Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/17/1 - September - October 1915 - Part 6

47
modern war; but I do think /
people of any modern state worth
living in will require some sort of
information at least party independent
of their generals & fen. staffs as to
what is happening; & they are not
getting tt in this war. I cant see
any way out except for / correspt
to be allowed to be an independent
pressman; & moderately free to see
what he likes - instruction to censors
& CO.s to that effect, and then to
let / correspt, if he doesnt think
/ truth gets a fair show, do what
others do - resign & give /
authorities / responsibility of
muzzling him.
"He thinks we're dying, does
he?" sd Bartlett tonight "Well, I'm
glad we're dyin' game!
Had from / Cornwall men - &
also from / canopus - an a/c o /
Falkland Is Battle. The Canopis sd
they must have bn abt 30
miles away when I coronet fight
started. They knew by wereless
from / Good Hope tt / cruisers were
going to fight - the last were they got from
 

48
te us at abt 5.30l when she sd it
they were going into action. From th tie
onward they only picked up pagments
from 1 Glasgow.The Canopes ws tryng
to get up in time - but I think she
afterwos thanked her stars she didn't.
We sea as very rough & night came down
soon. The flasgow's signal came in saying
to one of sheps ws on fire & t she
thought she had sunk
ten 1 nightsf 1silence; He
Canopus knew of that I end had bn
tragetcy, & for days she stole down
coast past of islands & down to
Magellan dreading every hour to
1 germans might find her. Fortunately
they went in to Calparaeso to
celebrate I victory & Canopis ot
clear away into 1 attante to
Talklandr.
There she ws tied up in
canes harbour - When she we scatin
there they knew it ad mean her goin
on I wled but they accepted to
sent her in to become really a fa
of fixed defencer. White she ws
bas
ad
there Ioon two gt an
cruisers Invincible & Inflexible
came in, w I Cornwall Call 6 in guns
24 kn. Ship wh ws used for many
 

49
cruises before way as a cadets training
ship - & the Glasgow & I Kent (I think
it ws). The kent ws, like 1 Cornwall,
a county class shep - but whether
she ean had or kept her 24 ken. I
can't say ofhand - I fancy she ws
sower. It as rather wonderful fr the
Cornwall to have kept her speed so well
The Inflexible & Invincible were
coaling in Tharbour when amessage
came down from 1other side o1 is land
from 1 hosters who had bu entertaining
some of naval men at tea recently
to I ships to say to some warships
were in sight approaching I iand
The corwall had I top off one of her
cylinders at I time in they worked
furiously for 2 hrs to get it on again.
The ws to coal next & indeed had
scarcely any coal left in her. The
two battle crussers wh had I colliers
alongside began stoking for
all they were worth & great black
fumes of smoke began to smother
everything on 1inver harbour. The
first actual Sign. of presence of
encing ws when 1 Canopus fired
a gan across I land at some
 

50
object unseen.
Fom I fermans who were afterwors
senear.
savede it as heard to 1s cruisers
expected to find perhaps 1 Glasgow
in harbour at 1 Balklands. As they
came up I look out reported to be
thought he cdsee treped masts (wh
of course meant very by warships
in harbour of island. The greesenan'
commander (the seneor officer who
when
survived) Id to m report came down
to Captain tte
Id is Imbossible, he said. Dey
have bdemand cregled den
dere to deceive us.
But presently there came sailing
across I low neak of land
Canopus 12 uich Shell. They knew
to this mast come fom a very
much biges vessel than 1 Glasgow.
Te masses of saoke it were resing
from harbour showed to there
were ships in there and they may
have seen I tripod masts through
I smoke. The German cruisers
turned & made away as fast
as they cd
The big cruisers left o
 

51
haibour pert. at 2 pm. - I had
morning when I german
Ships were syhted. They were still
visible when I by ships sleamed out,
& when I carn wall got out also
The by cruisers slowly overhanded
them & within a couphe of hours were
within long range - 17,000 yols or so.
The fermans fired extraordinarity
well at enormous ranges for their
Ei guas wt have much byer
Elevate than ours. They had our
ships bracketed almost at once, after
innediately began a very few salvoes
& beganto) hit them. But as our
shells began to tell their firing went
of very quickly - A result of
shattered nerves as in I case of
Enden began to break out
but f germans were fighting in
water up to their waists (it as I
think they sd a beautiful omooth
day).
As soon as I by cruisers
overhauled of Scharmhorst & Jneesenan
the German Admiral Signalled to
his smally crawsers. I will engaye
enemg as long as I can - you
 

57
It
are to attempt to escape
ws a very gallant signal & he
carried it out to letter. The
range shortened to 11,000 & finalt
when I fermans were practically domne,
to 4000 - 1 sermaus ded not
attempt to ae a toopedo. A few
men on 1greesenan & her Commander
(not her captain) were saved.
weanwhile I knit, Cornwall
& Glasgow were pursung Leipzy
Narberg & Dresdin. The
Cornvall, wh seems to habe on loading
slightly, took the Lep3i s the
Kent took 1 Wurnberg. The flasfow
found to if she followed f Dresdin
She got between her & one o1
other small cruisers & so she
appears not to have made
any very desperate attempt
to make victor complete b
dogging Dresdin down. Anyway
1 Dresden got away. The other
two were sunk. The Leepzig ws
reduced to an atterwreck- when
she ad fire no moret our men
 

Congue
t
Coitil
 

53
say to her crew, raker the
60 who survived, were seen drawn
up on deck & I captain danding
them round cigarettes
The Navy, so far as I have hend
it, has nothing but admirate for
way in wh I ferman ships have bn
fought. All 1 prisoners when
qestioned abt their own sheps
broke off short as soon as questioned
abtt Kartoruke, given I impression
to something had already happened.
to her - plobably they knew it she
ws already ashore somewhere.
The French haison officer gave as
a most lced explanation today
01 movenents Of two sides on 1 Westehn
port. The British & French Cine
approaches Datel border at a point
between Somme Py & Rheims -opposite
maestrickt. If we can get to 1enormously imporly
rly centie at Mezieres maestrickt is only
omles Away & Belg. wdprobl bevel
be evacuated! megures is a centre for abt
5 diff rlys. He resent French move
resulted in 1 capture of Lomme Py. (the Souree
of Py River & a more us also made from 1
West where I have put arrows No Ix2)
The Brilish advancedupon Lille - & seem weth
French to have got as far as Loos. Kille is a by
rly & factory cutry + all gyhtin around
La Bassee is an attempt to entranger Lille.
 

The germans on I other haut countee S4
attacked near Vertun. Their object is
to cut only rly still supplying Verdan.
They have got other rly to it at S. Mihiel.
The French are solt be up agat the 30d
hire at 800s. The haison officer doubled of
this meant anyther - there may be 20,
treacues on 20r 3 wcles & it 1 almot
impossible t to say whether you
have reachedI support trinclles to 1 Bt line
or (firetrenches of second tine distincted
is largely arbitrary.
Oct. 2. Ashmeet Bartlett left this
by Medros. Cawles for
morne
England He I himself thinks to his caree
as a war correspt is ended - certainly
for this war. He will probably lecture in
inglandy Austalia & America.
of
He had an extraordman
on ICornwallis 10th day. The
crew sent up a deputation to thank
him for 1 way in wh he had written-
The spokesman talked in this sort of way.
We all know, Sir, I way on which Carmy
has been thrown against impossible
The feeling in
positions sto etc.
Navy agst gent Head quarters
extrabiduarily bitter. The relation of
two stafs is utterly impossible. In Navy
is now intensely s bitter w Jan H. for
having said in c some publication to corresp-
ondents to 1. Gurkhas were doinen of
Chunnk Bay by the navy's fire.
commodore keyes is farious at this
 

charge. They say Hamilton made, it
in a report to Russians & in hes
communiue tol correspents. Itws
certainly in some reports. Hamilton,
when asked about it by 1 Aomeral
sd he had never made I statement,
& the people on the Hlagship (1iad) showed
Bartlett letters from Birdwood & Godley
saying to it as not I case. another
hand I certainly saw reports from Godley&
Alanson (who wa on 1 spot) saying to these shells
were our own shells. Alanson toto we he
couldn't be positive they were aot shells from
1Dardanelles (when I suggested it to him) but
he clearly thought they were naval shells.
probly bee they had range so wonderfully
the vavy appears not to object to
Ntatement to some shells fell into our
own troops - but to I statement th it ws
this wh lost us Chunck Bair. (of
course it was G & not Chenak Bair).
However Alanson ws quite depuite.
what caused 1 Turkhas to run was
stells. What caused I Turks to
turn we seen 1 Ghrkhas run.
So Bartlett has gone. He
speaks as if his carieras a war
concopt ws chreet. He's a shan
chap - very much like Byron.
Nevenson always says. He's extraordin
 

56
and brlliant in conversation
never heard anyone who could
approach him in unexpected retort.
in turning every sentence he speaks into
a brilliant parador to point some
very encesive argument. He thinks
very draight & his written dispatches
are full of life & colour, hit hard, & give
a brilliant idea wh is remarkabl true.
He cxaperates a bit to make hiss points
but I general recalt is a pretty
accurate descriptio of what has happened
& always vived. Hes perhaps not quite
in detail.
So accurate, as 1 English papers thank
him, but he is most honest in giveny
real sutline & trend of events. When Rass
supplied him with an ap of what
Moons & WZealanders he done O
Aug 6 -10 I as most serpresed to
see something abt 1 Maoris advancing
apparently on Chamk) asing their
clabbed rifles, knocking down 3 men
at each blow. I knew it ws not true
of this attack -8 I didn't believe it
to be true of any - & I wondered at
Ross writing in this way. I asked Ross
& he told me as a matter of fact he