Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/39/1 - February 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/39/1
Title: Diary, February 1916
includes references to Mersa Matruh expedition
and to the 16th Battalion, 1st infantry Brigade
and Sir John Monash at Gallpoli.
AWM38-3DRL606/39/1
 

Original DIARY NO. 39

AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 39[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 those 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

for the 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
STATUS

OPEN

1

Mersa Matruh

6d.
Lawrence & May 6
for Lawrence: 1 pr pince-nez )
1 pr goggles                               ) p^d for

Prescription                               )
------
Also my glasses for case
------

Diemer 3rd volume S. Patrin

(Tauschnitz) Fire & Sword -\ 8 P.T.
--------
J's sleeping bay

-------
Ross Little  [[shorthand]] 
Elastic Bands
[[shorthand]] 
15    2      39
£2.10. a wk. 
[*System of checks*]
Clerk - Trustworthy
Reception v Storage
No Distribn to new units
But - L of C Etc
? Hosp Private
Buyers.
Book plate.
Best means of transport etc
Postage & Register

-----

Gramophone

-----

Lamps [[shorthand]] 

15       3
Feb 20. Sunday
The Turk who ws caught by the beef
boat swimming / canal at 7 pm yesty was
a young chap. Native of Medina. 2 years ago he ws
taken to Jerusalem - enlisted two years ago there.
Sent as a soldier to Akaba. Thence
sent to El Anja. Came thro central
route to Toussoum. 
Water was carried on camels on kerosene 
tins. Dug at foot of sandhills
for water - if didn't get water simply ? waited.
Dragged guns over partly on horses,
partly by hand. Losses v. heavy.
Wounded carried on camels
Same troops are still at the district
of El Anja. The [[shorthand]] ws tired of being a soldier
and cleared out. Walked over in 4 ½ days

going so as to miss all roads.
No water, trusted to native wells. Water
in most of them - man can walk
down them - sometimes dug himself
w hands. Sd he took his
Tried to swim canal - when
well across got seized w
cramps. Sd he never saw tent
or line or soldier as he came thro'.

15   4
T troops well fed & in good heart.
20.000 at El Anja - all this
last 12 months. Feet blistered.
Tracks on W bank - not E.
ws wearing a long cloak like Arabs.
----
Feb 24 Mond. Cairo again
to see Sellheim re distributing
Anzac Book from Cairo.
Mac Anderson dined w
Sellheim & self at Club
& suggests that the men
shd be able to have
copies posted from England
- not Cairo. Gellibrands
suggestion of a book plate
on wh they cd write /

15         5
address they wanted it
sent to is excellent.
------
Sellheim talking to me afterwds
said that he & Gen. Lesslie
were talking about various
units / other day - "The
Twenty Ninth Division & the
1st Australian Divn were
well organised efficient
Divisions," Sellheim had
remarked - or something
to that effect - when Lesslie
interrupted him: "You may
take it from me" he sd,

6
Evacuation
15        7
that no division that was
equal to the First Australian
Division ever went to war."
That is pretty fine praise
from a British officer of
Canadian birth. Lesslie who
saw the work of the 1st Austral.
Divl. staff & many other
staffs knows pretty well
what he is talking about.
Genl. Monash came
by / same train as I did.
He told me tt at abt
9.30 on / last night at

15       8
Anzac he sent out patrols;
& one of his patrols reported
tt along a part of his
front, below the Farm, the
T's. were digging trenches &
wiring for all they were
worth. They had begun
to dig trenches there during
our "Silent Battle" in
November - & clearly they
were trying to rush these
new trenches to completion.
Monash himself left at

9
The men were ^lying down in groups waiting there
quietly. A movement o / hand
cleared them off / road & then
they waited - wd prepared to have waited
hours - till their turn came.
15        10

11 p.m. He met other parts
of his unit of the Xways
behind Cheshire Ridge in
Chailak Dere - They were
all lying down very quietly
(w 6 m.gs - leaving 6 w the
later lot C party). They assembled
a few minutes before
11; waited till the NZ. infantry
from Apex had passed;
& then joined in at their tail.
Lower down they met the
Mounted Rifles. The whole
formed one long line wh

15       11

moved in by / broad sap
very quietly - at a
slow pace - but with only
one halt of abt 5 mins
probly caused by the numbering
off at / head o / column.
Then they moved on. Presently
Col. Antill came along.
"Hallo - that you Genl?" he
asked. "Here you are - 
this is your barge" -
& they were turned off onto
a pier. "Everyone is to get
down below" - said a voice.