Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/63/1 - October - November 1916 - Part 5

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066828
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

40 white had sketched forme Well we rawid p about a score them of + locked tim ap at day & parade them an Eveniy & old Wifeams came along Ix were a perfect ueet respectid lot - I they had had not to eald dont poor she old witlams had dine by that time lined fot etal well so serviewe addes 4 the &e the fourty and peech to the Shadnever for set the scene Te oul light we had was a fliekern candle wh was ld Fergeant thy
te light cer & oft 86 Williams Stood up there frond of thim. He told what magnificit work the dlone. What hardsheps had the had gove to the Endi promising them to be ad see to no charge ed be laid aged them o wh any farm Idhappin to them Then he thave thim all si a bi cay motol Cory that we Even wh 4e wt goi to hand the b pairs & flof the t toe t t to h
46 d te o except Tho when fo AP.M. ofth tocke Ihad 18 the there up down in the Iroom sna came up n na X the to to a fie to Geltin were abent + 9 cle house t t 4 taken Lome Straw the atlesses were Wh o be piles 6 8 doo up ago it fire b set door down the t the ask it done 4 41 tld we C
618 43 ou they 50 2at 6 Ce beef th 5 do well wha you fet Expect frand t e0 This the 282 400 did to hat hotel t ate o e on 40 Wetha + or what rea i tter la Ob 4 ble th th it d fter lont. ye 15 an t Sr 0 id I knew vorce of his to the is n had th It hes lf establishes smitths firm Fend for as his days probably the rest
44 any thin are do wel 68 Sot you Don help to cn oorlearen Swith could in 2E sations As 5d abhs t hee ap a to Smith think of you what do But the the not 2t that hint officers Butish There are letons t 206 lo ge who witEnstrate deadh Spirit. Bazle Ls that in if there 00 8 Clean 4 h ws Leanin one t le Viller Indtor farage the D.C. ThA. Engli on Bocag him in 45 can up oficer What do your a rage. ai making 6 fellows
45 ans wo 4 latring 9 know Sd fardin the derty £ 190 a the it apg. ang to Sir, &be Say ✓ other plent but ther are 6 Ldthe Lety troops 7 it w5 Htto Oh ar event chap the Engacs tin it eat a white ii Loreen 20anzac fhe saming here tas Angas eds th 1 am gertain this sontoptai we Lon in Sou Aug ac La6n There about ther herse camped it lk + in tat night th n did- one of 12 5 in 2 th to 8 te it
46 Poay brtters en latimes 4 as thances are the billets you dig if with the twopd the British find them t no To filly had lefoten decenty clean person od to But with it all near them Light whateer inhe had foro a. way B0 by i to speak lope 9 Iwent alom en there tell still him findi 208 te aS him s0) but he are Some If tuae aen fcalons of us undloubled mouite. Smith told as officer Another fce his way today tried to the Anstiation of the past contralling potice he who ear roads trafic on accordance en 2 The fout
to 47 to instructions, had stopped him from going in I appositedirecty tot traffic. This ws very erretation no doubt, bidyf a I strict rule without wh the setting of supplias up to I pont ad be impossible? it i the most aigetly required just now. The officer (I think he ws a major) turned on the traffic man: You dawned Anzacs, he sd. I know you. They is sent you back here because yours no bloody good up at the port. (it sounds to me as thos it ws the potice, he ws speaking of - not the whole corps. Anyway some of these ill-brid oficers - other always are some w amongst the best - show their fealousy of us in very foolish
48 language becase t mist anow that de meay ar te superiors at filt I must say I think in this case old Lmik; who is atways on the defensive for Austiatia probable got the wrong idea the officer was abusing his potice & not the anzaco who he mus have known, were at the fon The three fine days, wh are the shibbolel nowsdays. never seem to come. There o some baguences amougt the staf of the Corps as to what we are filting for. They some of them say it is to hel Roumania - we cannot leave of here until Roumanis 15 safe On the other band others I have heard speaking of our having to get
43 the Bapanie Ridge before winter because it is a good position to dy in on Eiten we shd do that as else we shd survey on present hs very carefully find a good conforted front & dis in there. Mardach told me some time ago, after his day with Haig, that thw we the question t we cxarcising H.B. then Our fellows tought be wd be down here for eenter He seeied the to think there come Fort of9 att Crievance in this - but that right not 15 better This country will be to wenter an than the Epres lowland You can dis good trenches here & the Austiclic Leven the materials for shoring up

68  40
White had sketched for me.
“Well we rounded up
about a score of them &
locked them up all day
& paraded them in /
evening & old Williams
came along. They were
a perfectly quiet & respectable
lot - & they had had nothing
to eat or drink, poor chaps -
t Old Williams had dined
by that time - dined jolly
well - I shall so he 
addressed interviewed the men there
in the courtyard & made
a speech to them. He I 
shall never forget the scene.
The only light we had was
a flickering candle wh
was held by my sergeant

 

68  41
& in the light of it old
Williams stood up there in
front of them. He told them
what magnificent work they
had done; what hardships
they had gone thro'; & he
ended up by promising them
tt he wd see tt no charge
wd be laid agst them by
wh any harm cd happen 
to them. Then he drove them
all away in a big xxx
motor lorry. 
"That ws / evening
when he ws going to handcuff
them in pairs & flog them
out o / town," sd the
A.P.M.
"I never had any 
trouble w them at all,

 

68  42
except once," sd the
A.P.M. "That ws when 
we had 18 of them locked
up down there in the
guard room, & the
guard came running up 
to me to say tt they
were setting fire to a
house. I went down &
found tt they had taken
the straw out of some
mattresses wh were
in / guard room, & piled
it up agst / door, &
set fire to it to burn
the door down."
I asked them what they 
had done it for.
"We couldn't get anything 

 

68  43
to eat," they only said; "only
bully beef & biscuits."
"Well what do you
expect to get?" I asked
them. "This is a guard
room you're in - not
a grand hotel. What did
you think you were going
to get - Pèche Melba
& cream, or what?"
"They laughed & I never
had the least trouble 
with them afterwds."
"No - you wouldn't,"
said old Smith. And by
the tone of his voice I knew
that this A.P.M. had
jus established himself
as Smith's firm friend - for
the rest of his days probably. 

 

68  44
"We'll do anything we
can to help you, son," sd
Smith on leaving. 
"He could manage 
Australians alright," sd
Smith to me as we left -
"But what do you think of
that - eh? Isn't that the
limit?"
There are British officers
who certainly do not know
how to deal with Australians
in that spirit. As Bazley -
who is a clean boy if there
ever lived one - ws leaving
the motor garage at Villiers
Bocage, an English A.S.C.
officer came up to him in
a rage. "What do your
fellows mean by making

 

68  45
a latrine of this woman's
garden?" he sd. "I know
it ws the Anzacs - the dirty
Anzacs."
"I beg your pardon, Sir,
but there are plenty of other
troops here," sd the boy.
"Oh, I know it ws the 
Anzacs," the chap went on,
in a white heat of temper." I
say 20 anzac horsemen
passing here last night & I
am certain it ws the Anzacs."
& went on in this sort of strain.
There had bn some Anzac
light horse camped about there
in the night; & very likely
they did - one of them - make
some mess in the garden.
It was hopeless to find

 

68  46
latrines in Villiers Bocage
- & the chances are tt, as
with the billets, if you did
find them the British troops
had left them so filthy tt no
decently clean person wd go
near them. But with it all
in he had no right whatever
to speak to Bazley in tt way. 
I went along in / hope of
finding him still there, to tell
him so; but he ws not there.
Some of these men are
undoubtedly jealous of us.
Another ^mounted officer, Smith told us,
today tried to force his way
past one of the Australian
police who ws controlling
traffic on / roads near /
front. The man, in accordance

 

68       47
w instructions, had stopped him
from going in / opposite directn
to / traffic. This ws very irritating
no doubt, but it ws / strict rule,
without wh the getting of supplies
up to / front wd be impossible; & tt is
/ thing most urgently required
just now. 
The officer (I think he ws a 
Major) turned on the traffic man:
"You damned Anzacs," he sd.
"I know you. They've sent you
"back here because you're no
"bloody good up at the front" -
(it sounds to me as tho' it ws
the police, he ws speaking of - not 
the whole corps.)
Anyway some of these ill-bred
officers - & there always are some even
amongst the best - show their 
jealousy of us in very foolish

 

68      48
language - because they
must know that these men
are their superiors at fighting
I must say I think in this
case old Smith, who is always
on the defensive for Australia,
probably got the wrong idea -
the officer was abusing his police,
& not the Anzacs who, he must
have known, were at the front. 
The "three fine days," wh
are the shibboleth nowadays,
never seem to come. There
is some vagueness amongst
the staff of the Corps as to what 
we are fighting for. They some
of them say it is to help
Roumania - we cannot
leave off here until Roumania
is safe - On the other hand
others xxx I have heard 
speaking of our having to get

 

68   49
the Bapaume Ridge before /
winter because it is a good
position to dig in on. Either
we shd do that - or else we shd
survey our present line very
carefully, find a good comfortable
front, & dig in there. Murdoch
told me some time ago, after his 
day with Haig, tt at this ws
the question tt ws exercising
the G.H.Q. then. Our fellows,
he thought, wd be down here for
the winter, He seemed to think
there ws some sort of a grievance
in this - but that is not right. 
This country will be better to 
winter in than the Ypres lowlands.
You can dig good trenches here,
& the Australians - given the
materials for shoring up
 

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