Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/17/1 - September - October 1915 - Part 7

57
had not written it. Bartlett had
sd to him afterwds: I say, I hope you
didn't mind my inserting one or two
things in your account - I had
one or two things I heard from officers".
and that was it - I dont believe
for a minute Bartlett wdn't invent
a description like tt. But he had
heard something of / sort from some
N.Z. officer & he inserted it without
hesitation in a report wh / 
article sd he had rec^d from Mr Ross,
The N.Z. official correspt. Bartlett has
a real regard for truth - & tt is
/ astonishing part about him, tt &
his industry. He is a chap w an
exceedingly nice nature but vilely
brought ap in & sort of wild
selfish there rate society tt surrounded
his father. He frankly sd tells you tt
his mother & father were [[answited?]]
tt his mother, though always very kind
to him. wd have irritated anybody
she lived with. He hated his school days
 

58
at Marlborough - & / compulsory
cricket & football, & his schoolmasters
almost every one of them, & their
families. The only part be looks back
on w pleasure is his active
rebellion - as when he & a friend
exploded 10 lbs of mine powder on a
neighbouring hilltop during / solemn
procession of the masters & their
wives & families to chapel. The
explosion created an enormous
sensation - it ws chiefly for / benefit
of a science master who had immense
interest in / question whether / neighbouring
hills were volcanic or alluvial. This
master was always discovering tt /
place ws an extinct volcano or something
o / sort, & when he saw this terrestrial
disturbance on / neighbouring hill
he simply rushed made a bee line to investigate
it & / theories he brought back kept
Marlborough agitated for / rest o /
term - at least tt is how Bartlett
tells at. He is a splendid companion
when he is in / mood but his training
 

59
(or rather / utter absence of it) has
made him profoundly selfish. He is
a good friend, & ws honestly anxious to
stay here bec. he thought it the fair thing
to Harry Lawson, his employer. He is
plucky but doesn't believe in exposing
himself more than is necessary to get
/ story be wants. He lives like a king in
camp & cdn't think of putting up w /
sort of discomfort tt satisfies some of us.
He has half a dozen ways, in his head of
getting rich - I shd say thes best is his
Cinema & lecture tour - he spent hours
trying to get real photos of a shell
burst on / cinema - but they
include a mine somewhere in
/ centre of S. America known as
"Diamantina" where 1st inhabitants
are supposed to wash gold out of
villap street, concessions from
Sultan of Morocco (the French occupati
balked him there). He is quite frank
abt t number of times he has bee
thro' I bankrupter court & tells 1stor
of how British justice is exemptified
by way on wh one of his friends
 

60
arranged w a certain judge to
get I case thro if possible without
difficulty. This ws done by calleng
it on perfectly sunctually - a
thing wh pactically never occurs.
The creditors were assembling
outside when I case came on but
before any of them got inside I court
it was over o they were left greeving
Bartlett works. Trimenoush
fact & his stuff is carely 1 most
vivid written by any war consspt.
today. He is a real hard worker
when writeng - it is just this strain
of energy & honest showi
up so strong in them in spite of his
home trainin Cot ws 01 wont possible
clescripto) to makes him sa successil
as a war correspt. Where every
was concept who knows them
says to Donohoe is a hopeless
taker & inveator - almost as bad
as Smiles Hales - tey all realiar
to Bartlett writes very close to
truth
Nevenson is a man of 58 and
 

61
a more accurate writed them
Bartlett; & move restraied & w
a better style & pretty vivid. He
is a fairly cliver takken but without
Bartletts extraordman sparkle
He is a man who has had all
advantages of Shrewsbury & Oxpard
at Sholwsbury he as ander gilkes
from whom he received a great deal - be
speaks of gilkes as a really great
wasted, Nevinson as a Prebel
by nature (so is Bartlell realh
but much less earnest). Newbson
went out to macedonia w miss
Durham to try & reall settle
refugie problem there & have some
Of wretched evicted inhabitants.
He ws sent to concasns & Asia
man to report on 1 Doictions
Arwenean massacres for a
Parliamentary Clie & ws tobe
sent by another ctee (the Persian
Ct of House of Commons) to
Hle what I Russions were doing
on Persia at 1 time when this
 

62
ware broke out & prevented it.
He began his peess carcer
by fighting for 1 peeks when then
rang away from 1 Turks in B9
He is friend of lost causes or
areia
causes oh have got to be oubject
of heavy fighty before the can win.
In 1 days when 1 British
people dated & suspected 1 Russins
he ws Russiaus chief prend in
England or one of them. The moment
I people & gort changed their exapisty
fear of Russea wh friendshy
hate fermany instead he began to
she I danger of Russian alliance
or entente at greatness & virtue
that is in 1 fermans. He was realle
in each case a rebel apt 1 exappretibe
of populace & (stupidity o 1 forcyn office.
when he fought for preeks (ah
be regretted as foll when be began
to realise what sort of race they were
 

43
he as asked be Massing hamo
Daily Cronile to write for
them - he began was as a
solden & inder it as a war const
His letters were so good to be
valuable.
nve afterwas went back to his
profession (wh had bu 1 laying
out of Garden suburbs or model
quarters. He as sent to 1 Boen
wasf was a morocco, &
Balkan War. He is andi-emperialiss
& thinks to Biitain wd probalt
gan almost more 10od out of a
defeat in this war tham out of
a victr. Yet he as one of first
to go to I was office & offer his services
for any object purpose they wished
& be is desperately anxious to we
should wen. Alll his teorces seem to
be flas against nationation & yet
he is abt I most sarvest & anxious
ratriot tt I know here. Bartlitt
gts very keen on some points wh
 

6y
appeal to his sentiment or his
humanity - he is bitterly hostile
to G.H.C. for never having attempted
to arrange a truce to give wounded
After a fight but having gone back to
its dinner instead. Nevmson
takes whole cause of campay
more to heart. Both (like myself
are at heart thosogh rebels - Bartly
1s by natue a Radical but b
onr effection
inclination actusty has stood wies
for the conservative 1oids & sack tie
lost Leavil. As Nevenson says, he'i
for to brilliant for politics.
Here's an example of Dartletts
Style. He as tetting us how on
morning of Suola landeny Sir Lan
Hamelton wanted to get across to
Suola but it ws found tt I
tooped o boat or destroyer wh is told
off to take him hadnt any water in
her boilers & so he ddntt start
 

65
He sent to 1 exmouth but difficulties
were raion of at least they werent
smoother - until about twelve
o'clock, said Bartlett of course
the it ws too late - it ws getting near
time for lunch" G.H.B hates him
for this style of talking. Shorth after
show began in april some speech
of his ws reported to GH.O &
chief of Staf had Bartled ap +
waoned him to he wd only be
allowed to remain on conditio
be undertook not to creticise condu
fo expediti - (this is in regulations
as it tenderd to created despondency.
Bailtett gave 1 undertaking as
a condito of his being alled to remain
but his rerations a G.H.Q. have
aways by straint. He does not want
a favour from Hamilton as he knows
he will be criticising him in his book
he regards him as a national
danger - a reg man personally but
 

66
a hopeleasly weak one. Braikwaite
& he are so tot be scarcely on spiaking
terms. Braithwaite i saw to
be a man of some brains (Hamillon
certainly has a fine brain &
dauntless courage of physical
sort) but Braitwart os sd to be
a complete snob & certainly in
own experience of him at Madns
ad lead me to believe to the is
probabl right. Hawelton I really
like but every one says to B. is
far too strong for him.
The other correspts here are hawrencs
of Ross. Lawrence is for Renters (Nevrnson
Provincial Press, Burtled London dailies
He ws thei conespt at Berlin & i
an exceedingly well read & intellignd
little chap whose first experince of
was this is. He knows fermans
his & thio & is inlensed interesty
& interesting on point of their ideats
& development. I used to think his
letters + cables were were snippets