Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/37/1 - January - February 1916 - Part 8

69
interpreter. One was at the time
(September) when the Germans were
being beaten back at Loos, & by
the French S. of Tahure.
"Congratulate you on having
killed 20,000 Boches" it said.
Another was thrown over 
after the penknife had been thrown
over  ^by our man as a souvenir at Quinns
during the Bairam festival.
"Dear Australians,
The penknife which
you threw over has fallen behind
our parados. Will you let me
get out of the trench at this time
tomorrow & fetch it?"     
A third was:
"Dear Australians,
Do you know
how far it is to Constantinople;
We hope to see you there one of
these days " - or something
ambiguous to tt effect. Altogether
there is no doubt our men liked the
 

70
Turks & / Turks liked us.
The relatn between / two ws
not only not bad but good.
Jan 8^th Tuesday.
Du Boise told me yesty tt he
ws very anxious abt some news he had
heard. He had a brother who ws
coming home to join a cyclist corps.
He ws sailing in the Clan MacTavish.
Today Yesty came a wireless message
tt / Clan MacTavish had been sunk
by a German raiding cruiser after a
fight. It was sd tt 5 were saved & 
15 killed. The news is very vague.
Today he heard that showed me
a newspaper. It said that the
officers of another British steamer
said tt / Clan MacTavish’s officers
had, they feared, been shot by /
Germans because they had fired 
on them & killed some (& I suppose
were claimed to be non-combatants).
If tt is so, it calls for the most
stringent reprisals on our part.
 

71
But what reprisals can we
take upon / Germans. They have
us out & beaten at that game -
we can't attempt to rival them
in brutality. Any our puny efforts
in tt direction wd immediately
be outmatched by processes into
wh we simply could not follow them.
I don't believe in ^raising the atrocity cry.
But when / Germans raise it, &
shoot our people in cold blood upon /
score of it - it's more than human
nature can stand.
We went Du Boise lent
me his launch to go to Serapium
again w a party from / Hospital -
their fine little scotch padre; &
Morley, & Sutherland (who were not on
/ Canal last year). We were back
later than we had promised - after
5; & I believe after 5 the sentries
can shoot at any one boat on / canal on
sight.
 

8/2/16
[Drawings - see original document]
 
72
Saw a N.Z. patrol of 4 horseman
moving down / canal banks; they
looked splendid. Also, coming back,
saw the camel who goes along [shorthand] with a swingle
bar [shorthand]
dragging behind it & smoothes out / bank so tt anyone who crosses
[shorthand]
[shorthand]
it in / night will leave footprints to be seen in / morng.
The 2nd & 3rd Bdes are at Serapium
[shorthand]
digging trenches abt 8 miles out in the desert. The
[shorthand] 5^th & 6^th
Bdes are digging abt 8 miles out from Ferry Post
[shorthand]
7th [shorthand] Bde in reserve
Went to G.H.Q.  Lawrence is at 
Mersa Matruk. Ross in Cairo.
They told me - Col. Tyrell did today -
tt one of our airmen the other
day dropped to within 200 ft to
get a photo; & on the plate was a
Turk firing at him. The Turks
are busy laying their pipe line
from the  Wadi El Arish (?). The
railway has not yet reached our
border, but they have two
 

Maxwell won’t allow
any one correspt to go to Mersa
Matruk. The “Morning
Post” got its account of it
from some officer there -

73
excellent motor roads, one
up to within 40m o / canal.
Everybody tremendously 
pleased w proofs of Anzac
Magazine.  They think here tt we
may sell 150,000 in Egypt & a million
altogether. As the funds get ¹/₁ at
least, out of every copy we sell
here as agst 4 ¹/₂ ^d for those sold
thro' retailers I hope they are
right.  Am cabling - after consulting
Butler - to smart tt we shall
take first 50,000. I

Have been to Cairo and now again
feb 11. Back at Ismailia  - & into war
Correspts Cors' camp  just outside Hospital gates -
xxxxxxxxxxxxx with Ross & Lawrence. The War
Office have turned down the Army
scheme.  For what reason I don't
know.  Kitchener is said to be a great
wobbler & this may have been
another wobble.  But I expect the
reason is tt they may want
us earlier - before the army
 

74
cd be ready.  Everything points,
in my mind, to this forming
the 2 Corps; & possibly the army
later, if time -  Birdwood goes
back to Corps Commander. Godley
I suppose will command the other
Corps.  N.Z. will form a single division.
It's a pity - but if they want
us soon I suppose its wise; the
only thing is tt if we are to be an
army eventually it wd be better
to get t staff into being now rather
than at / last moment.
The 8^th Corps has bn disbanded;
9^th at Ismailia Port Said (15^th Divn has
just joined it in place of 13^th wh
has sailed for Persian Gulf.) 15^th Corps
at Suez  (10^th Indian Divn 29^th Divn)
Our Indian bde has partly sailed for / Gulf.
We may go to Salonica as there are
sd to be indications of a German
attack thro Rumania & of Sweden
joining in on N flank.
 

75
A well informed rumour, wh I can
hardly believe, says tt Asquith  is a
Saw Arthur Maxwell in
Cairo.  Out 1st L.H. Bde is at
Wadi Natrun - patrolling; I don't
know where 2nd or 3rd L.H. Bdes
are.  4th L.H. Regt at Maadi.
Feb. 16^th.  Lots of fellows
ask me where they're going - as
if I knew.  I think the probability
is Salonica.  Birdwood told
is supposed to have said France
2 days ago, & I know
Buckley sd France, so perh.
they have been bringing political
pressure to bear; a pity if
they have. I know there was
some correspondence abt it.
But I believe the people of
Australia want to leave the
War office quite unfettered to
use these troops wherever it
 

76
thinks they are  most useful -
- Howse thinks Salonica & I
do too, in spite of Birdwood
having told Godley who told
somebody who told my
friend in the 4^th Light Horse.
I have come up to Cairo
again - then Alex - then
Cairo, to get any Egyptian
& Emden - Sydney records
as I ought to get to work
on that volume of the history
having 5 weeks or so, I suppose,
to spare.
This hotel living is a
heavy expense but I dont
suppose it really consumes
more than my field allowance
-10 /- a day - I expect I really
am a gainer on the balance, though
not by much.  Ross of N.Z.
gets £2.10 a day expenses in
 

[Diagram - see original document]
 
3rd L H R. at Natrun.
1st & 2nd L.H. Regts at Wardan.
4th Bde Probly to reform at
Xxxxxxxxx
3rd Bde - at Heliopolis
(Race Course)
 
77
the field & ₤1.10 in Cairo -
besides ₤450 salary - i.e. about
₤1200 to ₤1400 a year against my
₤850 (at the outside).  I think I
am paid about ₤500 less than
any other correspondent.  At
the same time I would not give
it up for an outside offer of
any amount; & I dont intend
to worry my country during
the war by asking for more.
——
1st L H Bde  ws moved
2 days ago to Minia, West
of wh 600 o / enemy had bn spotted.
near Barwiti Baharia Oasis
dressed in khaki - Aviation
report of force at Gara Oasis
near in Siwa Oasis.
1st R. at Beni Mazar, Sandafra,
Samalut, Fashn -  ^ 2nd Regt Nazlet El
abd - Towa Beni Ibrahim
——
 

78
Thurs. Feb. 17.  Got my records from
Maxted at the  Australian H.Q.
- it is Australian Imp. Force. H.Q.
now, not Intermediate Base, &
by an order of January the
A.I.F. resumes control over it.  B. Gen
Irving, whom I met in Cairo
Alex yesty  & who ws sent over
from Australia to take charge
& supersede Sellheim, is a
strong chap; & at Alex he managed
to withdraw the Australian affairs
from the 3rd Echelon of the M.E.F.
there which was always a

most confounded nuisance.
Irving carries a letter from the
Australian Prime Minister in
his pocket backing him up in
anything he may find it necessary
to do.  He hasn't had to produce it
yet.  He has just been given
the 15^th Bde.  The 3rd Divn. is
being formed in Australia tho'