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 relation between / two ws
not only not bad but good.
Jan 8th 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 by 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, 
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 boat on / canal on
sight.
 

8/2/16

Sketches 

 

 Soldier, camel and camel driver travelling across desert.

Caption:  Two solitary patrols  groups

 Two soldiers standing at attention

 Caption: one hopes they will not shoot

Sketch of tombstone

1. 72

   Saw a NZ patrol of 4 horseman 

   Moving down/ canal banks; they

   looked splendid. Also, coming back with^a swingle

   Saw the camel who goes along

   ( paragraph of shorthand writing)

   
   Went t G.H.Q.  Lawrence is at 

   Mersa Matruk. Ross  in Cairo.

   They told - 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 pipeline

   from the  Wari El Arish (?) The

   railway has not yet reached our 

   borders, but they have two

    

Maxwell won’t allow

any 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 proof 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.

 

Feb 11.  Have been to Cairo and now again

Back at Ismalia  - & into war

Corrs' camp  just outside hospital gates.

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 8th Corps has been disbanded;

9th 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 Anez  (10^th Indian Divn 29th Divn)

Our Indian cde 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

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. 16th.  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

& earlier 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 and Map

 

3rd LHR at Natrun.

1st & 2nd LH 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 of enemy had bn spotted

near Barwite Baharia Oasis

dressed in khaki - Aviation

 

report of force at [[?Gaza ]]Oasis

near in Siwa Oasis.

1st Rat Bevi Major, Sandafra,

Samalut, Fasha  ^ ^{ZW reg}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. HQ.

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 15th Bde.  The 3rd Divn. is

being formed in Australia tho'