Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/118/1 - Photostats - Part 3

119
what measure
of success I may
have had achieved (we were
praising him) It is
first my proper training
as a youngster, & next the
result of the brave men who are
here with me."
You see Owen never did & never would
allocate to himself the glory but we are jealous
of his share for him, & because three brothers all equally

brave that should not detract from any single one.
Owen deserved as special & honorable a mention & his
name as prominently put forth as that of Colonel Scott - I salute-
& his Brother  Phil - indeed nobody would be more wildly indignant
than Phil himself also Dick - Owen was their beloved  example
& inspiration.

I read your article with the utmost pleasure & closest

interest - for indeed I knew you as a tiny boy in Bathurst where your
father was at All Saints College & my hussband assistant Minister

at the Cathedral.
My critiscism is not meant to be unbiased but Owen's
memory is very very dear to us.
My prayers are with you all always asking
for that Victory my dear sons gave their
Young lives to help attain.
Ever yours sincerely,
Isabel Howell - Price

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3/5/18

 

87 
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21
1g
Australian Corps,
11th May, 1918.
TRANSLATION OF CAPTURED GERMAN LETTER
Moriancourt,
5th May, 1918.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
"We are now in the neighbourhood of ALBERT, and I am in
the outpost line with the Englishmen 200 metres away against
us. We have the Australians in front of us, and they are
very quick and cunning. They glide about in the night like
cats, and come right up to our trenches without our seeing
them. Last night they were in our trenches, and killed two
men and dragged one away with then.
"I am glad that I am so far forward, for at least there
is no artillery fire. Our regiment has suffered heavy losses
through gas. It is the most horrible death that a man can
have when he swallows gas. I am therefore very cautious
and always have my gas mask by me. There are many soldiers
round here, but I have met only one man I know. They are
mostly Bavarians, Badeners, and Rheinlanders
"The worst here are still the flyers, against whom there
are scarcely any means of protecting oneself. I hope God
will guard me, and that happily I will come out alive. At
Easter we are going to be relieved."
WHITSUNTIDE
Capt Bean
Compliments
from Salmon
[[?]]
12/5/18

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Dear Bean,
Am attaching a copy of Travers
report on the bringing down of the "Red
Devil's plane" on 21^st April.
Travers is a very trustworthy officer
& as he had not ulterior motive in claiming
the plane for his own unit. I think his
statement is quite correct."
At the time of the occurrence the 52^nd Bn
(less 2 coys) plus a section of the 24" MG Coy,
4 guns, & one section 13" -ALTM Bty (4 guns)
were on the right flank of the 11" A.I. Bde in the
valley of the Somme, our role being Right Flank
Guard to 11 " AI Bde & we were under their orders.
Richofen's plane, chasing one of ours, passed
immediately over our Bn HQrs (on the schoolhouse
at VAUX) flying xxxx very low, roughly about 150 feet
& our own people saw the whole occurence.
Yours sincerely
J.L Whitham
HQ. 52/Bn
27.4.18
 

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23  
COPY.  
H.Q., R.A.F.
2nd May, 1918
Dear Lytten,
General Salmond has been very carefully into the question

of the bringing down of Richthofen, and he considers that it

impossible for the R.A.F. to entirely renounce the slain.

At the time of the collapse of the machine, three of our scouts

were near enough to take part in the fight, and the report that

a red triplane had been shot down in aerial combat was sent in

before it was known who the occupant was.  He is perfectly

willing that the R.A.F. should share the claim with the

Australians, if they wish, and has made a re-draft of Bean's

telegram, which he suggests would meet the case, and which I

attach.
Yours ever,
sd. Philip Game
Major Lytton

 

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24                                                                                         
C. O P Y. 
April 23rd 1918.                                                   
C. O.
52nd Battalion   A.I.F.
Herewith report on Captain Von RICHTHOFEN's plane
which was brought down on the 21st April 1819.  at about 11.45 a.m.

and landed at (Map Reference, Sheet 62D.) J.19.b.3.4.  and was hit

directly over Map reference J.19.c8.5.

On the 21st April I was instructed to report to 11th

Brigade Headquarters as liaison Officer, situated at J.19.c.8.5.

At about 11.45 a.m. I was lying on the ground accompanied by my

runner, about 50 yards from Brigade Headquarters, setting my map and

having a general look round with my glasses.  I heard a plane "or

planes" coming at a tremendous pace from the direction of 26 Central.

A Vickers gun was firing from a spot situated  at J.25.c.8.9. The first

plane which came into view was one of our own and less than 20 paces

behind was an enemy plane painted "RED". The red plane was over-

hauling our plane fast and both were flying so low that they almost

 crushed into the trees at top of hill.  Almost directly over the spot

where I was laying, the enemy plane swerved to the right so suddenly

that it seemed almost to turn over. Our plane went straight on from

that moment.  The enemy plane was quite out of control  and did a wild

circle and lashed towards J.19 b.3.4. where it crashed.  I went over

with other Officers and had a look at the plane and also the driver

who was dead, a machine gun bullet had passed from the left side of

his face and near bottom of jaw and came out just behind his right eye.

His description would be:-

Height about 6 feet.

Age 26 or 28 years.

Eyes - very light blue.

Closely cropped fair hair.

Clear complexion, clean shaven.

The Vickers gun mentioned was the only gun firing at the time the

driver first lost control of his machine.

I made enquiries and found the gun was handled by No.424 Sgt POPKIN

CEDRIC BASSETT, 24th Aust. M.G.Company.
(Signd) Geo. A. TRAVERS .  Lieut.
 52nd BATTALION  A.I.F.

 Scott Travers Lieut

Copies sent to :-

     11th A.I. Bde                                                    

     13th A.I.Bde                                                          

     24th M.G. Corp

Date     23.4.1918                                                          

Time       2.10 p.m.

Copy for Captain C. E. W. Bean as I hear you are

anxious to get the "dinkum out" regarding

with compliments by C.O. 52/Bn      J.L.W.  27.4.18

87
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25     
PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL.    

Id/A/20    

GENERAL HEADQUARTERS.

BRITISH ARMIES IN FRANCE.        

3rd May, 1918
Dear Bean:-

As I said in my former note to you on receipt

of your letter of 26/4/18 about RICHTHFEN, I immediately

went to H.Q., R.A.F., and I believe General SALMOND

has since seen General BIRDWOOD - I enclose copy of

General GAME'S letter.

With regard to your cable, I have censored

one or two passages, but have put in no new matter.

I dont very much like the tone of your letter.

You know, I think, perfectly well my personal opinion

about the Australians, and you must know how they are

regarded by every soldier in the British Army, viz:-

as the very finest troops that exist in any Army. They

are written up on every possible occasion by all my

correspondents British, Allied and Neutral.  The feeling

in Great Britain generally is, that the descendants of 

colonists have more initiative, more courage and more

brains than those who stay in the home country.  All

these qualities go to make first rate troops.  Furthermore

your Corps represents a Nation, and, therefore, there is

no doubt the very highest esprit de corps. If every

Imperial Division is not up to the standard of every

Australian Division, there is nothing to be wondered at, 

but every Imperial Division, has at anyrate, taken its 

share of knocks and more than its share of heavy

losses.

As to your phrase "stopping a rot" it is 

entirely objectionable.

Some of _/ the men whom the Australians relieved  for

who were no doubt going pretty fast at that time, had been

fighting for seven consecutive days.  The reserves who

came up to save the situation, partly French, partly

Australians and partly Imperial, all equally thought

they were "storming the rot", but as a matter of fact,

the retiring troops were stone cold, and no wonder.

There is no doubt in my mind that Australia

has won immortal fame in this war by the conduct of her

magnificent troops.  As you well know my sentiments on

this point, I think it is odd that you should have 

written me this letter, quoting German wireless and

German opinion about the Australians, as though to

convert me to an opinion which I had long since had.

Yours
Neville Lytton
Major,
General Staff                                                                                                   
C.E.W. BEAN Esq.,

War Correspondent

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2              

A typical "gun valley"; a typical scene on the Beach at Anzac.

Our models will be our most interesting exhibits; and besides

the models of carts and guns and dugouts, and tanks, and aer-   

oplanes, and all the mechanical side of the was ( the broad-guage

railwayd delivering shells to the narrow guage railway, and

the light line delivering xx to the tram or the lorry, and the       

lorry to the ration waggons and the ammunition or pack train)      

besides all the individual engines and models we might have

these big general models, half picture, half sculpture, with a genuine  

real effect of realism aimed at. And for these we want a capable

artist.               

              Now my idea and Dysons is that for this work Benson might

well be asked to provide.  For the present he would only need

to make his plans – draw up a scheme of what series of models

he was going to  aim at, and then make his studies for them –

notes as to colour – photographs if necessary, – notes as to

figures, the general run of the country, the sort of shelling

to which it was subjected and so forth.  He would not, of course,

have to mould  the outline of the hills himself, but he would 

have to draw up a scheme of what he wanted done _/by carpenters etc and then con-

trive the methods by which he would fill in the part that an

artist must fill in – the means of representing woods, shell-

bursts etc. How far it was possible to give atmosphere, how men

and objects could be best represented, would be part of his

technical work; we would also  be the modelling figures in the 

the models on a larger scale e.g. of a sunken road at Noreuil.

 

 

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3                                                  

His drawings and notes would be useful records; and these he

would make, exactly as the other artists, during the continuance

of the war.  But after the war we could no doubt have his and

a number of men under his direction working on these models

– possibly in Australia, or possibly here during the period after

the war and before demobilisation.  Most people will agree

that these are the most interesting form of exhibit, and there

is no reason why an inventive artist should not make them an

expression of true art as well.

Perhaps if I explain what I mean by " an express-

ion of art," the importance of it will be clearer. A model of 

a sunken road, with figures and dugout entrances, is normally 

employed only as a sort of three-dimensions; map of the place

it represents_/to explain it to your brain. But I think it could be made to  explain it to

your sensibility as well – to give you the impression of the 

utter fatigue, or the danger, the feverish unreality which

comes over everyday landscapes during battle times. An artist

should be able to do that – and it has never been done yet. If 

our  museum contains such things it will become a centre for

pilgrimage not only for Australians but for the world. And as

for the artists that have a part in making it, I cannot imagine

a work that would appeal to them more than that of building

up the memorial of the sacrifices and suffering, the daring 

and the devotion of the A.I.F.

If  you agree, it is only necessary to ask Benson

if he will submit a scheme, and then decide on it. he has seen

everything since the landing - Yours sincerely

 

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Interview with Col. C. W. Lane and Pte Ruschples of 12th M. G. Co.

April 13,  1918 (Notes of F. M. Cutlack)
Machine guns on morning of 5th (Dernancourt) did not fire a

shot.  They were captured by the enemy coming behind them over

the hill- - - very  misty   too. Their guns were dismounted from

firing positions around the top of the quarry at seven o'clock

every morning and this was done on the morning of the battle  as 

every other morning. When the barrage came down on the 

quarry it was impossible to get the guns up again.  The shells

were bursting all over the top and machine gun fire was clip-

ping the grass all round the edges.  The machine gunners

were in pozzies in the sides of the quarry and xxxxxxx did

not suffer any casualties from the enemy's preliminary bombard-

ment so far as these men know.  When the barrage lifted and

gave them a xxxxxxxx a chance they went out to mount the guns

and the  first thing they knew was the Boches firing rifle 

shots among them from around the edges of the quarry.  The

garrison cd do nothing but put their hands up. The two men

saw no more of the others.  They were told by the Germans to

walk down the road into Dernancourt, which they did unescorted.

The time when they were captured wd be between ten and half

past. From the rifle and machine gunfire they heard down in

the front line direction they agreed that it would be about

9.30 when the Germans attacked.

The position was well sited for view against an attc

attack coming from direction of Dernancourt- - - i.e., up the

road. They are sure the Germans did not come from this dir-

ection but from over the hill behind them— i.e., northerly.

On the way down the hill Cpl Lane founded and wound-

ed Australian.  The Germans were then beginning to march up the

Dernancourt road towards Lavieville, and he called out to a 

 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx   red-cross man among the Germans marching up

to come and help him bind up the Australian. This the German

did. The wounded man then said he could walk and Lane helped

him down to the German dressing station in Dernancourt.

The other man, the private, was detailed to help

a wounded German infantry officer.  This officer with his or-

derly was sitting in a field west of Dernancourt , and here Rusch-

ples found him. One or two other Australians collected there

after a bit. Our artillery was shelling Dernancourt and ap-

proaches very heavily and for hours the shells were going

just over the heads of the party.  Now and again high shrapnel

and shorts.  The German orderly was wounded in this way, also

one of the Australians.  The German troops were very thick

 on the railway embankment, and this and the road bridge

were quite untouched by our shelling.  If only our guns, which were

firing in enfilade. had been a little shorter and a little

more left they would have killed hundredsof Germans.  The fire

on Dernancourt was so heavy that the Germans could not get

into the village to the dressing station. At length as it sla

slackened a bit  Ruschples and another Australian volunteered

to go in and   get stretchers. When he took the German officer

into the dressing station he met Lane again, who told him

he had been making himself handy there with the idea of 

escaping after dark.

The German doctor in the dressing station told h

them it was getting rather dangerous in the dressing station

and to take the wounded German officer down a cellar a few

 houses away.  This they did and then took down also a wounded

Australians who had been dressed in the d.s. They had hardly

got the Australian out when a field-gun shell of ourswent clean

through the d.s. and took off the German dctor's head in tran-

sit. There was a xxxx great mess in the d.s. and the Germans

who had bn treating them were very well much annoyed.  Later

about four p.m. these two escorted by two unarmed Germans

were detailed to carry the dead doctr's body back to his 

billet at Meaulte. They carried him in a waterproof sheet wih

a long stick shoved through it. The road was muddy and much

shelled and they were very weary. About half way they were

done and the two Germans took the burden.  They all four sat