Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/59/1 - September 1916 - Part 3

10    22
doing what he is there
for - namely, fighting.
Then he leaves it off, by
order, & dresses _^as like
a private soldier as the
authorities can properly
(& rightly) make him.
Somehow the Sam Brown
belt is to me all that is
worst in the snobbishness of
the British Army.  It is
the Secret of the British Army
System that Officers shd be
as unlike to & different from
their men as possible.
The officer gives great care
to his appearance - &
comes down the street
shining & perfectly groomed

10    23
& creased & pressed -
I saw a fellow coming out
of La Boiselle last week
carrying his gloves!  The
man comes along looking
stocky & tidy, with buttons
studded over him like
brass nails - but on
an utterly different pattern
from his officer.  The
one is an inlaid piece
of inlaid X Louis Quatorze
furniture, the other is
a well varnished kitchen
chair.
"Punch" had a picture of
the perfect British, officer,
fine bearing, refined face,
lofty manner, pinning
a medal first prize
on the chest of a Scottish

10    24
private, who stood like a
well polished ninepin,
stiffly at attention besides
a trench "vegetable" Exhibit.
The ninepin automaton
ws bursting with pride &
glowing with delight at the 
honour;  the lofty officer was
absolutely genuine & natural
in his loftiness.  I sd to
an English Officer - Young
Carruthers - "There, thats
your ideal - to breed up
a race of office gentlemen who
can command & a 
race of Tommies who are to
can xxxxx receive commands
& who wouldn't dream 
of disputing that order of
things - "  And he said:

10    25
"Well - dont you agree with
it?"  He didnt even
dream there was anyone
who could quarrel with
this point of view or prefer
another to it.  
Our Australian officers
are not distinguished
by a hard & fast difference
in their get up - I mean in
its quality;  of course it is
different in pattern -
from their men.  The Sam
Brown belt which creates
the External distinction
is a thing _^for which the best
Australian officer has rather
a contempt.  He doesn't
want the social kudos distinction which
it brings - he is against it

10    26
rather than for it.  His men
follow him for what he knows
& what he does - & sometimes
for what he is;  not because
he is of a superior Social
Caste.  They know very well
that in wa you cant
conduct a war like you
would a trades union.
The enemy is over there
shooting to kill you &
you cant stand up &
talk your various opinions
& settle your differences
before you decide what to
do.  The only way is to have
a man there who is trained 
to know what to do;  & 
then to follow him instantly,
right or wrong.  An officer

10    27
who will give a lead they
will follow instantly.
I remember seeing
three Victorians without 
an officer the other day
at Pozieres:
Brooks & I were 
at Gibraltar;  & as shells
were coming over regularly
from a battery of whizz-bangs
we had been called into
shelter by some machine
gunners on the lee side
of the concrete entrance.
The shells whizzed pretty
close, about 4 every
minute or two;  & just
then three men of the 14^th
Bn came along, going
by the open path which almost
every one used (I used not

10    28
to) down to the rear.
As they passed a
shell whizzed by fearfully
quickly, as they do, &
exploded in the earth
about 15 yards to their
right front.
They looked round
hesitating whether to
take cover in a shell hole.
One began to go one way,
another another way - I
daresay they thought the
Germans cd see them.  Then
they hesitated again.  One of
the machine gunners
shouted to them.
"Go on, lads, go on.
Either go on or come in
here - for God's sake

10    29
dont hesitate there - do
one thing or the other;  dont
hesitate in that place."
They looked at him
doubtfully for a moment
& then walked on - (he
was, in reality, their
commander in that case;
he gave them the lead & they
took it).  If they had
hesitated there it is quite
on the cards we should
have seen one of their
heads knocked off the mans
shoulders by the next
series of shells.  They went
on & had passed before
the next shell came. 
Australians know the need of an officer well
eno' when it comes to fighting.  They
I had an interesting
always look to him;  & the relations

10    30
between our officers & men
are just as perfect as they
cd be. 
So, to do them justice,
are those o / British.  The
British Officer very seldom lacks
direction - the better class of
officer - the older - army class -
knows no fear at all. 
I had an interesting bit
of gossip from Maj. Butler
who had it from Lord Kitcheners
Executor - Col (?) Arthur.
It w I dont often put down
gossip - & this may not
be true;  but somehow I
think it is.  It shows the
absurd influence that the
likes & dislikes of Kings may
still have on the fortunes of

10    31
nations - mediaeval notions
like the half civilised Eastern
ones, anyway.
I believe that Ferdinand
of Bulgaria had often been
anxious to visit England.
He met King Edward in
Paris or somewhere;  & when
George became King it was
a question whether Ferdinand
ought not to be invited to
England.  In spite of the
ordinary civilities being in
favour of it, King George
wouldn't, if possible, have
Ferdinand over.  If a foreign
monarch comes over you
have to give him a vacant
order_^of the garter if there is one the
order of the Garter (when a