Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/18/1 - October 1915 - Part 5

36
it is golden. We saw it in Australia 
when he reported on our defence system
He made a few straight criticisms but
then took all / force out of them by sav
administering them w a lot of such
very nice things about ourselves tt
we were all bucked up & proud of
ourselves when he ought to have made
us act. He sd tt the centralisation o / 
War office at its very worst never
equalled / centralisation of our Defence
Dept - but he mixed in such a lot
of kind flattery to it tt no one ever
took any notice of him. I thought
this at / time - & it ws / same in
N.Z.
Here, when things were at their
worst -after May 6,7,8 - when / plan of
going straight ahead over Achi Baba
ws clearly ^ proved impossible or possible only
to av. much greater force he had not
/ strength either to give to plan up x
xxxxx  – or to tell / war office tt
/ plan must be given up at least so
far as I know he hadn't / strength to
say So. The British public certainly
ws utterly deceived as to / difficulties
& / obvious failure - Hamillon ws
 

CALLIPOLI HONOURS.
2/55
LONDON, March 14.
The following honours and promotions
have been conferred in connection with
the evacuation of Gallipoli:— Knight
Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael
foodof hhis
and St. George, Lieut. General Monro;
Knight Commander of the same Order.
only
Major General P.J. Davice; Companion f ei
of the same Order, Colonel Robert Tud
way, Major H. E. Street, of the Artillery,
army looks
Major A.J. McNalty, of the Army Ser
Eduen- as
vice Corps, and Major C.F. Aspinall, of
the Munster Fusiliers; Knight Com
ous Srobictines
I manders of the Order of the Bath, Major
to o
General Aitham, Major General Byng
6 and Major General Godley; Companions
Egypt
of the same Order, Lieut.Colonel G.T.
there
MacMunn and Lieut.Colonel C. B.
& White, both of the Australian Force. To
I navy.
be Major Generals Colonel Walter Camp) Campayn
bell and Lieut.-Colonel A. Lynden Bell.
Renter's Specip og, a way be tween
army & navy. At a suspicion
o allt this appears in Hamiltons
dispatches. Those monuments I
exeusite style have nothing but t hoghess
praise & appreciation for every one of
these
It is part of same weakness of
character - & pert. partl 1 Britishe
hatred of anytheng like a reandal – Shocking
to has caused men in this expeditye
newe
e prom by being kicked up-stairs
colonel from GHO
not down. T0 remove as
you
maskebimarb find some Lob
 

all this time, I believe, influenced
by the precious Hunter Weston whose
plan the ts supposed to be. Henion we
said to be on I worsh of terms w his
chief of staff, but not a word of this
appears in his despatches - only
fulsone flattery of tisregregi
a man whom I army looks
on -inspited his staff college educn - as
chieft notable for an egregious srobictins
There, were, I believe, all sorts of
difficulties to Maxwell in Egypt
who controls I commanccatins there
& at times open enmity to 1 navy.
Wevenson used to say th this campayn
adonly end in one way, a way between
armyl &I navy. Not a suspicion
of all this appears on Hamiltons
dispatches. Those monuments I
exeusite style have nothing but t bghess
praise & appreciation for every one of
these
It is part of same weakness of
character - & pert. parth 1 Britiste
hatred of anyther like a reandal Shockin
to has caused men in this expeditee
to be promitted by being kicked up staiis
colonel from G.HO
not down. To removea you
marketimarbin kind some Lob
 

in I fighteng force for him & promote bim
to brigadier genl. & send him pleasantly
away. It is a most fatal aptituded
this of gelding the pilldoo Hamilton
to his beautiful style in literature.
& kind gentlemanty manners is
hopelessly weakents by it - poor dd
chap
For it is a tragidy. He, an old
man, & an old soldier, abt end of
his carcer to be caddenly removed
from command after a long bitter
campagn. I've little doubt it is
right - but it is a pity that
the reason why it has been done now
is not the right reason. There is a
very pave cresss in our affairs just
now; what has happened is th for
first time in I was people have found
t little states wh want to be
on 1 strongest side have decided that
it is worth their while to throw in their
lot a – Germany. They clearly
think Germany is winning - in
spite of all our promises, in spite
of their people believing in our cause (for
it is popular in Greece Bulgaria &
 

21. Dedeagatch bombarder by 2 Theser.
 

39
Roumania) they have now suddenly
come to their momenlous decision as
to who is winning this war - &
their decision is - Germany. That
is what hurts. Someone has got to
go of the people are taking ogether
impatient - the potitician (as he
always does) is looking about to
save his skin - & so he throws
overboard. Sir Ian Hamilton.
The man who is really respons
ibl 00 far as Butain is concerned
for the tings wh this has happened
is not Sir Lan Hamilton but
the mutton headed Sir Edward
grey. It was not frey who bungled
our position at constantiople
Louther & mallet did that be
taking sides against, the young Turks
Emplae
when our wholeEctually
believed we were for them - indeed
by taken sides at all. They wire
tike putte in the lands of a man like
Beberstein
Hamilton has been ruled by his
 

staff & he has had a bad steff. The
man who really rans the expedition
& does not pretend otherwise is Maj.
Gen. Braithwaitz, Chief of Genl. Sraft
Oh why ask Hamelton? you know
what he is he sd to Capt. Maxwell
in referese to some problem for solution
always tends his car to the last
speaker - which we probably exactly
what M. wanted him todo nevertheless
Braithwaite
Hamiths as aman who only had
time for blue blood or some sort of
imitation of it – Malcolm Ross
sucin found him quite friendly
when he disclosed in conversation
the
fact to he, Ross, had amongst his
acquaintance sundry earls, lords
& others with handles to their names.
The daff rather reflicted this. There was
no stronyman seeing that it all did
it's work. It certainly, some of it,
looked on its billet
as enienently deserable - confortable,
for war time.
no overwouled, not over strenuous,
well paid. The arragon portion of it
was the outstanding scandal in this
way - the stack in efficient self indulgent
office holders who lived comfortably on
 

40
 

1
aly needed by 1 by
spital (wt is under
clage) are available
being kept for some
tal wh has not yet
up. The arragon as
at a time when
patients in our
the ship (for wh, Maxwell tells me, the
nation is paying at the rate of
$160,000 per annum) whilst our
Aushalian narses & durgious of the
Great NoS Genl. Hospital were
living on I hard pround (I murses in
tents, doetors under deck chairs
and I patients in open air
within a mile of them. He equipiment,
I believe, ws available - butI
hospital had to stragch thro' without
it e all thro 1 baddays
after 1 great battle of Aujust 6- 10
because I arragon ws reserving it
for some other hospitals. I believe buts
or 1 timber for them at this
 

1
moment wigently needed by 1 by
Australian Hospital (wh is under
(arragon's tulelage) are available
now - but are being kept for some
British hospital wh has not get
left turned up. The arragon as
wallowing on ice at a time when
typhord & other fever patients in our
hospitals ashore id not get even
Booril - only Bullybeefr bescuits,
& when I waisheps by sending each
a little a daily to thospitals;
small lnxuries, saved I situation
Hamilton has not had much
help with these hogs to support him
I believe e Alston of Postal Dept. is
a brilliant exception. Tyrrel of
Intellyince is a keen sincere man
there are other good brains but as a
whole I am quite unimpressed
w G.N. 90 its ways. Neither has
Hawelton ever be given I ammunition
to play with which generals in France
have used for preparing their advances.
 

42
Oct. 21. Dediagatch was bombarded
today by 2 monetors & the theseus.
Oct. 22. Wd have one to Helles. But
a Norkerly gale is blowing so.
fience to Lawrence & I decided
to put it off. The day has on
wet & cold - a thin driving
rain
Birdwood is here temporarily
in command of expedition
I believe he has created a bit gf
a sensation at G.H.O. by
holding up some o costly
preparations for their winter
quarlers, tho this maght
pure pasig. The men in all
trenches are going wet for
want of a sungle Sheet of galvanised
vron. G.H.Q. is putting about
20 sterts of iron onto each of
extrines for itself & its batmen
Dct. 23. Saturday. Came to
Anzac
after a woild passage in
 

French map 6, Anzac.
 

43
a trawler thoo' a half gale - the
deck swilling to water all 1 Aime.
There are some changes at
Arzac.
As On walkers top we have
broken out in I night a newfrom
trench betw. nos 345 saps,
much closer to enemy. They
blew up a mine near it, & as
usual failed (they blew up one
under their own trench on hill 60
tothe day, also one near their
own truck at Chathams Fdstihe
did blow in a galling of our at
one point in I Penensuls And
entombe 5 men, but after
being given up for lost for 3 days
thes 5 cut their way out unharmed
(2) The t. patrots seem nore active
down July betw. Guino Popes
& Walkers. We have a small trinch
at Henton's Post, & a parricade a