Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/61/1 - October 1916 - Part 8

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
  • Shorthand
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066826
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

Br be shelling to place if he did not wasn them. Te made a loy detour eashwards - behind the line of a ledge (wt saves him from Ismpers who only got in a few thats at him)! fically be brought his messay in In order to have some. commn to his own people be dy a y along the N. side 51 Bapanne Rd towards ih at I aspect the Ind Bn. the half oblitraty truch be wh I found there i few days later when I went to see te 215t Br. I started in direation from fibratter t then gave it up & went te other way by K2
78 Lenr 2 enstender po Eng 12 Sub by 40rs 75 gear Kamthies er 260 Star shell at 1000 for aiicras 12 in 500 80 are worked Work 12. 26.5 contius B34 5 with wooden corks. -19i 10f Lani off ber will take over a knot This 36 Clast Suptr W 312 t 16 two pr tube atwet 262 i Sy Drawees las wereles to 2ofps Eethead Tir 68i one astin Shin Carnt No potted aiy - 29 hours Do 1 aGernae is ol e In And. Etarne 780 Renown 79½ Rodney 800 31 25 35 t00 10 7X 75 to0 220000 Crk 000 50d cor 34 Rov. Oct181 and Edinburgh bngt to by night teamn; had breabful at the station Hotel I 50 motor to Rosyh went through the sattlecruier fleet Sterb Lon - Finiers Royal teer N. Zesland Esr Inflexible cauete Indomateble Te canada is a deanly buik Ship of 28,000 tons noh they took over from the Argentine Iae been andacious had Tunk some time before & ther thought about catin Canada the t Andasions t shd ove
80 51 to say, they decided not to The Andacions had on seen to suit by the Tympies amiger amexicans - & photos of it our tn Amerian papers. We passedup among of the light crusers (inch the Southampton which thinks she torpedoed a gman batthohep - it wi the Phacton wh shat down w one of 2lucky shots a Zeppetin some time ago by Say t the captain wante to give his crew a chance of shooting at something & so loosed off at the Tepp. & the and shor brought her down) light cruisers are being givin a bis extra flare to keep the waves off their fo ister. withh the light cruisers
82 wereI light armoused cruiers 1 wh have proved too beg for 1 job Mr Churchete gave them bey were to be destroyers - the destroyers of guture - s0 Iona heard him day in the H. of Comn in 1913. But they are 60 food a target. Their duty is now to of light cruised. Both they I the light cruisers are Excellent & so are our destroyus. They are beg than I ferman destroyu & had upper hand of tim all time. That ao one oI surprises o1 Tulland battle; for the fermans were always expected to do especily well as there wipedo craft. They had trained thm to bee betind their by ships until a criticil moment & then dasl outss
between & make the by es for us as, if in a cavatry charge Sey tried it but th Fermana must be feeting their faclure) Tey, wade their destrozen o weak. too small poore the cruisers were the other Fit Ships anxitiary thins- the out steamers with their sipes state tup the Fragting along thei rigging like great Sea serpents were the magagines Oppositioan Ae were to lunch as Crescons. before. on the The the basin cnstatia wo an To got permission to walk over to her. Darly was aboard Just finishing lunch with a Captain of the 80 Bn hamed trail I asked the wet him about
of reengagement were Anstration sailors recngaging after the first tay sd a perion of ham service. mostcan. is wnot occur in a until 1921 & 1922 the men were not that we intendin t freengay feeling. Bepore going upfor positnd traming for petty officer th ot the skilled ralings who get promation of highe pay 16e had to charante the w0 rremain Brearsin for ofesi the service t wice benefit thain the lose wd anstalions as a rute wd not give this guarantee Hmcont re-engaging ander system) for 5 years + presnt that w0 themselves up not they
85 for to lo in Mavy. you ald 6o t up for train antil he is 2or /23 because 4 counot command the men arount him if he is only 19 Ar wea only He might do oo if he ed be hansforred to another on getin promation sp once putamon but not awangd 540 ys his messmate The result w0 to Disx time when 2 you wante 6 t ai 160 when 7ou had to set t promise fom he 60 to remain 3 in Mavy 70 ws particulary andesirous pwetved of recogagy the promise Hushalia Food chances off se
86 asho 4 he profers 6o take his mat education ashore as them rather than to bin himseff for wo in Service, The Enanation atiors al end 600 are Stafe a rwant fe bacto Anstiatio. They get a little more leave the Britien than a muchas heir commander plares giver them by plietatiy point or two But I commande had to be carebil. he pets or Co alaints from the Aptan 0 New Yealand or some other Thi who have been on shore & say they sacw nothing but Austiation te ribbous there. Ta 15 a er al which wants
87 tackling but of course we wour smallnang cannot expect to apset the ways of British wavy in a crises like th The one way of Kpep these are who brighter better Ede. sated them English bo of Isame service in Wa to offer them 15 reasonable chances of promotion that ws what I thought (x preached) to be the essence of success in keeping a Caustalion gavy keenly manned. B44 h Aushatian rregulatis he it actally bn made mone eye than those O1 Briah Te Davy Beand Navy were not allow ys to relax them 0 cabl where men are found scitable
88 to become officers - whereas admiratty does allow this in case of Pritish sactors, The walt is it only two men have bn made officers les out of Boot 2n Cuchalia $1200 wen mannamed The ws 8e a respectable old Yeo British Seaman of 35 yers who wa iven promation service in drew Sunner. for the other is an Austation who is now a "onale 1e a man chosen as probationer before berng made an officer. Why the Navy Board doesn't wake cp See I don't know this is 1 importat. Bet

77
21
8 Bn ^ be shelling tt place if he did not
warn them. He made a
long detour Eastwards - behind x
the line of a hedge (wh saved
him from / snipers who only
got in a few shots at him)
Finally he brought his message
in.
In order to have some
commn w his own people
he dug a trench along the N. side
o / Bapaume Rd towards
the 2nd Bn - wh  wd I expect
be the half obliterated trench
wh I found there & few days
later when I went to see
the 21st Bn. I started in 
tt direction from Gibraltar 
& then gave it up & went
the other way by K. trench.

 

 

78
Rem
Submarine  [shorthand] ^ Eng. 12 cylinder Not for big one.
75. Hows.
[hand drawn diagram - see original document]
guar [ shorthand]
Ramillies [shorthand]
[3 lines of shorthand]
7000 women}  
30 000 [shorthand]}
Star shell & 12 in [shorthand] for aircraft]
Work 12. ^ [shorthand] 1.x6 [shorthand 56. are worked
Ramillies BL (6.) ^contains 9 in 10 ft (shorthand)with wooden corks.
This will take over a knot off ben [shorthand]
[Hand drawn diagram - see original document]
(In Aug or Sept Exodus )


12
79
Rodney 900 (Renown 780) [Shorthand]
[6 lines of shorthand interspersed with numerals] 
Oct 18 th 
Came to Edinburgh last night
by night train; had breakfast 
at the station Hotel & took
motor to Rosyth. Went through
the Battle cruisers fleet - 
Starbd 
Lion - Princess Royal - Tigris - N. Zealand.
Port.
Canada- Inflexible - Indomitable - & 
The Canada is a cleanly built
ship of 28,000 tons wh they took
over from the Argentine. The 
Audacious had ^ been sunk some
time before - & they thought
about calling the Canada the 
Audacious;  but, one is glad 

 


80
[hand drawn diagram - see original document]


81
12
to say, they decided not to. The 
Audacious had bn seen to sink
by the Olympics passengers - 
Americans - & photos of it were
in American papers.
We passed up amongst the 
light cruisers (incl. the Southampton
which thinks she torpedoed a 
German battleship - it ws the 
Phaeton wh shot down w one
of 2 lucky shots a Zeppelin
some time ago - they say
tt the Captain Wanted to give
his crew a chance of shooting 
at something & so loosed off
at the Zepp - & the 2nd shot
brought her down). The xxx 
light cruisers are being given
a big extra flare to keep the 
waves off their fo'isles.
With Above  the light cruisers 
 

 

82
12
were / light armoured cruisers
- wh have proved too big for /
job Mr Churchill gave them.
They were to be destroyers - the
destroyers o / future - so I once
heard him say in the H of Commons
in 1913. But they are too good 
a target. Their duty is now tt
o / light cruiser. Both they &
the light cruisers are excellent
& so are our destroyers. They
are bigger than / German destroyers
& had / upper hand of them all /
time. That ws one o / surprises
o / Jutland battle; for the Germans 
were always expected to do especially 
well w their torpedo craft. They
had trained them to lie behind
their big ships until a critical 
moment & then dash out xx
 

 

83
12
between the big ships & make 
 for us as if in a cavalry
charge. They tried it, but the
Germans  must be feeling their
failure. They ^had made their destroyers
too small & weak.
Above the cruisers were the
oil ships & ^ other auxiliary ships - the
oil steamers with their pipes
straggling along their sides& up the
rigging like great sea serpents.
Opposite we went ^ were the magazines. [shorthand]
We g were to lunch, as
before, on the Crescent. The
Australia ws in ^ the basin dock & so I
got permission to walk over to
her. Darly was aboard - just
finishing lunch with a Captain of
the 8th Bn named Traill.
I asked him about the question
 

 

84
12
of reengagement - were Australian
sailors reengaging after the first
period of their service. They sd tt
this wd not occur, in most cases,
until 1921, & 1922. But the
men wer not accu eager
intending to reengage; that ws /
feeling. Before going up for petty
training for ^/ position of petty officer, they ha
& if the skilled ratings who get
promotion & higher pay, they
had to guarantee tt they wd
remain for 3 years in /
service - ^ otherwise or else the service
wd lose the benefit o / training.

 

85
12
for so long in / Navy. You
do not want to send a boy
up for tt training until
he is 22 or 23 because he
cannot command the men
around him if he is only 19.
At presenr we cannot have
only He might do so if he
cd be transferred to another
ship, at once ^on getting promotion & put amongt
strangers - but not amongst
his messmates.
The result ws tt just
at / time when you wanted to
train / boy, & when you
had to get tt promise from him
 

 

86
12
ashore tt he prefers to take
 his naval education ashore
w him rather than to bind
himself for 5 yrs longer in /service.
The Australians sailors at
present, too, are sick w /
war - want to get back to 
Australia. They get a little
more leave than the British
(as much as their Commander
dare give them, by stretching
a point or two.) But / Commander
has to be careful or he gets
complaints from the Captain o /
New Zealand or some other ship
who have been on shore & say
they saw nothing but Australian
headba ribbons there. This is
a matter also which wants 

 

87
12
tackling - but of course we
 w our small navy cannot
expect to upset the ways o /
British Navy in a crisis like this.
The one way of keeping
these boys - who are brighter &
better educated than English
boys of / same service - in /
Navy, is to offer them reasonable 
chances of promotion. That
ws what I thought (& preached)
to be the ^very essence of success
in / keeping o /  Australian
Navy keenly manned - But
the Australian regulatns have
actually bn made more
rigid than those o / British
Navy. They ^ The Navy Board will not allow us
to relax them in suitable
where men are found suitable
 

 

88
12

to become officer - whereas
/ Admiralty does allow this
in / case o British sailors.
The result is tt only two
men have bn made officers
or mates out o / Britis
Australia (1200 men )
One ws a man named
Yeo - a respectable old
British seaman of 35
yrs - who ws given / promotion
for service in New Guinea;
the other is an Australian
who is now a "err ate" - i.e.
a man chosen as probationer
before being made an officer.
Why the Navy Board 
insists doesnt wake up &
see to this I dont know. But
It is very important. But


 

Last edited by:
Paula P.Paula P.
Last edited on:

Last updated: