Item 01: Sir Charles Rosenthal diary, 25 September 1914-31 December 1918 - Page 468
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[Page 468]
visited No. 1 A.G.H at the Racecourse immediately south of Roeun. Col. Dick the C.O. showed me round. There I met Col. Springthorpe who is over from England on special duty & as he was very anxious to visit General Monash I gave him a seat in my car. Left Roeun at 4 p.m. & returned to Cappy via Gournay, Crevecoeur & Amiens, arriving at D.H.Q. at 8.30 p.m. During my absence it had been decided that under the new scheme for re-organisation of Brigades, the 19th Battalion of 5th Bgde. should be the one disbanded.
Tuesday 24th September
10 a.m. called on Corps Commander taking with me Col. Springthorpe who later in the morning went forward with General Monash, lunched with him & caught the 6 o'clock train at Amiens for Paris. A party of Journalists from England arrived at 11.30 a.m. & Capt. Beasley was detailed to show them round the Mont St. Quentin battlefield. In connection with the re-organisation of Brigades General Robertson informed me that he anticipated trouble with the 21st Battalion, he asked me to speak to the officers & N.C.O's. setting out the circumstances which necessitated this re-organisation. Later in the afternoon I spoke to the whole Battalion. During the morning the 37th Battalion of 10th Bgde. which was to be disbanded refused to march to their new units & the Corps Commander himself spoke to their officers & N.C.O's. but without result. There appears to be an organised effort to defeat the orders given & to save the Battalion concerned.
Wednesday 25th September
General Robertson reported to me that the 21st Battalion refuses to march over to its new units. Attended a conference at Corps