Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/19/1 - October - November 1915 - Part 5

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& / bomb thrower as instructors to 6th Bde.

(2nd L^t Ramsay).
Sep13  began parades - 2hrs in morning, 9-11
Rifle, exercises,manual.
Sept 2.  Col. Bennett evacuated.
Sept 8.   Maj. Sass (who had by hit in
knee w 75 ) wound festers -
evacuates.
Capt. W.J. Rowland (4 reinfs in charge.
Sept 15.  Capt. C.S. Coltman  (Bde. m.g. officer)
took command.
Sept 16. v heavy rain during morning. All

tents floored. Camp site moved 1/4 mile.
Bde did an attack on day
near Sarpi Camp (its camp)
quite up to Mena  form - tho’
flanks had t move at different speed.

Gen ws [[& ?]] pleased. Col Cass Acting B.M.

Street 1st Bn. A/c of Ap 25^th.
On Ap. 25 street ws xxx somewhere

abt chessboard. Scobie ws hit there

across bridge of nose while walking

abt inspecting firing line. Richardson

ws there. Short & [[Freme ?]]were on

left. New Zealanders came up abt

4 - 4.30 - Col. I think ws K. before

they got up there.

Then came conflicting messages

Retire. Gurkhas on left, dont shoot

sent to verify “retire” message but

 bridge of nose whilewalkin
abt inspect fermg line. Richardson
ws there. Thout & Freane were on
left. New Zealanders came up abt
4to 4.30 - Col. I think ws k before
very got up there.
Then came conflicting messages
Retire. Turkhas on lep, dont thoot.
sept to verify retire-messages but
 

Hand drawn sketch - see original

40

They did a lot of damage.

cdnt trace. Men wd hear message

stop. Someone shouted “Tommies”

in sight ov / right - cheer up lads”

Probly some exuberant spirit.

Shout as [[??]] to reinforce

have - sent [[fre?]] - we held

on tt night - ws hit by shrapnel

after dark, & w 2 wounded men 

landed down aft 200yds N of

Canes dressing stn on beach.

*arrow drawn

Direction of Canes stn position.

 

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taking jumps where he took them.
The frond oI field ad consist of these
leaders each w a small bunch of
followers - both sooto on 1 best horses.
Then a gap.
Next came a similar lot of leaders
determined togo, but on poover horses.
After them was a similar attendance of
when hanging onto them - also on second rate
Larses.
Then another go
lastl atend bunch who were not in
1hunt for I love of it at all, but bec.
it ws thing to do . They were men who
after a while wd come to White &
Ask him (his father ws a great horseman
& had practically brought y C. Brudenell
Whiteon hosseback) to ride, their
homses for hem as they were developsing
a habit of baulking at jrimps.
white ed only afford an otd 10 a year
remoant; so he ws glad 81 chance.
And Lorses are just I same too, 5d
White. Tome horses will refuse
to lead - they will follow a shonger
herse & it is almost impossible at
times to foice them to pmp where you
want them to - they will swerve to follow
through where I stronges horse goes. I have
bu knocked clean outo I saddle by
another man horse donng to. The mans
 

43
horse jumped straight into mine & the
riders foot caught under mine just
next they
as he as ruing fast + as
22 knew Os
to my foot ws over my horses
neck.w.
White evidently wantr
to give me I benefit of aln idea
wh had be strongly impressed on
in
him hat I have seen since th
had set, h making me a socialist?
"Ies not making me th he sd,
"but It tell you what I shd like to tell
people of Anstahe - what, if I get
chance, I shall lett them some day
& tt is it they are right in I main thing;
they day be wrong in ls
gs but
I i no potiticion as you know, & but I m
sure theyis right in this - in giving
every man a chance, apod equal
chance?
The tak diiked a bit. There's
one other then
I'm very much
impressed by
he sel &tt is to
there ought to be some real ministerig
responsibility. You know, as I say, t
I am no politician - I have no politics
as a soldier - but I'm sare to there sad
be some sort of ministerial responsibily
enforced by something stronger than the
 

44
anger of a few newopipers. A politicin
says to himself "Oh, thats only
Conservative Press" or 1 Liberal Press
& if hes callous if docent affect him
at all. take the case we know of - we
know t. Winston Churchill, 1s responsible
for 1 deakhs of at least 25 per cent of
men who have fallen in Gallipoli - abust
directly responsible as if he had shot them. Well-
what happens to him - Kangig is
punientbut whtap A nan like
to ought to be hanged as surely as any
creminal - but what does his responsityt
mean ."He's wrecked his carcer
I se - but I know what while meant.
you cannot pretend to these ministers
act a responsibility - not even
legal responsibility attaching to a
truster. Impeachment we Iold
wethod of making them feel their
responsibility, it is still I
believe i only legal methad.
look at these medical scandals
sd white what everyove in talking
about - the unpreparedness, the
madde at Madros- all
I scoudal to is attributed to
medical authorities wh they are talking
So much about. Do you think our
medical official are really tose
 

45
 

chiefle responsible? I'd liker to ask
some of these people to talk about it
I will someday - what they would
do an sinclar case. If they were part
of a city - Kalgoortie or Brokin Hill
say, & they were suddenly transported
turned out of their city &
transported into the back country
& all dumped down in I bush & told
they had job to livethere
together - I'd like to ask which of
them cd do it ? wh cddraw ap out of
his head I sanitary regulates, the
city council by e laws, or ganiss whole
diiage + clean
& Hisposab of prbage & watersinnl
and whole w healthy regulatio
of a city out of his own head on
Spar of moment and yet t is
what they expect these medical men
to do. Trnot why were not
all these arragements all made +
I regulatus there ready. Its not ariy
medical authorities who are
responsible for th.
I have asked again +
again - I begged Millen, when he
we minister - to be allowved to
 

onek
 

46
draw up a scheme for a force leaving
I country; not a scheme binding any one
to send troops away, not to
in any possible degree - but a scheme
wh wd be ready there in case a
continglncy arose on wh troops were
sent away; So tt I system ad be
there ready made if 1 contingency
aroce -01 soet 01day cdsay we
will adopt it" -or we will not just
as it liked - that had nothing to clo w
me. What I asket tos thI scheme
shd be prepared in case!
contingency arose, as it has
armen.
What happined? They
a reached a stage at at, at
1outhreak of this war if I had
died suddeate there wd have be
no scheme at all. The whole them
shd beon paper - as cat + dried
& clear & accepted by everyone as is
I timetable in a raceweek sott every
moment mobilisati iso
decided on the two o'clock train cerses
to run for a fortnight
I sho like
to schewe to be known tol people-as
famcliar & accepted as 1 holiday
 

Ascheme nobilisute
medicalct.
Our 3ysteve then right ao sasutial
taing.
But – letter tranning for ffiairs.
Ministerial responsibility.
Es. for ordwation
pleas ste
 

The
 

47
arrangements . not in order to make
people militariatic - I dont want
militarism but as part of their liffe
organisati s0 th if war comes they know what
to do & to expect.
I beged of willen to let me work
out such a scheme Iasked Pearce.
Bkey I am sure our citigen system is
right; wI cadet drills to we have - every
part of time properly used on essentiels
with, say tendays continuous camp
for men, we cds it
wde
men fit to start I instant they were
mobilised. I askn-
"Yes - if I instruction were right.
There wd have to be some changes, but
I system as Iright one I am sre. We
shd have to have more torough
tranng of officers.
we edget bright chaps from
competity amongst (calets? I said.
Oh yes - Iie not Pleast fear as to
brains being-adequate" he sd - + but
tng'd have to put in longer time. And
Employers ad have to understand
to if a man were an officer he must
be allowed his afernoon of regulary
for I work as part of regular system
 

48
& To on.
I can well believe to white - tho
he didn't say so - got nothing out of millen
wh that gentleman thought in consistent to
his security as a politician -one object
glued
on wh he kept his eye even after
war broke out. All politicians and
to be t way. I dont believe A. J. Balfoar
keeps an eye only on his own safety but
his one of a very very few. to do
Andy Disher justice I don't think he
does either.
Weater casler again. The
say Manro has gone to Egypt? Froubl
there? or Salonice? On what ?
A warship has bee banging abt
20 Thots, our every 10 seconds, probly
into some camp on I back slope of
Yan Ridge - poor old sleeping turks;
Jr. Owen says they get 150 shells to
our 10 just at present.
Gen. Owen says the T5 have now
70 yous -abt. - of l on uss we
have 104. We have now a fair
mastery of fire & he says our
funs have casier + better positns
than theirs. There are abt 16 Turk.