Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/42/1 - April 1916 - Part 5

3     45
sd an officer.
Strathconas Horse & / Royal
Canadian Dragoons  passed -
looking rather British in their
uniforms. They have swords. The 
Officers were big chaps, xxx
riding well, looking like Englishmen
"You would have thought
something of our first cavalry"
sd and officer we spoke to," but
they were mostly killed - they 
dismounted them. They were
the best in / country, mostly
gentlemen - they didnt wait
for commissions "he sd w

3       46
some pride - "they just
enlisted - there ws no influence
then. If a man came in right
up to / last moment & he
cd ride better than / next
man, they chose him, & put
a man out instead -
Our first division was
the best - but theyre putting
men over their heads in / later
divns tt ought to be their
juniors - There are lieutenants
in the first Divn who ought to
be generals in the 3rd - 
They have a fourth Div

3        47
now in England"-
He thought / British were
fine troops & they got on
w them well - especially with /
Ind British Indian officers.
The Indians were being sent
from France - all exc. the
crack cavalry had bn - one
trouble ws / way they mixed
w / white women who simply
threw themselves at their heads.
The British Tommy ws
fine at fighting. But when it
came to a job of work you
couldnt trust him /
way you cd British
Australians & NZ

3          48
Canadians - to carry out what
you told him to do. He ws
a bit inclined to shirk.
Ap 11 Waiting for Col. Hutton Wilson
the Press officer who is going to
arrive here from Montreuil and
will take us to St Omer (Gibbs
& Prevost Battersby are at
Amiens, Tomlinson and Russell
with Capt Reynolds at St Omer.)
I believe that Ross & I will
be allowed to stay with Anzac
HQrs which is what we want.
If we were at St Omer or here
at Hesdin we shd have to
run up to Hazebrouck every other
day - & the Press officer realises
this (as far as I cd understand
over / telephone yesty) At / same
time I dont suppose we can
ever again get so close to

3          49
a battle as we used to be in Gallipoli.
The firing line trenches are so
drenched with artillery fire after
a fight that I suppose the losses
there wd be 30 per cent - which
means tt in 3 fights your
being hit is practically certain;
& ^as we have to watch every fight,
& not one out of 3 or 4 (like a brigade
staff) this would be xxxxx risking
ones life to an extent I dont
care to do.
Ap. 11 Col. Hutton Wilson came to
this wretched old French Inn -
dirty, expensive,- and uncomfortable -
at 4.30 today. He took us to
Montreuil and sent us on to St Omer
by 6 o'c! (It took us a day by train).
Found Reynolds in the Press
Chateau at Tilques, with
Tomlinson and Russell. Tomlinson is
a Socialist, wholehearted in this

3            50
war. "The Germans - well, when
a man hasn't got a common
basis of humanity on wh you
can argue, what can you
do except fight?" Russell is
very friendly, but talks on a very
shallow knowledge even of the Navy
& makes wild mistakes abt /
Army in a very downright way as
if they were platitudes. He has a
son in the 9Bn of which the son & he
are rightly proud  -
Reynolds is an I.C.S. man
w a great string of ribbons to
wh he has added two in this
war - Military Cross & D.S.O. He
has a very quiet humour. He happened
to mention tonight something abt /
Chinese, when it led to an argument
it he incidentally mentioned came up
tt he had walked across China
entering it from Burma. Russell,

3            51
who has lived in / same mess w
him for 3 months or more
did not even know that he had
ever done this - he had never
spoken of it before. Thats / right sort of
British Officer - like little Davies
Their job is largely to show
visiting foreign journalists round.
They now have a special chateau
for them & take them on one
tour per week. This ought to have
been done before. The Germans had got
hold of Dutch Swedes and Swiss
especially. Since Verdun (now
lasted 5 weeks) the Swedes have
cooled appreciably. Before it
they looked like joining in on
Germany's side - & this was quite
expected here. The ^Swedes were afraid
of Russia in Finland.
 Ap 12.  At 11 this morning we
left St. Omer (with leave to go to

England) & went by motor to

3        52
Army Corps H.Q at La Motte.  I
there saw White and Butler - The
British control in France seems to
be blocking Birdwood from visiting
England. Russell went on to see
his son at 3^rd Bde H.Q.
at Strazeele. About 1.30 we left
La Motte - had sort of late lunch
at St Omer - embarked at
Boulogne at 6.15  - out into
wild weather, w / other steamer
ahead practically lost in / mist
and our little destroyer abeam
throwing wreath after wreath of
spray, as round as a life buoy,
over her bridge & jumping
through it. The forepart of
our ship was simply one
whirling white wrack of churning
spray. Outside / harbour we
passed / two masts of a big
sunken steamer. By / quay itself
was 2/3 of the Sussex - w her

3        53
bows blown clean off up to
/ foremast (it killed 50 people)
She managed to get in somehow.
The Germans had control o / 
Channel for a week by a
device on / bows of their
submarines for cutting our wires.
Tomlinson thinks we hang
chains from them now.
Arrd here by 11.30 at night
we are in London - & I am
writing this in bed at about 1 am
after a hot bath & glass of
hot milk. As Ross says  “There
won’t be any Zepps tonight -
we know it's too rough for tt".

3       54
To April 18 (Tuesday).
In London arranging
date of issue to public of
Anzac Book. Very difficult to
arrange for delivery to troops
first without upsetting Cassells
business methods with
their retailers - Arranged a
compromise; left my photos.
Saw Steele-Maitland about our
army scheme - but not
Billy Hughes who was ill
at Lady Northcotes. However, as
White wanted me to do what
I could I wrote to Billy as
well, this morning. Fisher went
to Kitchener and got him to consent
to Birdwoods coming across.
But I see Buckley is going