Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/44/1 - May - June 1916 - Part 4

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today. I was writing letters
all day long to straighten
out difficult cases.
The other day White
sd to me: I wonder whether

we are going to win this

war, Bean. You know,

I'm a bit doubtful of all this

talk tt's going on. They're

manoeuvring as to who shall

offer to enter into negotiations first

-that's the meaning of it.

We could win I war if we 

organised - I have no doubt

of it - But I wonder if we

are ready to do it - I don't 

know that we are."

So, instead of writing

about I wood chopping

contest I sat down xxx

and wrote an article which

I hope will stir them up  ^x

^[*xNothing was made of this article either in Engld

or Aust. Few papers, if any, in Engld printed it.

C.E.W.B. 1925*]

 

 

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a bit - how it always

depresses me to read / 

things tt are dished up in

the newspapers (& we are supposed

to rub our hands over)

abt the steps / Germans have

to take to organise their

food supply. It is / one

thing we ought to be doing; but

I doubt if our people

have the guts to do as

these Germans are doing

& go early & sit on /

grocers doorstep every morning

for a tiny allowance of

butter. They have a "ministry

of I food xxxx ^supply" now. Why aren't

we organised for economy.

We have to beat them now

by outlasting them, & we

are letting them eke out their

strained resources ^xxxx by will

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power & determination

so that it is not at all

clear tt they wont

outlast us. I wrote an

article imploring them to

organise, organise,

organise. But I don't

know if / censor will let

it through because it hints

at what everyone here

knows - that our great

offensive may not necessarily

succeed - if it indeed comes

off. For / Germans have

been a little successful at

Verdun; & / French seem a

bit dispirited & I believe

are asking us to take over

more of their line. 

25^th May Anzac Bk 

published in London today.

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Heavy bombardment down

S. ever since 5 o'c. I

hear tt we have used so

much ammunition tt

we on our front shall 

probably be cut down to

1/5 of what we now shoot

off. And yet / Germans

are sd in all these last

fights to have fired far

more than we.

It doesn't look as if

there were much in our

claim to have more

ammunition.

Dined w Birdwood.

By a simple Experiment (wh

I helped to suggest) we have

found out tt a great part

O / lines on aeroplane 

photos wh had puzzled us

& wd have been put down as

 

[*i.e the taking of special air photos 

behind our own lines -

(But they didn't adopt my ^further suggn.

to have works of certain types -

wh we wanted to identify -

made & then photographed)

C.E.W.B.

1925*]

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buried cable, are really

the tracks of the linesman

walking beside an ordinary

overhead telegraph wire.

It shows how little 

trouble all these great

aeroplane experts took

to study their science that

this simple discovery

appears never to have been

made before.

Sellheim reached London

on May 22. Smart had

made out a scheme for

clearing out part OI

office at Horseferry Rd,

taking offices next door &

building temporary offices

besides.

Also he has arranged to

have every batch of men

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HAND DRAWN DIAGRAM - SEE ORIGINAL

[*30th May

7.45 Heavy bombardment

from direction of

Laventine -  sounds

all light stuff - like

a blanket flapping on

a clothes line.

As if they were firing

at aeroplanes.*]

36

on leave met, marched to

the H Qrs there, deposit

arms & kit, choose from

a list of suitable lodgings

wh is kept up by daily

inquiry, & driven by

conveyance to I lodging.

I don't suppose he ll

get I credit for it - it will

go to Morris or Sellheim.

But I trains are his.

26th May. Anzac Book

all day.

27th. 28th. 29th May. Too busy

with Anzac Book to do any other

work or write this diary.

30th May. Part of the 3rd Bn,

-one company - passed here

this afternoon. The men had on

their full kit & were marching

so finely that everyone noticed

 

 

 

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it. They had come from behind

the line after a fortnight in I trenches.

We have seen the 17th Divn marching

thro - relieved by I New Zealanders

-& the men were straggling thro'

all day - limping, broken down.

wandering along like I remnants

of a defeated army - poor little

chaps of 5 foot high or 5 ft 4.

The N.Z. Rifle Bde had many

stragglers, but nothing like this.

It was partly I effect of xx ^several months

in I trenches; & partly I

degeneracy of British physique.

And then there came thro'

today this magnificent company,

by Jove but they were great!

Hard as nails - only one 

man fallen out as far

as I cd see, & he marching

close behind. Others noticed

it far more than I - Ross'

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batman, ^ (a New Zealand - Englishman), & Bazley both spoke

of it to me.

Butler & I visited parts OI 

line today -

Tonight, at 7.45 - heavy 

bombardment from direction of 

Laventie - sounds like all light

stuff - like a blanket flapping 

on a clothes line - as if they 

were firing at aeroplanes.

I went up It lasted all

thro dinner & ws still going

hard afterwards. I walked up

to I Chateau. They had told 

us, from 1st Divn, that it was

our 3rd Bde being shelled

-largely enfilade. The line

to I north of Laventie reported

that the guns big shells were

flying over their heads toward

I right of our line.

There is sd to be a German

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attack on further S. at La 

Bassee - & I idea seems to be

tt this ws a covering feint.

 

May 31^st No report of any

Germans having attacked our

line last night tho' the parapet

ws knocked down for 40 yards.

Later. 125 yards of our

parapet is now reported to have 

been knocked down level w I

ground. There is no report O I

Germans having got in - but I

believe they attacked - some

of them were ^are reported to have

been seen coming across.

 

June 1^st. The Prime Minister of

Australia & Mr Hughes ^ Fisher visited

us today. They came to the

1st Divn first. White gave

Ross & myself a car to

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follow round in. It was a 

glorious day & when we reached

HQ^rs of 1st Divn, ^where he ws to be at 11.15,

which are in a very

quiet pretty white Chateau behind

a long ^short dark avenue of lime trees. As

we drove up there were Gen.

Birdwood, & White & Maclagan,

& Walker, and Gen. Forsyth - the

first time I had seen Maclagan

since August in Anzac. He

had been pretty ill with dysentery

& had to tell a lie abt his health

in order to get back - even now

he isn't quite right. He was

very pleased w I way I

11^th Bn had behaved in the

attack two nights ago.

We waited - & presently

the pressmen - Murdoch, Arthur

Mason, with Shepherd (Hughes

secretary) & Box (Fishers 

secretary) drove up. We stood