Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/119/1 - Photostats - Part 5

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dugout, whence they are distributed to the men.  Parcels are
not sent to front or support lines but sometimes to reserve
lines.  Many more parcels were sent from Germany earlier in
the war than now.  The dearness  f food and all eating
luxeries and the picket system account for this.
News and Newspaper.
In the larger towns German newspapers and literature can be
bought.  Important news is given out to men at parades and
even in trenches.  The front line was told to cheer for the
capture of BUKM REST but in some parts the order was not
obeyed.
Leave.
Officially a man is entitled to 14 days leave after six
months service at the front.  As a matter of fact he does not
get it until he has been at least a year.  No leave is
given to men in the SOMME battle but officers' leave appears
to go on.  The battalion can authorise a certain number of
men for leave.  Men must apply to their company commander in
writing. Most trains are available for them.
Specialists.
In the SOMME sector there are no hand grenade schools. Every
infantryman is taught to throw grenades  - only two varieties
are now supplied - the ordinary stick grenade and the egg
bomb.  Competitions with prizes are sometimes organised for
throwing dummy wooden bombs.  Men for trench mortar work
are sent to special schools.
Sturm truppen.
There is however special training in this area for a sturm trupp,
whose training more or less corresponds to that of our grenade
schools.  The "storm troops" ( in the case of the 24th Res.
Div.) are said to consist of about 450 men specially trainef
to lend attacks.  There are picked men, armed with revolvers,
life preservers, and bombs.  They are divisional troops.  They
are not put into the front line except when an attack is to 
be made, are exempt from ordinary fatigue, and are said to be
given better food.  They are continually training.  The idea
is to make a corps d'elite for attack, but when a company is
weak a platoon or two of storm troops are put in as reinforcements.
Nurses.
Nurses are not seen nearer the lines than CAMBRAI and ST QUENTIN.
Transport.
 No pack transport as horses are scarce.  Ammunition comes to 
Field Batteries on horse transport, but general transport is
mostly  bu automobile.
Treatment of Civilians.
  As far back as BERTEAUCOURT there are no civilians, and the
inhabitants of HERMIES have also recently been evacuated.  They
are known as civil-kriege-gefangener.  They are sent further
back/

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[[? x9x]]
back where they live in large buildings such  s
factories. Families are evidently kept as much together
as possible, sometimes living in shacks.  Otherwise they
go into separate barracks for men and women.  The women
take washing and do similar work; the men work in the 
fields. Their relations with the Germans are said to
be not unfriendly.
   There i  a compound of English prisoners in the
Citadel at CANBRAI and they are said to work on the 
roads.

GENERAL.

(i)    Peace.  The opinion of the German Army and civilian
population or to making peace is realised by prisoners to
be quite immaterial. There has long been a peace party
but patriotism has tied its hands and it has no influence
yet.  Prisoners state that what Germany has to do is to
stick to what she has got especially on the west; and he
feels confident that she has enough men for next year
to man all reserve defensive lines even in the combined
attack which they expect in the Spring.

(ii)  Value of Austrians.  The Turks and Bulgars are considered
good troops but the  ustrians of little worth.  Every
timethe Russians push them back Germans have to be brought
in to retake lost grounds.

(iii) British Discipline.  Prisoners remarked on the difference
of relation between British Officers and men and those he
was accustomed to.  He did not consider it meant a lack
of discipline.  British soldiers had a reputation for
good discipline. The soldierly way in which they march
when taken prisoner has impressed the Germans.  Few cases
of desertion by British have been heard of by German
prisoners, nor do they think their own men desert to any
extent.  Where no active fighting is going on, Germans
rely for identifications on cutting off British patrols.

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Captain Bean
Press correspondent, Australian Corps H.Q. 
B. E. F. 
When we left Compiegne on Friday morning I told you that
on the same day after dinner we should again look
at the names of the localities we went through.
However, we forgot all about it so I think it may be
useful to you to have the list and I send it herewith -
Captaine Jaubert 

P.T.O

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Fort de la Malmaison, le Pantheon) Vailly,
Chavonne(beneath the position of les Grissons,
&la Bovette,above Soupir) Back to Scissons,
Belleu, Berzy ,Longpoint, Villers  Potterets
Crepy en Valois, Senlis.

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Sept 30. 1916.
111. High SI. Brentwood.
The Zeppelin Raid.
Vivid Description in a letter to my brother From my cousin Mrs
E.H. Burgess C. EW B.
Dearest Jack:  I have been longing to tell you of our great event -
[[Islionedsq?]] Events - as judging by your short letter this morning, - written by
left hand, poor boy! - you evidently only know but little of the happening.
And they are indeed great.  Also I feel so personally mixed up in
both Zeps, that I almost need to ask for deliverance from "fathead"!
Reason why.  I saw the first one leaving over Warley way from London
trying to get out of our searchies & couldn't, & F. & I sat on the shop
leads out of Teds windows gazing at the old sky bird pounding along
& looking horribly immense, because so perilously near to us: of as & just as
she got apparently over [[Ingrave?]] though she looked as if she were
just over the common, she was caught like a rat in a trap &
brought down in flames.  Ten minutes before this event, another
had taken place, in but under different circumstances.  Both these Zeps
had been doing their dirty work over poor London, & were flying home,
and the other one passed over [[Blackmore?]], & was fired on by the gunners
of K. Haleh (the same who crippled the one sunk in the Thames)
& they shot off one of her forward lifting propellers, which was
pick up afterwards.  This disabled the old [[gasbag?]] very heavily.
She couldn't go very fast nor could she ascend; she travelled
only about 200 feet above land across Essex, till she got
to Tollesbury (just opposite West Sussex) passed over their guns which

never fired a shot, went slowly across the water straight for Mersea
Island.  When she was within 300 yards of Jack's house (he & his
wife were watching her & expecting to be smashed up as she was
making a beeline direct for his home) She suddenly swung round
& went straight across the narrow belt of water to Copt Hall
Marshes, & they saw here make for another home by the wee Church

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& hundreds & hundreds of people pouring through the tiny village to
see the sight.  Strong lines of soldiers were all around, but Jack sat down on
a hillock & fished out his opera glasses & studied it thoroughly.  He said the back
is broken in 6 places, but the great framework is in parts fairly intact her
engines quite perfect.  She is, in fact, a prize: rather big for a museum
perhaps, & may demand a building made on purpose to hold her great bones.
But now for our event.  On Sat 2nd we knew a raid was due, but didn't wake
Ted so he slept till 12 that night - I didnt sleep at all the whole night.  At 12
guns began to bang about, and searchlights blazed all over the whole
sky, far & near.  Florence could hear Zeps hovering over London very clearly
bombs bursting & we knew awful things must be taking place.  After listening
& watching for an hour, I went to bed, as I felt chilly, & lay so that I could see out
of my window over Upminster way, & three guns were still at it.  Suddenly
I saw a far away unmistakable shape, which came in sight just
about 1 oclock.  I was in like a shot, & quickly called F . to come & watch, & 
told Ted there was one in sight but miles away.  So he didnt stir.  F hopped
out on to the shop leads & sat there in her dressing gown & Ted sat on the window
sill in mine, our eyes glued on that evil thing, getting visibly bigger every second.  It was
very enormous when our two search lights took it on from the Upminster ones, & it never
let it go.  It kept it crossed, [[?]] as it went along the cross kept it just
there, never veering a fraction away from the airship.  When it appeared to be
over the common, our two guns there suddenly blazed out, & we saw a great
shell burst at one end of it, & it shook & quivered  above - It was hit, & 
from scores of throats in our street went up the shout "She's hit" - & such
a cheer! Then instantly the lights of an aeroplane flashed out close to the
Zep. arced & white lights, most brilliant & only momentary.  It was the order
to ceasefire & the guns were at once silent.  Then we saw small shells
banged at her from the aero. rapidly & immediately a big rose red flame
broke out at one end.  & she hung for a second in the sky, the tilted
up into the perpendicular, & then flames burst out all over the thing

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and there she came to earth! There of all places in England!!
She lies in our big front field, which the road skirts just before you turn
in at our gate.  In my craziest dreams, I have never imagined
anything so wildly improbable, nor have the inhabitants I bet, [[Wigboro?]]
either.  It is beyond everything in history for them. There is a little cottage
at the corner of the road, zoe may remember it; & close to the gate of
New Hall Farm.  The Zep overshot her mark a trifle & landed a portion 
of her foremost back across the road into the opposite field, and not 30 feet
away from the cottage door!  The chief portion the hinder part, lie in
our old field.  The noise of here engines woke the whole village.  The
man & wife who live in the wee cottage fled in their night gear to
New Hall Yard, the woman rushed further on into our grove of trees &
the man was behind a stack in the yard & peeped. He saw all the crew leap
out & get very busy placing fuses all round the mastes -it is 750 feet
long! & one of the last made newest type, the engines being dated last Aug)
Then they knocked at his door, he supposed to warn them what was going to
happen, but of course nobody answered. X So then they set fire to it &
that was a dreadful explosion.  Flames went up quite 150 feet into
the air.  Jack writes, and died down in quite 10 minutes & then Jack
saw the glow in the sky from our Zep burning up here! & guessed what
was happening.  Well, the crew of 21 & the Commander then started to
walk down the village - & not a creature dared show himself, the poor
simple souls were nearly terrified to death.  When they got to the Belm Road
they fell in with a "special" & asked him if they were right for Colchester
a police station as they wished to give themselves up! (Isn't that funny?) He
conducted them to Pelom, 1 ½ miles, & there handed them over to the local
bobby, who first telephoned from the post office to West Mersea Camp where
there are 2000 soldiers, & then marched them off towards Mersea.They had
got as far as Mersea Strood before they met the others! These took them
"N West Hall barn, searched them, & kept them till motors arrived from
Colchester next day & conveyed them away.  The commander told the officer
in charge that he "had lost a propeller & much gas, & dared not attempt
the North Sea, as he knew he should never get across in that plight; & this
officer told Jack all about it. Next day Jack moved across & walked 
to the spot.  He says it was amazing to see this great beast sprawling there,
aeroplanes all about our fields, hovering above like "vultures over a carcass"

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& the shrapnel was lost in a great burning mass of beautiful rosey red
flame & rosily tinted smoke.  Then she slowly began to descend, getting a little
quicker as she went, & smaller masses of burning stuff falling away from the main
mess, which gave me an awful feeling of sickness, for I fancied there was three
poor soaked bodies falling out.  The whole sky was lit up like an immense 
glowing sunset - most beautiful to see - & the burning Zep was the Grandest
& most horrible sight I have ever witnessed - I never wish to see another, though
I'd like to burn the lot, without the poor crews,  When she crashed to earth
not on the common! but at Billericay, she burnt for 4 or 5 minutes & then the
glare slowly died away.  When the first flame broke out the cheers were
swiftly tremendous all over the town.  Trains int he station sounded their
whistles & it was a pandemonium of joy - savage joy too.  One can hear the
note of savage triumph above all the noise quiet clearly.  And the crowd began
to run up this sheet like mad things, thinking the Zep was much nearer than
it was.  Of was fried at 1.10. At 2 f a.m. the cars began to pour down from
London direction- in one increasing stream and the noise was awful.  They
never ceased for a minute from then till dark and on Sundy night, & it became
nerveracking even to me.  I had to shut Ted's windows, he couldn't bear it
It was a long night & a lovely day or sunshine followed it, & it was a sight to watch
our street, with this maelstrom of traffic going on.  Many unimaginable vehicles, from huge
cars to b Billericay. Later on, they steamed off to Little Loghborough!
When our Zep came down in flames, practically the first on the scene was
Bob McCultum & Billy Brenwell.  Bob saw all the poor bodies being handed out of
the wreckage & that blood thirsty joining Bill local Jessie Burgess that "his bodies
were top hole"! He gloried in them! The commander had hung on by his hands
till he dropped.  his fingers were all burnt off - & he fell dead away from the
wreck - dead of course: The others were all in it - not so badly burned as
the Cuffley lot, as they hadn't come from so great a distance.
The damaged one in London, chiefly at Brixton, Streatham & Bow is appalling;
Streatham Mile Station doesnt even exist. It is very dreadful. Tom wrote to me a lot
& I heard more details from one piano tuner on Thursday,  He is quite unnerved by it,
I am glad to say, I felt no actual fear, nor even a shiver, Ted didnt get up, as
the whole thing was not quickly over, & we had no idea it was going to be burnt
for all the shells we saw bursting about it as it went along, did not
quite reach it rise felt one it was too high. But our guns hit it easily.
Of course if bombs began to patter down on our town, I might be scared in
spite of my determination not to be - I can't say.  Florence wasn't frightened but
fearfully excited. Poor Ted has been very nervous ever since.  And they came again
on Sunday night & Monday - & attacked the Midlands - I dont know where.
They dropped bombs on Southampton & Portsmouth, but not much harm & were driven

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off.  It isnt nice to think they are attacking the South Coast now. Our defences
are better now, but it remains for the aeroplanes to do the main work of the
workers to find the old pigs when they hide in their own smoke cloud.
Huge naval motor lorries passed through here on Monday loaded up with the
remains of 00 Count Zeppelin's wicked invention & were cheered madly.  They  threw
little bits of aluminium out to people as they passed.  I had a lot given me
by a workman who lives next door to Bob's chauffeur. He later brought home a
great pocketful & gave some to his man.  He dont get know who the
airman is who gave the Zep its coup de grace. Some say two airman
claim it - & that gunners certainly got in the first hit.  That was quite plainly 
seen by all. There were 30 aeroplanes up round here, anyway, that night.
Next day there must have been nearly 30 flying over to visit the remains!
Had Chas been able to come for that weekend as he had intended, he could
have seen it all.  I was sorry he missed out.  Practically everyone saw it.
No one could sleep with all that frightful bombarding going on.  The rest
of this week has been quiet - I have had broken nights, /x  Ted would wake
me saying he could hear guns, then there were none at all.  During all
this week in daytime the gun-testing has been tremendous.  Much louder than
[[s?]] before & going on all day.  Ted hasn't enjoyed that .  We must be making
rations now. Jessie went to see the Somme flares yesterday.  Says the guns are
simply gigantic & shells much bigger than himself.  The films come here
for 3 days on Monday; but 2 later one be able to see them as F is away on
her holiday and I cant leave the house.  I have been in all this week raw
headachesome & staffing ....
Did you receive the parcel of books all right.  Jock dear?  You did not say.
I have had such a lovely letter from him Miss MacColl.  She says she will
be in Brentwood one day to see her nephew, so we shall meet.  I shall love
seeing her.  No time yet to make friend with the nephew - till F returns.
I'm so glad to hear about your pamphlet & shall love to have it
& will do as you wish about letting your friends read it.  I think it so

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a nice thing to do for Mrs Besant & [[?]] generally.  Dearest
fellow, I'm with you in it all.  Love I can hear you say, I cant
write much more - Ted is grumbling at the length of this!
Miss Davison has asked me to find out from you if you know anything
of her nephew B.W. Dawson, private, no. 1909, 27 Inf Battn. D Company
Australian Imperial Force - just wounded somewhere in this Somme
battle  He might be in your hospital.  She begged me to ask you to
find him if you could.  She cant get news of him.
I've just let Glenthaines for 5 weeks after being vacant 7 weeks to
such a nice young Scotch Captain, friend of Dagman's - oh the joy
to feel a little money coming in again - I'd got awfully low! And

some of the food prices are going up again - a sovereign now only
buys 13/- worth of stuff - and it is very difficult all round.
Do you know poor Mr & Mrs Tower have just lost their only other son
Hugh? He was in the Flying Corps. I believe.
Dear little Miss Gavette has been to see me - thank you, Jack,
for all hes nice near to me.  She is coming again.  We had a nice
chat, cut short by Ted's ringing for me - He cant bear to be left long
He seems very unwell today & complains much of his head hurting
him & he looks so white, poor old fellow; Still, I've seen him
often like this.  Its rather a responsibility at night while F. away
but I shall get through no doubt.
Dear old Herbie has written to the Secretary of the Hull V.A.D who
sends off his parcels, to say he hasn't received any of our letter nor
parcels of clothes - his letter was dated Sep 3.  But she received two days
after, cards from the crew saying they had received theirs some hope they
have for this directly after he wrote.  He says the authorities are kind
to him but food is very poor: mostly cabbage soup& potato head, & it
upsets his inside & he cant sleep well.  Poor dear boy! how I hate him
being uncomfortable like this.  He gets some butter & milk sent
him from a friend in Norway - thats one comfort.  I hope to hear
more shortly & will let you know.  I'm still reading Olcotts 
delightful diary - when I have time!  Am very busy &
pretty tired, but all right.  How I'd love to see you come bounding
up the stairs, dearest old boy!  Goodbye - I think of you often
all my best love to you - Ever yours Kit
I've written a
full acc. of the
Zeps to Bess & told
her to send it on to
Lucy.