Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/45/1 - June 1916 - Part 7

2

77
The cook at our mess has
a great contempt for
/ local wood cutters. He
himself spent his time in
Australia between cooking for
shearers & chopping trees.
He has a great disgust at /
way / wood in / yard
has bn cut. "Seems to me as if
it had bn struck by lightning",
he says.
June 9th (Friday)
First day for a week at
my diary - & got it 

finished up to date.
Birdie But I shant
 have much time I expect.
Birdie tells me tt in
congratulating the 26^th & 28^th

Bns in an order he told
the Divisions tt what he
hoped to see ws two similar
 

2
78
raids every week - so tt
we shd never give the
Boches any rest!
Herbertson says tt /
Army will son put a stop
to this on acct of the expenditure
of ammunition.
The guns are flashing
about Ypres tonight - as they
have been for / last week.
The Canadians were attacked
some days ago - & a couple of
generals who were in their 
trenches, & also a couple wounded
Colonel, were captured & /
line forced back some distance.
Another attack on / other side
of Hooge also succeeded - &
this left the force line at Hooge
hanging almost in / air
with the Germans on 
Diagram, see original document
either flank. Two 
days ago, I believe, Hooge was
 

2
79
lost. The salient there costs
us an extremely large number
of men. I have no doubt tt
/ right thing to do, if / war is
going to be a long one, is to
make a perfect line well
behind Ypres - on good
ground of possible, & well
built under fairly peacable
conditions - & then fallback
on it & let / Germans have Ypres.
By hanging on to Ypres we are
losing men daily in much larger
numbers than they.
The French have also lost
the Fort of Vaux, S.E. of Verdun.
Brooks, who is always ready
to blab out all tt he sees, says he
thinks he sees signs of a move
in the constant pushing up of
units nearer to / front. Certainly
you do see troops passing up to
Merville & Estaires - they seem
 

2
80
to vanish when they get there -
But I take these to be ordinary
reliefs of divisions. I cannot
say tt  There are nurses in
/ casualty clearing Stations -
as Brooks pointed out. But I
cannot say tt I have noticed
one simple thing wh in any way
hinted tt / big offensive is
at hand. Many things are agst it.
For instance our 4^th &
5^th Divns are arriving (the
4^th reaches Marseille today)
& will be arriving for a 
month or more. The 3rd Div.
wh is to form in England will
I suppose be slower still.
Monash has bn recommended
for its command - Jackson
chief of Staff; Guy Wylie GS.O.
2. Col Bridges is to go to the 2nd
Aust. Div. & Col. Blamey
as GSO 1
 

2
81
to the 1st Aust Div as GSO 1.
Well Monash & Jackson
ought to be a thoroughly good
combination. They will train
in England at Salisbury Plain.
The N.Z. Divn will go with the 4^th
& 5^th to Gen. Godley (in fact they
are in a part of / line wh will
be his even now), & the 3^rd
will come to us.
Then we shall see
whether the War Office will
allow us to become an Army.
If it wastes these
Australian troops on a minor
offensive - it will be . . . . well,
when the time comes one would
try & find the proper term.

June 10^th (Saty) went over to
a crowded concert at Bailleul
given by Tree the singer, Jackson
the comedian, & others, in the
 

2
82
big Y.M.C.A. tent. They have
given 4 concerts today. As the
little pianist sd in saying good
bye: "We are too old to serve our
country by fighting for her; but
we are only too glad to feel tt
we are trying to do our bit
little tho' it is."
Saw on the roads the first
Signs of our 4^th Divn - some
of the 13^th near Oudekirke,
& some of the 14^th in Bailleul,

& I hear Gen. Cox has arrived.

June 11^th. Drove to Bailleul
& Le Creche with Padre Dexter.
Roads simply full of the
new Australians - the old 4^th
Bde & its "Pup" (the 12^th).
The same old breezy lot -
not so smart but - possibly - 
even harder. They are all easily
told by the way they played
 

83
Cairo & worked it with all his might.

He was exceedingly keen on his job - & keeness

naturally involved keeping some the best

man at the base camp to run it instead of

sending them to the Divns. White warned him

about this. I believe - tt it wd not be 

permitted. Anyway, he was tn superseded

by Col. Abbott; & and after a fortnights tremendous

work he has had a real breakdown.

Its all very well - but they sent up

1200 men from Cairo - the sweepings - under

2 Lieutenants w orders for / Lieutenants to go

on to London. Evans kept the Lieuts at the Base

 - he sd it ws not reasonable to throw on the line

1200 men without Officers, especially when

of that sort; there's a [[cob in?]] what he says.

Later, I hear Evans wrote long letters to

Birdwood & Hughes "private citation" had

generally been doing so for months. & I am

probably quite astray in my judgement of him anyway

he did the best going out - told his staff to work loyally with Abbott.

 

I went with Padre Dexter to
Hesdin (to see the Graves Commissioners)
Etaples, Boulogne & St Omer. At
Etaples are the Australian base camps - abt
4000 reinforcts  & / 1^st Divn & as many o / 2nd
(& men returned from hospital) drilling in all
weathers, sometimes under British nC.O.S.
In hospital there was Maj. Evans,
-poor old Evans of the A.1.F. Base
who created Sellheims system for him in
 

2
84
with the children - the kids
made straight for them
Even in Bailleul where there
are hundreds of English

soldiers.
They were full of admiration
for the country. "Two hundred

miles of garden" one of
them sd & / first 200 miles
out of Marseilles.
"My word - its a 

country worth fighting for," is
the thing they all of them say
their first impression of
France.
June 12th I hear from Smart that
Sellheim has dispensed with his
services. It makes one very angry
to think of ineffective xxxx irresolute
man turning out the man of 5 times his
capacity & 20 times his energy.
 

85

On getting back from Etaples found that 26^th Bn was making a raid.  It was
too late to go down. Following particulars obtained next day - I have written them up in
type written    Capt. Moncur.                    Supports
form as              Lt  Rogers                  

Butter wants    Lt Loughlin                   [[?]]     3 bayonet mounts

a copy - to          Lt Hyde                         [[?]]     2  bombers

which refer,                                                            2 carriers

                                 51 men

                  4 matmen           14ft x 4ft strong 

                                                                         cardboard

                  Each 1 mat 

formas Rodgers
I tayoult ma
Butterwanted / Lt Loaghlen
7Y
Ebombers
2 carries
acopy - B
an
F. Hyde.
2
which refer.
58 men
4matonan. 14tx4P Strong S
cawous
Each 1 mnat.
111AF
2
24tt 16t M.A.
4th it supports i telephone mn
Buy 18,246 Mayj. Daly
a
I elephones is 2 stopped her
I went across.
220 yds.
Tape.
supportyg U.GG. 6 Vbombers.
Wo organine Sr 6 scouts after 416
scourd for trophiss. Others isI Eer
he epicaNC)9
correct. Went into hard tremay
8 J $0
72
e
 

Stata
St Bn has making a valo. It was
obtained next day I have written them up ing
1/12.30,
French 1t.
crawled out into open.
arty in at 10 to 1. Diversion
in 2nd Divn & 1st Bel. Dire on
5th Point
Brideaux Fort, hozinge, augh
in Fort
w
15t Bn on right opened
a m.g. & when enemy put
up flares they heavw ovw
of
bags
Gernain
Heavy & I batteriis of
in reply - verypoor.
15c. betis Augh & Lozenge
fire raised abt 100yts
Tee party dashed Co.
ntered hey told]9)
VSr Intrenh 56
manates. First they back
prisoner I behiw each
along tape, thro openingo
isd come up out of dark.
 

37
 

alo sm coming
Hurnah – whole
-
9 at- 613
$5 - 1.20

Little retaliato. Little
from support
6 They havd
1ofleres - E6
7216 for
rt ws not quiet; 7or8
and. &21
sot it
C& Saw 2
C
1 S (&
SSt man
Sentry
firis at Losghlan
L.6..
but you in
LY
580 668
N M.J. D saw 22
2
Ls we left y
Frunch Hows had bocked
& Hydes party found
. No bombs nor
31(a
 

2
 

88
A
i
f
00
9H.
54
N
No Costoles 610 feet on top
x Emptyby in
R
Fraverse. E 664om?
4 men. Nabunks wood P. No coor
Begrir waids 6
Jn 24
Blankets Beliet. Respecator,
They had i. Torches on rifles.
and pay- saw feet
door

&
Opening
t letter H. pron door n 3ft
up. cdnt opin. (in next V.)
wooden door w stich prenades
ined
Dugont in Ead in V&
Brys like
Boards floor
new bays w were netting. Parapet

Bt Bayonet
 

89
 

Dugont same sige

wire in borrow pit
wire & pinne
toydson either side. Refl

Wet D. Bignoon
Bombed Sod dugont. Dead
by crety
worken W the augle
lx Hor
went in

went
a
ne of our
furst
to right

loyds away. Flayed out
gm
Loughhs y
2 parties in fit
Bayonet oen stec
Leaghlin
Hash
 

90
a
7
t
232
Seemed BT. Then S
Shish there.
Face in L. Serf B. pred 106.
Dragged him out. He ?
Shot him & abootherry
H64. Cis V. scouts
thro breach cY
7
4th Man I cape w 2 tueks
Mackengie St ws shot just
as prisoners were being removed
Dr. 1k in L.
Flat long mounting & gan
boltel on to it. Something
fan clamped t
& pobts & no traveriing
sex into parapet. No.
Abt 5 feetup & 4ft deep
room for 2 men.
seases fe string. This had by seen