Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/7/1 - May 1915 - Part 1

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Part of Quest:
Charles E W Bean Diaries
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
AWM38 3DRL 606/7/1
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Page 1 / 10

AWM3S Official History, 1974-18 War: Records of CE W Bean, Official Historian. Diaries and Notebooks Hem number: 3DR1606171 Title: Diary, May 1915 includes reference to Sir John Monash's account of 2 May action. AWMISS-SDRICOGITH
105TR DIAR.X..MEL thegamaal. ORL 60L Mr WOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN BIARIES AND CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914-1918 subject to conditions laid down in the terms noles THE use of the of gift to the Australian War Memorial, But, apert from these terms, I wish the following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every reader and writer who may use them. These writings represent only what at the mement of making them I believed to be ree. The diaries were jolted down almost daily with the object of recording what was then in the writer’s mind. Often he wrote them whes very tired and half anlo also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not se — but it does not this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when follow that he always o discevered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them. These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what their aathor, at the time of writing, believed. Further, he cannot, of course, vouch for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded, But he did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, these who had on or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that hemselves believed them to be true. All those who passed on such stories recond-hand evidenc herein should be read with this in mind. AUSTRALLAT VIA E. W. BEAN 16 Sept. 1945.
5 153 A. CLEMENTS, BOOKSELLER, STATIONER. & TOSICGONIST 429 BOURTB STREET, STCLEV. Majz Dognge Sef Tuste star Monedis Alacto, Neyg ileeHT Maj. Durrant gave me fally alet. ( 700 9 M 16th were 6/0 ap gally ped guins& the to right 13t 6 s0 up sam fully just after them thei to left. t 81 N.Z. Fast Popes two other fully NZ. to lie on 700; 13½ vert, 181E 13 to post of quinas Naltis. came up in srigh fib. Took Deadmans Rilge, S2 lines of trenches. Nas to CR-Scowg get beween N.Z. & 16E. Hattil - found N.Z. There were 500 ma b bo. Hadett 250 yds of port. Had wit as party of N.Z.- Engis andw Serg Wallase. Supports ven on Deadmans ridge; firiy thi abt 509D N.E. of ridge. Then started to do day 2 lies of hunches, wth A Commantte toenches beloem. The brinches were abt Ipdeep & there wo 507t bety. the suppose ofiiy truc. A vally separate us from left of 1615. (Tortenk 2e say they never pot in touch. In mornin we cane under waching jun rifles - also shrepish. 16th were also stelled - thought some vert own prs - Most demosabisig effect They came away. Oap bu also left their posite. Before daws Nelsons arrive- Evidently straged teas bymistake. We stowed some in our firing ling - Son were lef in little gull between Dadmans Riop & Popes Hill. They were same wns but hadno confidence & started firing on our olyjing party. At day break some of naval fellows in our truches botled & some of their officer told our men to retire dlas. Batallow men who went alown in Irush came back again under fire. The Anstialians cp the 13th chaied them When Otap went we had enemy on tot planks but we had day in w w had 200 casuallies a weaton din - telephone wire ws cul For Bulair Dee Sept 29. May 3rd. Diary between Ap. 25- & May3 kept in form of notes (mostly written at night without a light) in Black pocket book & Bluegrey note book. To day at 11.45 some gans (perh. & Preben but I think 2 Goeben & 2 Howitzer) got rang of fleet wh they had nearly obtained in marning. Goebene 30d shot got after bridge of a collier. There ws trimendous patch of flame. All nearer transports have since moved. clearly his shooting was well observed, persesed range I got my first 2 cables away today - handed to Villiers Stuast who will transfer it to Queen for sending on to Arcadian. Thats the best I can do. Nar well kindly promised to send it on from there to one of the Gk. goot telepaph stations to which I now have leave to send unprepard messiges, I hear that the attack on Raba Tipe ves not made yeste afternoon after all. 2312a 1915 Monash gave me what he believed to be a fall 4t account of the adack on the platean at the head of the gully tld by his men last night. At 6.35 the 16th Bn started to move up the valler By 6.40 the posites occupied by Col. Burnage (13R & Capt Quian (15) began rifle fire against the crest to cover to attack, & also beyond the crest of the vooded hall. At 7 Pm. the narsl gans nous own started a
16th Bo & Co. says, the Turks counter attacked during 1 nght but were repulse by the bayonet. L. Coy of Welson Bn supported. 165 didn’t know where the 13th were – the left of 16th ws suffering. A I am to Commanding officer of the Portomonth Bor reported hat he had bee ordered to support. Maj. Tilney ws sent back RML) to show him 1way. The CO.15K asked tat 5000100 shd support his right - I rest support his left. Halfan hour later Maj. Tilney returned & sd #1C0.o Portsmoak Bn. had not conformed as his orders were simply to form a support & not the firig line; it there as no accorodate for additonal troops in 1 ferilie. The Co. of Ke fth then went dewn himself + repeated the instructions but the C.O. Portemouth Bn. demurred Sinall he agreed on special condities & accepting no responsibility, But at this moment several shels burst over + in trenches blowing their occupants out. The Portsmoath Br. stampeded. Maj. Titney & may. Feation (Bde. Maj. RMh) stopped & ralleed them. The 1812 however were comin back. By p.m. the trenches had bn vocated & at Open. the 16t moved into rest camp. They had left. Officers of 0.R. 2d8 Ther losses were 8 officers, 330 men. 307 L. Corpl. P. Black wd shat thro hand orday, & afrods thas onr but continued to work maching jun. he took to pen out on this ocasion, fired of all his amuanite & got the sun back. degonts dy by is The 16 in the morning was fore on 16x the first day & was comay down - man my jost w guin edge of guinen were rolliy down all that day, but I tarks were not in truct for a couple of days – indeed one man ws there two days. The Rnds. first tried to go ap to the 16th but a maching gur from wakkers caught them near the top; they then toit to go up Dead mans Ridge but a mag. from ap. Courtncys caught him there & hence its name. The bodies ray here until a mais coeat uap one night o puched then dowon. The trench in wh the 16th were ws a turk trec not ca Syds in from 1 top of 1 gulty N of quians. ess went up in morng & tried i a Naval oficer to lead the RMLI up. As he gotup near I top o hill a maxin near walkees Rigp w af him He tooked roud & found be ws alone - 1others were nt 115 Na exee following him - s be got round to quinas. Then Deal be tred to get the R.M.L.1. officer to dig a short communicate trench across the expose bit. Nerse only abt 15 feet of it at I cliff top-bet cdats mut t get their bdg 50 V 55. Te placews 2o have be held if supports cohavepesiledhasby doi n hout 2 trimendous bombardment. At 7.10 machine guns & rifles joined in - the 16th now ascending the bill (7.16) The Orago Bos ought to have been on their left. But it mistook an order for 70c for an order for 901c. or else the road up the gully was too long, amy way if was 3/ Mr. Cate. At 7.30 your or 5 shells (wh monash thought to be ours) burst on the crest occupied by the 15th Bo. At 7.48 a beavy cheer from the hill top & at 8 the report reached monash's H.Q. that the 16th were on top of the jally. There was a bot fire but the 16th advanced sijo Estialia will be there & Tipperary (The Hill was 224 E.9, & it ws taken by the 13th & 16th but arking support At 8.10. more cheering indicated that hell had be taken Otage Bn was now moveng slowly up. Monash put an Lcoy of 165 to support it. They hang on till daybreak 600 yds in advance of previous posite. At Abt 80'0. two bus of marine infaul which were to sappert tm, arrived. These waited in the vally till t when it s too tak to put tim in to the trenches The Anstralians however haddiy in +cd paobably have held on. They had only 70 shovels to the Bn & adnot get more until 100 arrived at daybrest. The Bus had actially reached the 150line of Turkish touches & bayoneter the Tarks but cd not remain bec unsupported They had 4 maching yous agt them. By 8.15 a report from Col. Pope showed that first line of Tarkish Frenches had be taken. T teps up fire all night but did not charge. only creeping up firig. We day in as beet we id under fire. As 4. am Col monash wo discussry a move ahead as he wos getting 2 Bas of RM/L1. Tust
S Bocknffy &40 5 Wa wed. Methand Enas: ast handed to t of t. on tues. I went of Dot 1971 aete e e e tene XX s Aet to l talen stere. a Belled Po 41 on Bnd shota pronlol by mistak for turk & wounded Mr Nicol a cgu for Suppers among govig flowrrs asufte phol Top being shipped off parepit. Landing at Helles. Rives Clyde. Isiit bate. Bo 1 Barbet wiie etc. 80 to resct. to 1o0 ceredpe. saw. endly off Sil wey y y werten fe 3c ps g p Tink 20 plose at Battery & N.YY ho men i (all yesty thro Anafarte. Rct. wt. map of f tamhes at N 20 time of Monach's attack. 1Bde Sand May 2. 1917. d roned onea (AMack) 2366 23 Rat in forngline? Bn well WIs. To Plen as I sait nex tay a ou me ding may3. w. 3 lines of trueche men dijg? Tarks. visible on t r ousol Fmedagen 15:12 160 1549 le our dea These t being I improved whit foad Precipitors stope belt vorn by shell. in rear. Monashes H.O. Artilery Officers & damp of Extents. Ia our mea day. r I beyond. Dead 2 sitting in front. then at S.B5(acc. to monach) whole your artillery opened on ridge had by our men. They got in 3. eggetpds shell & 5 intr gunshells - wh burst right in truches & blew men cuto air. (close inquiries have been made into 600 casuattes this Cal Wits tells me Monash is wrong. The guns tcoC fellewey) were guns of the evemy behind his right flank) nearer dill The whole face of the clif t which yesterday was covered with bushes is today bare & along the top of it our dlead can be seen lying like anto shrwelled up or cuiled up, some still haging their rifles - about a dogen of them. The face of the further plation is also eged with our dead. Monash at first tok it that these shells were Turkish. Presently the moantain battery officer who was observing said "I believe tose are mountain gun shels. That seems to have settle morash in the impression. As a matter of fact here is a battery of Small Turkess guns which I saw myself today on the ridge opposite col. Rosenthat's battery making very foir shoot These shells burst right in the trenches the 16th had day & lifter the Dde of kill off. One Mtn battery shells were a little earlier). Our men cdbe seen rollin down the side of the hill at once. Part of t tind near this felll back. The R.M.L.1 under gen. Frottman 5 Brynds) arrived when it wd boad daylight, much too late to be put into the trenches. They had reached the valley below at abt 3.2 When Planey & I went up this afternoon we found Monach's mew still hangang outs part of the ridge to the left which we had won, but not to the platean. The place is no head of the Easter socirce of the Bigfully. We have never had the head of it except on te first day when perhaps some of our vew reached it before falling back on te trenches 4 X4 the posites after monests attelk 18 was Our brudge Turks T. The posite today as our men fell back was, We cd see the Tarks trowing up earth as they day on the plateau at X & our own men digging at V. The Parks were sd to be sast on the Edge of the ridge beside them. Monash seeoned to me a little shaken. He was taking of disaste
1212:0 mercer Dealo Nelon In noter 2scop S Challan Sonl RAE1 te et R. Manis 8 te A2 E prst or w wt t idst s pse xi6v M 5 and said our men would certainly have to retirn from the part of the new ground which they still helt. Then the Tarks ad get a maching gun on the head of the vally & make the gully antenable. I'm sure I cant see whey they shd. The only reason may be that tey have been there since the aprnoon of the first Sunday & Monday - 7 days, without relief. Monash had been wiping the takeng of this ridge ever since Tuesday. It was planned for Sunday & I think saty also - & put off May we tried to put the work of an Army Corps outs me he sd yesty. He had only two boo & the N3. people on his left, who were foi for the mai hill but failed. The same night the Turks managed (ace to one a/) to get one of the marine battations to advance. I charged & punda Tubert Frech unoccupied. This secmed a good place to hold so it stayed there. In the dawn two maching was opened on it, one from each end of the trench. That is the story. I don't know if its true. fellows on Friday nightsone RML1 in are of the trenches held by the got very nervous. The colonel - Bessell or some sach name, & Col. McNishot (of our SDodae coming along a communiist trech when they shot them & afterwoo bayoneted them by mistake for Turks. Their colonal was killed but, M Nichol fortunately, after coming to the beach for a dreasing was able to As I write a trewendous bombardment is gaig ore I fear up our orlly, bubit may be at Cape Helles. (It must be at Welles. The firs shake the duglout - but out in the dir I cannot hear run There is also a continuous roar of riftes The Hold parties came ashore tomylt as reinforce The turks admit they have lost v heavily one chap sd his coyws practically all gone. Our older troops are now v. Steady in firigg & can act on their own. One bn. of NE. has be witout wal & food as it co not be reached. It is to be relieved tonight. I hear that on Tursday the ships wh landed us -abt cpucet off To of them, went of rorkwards & arrived about daylt Enos. In the morning, escorted by the Santys & Dartmonk, Esk & Ribble, they pretended to be about to land. Brevn After a time they put of again & steamed further East. In the after noon they put in again to some place ftrlest & as there was no apposition they actually landed a few oen there. They took them of again atter diesk. That night the steamd to the head of the fulf of Saros & on Tursday made a pretended landing there. Three boats were filled with men & towed in by a destioyer. They were fairly close in when they were shelled from o battery on the hillside. They ad see what looked like gun positions & the flast of guas up on the hill but the neval people seemed to think that these were false flashes & that te realjuns were believ the hills.soon as g the shrapnel fell - within abt 40 yds - tey turned & made for all they were work back to the ships. A destroyer parker out was playing abt with a strug of 9 boats all full of men, pretending to make for land The wew were from te hold parties. They The ships (there were only abl a dozen this me) picked them up returned to us. They called the Dartmouth Tabby ? on a/ of the carious patches of pant on her side. From the ships the bombardment of the beach on Monday te first tooked fightful. They had a good view of sundays procedigs. In particular they notices a beap of deador woundedalong the beach near Lisherman's Hut. When the landi
Kaba Tipe. Night of May 3-4. 100 men of 11th s and may ave tob w C. 6AMCo Capt - of Mot. Act. 3.30. taken in by of N 2 o attending. 5 boats rown into weach at 4.30 odaylight. As tuched shore Alfle & m.g. fire opened 6 man wounded in y Rockliffs. 4K.& I wounde on beach. Rushd cnlamt to cover under clif. Were we half way up hill above. It ws very stif thick stuff w barb ever inch. Wd take 1/2 hrs to cut. Abouit truck with 1m.9. 1layer autonati jun Aptis 3/ he signaller to of that cdal get out. The wire on beach had on cnt to allow of retreat but adnocros exposed boach. NG. opened at once if toled. Signalled to of & at once two pis w 3 bots in eash dasked in. Destroyers kept up fiens fire on crest & dit us soft that cd scarcely have seen what ws joig on. By sone to nady were splendid so the Doctor who lott me. They brought boats riglt up to beach. Turks didnt pre at all whilet wounded were being put in. Te men jot in croached down o the were towed of only I were hit in process. Sev. of Navy were bit bringing them to shore. A together - so far as I know- A N.10w + a few missy - perh. bit in water. It seems as if this posite ought to have be attacked same night as N.Z. attack the point to Nork. Leent? Two parties of the 6th under Rubibott went alon the coast to cut the were on the beach. They ditl & lost I man. S Ronbolt told me: we started at S. & wentaloy shore. Didnt cat wire till 6.30 – it ws to be same time as landing. Were was casy crough to cut. They saw our party or to onbeach, but except for one shraphel they sd to be all receive no attention from in port - all from Ko Tope. The trind on H. Tipe ran abt help way across the peart-shell shaped hollow. There seme to be abt o me in it at first, but quicky reniforcet to abt 50. The party along beach shot one kin - saw him rot down hellite, aa second thret up his hands + his rifle. When bosts came in to take party off R's party was rate left. Lane jase his men choiss of al way the ad retirn & abt 5 came along beach - rest retured in boats. R. weetclong beach to where 11t were I searched for wounded was sure nose were left, but two mast have been in serab bec. found by Redlross party later. Rob. they thought our men secreting for then were wrks. see also opp. p. 10 was well esteblishe + things had settled down they saw two stretcher bearers start out from our left (Capt. Kane's dressing station) with a stretcher. They reached the crowd of wounded, picked one man up, put him in the stretches & turned homewards. Presently they began to run. Tir must have been opened on them. nthe Then they put down the stretchek& changed ends, & started to run again. Then quite saddinly bok fell down. (They bay there till night. A maxio, I think, in the fully there had got them. One as killed & one mortally wounded). Yesterday one officer sd to me. Dow forget the stretcher bearers; by got tyr great, The ships shelled Fisherman's but near wh this happened (I am told it had previousl been rushed by some of our men from the 3 boats along the beach. Lots of men during that first morning must have got to positrs for be youd our present lines stayed here, Some of 2nd Brigade got outs Ridge 400 & outs ridge 224S -I believe into a tuakish gun emplacement there & han on till after dark. A tark came running th0 - tey just saw his bayonet plean in he moonlight outsicle as be entered it. Then one of them "collected him this is true unless the officer telling it was too shaken, & was romaining Sometimes tis is the effect of the heavy strain of these or four days of steepless fighting such as we went trough. Col. Giblin sd to me last) night I am convinced that the stones brought down by the wounded are absolutel volueless as evidence.? It certainly is so with staken officers. On officer a the 3od, a hardy man too, had te ide that suipers were in the trench all around him. He had several butlets or shrapnel scraps thro' his clothing & his face was scaned all over wit splinters or scrub. He sd be bad seen the ferman officers in green with their swords at the carry going along the Turkesh kind poodding up the men. Next minute be st he hadnt seen an officer at all). well to return – the Ships shellet Dishernans Hut the first day you adsee men bolting from it for rather they cosee them from the St Blaney? I on one walk up the gally to the 15t14 Bdes. had a very unconfortable time with Turkish Strapnel. t the moment we turned over the neck of the Battery knolt at S. ead of beach t shrapel case flew very low over our heads. The way up te gulle is along the sandy winding creek bed which mns down it. Walter comes down this in driblets was most usepul the first day; but it is too filtly for words now. In parts he creek bed has been churned into then flat yellow mad ankle deep. An Indianbattery is in he middle camped on the back of the hill as the lover end of the jully; and dead mules (probebly water carriers) he
I dont quite know what date - but 2 plations of marmes rdagans made temselves one of their shallow truches near Tahsonapost. in post of our presnt line - stried t connect up with their lefby a the g brench across fully (w I were now) + got cat off. Two plations Juns.4 of the 3rd Bn. (onmeday 415) went to their revene & staged to them A8houes until the 6t Bn cuta sap thro' to them. In another portion of trench 3 men of te 30d stayed to them 68 hours rather then leave some wounded men. The 4th Bn was thanked for this by the gew cound the Marine Bde (fen Frott man). Therewere tarks in I same truck as to in wh these wounded men were - only further along it (Occ. to Col. Owen). fourorive of them right in the watercourse. A pipe line leads up the gully to a dan labelled Reserve of water. This holds a muddy yellow liquid.- allnight boiled, ns doubt Above this, fair in the streem, is a dead mule. Several dead men lie on the side of the creek – I dont know if they are tarks or our men - possibly Turkish suipers who have been beyoneted They are in our aniform but it is hasd to tell from that of the tarks. The smell of the dead aninals in this valley is very bad in parts. About 4 mile up it the patt splits & we took the right hand one to reach pen. Walkers N.Q. H runs between 5 small hills of a small ridge which divides the valley (a sort of mnor subsidiary partition between the two main spurs of the main ridge). Some funs of ours were on top of the southern hill; & as we came up the enemp shell was trying to find them. It ws doopply short & jast for the moment the bodom of that passage was a very hot place. Two is together persussion shell diopped there when we were within 100 fleek yards of it & threw up dense little geysers of wark & smoke when we passed the place we ad see the spatter of the Explosion Shapnel cases are lying everywhere in that fully. We vent on, pastmen t carrying up water trus, I Indians with males blocking the patk - males always do block the pat. Blawc who was in Judie for a couple of years gave them a dressay down in Hindustani, but it didnt seem to do much We found few Walker not far from Maclagans old place, -a little further down, in his shirtsteeves & gold laned cap. He had had very little shep but always anis fellow. He is constantly in & out of the live. There was only his extreme left that he was uncertain of. There Col. Dobbin of the st was a little separatet fom him, and he wast quite sare how the trenches san. We went down to find out for him. We went up & found monash & Mr Clyan with the mai gully again Geu Trolman aho had now taken commend as his Bns. were senbap meneto razi to reinforce. The ran Bryade t a secued to be still in support. The 16th & other bits of the Ct Brig. were gradually coming down of
O.E. P) hit in t X 6. warghite. May 4,11.10 Daplane. vT ovr fet to warspits. 11.30 96 7 7 the furter heights. Monash & M Clym gave me the acct. I have written above &B.&I then almibe the hill on the further side of the st gully to where the Bt were - a sifn aller guiding us. I must day the view up the vally from Monashte H.A. was an object tesson in covering fire. Adowr communicates at precent run up that jully - or practically all. Across the end of it is a flat ridge sunning obligeel like the roof of a penthouse, slight by dippiny to the right. The Turks are on this in twos P3s, & have been creeping across the jully to t lef of it & up onto the edge of the ridge to te left in port of it, and yet a we hardly pt a shot down there. Our naching gans + rifle fire was making the N AIA tarks keep theis heads down & it was two riske for them to come over the Ede I shoot down the vally. All they aldo was MH to fire from behind cover at the Skyline. t the first bu were improving their trenches for all they were work with sandbags & deepeni them. He ie nor little communication path, alot to m bonk The back of the hill is cut sheer away in a steep loose sandy slope. that Along the top, just below the crest runs a little narrow pak; walking along it sonetimes you have to take the utmost care not to fall. From it every now and then there runs into the top of the bill a nerrow communication trench about 5 or 6 foot deep; & from these earth was being shovelled as if from an autheap. On the reverse stope, day into the side of the cliff were officers & men's duonts where the Cooks were at work, & the signallers, the requientat H.A. & some supports. On top of the beck in a nick in the surfact was to maching jun with two men working it, crowned up into the hole. I went along into one et 1 pitin of the truches. men were M M shovelling earkh out of tam the comman icatir 25 trunches & in aboat 10 yards I came ito the firing line. They C2 6 were building up a g Wophole to get at ip 6y 3 snipers. Sandbags were Also pd an yt being piled on top of the stig parapet. A corporal had
his periscope up searching the country in post & I did the same It was a flet heatt land - tere were though it, but we looking across the tops of them cd scarcely tell that hey Existed - the country seened a platean. It was covered with low scrub, + small bushes. T Away some distance across the top of it was a low while object - perhaps a fam. O Wearer in, quite close under the truck I could see t a score or two of pretty white flowers - white with a yellow centre rakes like a wild rose or a very larp strawberry in the semb thity yards in pont of the trench. Surtter out ron a white line - like a path. through the bask. Wearss was another pak- or line of new day eark. I knew what they were. They were Tuebin trunche. there was one quite close to us, a deserted degjing of about 3f deep a little in port of our own trunches. I saw one the other day abt 30 yd0 in pont of the 6k or 7R - the end of it comes out near the Edg of a jully & there were haffa dozen dead turks by in arrund it - some with white clothes wsapped round them, others in Baki – just outside the ead of it. The gally here comes up to within Doyds of our trench & sayiers were lying here & there in it, shot by our men) The Corpl, who was searching thro his periscope 5dl." I cant make out that begar there - I think he must be dead of Undor the bushes just down the Edge of the nearest fully was a brown object byig perfectly still. Better give an one to make sure, hedd. One of the men (Bill by mane) got up & sd Il have apat him He stood up & peered through the Coophole. rook out, Bill, youd better have some head cover said the Corpl. Therre coming in there fast. We had two fellow caught tis morning just where you are, led better but a little r sand on there. To they pilit on another sand beg to make the back of Bitls head safe: He peered through thes Sandhole. By gove + thats pretty good, 3d Bill instantly. A bullet had struck the Edge of the loop habe (I simply had to have an hours sleep when I got to this soint in t divry. I fellasleep So many times triting it) "Hats the begar; said Bill - nearly ptoe that tod. H you stand will your head as near

AWM 38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian,

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/7/1

Title: Diary, May 1915
Includes reference to Sir John Monash's
account of 2 May action.
 

 

DIARY.7.
Original
AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 7 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914-1918
The use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to The Australian War Memorial. But, apart from those terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was the in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half asleep;
also, not infrequently, what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.
These records should, therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing, believed. Further, he cannot, of course, vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sept., 1946.   AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL                   C. E. W. BEAN.
                                     ACCESS STATUS
                                            OPEN
 

 

A. CLEMENTS,
BOOKSELLER, STATIONER,
& TOBACCONIST,
429 BOURKE STREET,
SYDNEY.
Staff Sergt Major Coghiel, M,G
Dusk Staff
C.M.F.
212.
Several men and engnrs were sent down but
no one reached Brigade H.Q. - all were shot.
No instructions from anyone.
Col. Burrage at 3o'c in afternoon went down
himself to Bde H.Q. & they decided the best
thing was to abandon / position.
We carried away all / wounded
w ammunition
rifles,
equipment.
Then sent
away
supports,
then centre 0f firing,
last the left.
right. Firing
line kept up a
lot covering
fire on Tanks.
wounded were pt away & only
1 man ws wounded in doing so.
& he ws brt in. We want back to Popes Hill.
Col. Barrage with his signal
staff led / way wh made a lot of difference
to / men. He had 6 scouts w him to
help pick up / line in / dark.
The Nelsons came up in / dusk, but
/ marines not till 8am.
An officer of the Chathams
told Maj. Durrant he wd like some
of our men to [[stiffen?]] them. "I dont
think our men will stay if these
bombs are thrown at them", he
said, "but they will if 12 of your
men are up w them.

Monash's attack on May 2.
Maj. Durrant gave me follg acct:
16th were to go up gully post 9 mins T
then to right
13th to go up same gully just after them
then to left.
N.Z. Past Popes thro other gully.
N.Z. to line on 700; 13th next. 16th
to front of Quinns.
[Diagram – see original]
Came up in single file. Took Dead mans Ridge. ^Halted - Sight 2 lines of trenches. Had to
 get between N.Z. & 16th. Halted - found N.Z. There were 500 men ^ie - 3 coys of bn. Had abt
250 yds of front. Had with us party of N.Z. Engrs under Segt Wallace. Supports were
on Dead mans ridge; firing line abt 50 yds N.E. of ridge. Then started to dig.
Dug 2 lines of trenches with 4 Communicatn trenches between. The trenches wsere
abt 5 ft deep & there ws 56 yds betw.
the supports firing trench. A valley
separated us from left of 16th. (Sixteen K
say they never got in touch.

[Diagram – see original]
In morning we came under machine gun x rifles - also shrapnel. -
16th were also shelled - thought some were own guns - Most demoralising effect.
They came away. Otago bn also left their positn. Before dawn Nelsons
arrived. Evidently strayed there by mistake. We stowed some in our firing line - Some
were left in little gully between Deadmans Ridge & Popes Hill. They were same
Eno' but had no confidence & started firing on our digging party. At day break
some o / naval fellows in our trenches bolted & some of their officers told
our men to retire also. But all our men who went down in / rush
came back again under fire. The Australians esp the 13th cheered them.
When Otago went we had enemy on both flanks but we had dug in v.well
Had 200 casualties & went on digging - telephone wire ws cut.

1
For Bulair see Sept 29.
May 3rd. Diary betwee Ap.25 & May3
kept in form of notes (mostly written at night
without a light) in Black pocket book &
Bluegrey note book.
To day at 11.45 some guns (perh. 4 Goeben
but I think 2 Goeben & 2 Howitzer) got
range of fleet wh they had nearly obtained in
morning. Goebens 3ed shot got after bridge of
a collier. There ws tremendous patch of flame.
All nearer transports have since moved.
Clearly this shooting was well observed. Increased range.
I got my first 2 cables away today - handed
to Villers Stuart who will transfer it to Quinn
for sending on to Arcadian. Thats the best I can
do. Maxwell kindly promised to send it on from
thre to one of the Gk. govt telegraph stations to
which I now have leave to send un-prepared messages.
I hear that the attack on Kaba Tepe was
not made yesty afternoon after all.

[*2/3 May 1915.
4th Bde.*]
Monash gave me what he believed to be a full
account of the attack on the platoon at the head of
the gully made held by his men last night.
At 6.35 the 16th Bn started to move up valley
By 6.40 the positions occupied by Col, Barrage (13th)
& Capt Quinn (15th) began rifle fire against the crest
to cover the attack, & also beyond the crest of the wooded
hill. At 7p.m. the naval guns & our own started a
 

 

16th Bn - CO: says, then The Turks counter attacked during / night but were
repulsed by the bayonet.
1. Coy of Nelson Bn supported.
16th didnt know where the 13th were - the left of 16th ws suffering.
At 4am the commanding officer of the Portsmouth Bn reported that he had bn
ordered to support. Maj. Tilney ws sent back ^RMLI to show him / way. The
CO. 16th asked that 50 or 100 shd support his right - / rest support his left. Half an
hour later Maj. Tilney returned & sd tt / C.O. of Portsmouth Bn. had not conformed
as his orders were simply to form a support & not the firing line; tt there ws no
accomodatn for additional troops in firing line. The CO. of the 16th then went down
himself & repeated the instructions but the C.O. Portsmouth Bn. demurred
Finally he agreed on special conditions & accepting no responsibility.
But at this moment several shells burst over & in / trenches blowing
their occupants out. The Portsmouth Bn. stampeded. Maj. Tilney
& Maj. Festian (Bde. Maj. [[R. M. ??]]) stopped & rallied them. The 16th
however were coming back. By 1p.m. the trenches had bn vacated &
at 6p.m. the 16th moved into next camp. They had left. Officers 9

                                                                                                        O.R.    298
                                                                                                                    307.
Their losses were 8 officers, 330 men.
L.Corpl P. Black ws shot thro hand 1st day, & aftwds thro ear but continued to
work machine gun. He Took the gun out on this occasion, fired off all his ammunition
& got the gun back.
[Diagram – see original] dugout dug by
us the first day
now just on
edge of quinns

The 16 in the morning was fired on
& was coming down - men
were rolling down all that
day, but / Turks were not in
/ trench for a couple of days - indeed
oneman ws there two days.
The RMLI. first tried to go up to the 16th but a machine gun from
Walkers caught them near the top; they then tried to go up
Dead mans Ridge but a m.g. from opp. Courtneys caught him
there & hence its name. The bodies lay there until a marine
went up one night & pushed them down.
The trench in wh the 16th were ws a Turk trench not
5 yds in from / top of / gully N of Quinns. ^Captn Jess went up in /
morning & tried w a Naval officer to lead the RMLI up. As he got up near / top
o / hill a maxim near Walkers Ridge got after him. He
looked round & found he ws alone - / others were not
following him - so he got round to Quinns. Then
he tried to get the R.M.L.I. officers to dig a
short communication trench across the exposed bit -
only abt 15 feet of it ab / cliff top - but cdn't
get them to dig
so. The place wd
have bn held if supports
cd have gpt in - x it cd have bn done in an hour.
[Diagram – see original]

1st Nav Brigade
Deal       }
Nelson   }
R Marine Brigade
Chatham     }  Gen Trot team
xxxxxxxxx     }
?position.

2
tremendous bombardment.
At 7.10 machine guns & rifles joined in - the 16th now
ascending the hill (7.16) The Otago Bn ought to have been on
their left. But it mistook an order for 7o'c. for an order
for 9o'c. or else the road up the gully was too long. Anyway it was
¾ hr. late.
At 7.30 four or 5 shells (wh Monash thought to be ours)
burst on the crest occupied by the 15th Bn.
At 7.48 a heavy cheer from the hill top & at 8 the report
reached Monash's H.B. that the 16th were on top of the gully. There
was a lot fire but the 16th advanced singing "Australia
will be there" & Tipperary". (The Hill was 224 C.9 & it ws taken by
the 13th & 16th but without support)
At 8.10. more cheering indicated that hill had bn taken.
Otago Bn was no moving slowly up. Monash put n
/ coy of 16th to support it.
They hung on till daybreak 600 yds in advance of
previous positn At abt 3 o'c. two bns of marine infantry
which were to support them, arrived. These waited in the
valley till 5 when it ws too late to put them in to the trenches
The Australians however had dug in & cd probably have
held on. They had only 70 shovels to the Bn & cd not
get more until 100 arrived at daybreak. The Bns
had actually reached the 1st line of Turkish trenches had bn
taken. They Turks kept up fire all night but did not charge -
only creeping up firing. We dug in as best we cd
under fire. At 4.am Col Monash ws discussing a
move ahead as ws getting 2 Bns of RMLI. Just

 

 

[Shorthand]
2500. 2750
Rockcliff / & 4 [shorthand]
On Tues. [[?]] went off.
Wed. I have [[attended?]] Eno5. Aft. Landed to E of it. Distn &
3 boats
Thurs. steamed into head of G. of Saros.
& 3 boats landed in shore
& [[?]]

Distr to & (shorthand)
Amethyst
Dartmouth
Ribble & Co K (rabbby)
Dis tr.
shrapnel from across
[shorthand}. Cleared out
[shorthand].
Bombardment looked
from [shorthand] &
saw 2 men w stretchers on
sand. Go along to pick up
wounded from strip on beach.
Picked up & returned when fired on. 7am. Changed Plans.
Ran on again - Then both
[shorthand] at once. Prob. maximum.
Ships shelled Fish Hut
see men [shorthand].
Map f beach ws drawn.
Plomp of bullets
into [shorthand]
Wireless unused owing orders to cease fire.
RMLI [shorthand] Frid shot ^& killed own Col. by mistake
for Turk & wounded McNicol.
Snipers among spacing Howers
Top being chipped of parapet. Adjusting loophole
Landing at Hellers. River Clyde.
[Diagram – see original]
Siqil Bahr
Barbed wire etc.

[Diagram – see original]
Periscope
Smelly gully. Shells [shorthand]
Enemys retaliating & prisoners near Kaba Tipe
Think [shorthand] close at Battery & TL. into trenches
Men [shorthand] all yesty thro Anaforte.

[Diagram – see original]
Map of firing trenches at
time of Monash's attack.
Sund May 2. 1915.

Plan as I saw it next day Mon May 3.
[Diagram – see original]
These trenches being gtly improved
Precipitous slope
in rear.

Artillery officers & camp of 4 tents. [shorthand]. Our men
[shorthand] 1st day. [shorthand] beyond. Draw [shorthand] sitting in front.

3
then at 5.15 (acc to Monash) whole of our artillery
opened on ridge held by our men. They got in 3. eight pds
shells & 5 mtn. guns shells - wh burst right in trenches
& blew men into air. (close inquiries have been made into
this & Col White tells me Monash is wrong. The guns
were guns of the enemy behind his right flank.)
The whole face of the cliff ^nearer hill - was covered with bushes
is today bare & along the top of it our dead can be seen
lying like ants shrivelled up or curled up, some still hanging their
rifles - about a dozen of them. The face of the further plateau is
also edged with our dead. Monash at first took it that these
shells were Turkish. But Presently the mountain battery officer who was
observing said "I believe those are mountain gun shells". That seems
to have settled Monash in this impression. As a matter of fact there
is a battery of small Turkish guns which I saw myself today on the
ridge opposite Col. Rosenthal's battery making very fair shooting.
These shells burst right in the trenches the 16th had dug & lifted the side
of hill off. (The 5 mtn batter shells were a little earlier). Our men
cd be seen rolling down the side of the hill at once. Part of the
line near this fell back. The R.M.L.I under Gen. Trottman
(and ^R. Marine Brigade) arrived ashen it ws broad daylight much too late
to be put into the trenches. They had reached the valley below at abt 3.30.
When Blamey & I went up this afternoon we found Monash's
men still hanging onto part of the rods  ridge to the left which
we had won, but not to the plateau. The place is the head of the
Eastern Source of The Big Gully. We have never had the head of it
except on the first day when perhaps some of our men reached it before
falling back on the trenches.


Our trenches A
Turks T.                         [Diagram – see original]

The position after
Monash's attack
was                                  [Diagram – see original]

The position today as our men fell back was [Diagram – see original]
We cd see the Turks throwing up Earth as
they dug on the plateau at X
^ our own men digging at Y. The Turks were sd to
be just on the edge of the ridge beside them. Monash
seemed to me a little shaken. He was talking of "disaster"

 

 

131R. [shorthand]
Deal & Nelson }Mercer.
                             from Motor [shorthand] gen Corps. 
R. Marine     Chatam            }  R.M.L.I.
[shorthand] Portsmmouth}  Trottman.

Gunman Aero goes out
aft the balloon. Balloon spotted
brigade of [shorthand] against Brit spent
Q.2. onto them - from litter on ground
[shorthand] all wiped out.
Adrianople A.C. here.
Think [shorthand], land at K.Tepe.
Q.3. Outer [shorthand? transport?] in 3 hits.
Can see Goeben.
Ball. ws hit by piece of shell.
One gm. gun tried to get her but
 she steamed in w 12 pds & ousted it
in 10 shots.
We often [shorthand] had to go way.
Col. Brand of 2nd.
 [?guiper? shorthand]
Hover to
bayonet
[shorthand]
As if someone
batting
[shorthand]
Men [?bu?]
into side
of hill
Some [shorthand]
Howitzer [shorthand]
I can hear his shell enemy now
& then like an escaping steam
without the burst. First short
fell in the water. Since
[shorthand].
_________________________________________________________________
and said our men would certainly have to retire from the
part of the new ground which they still held. Then the Turks
wd get a machine gun on the head of the valley & make the
gully untenable. I'm sure I cant see why they shd. The only
reason may be that they have been there since the afternoon of
the first Sunday & Monday - 7 days, without relief. Monash
had been urging the taking of the ridge ever since Tuesday. It
was planned for Sunday & I think Saty also - & put off. "They've
tried to put the work of an Army Corps onto me" he sd yesty.
He had only two bns & the N.3. people on his left, who were going for
the main hill but failed.
The same night the Turks managed (acc. to one a/c) to get one
of the marine battalions to advance. It charged & found a Turkish
trench unoccupied. This seemd a good place to hold so it stayed
there. In the dawn two machine guns opened on it, one from
each end of the etrench. That is the story. I dont know if its ture.
On Friday night some RMLI xxxxxx fellows in one of the trenches
held by them got very nervous. The colonel - Bessell or some such
name, & Col. McNichol (of our 6th) were coming along a communication
trench when they shot them & afterwds bayoneted them by mistake
for Turks. This Colonel was killed but McNichol fortunately, after
coming to the beach for a dressing was able to return.

4
As I write a tremendous bombardment is going on
- I fear up our ^big gully, Gubit and coy be at Cape Helles.
(It must be at Helles. The funs shake the dug out - but out in the air I cannot hear them)
There is also a continuous roar of rifles
The Hold parties came ashore tonight as rein/ or casualts.
The Turks admit they have lost v.heavily. One chap
sd his coy ws practically all gone. Our older troops
are now v.steady in firing & can act on their
own. One bn. of N.Z. has bn witout water &
food as it cd not be reached - It is to be
relieved tonight.
I hear that on Tuesday the ships wh landed us - abt
30 of them, went off northwards & arrived ab out daylight sunset off
Enos. In the morning, [??16??] costed by the Amethyst & Dartmouth, Esk &

Ribble, they pretended to be about to land. Risen After a time they
put off again & steamed further East. In the afternoon they put
in again to someplace further East and as there was no opposition
they actually landed a few men there. They took them off again
after dusk. That night the steamed to the head of the Gulf of Saros
& on Thursday made a pretended landing there. Three boats
were filled with men & towed in by a destroyer. They were
fairly close in when they were shelled from the battery on the
hillside. They cd see what looked like gun positions
& the flash of guns up on the hill but the naval people seemed
to think that these were false flashes & that the real guns
were behind the hills. As soon as they close the shrapnel fell - within
abt 40 yds - they turned & made for all they were worth back
to the ships. A destroyer further out was playing abt with a
string of 9 boats all full of men, pretending to make for land.
They w The men were from the hold parties. They then The ships
(there were only abt a dozen this time) picked them up, returned 
to us. They called the Dartmouth "Tabby" on a/c of the curious
patches of print on her side.
From the ships the bombardment of the beach on Monday
looked frightful. They had a good view of ^the first Sundays proceedings.
In particular they noticed a heap of dead or wounded along
the beach near Fisherman's Hut. xxxxxxx When the landing

 

 

Kaba Tepe. Night of May 3-4.
100 men of 11th [shorthand] under Maj. Liane ]shorthand]. 6 AMC & Capt - of XIth.
Left 3.30. Taken in by [shorthand] w 2 [shorthand] attending. 5 boats rowed into beach
at 4.30 [shorthand? just?] As launched shore rifle & m.g. fire opened. 6 men
wounded in [shorthand] Lt Rockliffe. 4 K. & 8 wounded on beach. Rushed
inland to cover under cliff. Wire ws half way up hill above.
It ws very stiff thick stuff w barb every inch. Wd take 1½ hrs to cut.
Above it trench with 1 m.g. & 1 larger automatic gun.
After ¾ hr signalled to [shorthand] that cdn't get out. The wire on beach
had bn cut to allow of retreat but cdnt cross exposed beach. M.G.
opened at once if tried. Signalled to [shorthand] & at once two pinnaces
w 3 boats in each docked in. Destroyers kept up fierce fire on
crest & dust ws so gt that ^Turks cd scarcely have seen what ws going on.
"By Jove the Navy were Splendid" so the Doctor who told me.
They brought boats right up to the beach. Turks didn't fire at all whilst
wounded were being put in. The men got in crouched down & then
went for were towed off. Only 3 were hit in process. Sev. of Navy
were hit bringing them to shore. Altogether - so far as I know - 4 K. 14 W.
& a few missing - perh. hit in water. It seems as if this
position ought to have bn attacked same night as N.Z. attacked
the point to North.
Two positions of the 10th under Leut? Rumbolt went along
the coast to ele cut the wire on the beach. They did & lost 1
man. The
Rumbolt told me : we started at 3. & went along shore.
xxxxx Didnt cut wire till 4.30 - it ws to be same time as
landing. Wire was easy enough to cut. When They saw our party
on beach, but except for one ^or two shrapnel they seemed to be all 
received no attention from in front - all K. Tepe. The trench
on K. Tepe ran abt halfway across the pearl-shell shaped
hollow. There seemed to be abt 9 men in it at first, but
quickly reinforced to abt 50. The party along beach shot one of
them - saw him roll down xxx hillside, & a second threw up
his hands & his rifle. When boats came in to take party off
R's party was rather left. Leane gave his men choice of wh way they
wd retire & abt 5 came along beach - rest retired in boats.
R. went along beach to where 11th were & searched for wounded.
Was sure none were left, but two must have been in scrub bec.
found by Red Cross party later. Prob, they thought our men
searching for them were Turks.
See also opp.

5
was well established & things had settled doen they saw two stretcher
bearers start out from our left (Capt. Kane's dressing station) with a
stretcher. They reached the crowd of wounded ?, picked one man up, put him
in the stretcher & turned homewards. Presently they began to run. Fire must
have been opened on them. One of them Then they put down the stretcher &
changed ends, & started to run again. Then quite suddenly both fell
down. (They lay there till night. A maxim, I think, in the gully there had
got them. One ws killed & one mortally wounded).
(Yesterday one officer sd to me: "Dont forget the stretcher bearers; by
God they're great.")
The ships shelled Fisherman's Hut near wh this happened (I am
told it had previously been rushed by some of our men from the
3 boats along the beach. Lots of men during that first morning
must have got to positions far beyond our present lines &
stayed there. Some of 2nd Brigade got onto Ridge 400 & onto ridge 224S
(- I believe into a Turkish gun implacement there & hung on till after
dark. A Turk came running thro - they just saw his bayonet gleam in
the moonlight outside as he entered it. Then one of them "collected" him }
This is true unless the officer telling it was too shaken, & was romancing }
Sometimes this is the effect of the heavy strain of three or four days of }
sleepless fighting such as we went through. Col. Gibbin sd to me last }
night "I am convinced that the stones brought down by the
wounded are absolutely valueless as evidence". It certainly is
so with shaken officers. One officer in the 3rd, a hardy man too, had
several bullets or shrapnel scraps thro' his clothing & his face
was scarred all over ^either with splinters or scrub. He sd he had seen the
German officers in green with their swords at the carry going along the
Turkish line prodding up the men. Next minute he sd he hadnt
seen an officer at all).
Well to return - the ships shelled Fishermans Hut the first day
& you cd see men bolting from it (or rather they cd see them from the ships).
Blamey & I on our walk up the gully to the 1st & 4 Bdes.
had a very uncomfortable time with Turkish shrapnel.
Then The moment we turned over the neck of the Battery Knoll at S, end of
beach a shrapnel began to fly case flew very low over our heads.
The way up the gully is along the sandy, winding creek bed which
runs down it. Water has been comes down this in driblets & 
was most useful the first day; but it is too filthy for words
now. In parts the creek bed has been churned into thin             
flat yellow mud ankle deep. An Indian battery is
camped on the back of the hill over so ^in the middle of the lower end of the 
gully; and dead mules (probably water carriers) lie

 

 

I dont quite know what date - but 2 platoons of marines
made themselves on of their shallow trenches near Jackman's post. Maclagans HQ.
- in front of our present line - & tried to connect up with their [??] by a 
trench across / gully (w / gap were, now) & got cut off. Two platoons
of the 3rd Bn. (some say 4th) went to their reserve & stayed w them
48 hours until the 4th Bn cut a sap thro' to them. In another
portion of trench 3 men of the 3rd stayed w them 48 hours rather
than have some wounded men. The 4th Bn was thanked for
this by the gen. commdg the marine Bde (gen Trottman).
There were Turks in the same trench as tt in wh these wounded
men were - only further along it (acc. to Col. Owen).

6
three or four or five of them right in the water course. A pipe
line leads up the gully to a dam labelled "Reserve of water."
This holds a muddy yellow liquid. - all right boiled, no doubt
Above this, fair in the stream, is a dead mule. Several dead
men lie on the side of the creek - I dont know if they are Turks
or our men - possibly Turkish snipers who have been bayoneted.
They are in our uniform but it is hard to tell from that of the
Turks. The smell of the dead animals in this valley is
very bad in parts. About ½ mile up it the path splits & we took
the right hand one to reach Gen. Walkers H.Q. It runs between
to small sub hills of a small ridge which divides the valley
(a sort of minor subsidiary partition between the two main spurs
of the main ridge). Some guns of ours were on top of the
Southern hill; & as we came up the enemys shell was trhing
to find them. It ws dropping short & just for the moment the
bottom of that passage was a very hot place. Two xxxxxxxxxxx 
percussion shell dropped there ^together, then we were within 100
yards of it & threw up dense little geysers of earth & ^black smoke.
When we passed the place we cd see the spatter of the Explosion.
Shrapnel cases are lying everywhere in that gully. We
went on, past men xx carrying up water tins, & Indians with
mules blocking the path - mules always do block the path.
Blamey seem who was in India for a couple of years
gave them a dressing down in Hindustani, but it didnt
seem to do much.
We found Gen Walker not far from Maclagans old place,
- a little further down, in his shirtsleeves & fold laced cap. He
had had very little sleep but xxx is always a nice fellow. He is
constantly in & out of the line. There was only his extreme left
that he was uncertain of. There Col. Dobbin of the 1st was a little
separated from him but was and he wasn't quite sure how the
trenches ran. We went down to find out for him. We went up
the main gully again & found Monash & McGlynn with
Gen. Trottman (who had now taken
command as his Bns. were sent up
to reinforce. The Naval Marine Brigade
seemed to be still in support. The
16th & other bits of the 4th Brig.
were gradually coming down off
[Diagram – see original]

 

 

Q.E. [shorthand] hit in [shorthand]
[shorthand]
[shorthand] warspite.
May 4. 11.10 Aeroplane
[shorthand] over fleet
to Warspite.
11.30 QE [shorthand]

7
the further heights. Monash & McGlynn gave me the acct. I have
written above & B. & I then climbed the hill on the further side of the
stream gully to where the 1st were - a signaller guiding us.
I must say the view up the teams






 

 

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