Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/59/1 - September 1916 - Part 5

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
  • Shorthand
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
RCDIG1066823
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

Stytim ly as not occupied, weased to send overland to tomiy M.J. post wh wt I near Ration Y he remfts of CT.D. Ct. went ap were nost bost & crrews also. The Bn. Lad 560 riftes in the ling on Hay t6 & abt go out. Lost 365 on 26th Ang. (his fight) & abt 140 before that ( 4 officers before 26th) from that lef abt 200 at te at end of day Tis is excl of 22tsn) L Jones at S4 ws fighling all day.
45 Reputse &o 513 Barham Tegeir Hood De. Rambers S P.R WES 6h 3 41 a4 g No 5 stardled bas in 5. Then te is 7Not DT+ No4 t s516 x6.4 ca63. is of D. P.M. Onepcket of Indifat Windy corner 54 Ed se shots Black Smole for 16 secs. Hull of AH ot passed her 17 61105 23 X ECrs. Blachn ships x 6 240 3 5000 criiers 2L Sapann 13160006 CC2 He Corpe 46 cc Shells 0 t 7 tons eid B3. Berdwoods Article o I called on Jadn Buchan, On Tesday a note arrived tilling metmy ne as down or it of a party of nentral journalits to ociet the Feet & clyde shepyand Buchan had been working this) I wentup to glasgow by the tain from Easton on W Conerday night at 11.30 - reading plasgow at breakfastine. About 10 am on Tursday we started. We went to Fairfield, John Browns & Blarkmores. There were very fa big ships build. ing but simply scores of destiozers small craft. There were the
to -P boats Myatery ships very like submanies to took at but reall. I believe Swiff small boats to catih bonae I do not haa of my are 29 setaken for submeries, but 5 it tooks like it. There were a fair number of subarnes build also bot ner + do classes. But te greatest impression was that of the crowds of despoyles - There were 10 new ones buildy at one yord a lone I shd say we Saw 50 to 60 during the da. in ceards a long, all bein buile. In one yard we saw (0 all on the stocks togetherr
other The Bart am had buty dilaged on be Teck foy Liltere tion of desin, in wse of the Barham this ws to have bletters sut on to her sides- you can all tem in dock. 49 of bis ships John Brown had just fiished a battle crase, the Respulse believe she is with the Fleet (o I kink the Renown is also), They had buil the Barhan battleship. & the tiger has of course been finished since the war. On one of their slips were the blocks to take the keel of the Hood; a big batth cnwver Beardsmore had finished the Ramellies. The Barham, I think it was we lying alongend the wharf at T. Browns. The had only one great funnell There by wodern sheps are splendint compact - She might have been a huge thy boat- io sumple was her dearth John Hinderson, whom wet at John Browns, told me to his work people were making woo
50 wages p5 0r f& a week average & apb f6 in cases - but by were working tremendanale hard for it. From 6 in thi morning (to 7 at night may of tem & all the days in the week continuoual. They were fagged out, he sais-& he beneved it ad pay the country to cut down heir hours t8 & give im3 days holiday - he trought that more work ad actuely be done in an I hourda for 6 days in the weekt I daresay this was an exaggeration - probably it was. Bub it to an wlirestin new point of veew; for I know Henderson ofold. when the anshalia ws boildig. He we a good man but not a men'st man. Ia place h useto telle t menin Tohn Prowns took as partical
white brik 51 interest in the ships they built it we cold crude busiers between enployer & employed. Tere is a different spirit in the yards, I realh believe The reason the hours cannot well be cut down is bec. it ad mean also cutting down the pay -t conot (o shd not I cay) be done. I have been very much struck during this visit to England by a new unity of feeling in the British English slation. The welcome given to our train as it came up from Folkestone into London, full of soldiers on leave. was quite unrehearsed, & senning & wonderful. It was when we cto hongor tt it began. As wa ong our cmbankment a the agly back suburbs, ad villes with rgly back yards or crample little gardens obehint, & dessal straight streets & little petty shop fronts
52 before, the people all waved at us as though we had been their own brother returning to their own family. There was no window dressing no crowds, no decoration no organised ceremong o the sort of show which does not empress me in the least. But from every window, every back yard, every street pavement the inhabitants just turned & waved a wavet again; & I don't know what it was that made you feel their heart went out to be men returning as though they were reall brothers (& not employers or employies or cut of by a hard & fast social barrtee. It was houesth the first time I have seen the English really moved by one common feeling as a nation. Three gerts standing at this open dening room wendow waved their hands a woman penning up wasky in the next back yard left it & held up her hand berchief ever 50 long to small boys on the street pavement fan along to the rle fince & stood there wherling their caps. a midtle aged man shook his 10
53 hand at an cheril 5 a Happer coming from shoppily wassed on of her parcel up at as; women at upper wadws servants tooking from the back small door, thopkeepers standing square. in porib of thei little raned news + tobacco shops, the children & their parents in the fardens, a middleaget man out welking with his wife - Firls everywhere of every age + every position, young prts, of girls, pretly girls & to good old plain girls + they all waved & woold waved again through the whole of that long eightmiles of Southern Tubvert. Every one was doing it on his own the chances are that Even the neyhbour didn't know one another - they adn't, being English Bat here was someting binding all of ta together. They every all thinking & feeling, much move than I realie, about the Battle of the Somme. We were, to tell the truk, very tired - very weary of that fight Every onr had had enough of it-
54 had come ould a reall trying experience & wa read for a little home comfort it was a wondetful wonderful welcome I haven't seen a newspaper that notices it. It was quite an selfconscious. That was the presions part about it. fonly england could waye place with the unselful anity of purpose with which the wages war. The neutral Journabitz & myself - with a civilian Mr Hatchinson & a navalh Commdr as m After seeny Beardamones Housion came up the river in a custom house launch &f took train to Edinburgh What a city that 1. H strikes me as fiver every tim I see it. We were a wexture of Spaneards & Americans, with a Canadian Macpherson & A Russian Exile aladin as my particular mates. We had tea at MackLy's Shortbread
house; & I strolnd ap to the Castle & found the American making the small boys of the place recite their guide book rignarole in duet. It is taught them inthe scpools we started next moniing at 10 for Bayth in a big motor Charabauc. We passed ford Roseberg's great park & House to wh, they say, he never ivites any guest except his sons & came down the grim down country side to the Firk of Bork. The Forth Bridge is to me a lways a beautiful thing. (I thank any objectrs beautiful whoe lines are most visitt effective for fulfilling their function - There 15no reason why a drampipe shd not be a tng of and provided it is a drampipl & is meant for a drainpipe

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