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.
Diagram - See original

[*The Job*}
Diagram -  See original
Diagram - See original

[*Compos*]
Argus Mar 16/15
Commands
4^th Left Col. R. Spencer Browne CB,VD.
from 3^rd (Darling Downs) L.H.
Lt. Col  W. Grant
from 5^th (New England) L.H.
Maj P.P. Abbott
5^th Inf Brigade: Col W. Holmes D.S.O., V.D.
6^th Inf Brigade: Col. R. Linton
Battalions, ? 17. Col. J. Paton       :Q
18 L^t. Col. W.W.R. Watson V.D.   NSW
17. L^t Col. A.E. Chapman V.D.      NSW
20. Lt Col. W. Dollman VD          SA or Vic.
21 .L^t Col. R.A. Crouch VD            Vic
22 L^t Col. H.A. Goddard               Q
23. L^t Col. J.F. Hutchinson            Vic
24 L^t Col. G.F. Norton                    Vic
——

Reason why only 36 guns w us is tt we had not the
waggons in Aust for more than tt no. Wagons
have to be armoured w special steel & we only
had one 1^st line waggons armoured (or possibly at
all). You cant get tt steel in Australia. Accty 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.

[*Reinf. Transport.*]
Tpt.
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.g. 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 every day at back of lines.

[*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 digging makes you 
overly excited. But it is often no us firing just make them uncomfortable. The average should have 50 
shells a day to play with can do so.  Our Austrln batteries have a system of having 
one gun always on duty on a certain touchy spot. The moment they get a ring on the telephone they have only to loose up. Hqrs have been tremendously pleased with this system.

This lowers where the gain would next be anothers gain.
Destroyer position are in man June 28.)
Observation Posts - hard luck tt everyone uses them.
Diagram - See original
Dummy Turkish gun near hut at Anzac when we landed
Premature burst of Cadd Burgess no 2 gun - right 
at the muzzle 2ce in twenty minutes bec. we saw it 
and heard shrapnel whizz over us.
I ws w Blamey at time. Infantry
Diagram - See original
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).

[*The Australian*]
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 natl 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 - Those men wd have
gone thro anything to save the man's life - but death is held v. 
cheap, when once it occurs, in war.

His only war cry the first morning was "(mushi yalla yer 
bastards" or "Imshi lgri" - & the Turk certainly
imshied. 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 confusion of men 
coming towards you & men hurrying away.
Got chupatlies 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.
——
Bessel 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 the 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 tt he seemed to be right a 
certainty - he neither looked to rt nor left - took not 
faintest notice.
Shouted at Turks on May 19 we'll play you 
agn next Sunday.
Man w Periscope Rifle - I'm tired of fighting Turks 
I'm going to play em 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: give him a pop gun! 
Set your collected cigarette cards!

[*The French*]
Men in Quinns when bomb explodes.  One asked other:  Is that  
No 1. "The Bastard!".
Maj. Hancock was asking _^saw perspiring Australian carting earth in  a barrow _^an improvised barrow. He was interested.

"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".

[*The Turks*]
18/6/15

Came up & cut wire outside 3rd Bn some nights ago.
Basel Brown offered Col. B. his little dog xx as a watchdog.
See July 26th.