by Peter Rees
See AWM38 3DRL 8042 item 109 for details of the Pope matter.
Monash’s comments on McCay were drawn from Paul Cobb, Fromelles 1916, The History Press, Gloucestershire, 2007, p. 168.
The reference to Pope’s change of command was drawn from the Official History, Volume III, footnote p. 447. Also, see Pearce, AWM38 3DRL 2222, series 3/3.
Pope became part of the 13th Brigade under Major-General (Sir) Talbot Hobbs. On 7 June 1917 Pope was seriously wounded by shrapnel in the right thigh while leading his battalion in the Battle of Messines. He was mentioned in despatches in December and in February 1918 was invalided home—with his name cleared.
Bean’s comments on McCay and the issue of stretcher bearers were drawn from the Official History, Volume III, pp. 438–47. Also see Ross McMullin, Pompey Elliott, Scribe, Carlton North, 2002, p. 225.
See Cobb, Fromelles 1916, p. 157, for a list drawn up by Pompey Elliott of ten blunders—three of which Cobb argues could easily be attributable to McCay and not Haking: for example, the lack of arrangement for liaison between the divisions, no coordination in the advance; hurried and insufficient preparations resulting in mistakes by inexperienced junior staff officers; and sending battalion staffs forward with the last wave before any lodgement had been gained in the enemy’s line, thus sacrificing valuable officers uselessly.
In May 1929 Bean informed Pope that he was about to give his papers to the Australian War Memorial with the proviso that they would not be for general inspection ‘during present lifetimes.’ Bean offered to remove the notes he copied from Pope’s diaries covering July 1916, but recognised that Pope might want them to remain. Pope confirmed this, giving approval for the material to go to the AWM ‘exactly as it is—whatever may be in it represents exactly the fact of the actual happenings.’ AWM38 3DRL 8042, item 109.
For the letter to Bean, 30 April 1929, see AWM38 3DRL 7953/4 part 2. For the McCay letter, 28 April 1929, see the same file.
The Birdwood letter to Pearce is quoted in Cobb, Fromelles 1916, p. 164.
Bean’s criticism of Haking and other British leaders, together with his criticism of British troops was drawn from the Official History, Volume III, pp. 445–7.
Bean’s comments on how the losses could have been avoided were sourced from his book Anzac to Amiens, pp. 235–6. Two years later, when the German trenches at Fromelles came into British possession, Bean examined the battlefield. He found that the supposed ‘third line’ of trenches, which the Australians were set to reach, though then indistinguishable from ordinary field drains, were apparently the remains of old trenches begun by the Germans a year before the Fromelles attack, but abandoned on becoming waterlogged.
25—The giant mincing machine
Material for this chapter was drawn from Bean, Letters from France, Pozières, 26 July 1916, and ‘An Abysm of Desolation’, 1 August 1916.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entries, 28 July, 29 July, 30 July, 31 July, 1 August, 4 August, 14 August 1916, throughout this chapter.
Bean’s story of the successful attack on Pozières appeared in The SMH, 28 July 1916.
Material was also drawn from Bean’s book Anzac to Amiens, pp. 237–70.
26—The war gets personal
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 22 July 1916, regarding Jack Bean’s arrival in France; also 8–9 August 1916 for the Brettingham-Moore story.
See Arthur Bazley, Canberra Collection, regarding Bean making camp at Becourt Wood.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entries, 17 and 20 August 1916, for Bean’s account of the hellish environment; 13 and 20 August 1916 for his criticism of British press coverage; 9 September for his problems with censorship; 7 August 1916 for the death of his friend Charlie Manning; 22 August 1916 for information on the wounding and death of his cousin Lieutenant Leo Butler.
For background to the British censors’ decision regarding references to downplaying Dominion army achievements, see John Williams (1993), ‘Seven Battles: The foreign press and the Anzacs’, Journal of Australian Studies, pp. 25–40.
27—No way out
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, August 1916, for Edwin Bean letter to Bean, 20 October 1916—subsequently inserted.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 9 September 1916, regarding the future of the 3rd Division; also, 11 and 23 September 1916 regarding conscription; and 29 September 1916 on how tired the Australians were.
Peter Putnis, ‘Keith Murdoch: War-time Journalist,’ contributed to the analysis of Keith Murdoch.
The reference to Murdoch’s cable to Hughes is drawn from Younger, Keith Murdoch, p 78.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 15 October 1916, regarding White’s approach to Bean and his consequent reaction; 25 October 1916 for the attitude of the troops to conscription; 20 October 1916 for his assessment of Birdwood’s circular to the troops; 30 November 1916 for his conclusion about the troops’ motivation for voting as they had; 29 November 1916 for his comments on recruitment; 25 October 1916 for his comments on his ‘errand’ and his conclusion about the impact of Birdwood’s message.
28—Good will not come of it
Regarding the national museum, see letter from Bean to Pearce, 8 November 1916; AWM 12/21/1 Part 2.
C.E.W. Bean, annotated by Arthur Bazley, ‘The Beginnings of the Australian War Memorial,’ 1959, p. 15; AWM38 3DRL 6673/619.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 22 May 1915, regarding the collection of relics at Gallipoli; 26 June 1916 for Bean’s continuing problems over photography; 11 October 1916 for his regrets about criticising Ernest Brooks; 3 December 1916 for his comments on Leist and Crozier.
For background on Will Dyson, see Ross McMullin, Will Dyson: Australia’s Radical Genius, Scribe, Melbourne, 2006, pp. 155–7.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 16 December 1916, for Bean’s appreciation of Dyson.
See Will Dyson, Australia at War—Drawings at the Front, Cecil Parker and Hayward, London, 1918, p. 30, for the commentary on his drawings.
Bean’s comments on his friendship with Dyson appeared in The SMH, 25 January 1938.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 30 November 1916, for Bean’s comments on Baldwin, as well as the appalling conditions for the troops; also 2 December 1916, 8 December 1916 and 18 December 1916 for further descriptions of the conditions.
Bean’s assessment of low morale and what the men were going through was drawn from Letters from France, 20 December 1916.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 24 December 1916, for Bean’s thoughts on religion.
For discussion on Bean and religion, see Lucy Whyte, At the Intersection of Religion, Nationalism and Commemoration: An Analysis of the Formation of the Australian War Memorial 1916–1941, A report drafted for the Australian War Memorial; 2013; and Geoff Lindsay, ‘Be Substantially Great In Thy Self.’
29—Self doubt
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 undated diary entry, January 1917, with annotated addendum 1928 regarding the film problems; 17 January 1917 for Bean’s account of his run-in with Captain Lee; 19 February 1917 on the British failure to understand the Australians; 17 February 1917 regarding Bean’s closeness to Birdwood and White; 21 February 1917 on his thoughts about the impact of his cables in Australia; 4 March 1917 regarding his despondency about his cables not being widely published; also for references to George Lowery and Private Walter Garry; 2 March 1917 for his anger at the censor over the Daily Express; and 6 March 1917 for his dealings with Charteris.
For background to German military actions in February–March 1917, see Anzac to Amiens, p. 318.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 26 February 1917, regarding events at Gird Trench; 19 March 1917 on the destruction of Beugnâtre; and 28 March 1917 regarding events at Lagnicourt.
In his diary for 26 March 1917, Arthur Bazley noted Bean’s reaction after the explosion that killed two men and destroyed his Corona typewriter. AWM 2DRL215.
30—British impetuosity
See AWM38 3DRL 606/11
6 diary entry, 5 August 1917, for White’s thoughts on General Gough; diary, 9 April 1917, for the failure at Bullecourt.
For background on Bullecourt, see Anzac to Amiens, pp. 329–30.
Bean’s assessments of Haig and Gough were drawn from Official History, Volume IV, The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1917, pp. 351–2.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 8 May 1917, for Bean’s thoughts on the AIF not being independent of the British Army; 6–7 June 1917 on going through gas and the attack at Messines; 15 June 1917 for his criticism of Monash; 18 July 1917 for his praise of Holmes; 17 February 1917 for his praise of White; and 30 May 1917 for his comment on Pozières as a cemetery.
Bean’s comments about the impact of the mines at Messines was sourced from the Official History, Volume IV, p. 594, I also drew on research by Craig Deayton challenging the commonly used figure of 10,000 German dead.
On the issue of war records, see Michael Piggott, ‘The Australian War Records Section and its aftermath, 1917–1925’, Archives and Manuscripts, vol. 18, no. 2, December 1980, pp. 41–50; McKernan, Here Is Their Spirit, chapter 2.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 2 March 1917, for Bean’s comments on the issue of records.
31—Bean does a Murdoch
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 18 July 1917, on Bean’s plans regarding Lloyd George, and also censorship issues relating to John Faunthorpe and Hutton Wilson; 17 June 1917 for commentary on Allenby; see Lloyd George letter, 15 July 1917, attached to Bean diary 82, July 1917; 18 July 1917 for the visit to John Masefield; 20 August 1917 for his discussion with Charteris; 7 August 1917 on the decision to appoint Australian officers; and 10 August 1917 on Frank Hurley.
The Hurley quote was sourced from Hurley’s diary, 23 August 1917, held among his papers at the National Library of Australia, MS 883.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 18 August 1917, regarding Gullett joining the AWRS to be set up in Egypt; and 2 June 1917 for his lunch with Schuler.
See The Age, 23 April 2005, regarding Schuler’s death, and The Bendigonian, 13 September 1917, for Bean’s tribute to him.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 3 August 1917, for Bean’s thoughts about God and war.
32—A change of focus
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 24 August 1917, regarding the Gullett–Bean discussion on planning for the Official History, and for Bean’s thoughts about Gullett; 7 September 1917 for the discussion with White about Bean going to London; and 11 December 1917 on Fred Cutlack’s hiring.
For the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) see Anzac to Amiens, pp. 362–71; also, Frank Legg and Toni Hurley, Once More on My Adventure, Ure Smith, Sydney, 1966, p. 92, for the Hurley quote about Bean.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entries, 19, 20, 24 September 1917, for the fighting on the Menin Road, and Bean accompanying Hurley and Wilkins; 24 September for his account of worrying about Hurley and Wilkins, and also Leist and Gilmour; and 4–12 October 1917 for Passchendaele.
33—Cultural stereotyping
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entries, 10 October 1917, 12 April 1918, for Bean’s thoughts on the best troops and the quality of British generals.
For the note from Hughes to Bean, AWM38 3DRL 606/274B/1.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entries, 16 November 1917, and 12 April 1918, for Bean’s contempt for the British social system; Bean’s discussion with Haig is recorded in his diary entry for 11 October 1917.
The quote by Charles Edward Russell was drawn from Max Hastings, Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, William Collins, London, 2013, p. 208.
The quote from the German officer regarding the inferior quality of Australian officers was sourced from Peter Barton The Lost Legions of Fromelles, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2014, p. 302.
Haig’s suggestion to Murdoch about Monash was sourced from Official History, Volume VI, The Australian Imperial force in France During the Allied Offensive, 1918, p. 188.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 19 October 1917, for Bean’s rejection of Monash as Commander-in-Chief AIF and support for Gellibrand; also Serle, John Monash, p. 397, regarding prejudice against Jews.
For Blamey’s thoughts on Monash, see David Horner, Blamey, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1998, p. 50.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 3 December 1917, for Bean’s comment about Monash’s ‘Jewish capacity’; also 5 December 1917 regarding support for White. For Bean’s misjudgement about the second conscription vote, see entry for 12 December 1917; his fears for the future of the 4th Division, 22 December 1917; his analysis of the reasons for the vote, 30 December 1917; Andrew Fisher’s analysis of the vote, 24 January 1918; Bean’s reaction to Jack Bean’s problems about treating VD, 4 January 1918, and 7 November 1917, 11 November 1917; 27 November 1917; 4 January 1918, and 13 January 1918.
34—The juggler
The quote from Frank Hurley was drawn from ‘War Photography’, Australasian Photo Review, 15 February 191, p. 164.
See Ian Jackson, quoted in The Australians’ Final Campaign in 1918, Australian Screen, http://aso.gov.au/titles/historical/the-australians-final-campaign/notes/
For Bean’s recommendations for Wilkins and Hurley, see Martyn Jolly, Australian First World War Photography, http://martynjolly.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/australian-first-world-war-photography-1999.pdf
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 6 February 1918, for Bean’s account of his problems with Jury in a letter to Harry Gullett; also 14 January 1918; 27 January 1918 for reference to the religious affiliations of those at the AWRS. In the letter to Gullett Bean also referred to the fight that he and Treloar had to keep Australian trophies from the British, which he further referred to in his diary on 1 March 1918.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 24 February 1918, for Bean’s thoughts on a League of Nations and an alliance with English-speaking nations; 16 February 1918 for Bean’s description of the night at the Folies Bergère; 4 September 1917 and 10 January 1918 regarding his support for the Russian Revolution; 3 April 1918 for his views on socialism; and 17 February 1918 for his views on Asquith.
Bean’s letter to his parents about the ‘Sydney set’ was dated 20 January 1918; see McCarthy, Gallipoli to the Somme, p. 317.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 21 January 1918, for Bean’s lunch at the National Liberal Club.
35—War on a different front
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 21 March 1918, for his reaction to the news of the German bombardment; 1 April 1918 for his account of Captain Orchard’s stunt; 4 April 1918 for his account of being shelled and briefing Pompey Elliott; and 5 April 1918 for his account of Villers-Bretonneux.
The Morshead story is related in Official History, Volume V, The Australian Imperial Force in France during the Main German Offensive, 1918, p. 301.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 4 May 1918, for Bean’s reference to Birdwood.
See Official History, Volume VI, p. 191, for the reorganisation of commands.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 16 May 1918, for Bean’s reaction to the changes.
36—An assessment of character
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 17 May 1918, for Bean’s discussion with Dyson, Wilkins and Cutlack about Monash; 19 May 1918 for Bean’s alternative approach; 26 May 1918 for Bean’s account of telling White the new arrangements were wrong; 29 May 1918 regarding Murdoch’s fear that their opposition was too late; for Bean’s letter see entry for 2 June 1918; 7 June 1918 regarding Murdoch’s opposition to Birdwood remaining GOC, AIF; 10 June 1918 for the outline of Bean’s argument, and Birdwood’s letter to Murdoch; 12 June, 14 June 1918 regarding the Australianisation of the corps command; 16 June 1918 for Hughes’ thoughts; and 18 June 1918 for Bean’s comparison of White and Monash.
For Monash’s letters to his wife, see AWM, War Letters of General Monash,Volume 2, 18 June 1918, p. 421, and 25 June 1918, p. 424, http://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676516/#DigitisedCollection
Rawlinson’s vie
w of Monash was drawn from Pedersen, Monash as Military Commander, p. 220.
Bean’s letter to White is quoted in McCarthy, Gallipoli to the Somme p. 336.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 28 June 1918, for Bean’s comment that he was happier when the letter was gone.
37—An ill-judged intervention
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 2 July 1918, for Bean’s account of the visit by Hughes and Cook; 7 July 1918 and Serle, John Monash, p. 325, for the account of the letter to Pearce.
For Chauvel’s views, see Chauvel papers, letters, 1 July 1918, and 18 November 1918, AWM PR00535.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 3 July 1918, for Bean’s entry on Monash’s success at Hamel, including reference to American troops, and Blamey’s talk with Bean.
For the Gellibrand letter to Bean, on 9 January 1935, which also includes reference to Hughes and White, see AWM38 3DRL 606/274B/1, folder 1918–1939.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entries, 7 July, 5 August 1918, regarding Murdoch’s talk with Monash; and 18 August 1918 for Bean’s and Murdoch’s meeting with White, and Bean’s criticism of Birdwood’s organisational abilities, and admiration of Murdoch’s forcefulness.
For Hughes’ position, see Bean’s Two Men I Knew, p. 173.
Monash’s assessment of Murdoch was drawn from War Letters of General Monash, Volume 2, 8 November 1918, p. 424, http://www.awm.gov.au/people/P10676516/#DigitisedCollection
See AWM38 3DRL 606/116 diary entry, 2 September 1918, for Bean’s assessment of his poor relations with Monash; 17 August 1918 regarding the conferral of Monash’s knighthood; 21 August 1918 for Bean’s realisation that Monash was grumpy with him; 18 August 1918 regarding the bitterness that Bean found everywhere about the British portrayal of the fighting; and 21 August 1918 for Monash’s words to the troops.
See AWM38 3DRL 606/274B/1, folder 1918–1939, for Bean’s explanation of his thinking on Monash.