Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/44/1 - May - June 1916 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/44/1
Title: Diary, May - June 1916
Covers Bean's work on "The Anzac Book"
accounts, talks with Lord Birdwood, Lt E Brooks,
and visit by W M Hughes to Paris.
AWM38-3DRL606/44/1
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL  RCDIG1066748
 

1916 
May 9th.

to June 3^rd 

..ll & Beade Thomas

Original   DIARY NO. 44.

AWM38    3DRL 606  ITEM 44 [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 consideration 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
ACCESS STATUS

OPEN

44

64                1                    
1916 May 9^th 

to June 3^rd

May 9^th.  Russell & Beach Thomas
who were over here today 
from G.H.Q. said that the
3rd Corps were reported to 
be very sick with the Canadians 
who had lost / trenches craters 
wh they themselves had gained 
at St Eloi.  Herbertson, who was 
present, sd: "Yes - but you know / 
reason - you can't very well do 
much when / ammunition runs
out."  The 2nd Army had got thro'
all its own ammn there, & had 
borrowed of other armies - until it 
finally ran out & cdn't borrow any
more.  The serious part really was 
tt / Canadians never reported
tt they had lost / craters; & 
until a flying man went over 
& took photos showing / cable craters 
& / enemy's wire in front of 
them, it wsn't known tt they
 

64.         2

had been lost.
By the bye, we have found 
out who the man was whose flying 
has bn so delighting our troops.
He is a Canadian.  Butler met 
him / day we were up after / raid 
He ws on his way to have tea w some
o / artillery people.  Br He 
cdn't remember which day in
particular he had bn more 
straffed than on others.  "Its / 
only sport on Earth." he sd.
1st N.Z. Inf Bde passed thro
today going to Estaire.  Herbertson 
prophecies tt they will be raided
before they are in a fortnight.  The 
4^th army has had some bad raids
- 12K & abt 30w. in one; & 24
prisoners.  It has raided / Germans
3 times.
Spent most o / day on
aeroplane photos - trying to get to read 
them.

64.                3

May 10th.  The news that the
Anzacs are in France ws 
published in the House of
Commons & in the papers.
"The Times" in repeating it says
tt / Australians had at first 
bn welcomed by / Germans
bye means of a notice, but 
were afterwards told on another
notice tt they were blackguards
& sons of convicts & were 
very bitter abt it.  The only
thing tt had happened of 
importance ws a gas attack
on them, but the gas had bn 
blown back onto / Germans
& they were / only sufferers.
This is all entirely fictitious.
The gas attack ws a mixture of 
a false alarm & a gas attack
elsewhere.  The "Convict" incident 
was in the newspapers not 
on a notice.  The only

64.           4

notices I have heard of
were one: "Advance Australia - 
if you can!"
And one: "There will be 
a meeting of all nations
-Hindoos," etc etc ..."Suffragettes, 
Miss Sylvia Pankhurst 
specially invited!"
The Germans are 
registering our Rue Bois 
Salient with their guns, & 
also some of our commn 
trenches.  They average 4½
regiments to the mile along our
2nd army front.  In some other 
places they have only 1½
Went for a long walk 
w Birdwood - to chase a 
new ride - His out all the recreation 
time is to find a good forest 
stretch & then let his horse 
gallop for all he's worth - 

64.              5

old Smith can keep up w
him but not many o / others.
The horses are really a 
recreation.  Birdie has his 
taken out to meet him - 
at Cassell, for example, where 
he went this morning; so 
tt he can ride home & get
his exercise so.  We had a 
hard walk for 6 miles to
find a good ride.  He 
didnt send his Aide bec.
he didnt want to waste
/ petrol in a car - Every
one is out here, now, to 
save petrol; at least Gen.s 
White & Birdwood are.
Birdie told me; I ws
glad to hear - at least I 
dont know whether to be 
glad or sorry, - tt a
big bomb from a gun 

^xpropellant

64.            6
like those we lost has 
fallen in / Ypres salient; 
only its a much better one 
from a rifled gun. not a smooth 
bore; but it has / same
principle - the discharge ^x 
is in the cap. & "I suppose one 
ought to be sorry - but 
one ws very relieved to 
hear tt it ws not we who 
gave them / secret.
May 11^th.  Wrote two articles today.
In these sketchy articles I 
leave (as in the Wool Track)
the details perfectly true,
but alter & mix up the 
place names & dates &
"left" & "right" so tt it is 
perfectly impossible for 
anyone (even myself after 
a short while) to identify 
the real trench or section of
 

7
Frederick Palmer, / American,
who ws here yesty sd / book
ws / best thing of the sort he 
had seen.
"The Canadians'll be just 
mad," he sd.

64       8
line & yet the story is perfectly
true.
The first ^ posted copies of the Anzac 
Book arrived yesterday. White , 
this morning, tells me tt he 
thinks it will be a much 
bigger thing than we have any 
conception of.
Went round the 1st Brigade 
trenches with Butler to settle 
some Anzac Book orders - What 
a fine chap he is - his delight 
was to see how the fellows took 
the Anzac Book; made me show 
it to every one first for the pleasure 
of watching them. He always 
turns his salutes into a "Good Day"
"Good afternoon, to you" - which our 
men just appreciate; he likes coming  
round with me because it doesn't 
drag the brigade staffs out to 
look after him & show him round. 
The men get to know him.

64.           9

Germans got nervous & 
exploded the first mine opp. 
our lines today, 50 yds out . 
They cd hear us working 
but did us no harm in /
world. The whole o / trench,  
where mining is going on is 
plastered slate colour w blue 
clay. It oozes thro' / bags 
into wh it is put .
We took / opportunity 
of comparing our trenches w 
aeroplane photos as we passed 
to see xx what old - disused trenches 
look like; also how a tramway 
looks crossing a trench.
May 12th.  Prof . David of the 
mining coy I believe had 
tea at / Chateau today.
I hear tt the Base 
is coming  to England & 
will take over the Australian