Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/70/1 - February 1917 - Part 2

16      10
did not - however he
has written, or cabled rather,
to Aust. again about it.
White spoke to Anderson
about it. He told him
tt they knew tt he
wd at ad wd have bn
quite ready to put M.C.
over both London & Salisbury
but they knew tt it wd 
mean recalling Anderson
bec. Anderson wd play
second fiddle to no one.
He wd be first & not second.
Anderson said "Yes - there
you're quite right - I
wouldn't." 

16      11
Moore took it the best
of the whole lot. He ws
quite dignified xxxxx &
straight (which surprised
White) & he went to
Anderson, who had a
long talk with him & who
finally told him (Moore).
- at another interview I
suppose - tt he had sent
a cable to Melbourne
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
tt he regretted tt he had
supported the supporting
the opposite view to that
wh he at first took.
I don't know if
this is a lie, or a quibble - 

16      12
probably the latter.
Old Griffiths,  living
in / midst  of all  this, xx
refused to discuss with
Legge & Anderson the
sending of their cable to
Australia, as he sd
it ws disloyal in
the extreme (of course
they have no right  to
send it except through
Birdwood); he says
that Anderson simply
lives on intrigue - he
cant help it & probly,
persuades himself tt he
does everything for the
public good.  xx 

16      13
As for me - I think
it is simply pitiable
to see a set of straight
men - White, Birdwood &
Griffiths, fighting a set
of crooked ones who
xx (and unable to
beat them because they
are damnably crooked -
at least Anderson is);
when all / time their
whole attention ought
to be concentrated upon
one single object - the
winning of this war.
Feb. 19 th. Saw Stewart
of 57 Bn & Weeke (BM. 

14

16      15
15Bde). The 57 Bn
after 12Bde took over
the Cloudy Trench Salient
bombed up the line trench
past from a bombstop
put in on rt by 12 Bde -
& reached a point more
than halfway up the
re-entrant. Put in
a stop there & dug across
nomansland  thro' a
gap in the wire to make
a complete fire trench.
15 Bde wanted
to help 4Bde by turning
on their T.Ms when
15 Bn did their attack. The 

16      16
4 Bde refused their
help - sd thought they cd
manage it quite
well by themselves (so
Weeke says).
The 15Bn got in
(but rt of Bn did not
start - 15thBde reported
this to 4 Bde. 4 Bde
replied tt this ws
surely impossible. They
cd trust 15 Bn.
15th Bde asked them
to send down +
officer & investigate
& (acc to Weekes) this
officer ws satisfied
tt the 15 Bn's right 

16      17
only made a weak
bombing attack. (This needs
verifying) The 15 Bn got in and
bombed up very well;
but German bombers
retired up a dead
end sap near
apex of Salient,
& then hopped over
top.

& our men were
non-plussed.
When the Germans
c/attacked the 15 Bde were 

16      18
itching  to join in w their
T.ms & m.gs. but as
they were not called on
they did not think it
wise to fire as they didn’t
know where our men might be.
In the 13 Bn attack
the 15 Bde TMs were
called on when Germans 
C. attacked & at last
moment came in
heavily & greatly helped
to smash up the C/attack.
15 Bde losses averaged
only 4 per day till after 

16      19
this fight - after that
about 8 per day.
160 for xx whole innings.
The 15 Bde & 22 Bn,
both of whom I visited
today both think tt 
the men were very fit in /
cold weather - &
on / whole liked it;
& tt / men are looking
very well; & tho they have
not the cheerful grins of
the photos of "Anzacs
going into the line" when 

16      20
they go in, they aren't
the same depressed men
as in Oct - November.
They spend a lot of 
their money now
on food - not drinks;
& the winter has
made them a much
more serious fatalistic
lot.
Feb 20.  It is 
reported tt when some
of the 2nd Div. were
relieving the other night
one man in full kit
went on over to the