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

^xNothing was made of this article either in Engld
or Aust. Few papers, if any, in Engld printed it.
C.E.W.B. 1925

64         30
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 / war if we 
organised - I have no doubt
of it - But I wonder if we
are ready to do it - I don't 
know tt we are."

So - instead of writing
about / wood chopping
contest I sat down tody
and wrote an article which
I hope will stir them up  ^x

64      31
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 / food stuffs 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 so as by will

64        32
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 - tt 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.

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.

64        33
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

64        34
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 o /
office at Horseferry Rd,
taking offices next door &
building temporary offices
besides.

Also he has arranged to
have every batch of men

35
[Sketch - see original scan]

30^th May
7.45. Heavy bombardment
from direction of
Laventie -  sounds
all light stuff - like
a blanket flapping on
a clothes line.
As if they were firing
at aeroplanes.
-----
64       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 / lodging.
I don't suppose he ll
get / credit for it - it will
go to Moore or Sellheim.
But / brains are his.

26^th May. Anzac Book
all day.

27^th. 28^th. 29^th May. Too busy
with Anzac Book to do any other
work or write this diary.

30^th May. Part of the 3^rd Bn,
- one company - passed here
this afternoon. The men had on
their full kit & were marching
so finely that everyone noticed

64 37
it. They had come from behind
the line after a fortnight in / trenches.
We have seen the 17th Divn marching
thro - relieved by / New Zealanders
- & the men were straggling thro'
all day - limping, broken down.
wandering along like / 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 / effect of xx several months
in / trenches; & partly /
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'

64      38
batman, ^(a New Zealand-Englishman), & Bazley both spoke
of it to me.
Butler & I visited part o /
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 / Chateau. They had told 
us, from 1st Divn, that it was
our 3rd Bde being shelled
- largely enfilade. The line
to / north of Laventie reported
that the Germs. big shells were
flying over their heads toward
/ right of our line.
There is sd to be a German

64     39
attack on further S. at La 
Bassee - & / 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 /
ground. There is no report o /
Germans having got in - but I
believe they attacked - some
o them were are reported to have
bn 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

64     40
follow round in. It was a 
glorious day & when we reached
HQ^rs o / 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 / way /
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