Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/41/1 - March - April 1916 - Part 6

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day that a ship wh were

passed in I morning has

been torpedoed since.

Twowards night a warships 

signal is sd to have bn 

picked up, tt "7 boats

were missing".

   I sold the "Anzac Book"

plates amongst I men

all day - on I well deck

forward & aft - working

at any camp table with

clerk from Pay Office. The 

men kept us going as hard

as we could although

some of them were sceptical.

   "'Ere y'are - my 

photograph, shillin' each!"

I heard one chap a voice in

I background saying. That is s

meant for me. Another voice

later show called "Forward the 

mugs!" The men around 

me didn't heed - they're 

very decent. A game of 

"House" or some sort of 

gamble was going on 

next door close by & 2 

daresay some o I or gamiers (?)

didn't like the competition.

But I wonder which were 

the "mugs" - the fellows 

who were buying Anzac 

Books posted to any address

at 3/- each, or the chaps

who joined the circle to gamble

away their pay. 

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1

Sund. Ap 2.

   I thought tt where Birdwood

was, there wd always be 

a service on sunday. However

there wasn't a padre aboard

& it looked unlikely. But 

they found I right man.

   This was little F. Pogson

Bethune - my brother's 

great friend at Selwyn

Cambridge. He is on board

as a reinforcement officer

for the 12^th Bn. He is a 

parson though I'm not sure 

tt he hasn't given it up - but

he's a first class little 

Chap. 

   I thought his address

wd be good & it was. After 

a few well known hymns

he told I men to sit down - t

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for I first time said to this

mixed crowd of reinforcements

almost exactly I thing tt I 

had often wished to hear a 

parson say.

   "I wanted to tell you

first", he sd. "tt though I am 

a Church of England clergyman

- this isn't a service for the Church

of England - its a service 

for all men of all religions. 

• And I wanted to tell you 

secondly that the God whom

we pray to at this service

is not the god sort of being whom

many people say that God is.

Many Some people, when I go (??) in 

peace time to visit a sick man,

who is in terrible pain with

some cancer or fearful disease say:

"Its dreadful - But it's gods 

will." Well thats not what

God is. God doesn't will

innocent men to suffer 

pain. God do That's not God's

will - it's the devil's. Some 

good people tell you that its

god's will that those who 

don't haven't gone to church 

& who happen to die with their

sins should go to hell for ever.

I can't believe - it isn't

horrible to think - that a 

loving father should wish 

that those any man

however bad should be

tormented eternally. (??) that's 

not what God wishes. If I believe

that I It's not what you

wd wish. If I believed

that - then I'd go down to Hell

cheerfully w a smile upon

my lips - for I'd know

I ws a better man than

God.

"No - God is with you 

all I time - no matter

how you've sinned; he's there

trying to help you. It 

doesn't matter if you've 

not been what they call 

a religious man - 

if you're not gone to church

on Sundays - There's 

nothing in I bible wh says

tt a man must go to 

church every Sunday -

that's not what religion

is. So long as you play I 

game you needn't have any 

anxiety about that in I

game work to wh you're going. 

   "You're going to do just

work - you know that

& I know it. We've red

of all tt has happened 

in Belgium & elsewhere - to I women

& I children & I 

unoffending peaceable people. We're going

out to say tt tt sort of

thing shall not happen in

I would so long as we're

in it. That is - not if

we can help it. The papers

have told us tt we are 

heroes & patted us on I

back but we're not

heroes; we don't want to

be called heroes. We're

should have come not

conscripts - yet - thank God;

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we came of our own free

will - we shd have bn

less than men not to

come. And And in tt

work not one of you

need bother worry about 

his religion so long as

he plays I game. If 

he plays I game That is

what religion is - to 

play I game - & if

any man does tt, God

there's no need for church

going & prayers. never

fear So long as a man

plays I gam God will be

on his side - Never fear. 

   And what if some 

of us do cross over to 

I other side in I course of

it - what does tt matter? 

72

Isn't it just I sort of

death tt you'd wish

to die - ^going forward with your

dear ones behind you

& your friends on 

either side of you &

God above you & only 

I enemy in front. Why 

when we were boys isn't

this exactly I sort of 

adventure tt we 

longed to come upon - 

to go across I world to 

figth for I right in many

lands & cant we thank

God w/he has given us I

chance of fulfilment past all expectations. 

  It was almost beyond

our hopes that we shd

even have I chance of

coming upon an adventure

like tt/; & yet here we 

are upon just I expedition

in wh we shd have given

our eyes to be engaged.

No - we were not going to be

down go into this cheerfully, 

gladly. So long as we God we play I game

There with God above us & our loved 

ones behind us & our friends on either side of

us & only I enemy in front of us we may

go forward unafraid."

  I watched I upturned

faces of I men as he ended

- the packed well deck o I

ship - a rich harvest there was no space left at all