Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/35/1 - March 1915 - Part 1

AWM38

Official History,

1914-18 War:  Records of C E W Bean,

Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item Number: 3DRL606/35/1

Title:  Notebook, March 1915

Contains notes on subjects such as the French,

the Turks, the Army Service Corps, chaplains,

shells, the censor and artillery.
AWM38-3DRL606/35/1
 

Original DIARY NO 35.

AWM38        3DRL 606    ITEM 35 [1] 

DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.E.W. BEAN

CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914-1918

The use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms

of gift to the Australian War Memorial.  But, apart from these terms, I wish the

following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every reader and writer who may use them.

These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be

true.  The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what

was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half asleep;

also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not

follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when

discovered.  Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what

their author, at the time of writing, believed.  Further, he cannot, of course, vouch

 the for accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded.  But he

did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had seen or otherwise taken part in the events.  The constant falsity of second-hand

evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true.  All second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.

16 Sept., 1946

C.E.W. Bean

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL

ACCESS STATUS

OPEN

Notes B

Drawing of  horse leg:

Knee

Fetlock

pastern

Hoof

 

Drawing of leg:

Hoof

Pastern

Fetlock

Knee

Elbow

Belly

Argus Mar 16/15        Compos

Commands

4th Left Col. R Spencer Browne CB,VD

from 3rd (Darling Downs) LH

Lt.Col  W. Grant

from 5IC (New England)LH

Maj P.P.Abbott

5th Inf Brigade: Col W. Holmes D.S.O., VD

6th Inf Brigade: Col R Linton

Battalions, ?17 Col I Paton       Q

18 Lt Col W.W.R. Watson VD   NSW

17 Lt Col A.E. Chapman VD      NSW

20 Lt Col W. Dollman VD          SA or VIC

21 Lt Col R.A. Crouch VD            VIC

22 Lt Col H.A. Goddard               Q

23 Lt Col J.F. Hutchinson             VIC

24 Lt Col G.F. Norton                     VIC

 

Reason why only 36 guns w us is tt we had not the

wagons in Aust for more than tt no. Wagons

have to be armoured w special steel & we only

had one 1st line wagons armoured (or possibly at

all). You cant get tt steel in Australia. Accly we

had to rob the [[whole?]] of our batteries to provide the

2 ½ to 3 waggons needed for every gun on active

service.  There are still 96 guns in Aust. but

no waggons. We may get 64 the 1st Bde of arty

& the howitzers for our 2nd Div. otherwise it

must be all R.F.A.

Tpr                                   Caring Transpt

 

In the Dorset, Wiltshire, & Shropshire when training 4th reinf.

the weather was smooth but hot - the losses were 36, 37, 38 out of abt

440 horses each.  Star of Victoria etc - not such fine ships, lost

much less.  Reason was want of ventilation. Maj. of 

losses were in  lower decks and 2 after holds e.s. 3 horses 

that died on the top deck & 33 on lower.

Rfs 

 Reinf:  The Rfs. who were in Mena before we 

left are very touchy abt being confused with the Rfs. since.

410 Rfs., men abt 30 & fine material but little training.

Being trained from day one the pack of [?]

Artillery

An isolated sniper isn't worth a shot. It's a question if

a mule train is.  A staff is always worth it.  A camel or two -

if you see no other target - or a man dying makes you

overly excited. But it is often no as  firing just make them uncomfortable. 

The average who have 50

shells a day to play with can do so.  Our Australian [?]  have a system of having

one [?] always on duty on a certain [?] spot.  The moment they get a 

ring on the telephone they have only to loose up.  Qstn  have been tremendously 

pleased with this system.

This {???]where the gain would [?] are another gain.

(Destroyer position are in man June 28.)

Observation Posts - hard luck tt everyone uses them.

[*Anzac cove*]

[[Dummy?]] Turkish gun near hut at Anzac when we landed

Premature burst of Cadd Burgess no 2 gun - right

at the muzzle 2 w in twenty minutes bec. we saw it

and heard shrapnel whizzing over us.

I was w Blamey at time. Infantry

Getting very annoyed abt it.

They thought there was a traitor in one battery & were quite ready to

march over & deal w him (in early days).

 

Some men are prone to thieve from the dead.  Maj. Braces glasses had gone

as soon as even he fell - he was found 10 months later in a communication trench.

Callousness  [?] in actn the Bullet went thro man behind lines & he fell

on his knees & hands Ac  ^{badly hit} "Free kick from E Sydney" sd was a man maimed.

Another fine chap was carried from trench hit by shell.

"He's imshied, sir," sd a mate to an officer - These men won't have

gone th 10 anything to save the man's life - but death is held v

cheap, when once it occurs, in war.

It is only war cry the first morning was "(mushi yalla yer 

bastards" or "Imshi Igri" - & the Turk certainly

imishied.  A Turkish attack consists of imshi-ing as).

Soon as our men realy get out at him - they come a little

way & then some turn - & the rest is a companion of men

coming towards you & men hurrying away.

Got chupaties from Indians, bread from French at Hellas.

Indian ^soldier mimick down on beach:  "English soldier - shrapnel"

cowered under the biscuit boxes. "Australian soldier"

turned round and looked at it calmly.

Basil Brown has a tiny pup. Took it along to Col. Brown

of 4th. "I say B. I've brought you along a watch dog,"

he sd. "Thought you might like to put it outxx xx in

front to look after your barbed wire - I hear much Turks

here bn getting up at night & stealing some". from you 

Man walking up path when shell exploded & took not 

so close to his head bu he seemed to be right a

certainty - he neither looked to rt nor left - took not

faintest notice.

Shouted at Turks on May 19 will play you

agn next Sunday.

Man w Periscope Rifle - I'm tired of fighting Turks

I'm going to play w cricket now.

Man with mess tin obviously going to have a bath.

"going to have a bath?"  "Yes xx I wish I were a bloody canary."

If any one fires a rifle by accident but give him a pop gun!

Set your collected cigarette cards!

Men in Quinns when bomb explodes.  One asked other:  Is that

ours or theirs? "Theirs," says the other.

No 1. "The Bastard!".

Maj. Hancock was asking  some perspiring Australian carting earth

 inan inprovised barrow. He was interested a barrow 

"Did you make it" he asked.

The man stared up at him as if blown out by his want of

understanding:  No - I wish I cd find the beggar who did".

3 shells go by without bursting! " Made in Germany those fellows"

18/6/15

Came up & cut wire outside 3rd Bn some nights ago.

Bassel Brown offered Col. B. his little dog xx as a watchdog.

See July 26th.