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

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
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

have shol of Mas. Hughes 2 gun - taken on its barred. A10 No Sgun broken wheeh & I think firing at green field. Maj. Phillips. No sgun we the first dours a shore - on day Evg. Nest day Hughes Battery. They were dayfed up over semb to righ -terrible job but had to be done & put right into firng line. Haring End or 3od nights tarks got up & were found dead with wire clippers within 10 yards of their fars. They used to be habed with rifle & mg fire (No3gan wriht in 1live capiladin the port of it (see txopp)] but T gun did not get onto them properly for some days. They used to lay this gun on at night & have a man sitting with his fhand on the firing lever all the time. The infanty wd pass te word down when they wanted gan to fire & it wd be fired io fuse sometimes at Zero an if w shot gun. Had to be c areful not to blow a hole in our own ling t have pt thro. It ws alt this time (May 3 or pers. 4) that Gen Bridges wanterd the to have be tark trushes offoth way opp. Bessell Brown (6ater Lons Feng shot at this edat be done without draypy gan into pirig lin, palling down sand bogs, & fiig point blank at att Googds. Ol Hobbs as opposed to it. Bidges forced him to try it. It us done one day - the t5 not suspecting if tr it pass without pavishment. He pen. insistet on it being done again next day. At Hobbs sd it wd mean the loss of gans crew. Bridges proctically told him he as apaid. HobboodI men wereat apaid & ad to anytit as wanted of them - & it tool place. The gua we draget folod, 1 sandbags taken down, I crew lay flat & 15 rounds were fined under a tomado of fire & gun run back. Not a man. I believe was hil. This was pot. pure luck - the men were taken a by risk. a litty after one of Topps guas a this time ws in a casenate - looking S.E. F window on S. slope of 400 near Me Nicolls Ad H.G. but its are we only abt 15 degrees + it us eventually (abl may 20?) taken out. We were not good at concealing our funs at pirst - infact ts N.T. gunsare far now carefully concealed ours to this day, (June 15) Rough Positn of guns of w auslvater A e Satlat Jans5 IVI 50 hald see Carionsackinly () ar 3. 169 FVW A K M MInt a exploce 5 MeMr Ia S II 2 Ohispore WIIIE carreal WWHIlIMIN 8 E Sorbly bt 11111 Wi1f Irtu 11111 444 Pewmences 3 cam midge 19 Sentback, with Maj. Sweetland. The 7r baltery manned their gans for to days continuously, from Monday to Friday $ on Doday they were relieved by the mes of the 9th under Maj. Burgess, They remained there till Mes May 4th when Maj Haghes & the men of the 7th Batter went back again. On the Evg of Sundaey May 2 Maj. Bessell Brown got two guns in action. They are in the ferry live of the 2od Brigede with the somb in port of them partially sereeniy them. Maj. Hagles 4 guns are in the firy line of the 3rd Bryade - one gun right in amongt the mfarity They have been doing their shooting at 0000 Gards or less. Sometimed teir fies have been eet at Zero to burst at 50 yds or less at men rushing him at night. They (& te infantry in post) think they have killed 1000 men. The infanti now pass back a message anytime they sll Turksthe will collecting in te fallies at the foot of $400 & ask the guns to get at Ken, & the guns do so at once. The two aras there certainly understant each other wonderfully well. Rosental is now in the medst of the 3rd Brigate + he has not the slightest fear of their giving. The only people that make him newons are the Naval Division people in the centre. Rosehal J 0on are so placed as to have a remarkable look out Xmache over Hill 600. thrks were in the 4 palie marked w Fuliene Oc 1 3p II p 25 No3 gun Mas Haghes Battery. over the somb is a grae field known as Dead mans field on acct of The large numberd parks hilled tere oce the little started. They have draped a lot avay, but you can still see nambers byin Kere in the wheat which is getting higher daily. Beyond that are a number of gullies leading up to 400 hil on which Turbish truches are tck. Whilst I was there we saw some tarks entrenchin on 400 & punped 500 6 shrapael into them. Are tose Tarks catrinching or our own men I someone asked - shovel fulls of earth cd be seen. tike tose a navedigger tows over to Edge of his pit. The evemy dearly someone answered. Geol te one or two then sd. Maj. Hughes Put your ight finger in your car (the one nearest the gan) he so & mo aunbelowes But before we got out the place to th got one in on it. I saw the flash right out to truc & someting . I dont know what was shot into tis air when I looked again there of a spete ord lip bny
y on the outside of the t pasapet. A8. 27th On Tuesday morning, at 3.30 thes battery put 36 count of strapnel into 8 or 9 acres on Hill 400. The Tarks were attocking but tey cleared out. our infantry to see thm massry on contour 400 (where they fought on Monday Afternoon) & on I successive mornings shelled tim out of it - 18. Toes. Wad. & Thurs. The only way to getthes close ranges as to bring the juns aito te brenche. Otherwise thy ad have had to fine over the crest wad have been usels at angti under 4000 yards. As it is they have laid out turks not more kan 50 9ds in pont of the trench. It ad hea done your heart food Sd Rosenthal, "to see the way toe infantry appreciated our firing. It was be one king they wanted - to hear their own juns I think the geveral was averse to having the funs up for fear of losing them. They were finally sentap on condition that all proper safequants were taken & that no rich was to be run. Rosenthal simply grored this caution. Which is better, to lose a couple of guns or to lose a battle??he asked - & ran the juns right in awapt the h. They have been bit all over. Wheels pierced, shields spalterld; but I believe they have only lost 7 men 30 far. Fou Rosenthals position I got some good photos of the post of our line + hit 400, & also Kabe Tipe. I ought really to register thes or I shall forget which is which. (Shrepnel bullels are spattinng about within a faw feet of my day out on the meny has a 3rd gun fing, wherees it 1s) The bills towards K. Tepe are simply honey conbed with trenches & here are some fineome looking trunches running across & up & down the slopes of Pasha Dagh across the valley. From a hill just on the right port of the battery a trench goes all along its crest towards K. Tipe. You can seeon the next stope back two formidable positions one someting like tis in the hill & jast below & to the left of it an cark work with what looks like a concreted back. In t vally behiend is a house with a red roof where thry raw the hossemen (Po 10) yesterday; & on the K. Tike beach is any out of were running roand towards as & then 3173aggu up from the beach I as always to be on the fire crest, I suppose, from the Turkisk truches. that over the hill from Bsenthal is a camp of 5 tents belonging to the turks - but deserted. Our men
two W3 Hourtzer fer e e i A eif dy Buunsten wc ofhen aen 7 his part a wan Guittit Gelliban co ac Ransey a The Pass. 0 2 X Foote. N3.4.0 got into it the first day + many got begond. Dst wed. (Ap. 28.) Some of the artillery officers went down & ade look at it. The Ant are kell tents, someting like ours but smaller. I was raing that night-sm men sinched the Turkist overcoats which are quite good, & also broyh in sone of their boead (sather sowr) and butly beef. Their kits are good As our first officer walked into the camp he was nearly knocked down by the sight of a man ditting or resting there in post of a tent. He had to look twiel bepore he saw that tho man was dead. He sail nothing & watched each of the others get an Electric shock as they too came in saw him. which The Beach to the walked over a couple of days ap forks first time is now one mass of storss - a really griat depoe. Right away nearly a wile to th Sank of here cone podder stacks for the meeles - & any number of make. Then by stacks of biscuits. Thenscores on seoves of little carts alt painted y fratice light work ten inquier sloves of all kind, Balsons, stacks of timber tike a sawyard, pipes. Then the Hospital, them more stores; brounds of bisinits, mone forder. cheeses, sacks of o shiff werthe wireless station to hasty water in toe South of our sally up a cittle gully of their own der Rd are the Army Corps H.B. They are very safely day in. Our ownH8 is not so safe. It was built when K. Tipe was still a Kic nuciane & so is doyint te hill in a Doukerly direction. K. Tyse was frnished with the 1t Evg. by an $8 pds shel. Since u derot prend Here we are again on the folds of the 900 hill Fa to the Ne. has been visiting us regularly - generally abt E & igalting; I very nearly scored. He pot boots on the shoulder & tol. white if the Clomach - Col. While was right in the dejont Ds havig sone bad pi at lunch. He laughed as the damned then wch i bi Duny 815 sowe office mre in this gally of Armycap seuty 40 Abt 50 mules a 1711 picketis her 7 Water cans Males sanled thaks Beach1 presited Fevaly jetty at back - with two derride cranes now benn saind on it. Every now & then as you walk along there is a Ceaseless ploak plank of bullets flying over into the water. A fa reach te beachk I have
seen one picked up there but the gradient is too steep for most. then have been killet there by them. There is alwoays a deat witle or 2 on beach. They simply tow them out into deep water. A few lifeboats, one punt & a trawler are sumb lithen on the beach or just off it. The trawler his in her side now just visible of te ser camp. Water is sank for at the bottom of the gattees. There is a terible smek opposite one of tha wells & the notice: Must be boiled. Water brought from the beach way be put into the vate botles direct. Have hed no more of that howilzer to day - the one like escaping steam without the burot that I cd hearas I wrote yesterday. But we had the Goeben at 7.30. Therarge was too tong for her. The roads around came are constantly being improved. All spare bap go at once up to the firing line - they took some from the dugont of my next door neighbour. Suyers have now been cleard out of the gallers. Our men got them with bayovets. Thooten within the lives is daugerous athough they soonetiies do it. The smiper hie low whilst you search for him & wout generally shoot at 2003 men araed bee. te other wd drop & search for him. He simply lies low was bayonatet when found. They try cover himselves with leaves -one caught the other day ws like a bit of moving scrub. lots of periscopes have now be made - little bits of looking glass put at half a right augh - one wered into top of a stick, other onts bottom ] The bottom one feas upwards You look into it & see the upper one & in it see reflected whatever is above the trench British our balloon - a military one - goes up every day from the Royal Ark outside. The looks like a great yellow garden greeb with a sort of Extra sack at the bottom and to her ship. We used to wonder why she tied by the tail moned alt so often & so often dispp cane down, MYackwork has a broter in her. Oturns out that she has done a tot of fins work. She potted a brigade of artitlery out finy agat the Britich last week, The put the Q. Eliz. on 36 to then. There was a trinendou
115 23 scatter of earth. When the dust blew away there was only a letter on the ground which has remained there was since. The observes is inclined to thank this whole Crigade was wifed out. The other day (wed. or Thers). a ruman sprend that we hat tost one of our planes. At any rate an acroplan was seen to go right over to te Dardanelles + then go down there nate in the Eneny's couty. It was one of his aeroplanes. The Boitish have a O cercte under their wings. I didn't see this, but know that I comes out after the balloon hrows bombs at it. It has been near but has never yet het our balloon. One day the balloon when in close dil fet a satiater of shell into her. One suall gun tried to get her but He steamed in & with a 12 pdr which the Ark Royal Carrie manager to finish it in 10shots. When our aeroplane is out the oterday, flyng low a little gland unfurled itself on this side of her; then another on the further side. The auoplone at once twrnd to sea They think the Turks must have heard that we intended to land at Kaba Tipe, for they made the place excerdingly strong. I doubt if we c have landed there The Balloon can see the gocben lying over the other side, I bear that Sirlan Hamilion is joing to take 2 of our boijates away tonght to hap the British persh through. One is inclined to wonder why he dosest past through here. Still, I suppose Berdwsed must have been consulted. Hl's taking the 2nd Brigads & one other One cant lelp a natural disappointment in findin our show turned into a sideshow. Yau Hamilton has taken Cox's Brigade He is taking these 2 brigades; & be will I suppose take the East Lanco. Division as well. Perhass Kuh take our light Horse too I lear a nevel ranoue that the Q.E was bit in the bows Murpydid see on & the ship we see of here now is the warspits. I Orond. Or was it wed. Ap. 28 a very by burst of foam agot the side of the G.Q. as she steaned south. He was talking to me at the time I dis hot see it. The first Sunday night. there we distinctly some question abt our withdrawing. The City of Benaires had orders to send in her boats (or keep them ready) to take us off; & a high naval autiority on the beach told Col. Giblin ket he must get his clearing hospitel off as soon as possible.
y now We know we have 24 battes gpt as - we have plaad them. We ourselves have A fours, 4Cxade) & A(N3) - 20 from Auctialacia; & 3 P.M.S.I. & Naral Bdes - I dont think Nelson ts here. That makes 23 of whom our Austialasian tropps are good & the raval people feeble. The navy is quite different- it is splendid, the best in the world. But these poor R.M.L 1. & vaval Brigade lats seen anfitted for hand fighting. Unfortunately our own fine wfantry of the 1st Auctile Din has lost 5000 meh abt 40p.c of its strugk. The Divn can only be 7000 strongat present. we know the turks too have lost leadily, our messing are probably lying out begond our lines – one knows indee that many of them are. Ones natural wish t that they wd give as our Light Horse, give us our remforcements, & then let as past through. This afternoon (may s] I istended to 10 along with Blowey to Major Rosen tal's baltery again. Howwver as my deary was not finished & the afternoon seemed quiet I desided to stay & finish it. Blaney went alonga Sat near R's batery stetching K. Tepe, more for amurement than anythey. A couple of yuas opene from K.F. his apnson, just over the creat, near the house. They had to come near the creat to get the near range. Their smake was quit visible - indeed you co see one p. Rosenkal jot onts them & pub one shot fair onto one of the funs. There was a herge splask & afterwar one of the gun wheels was yery on the side of the emploement. The other fm was facity plactered with shell but Bloney docent think we hit it. theanwhile anoher pn - a biger brute - prob the one out in the plain- was feeling for the beach. Murphy & I walked als to a hil -Battery Hill at the I end of the beach - where you cd see him. He was getteng into the water – & increasing abt 2ooyds each shot - like a great plea in successiie hops. you colsee the foam of 3 shots at once in the sea - it lengered guite awhile. I thought he ws trying for some infaute or for the fam But he finally came inland & phunked shall after shell onto te billsive. Fuelly 25 per cent of his shell faito to bursh. But I think it was be that gt a shelluto Rosentals
dugont & laid him out & Maj. Hughes Old Rosinthal was hit in abl 6 places - a bullet in the Rnee- ahit on the back of the head. He semply came down to the beach to have the woands dressed sd he wd g back agn tomorrow - quite complacent. I don't think we will go back tomorrow all the Sane. Yrm. The tarks appear to be attacking from the wild firing up the hill. But you never know in this place- to moinidet ssen Here. They think that by keeping up that fire they can wear us down, I beliee; keep us awate. Our men fire very little now. G. Mm I Goblease to come of with the 2nd Brigade - & a N.G. Brigeds, to reiiforce at Cape Aetles. We were to leave at 9.5 - go down by night; the transferwdat be noticed by the enemy Thurs. April61 191 Well 9.15 the first lot of Croops were ready in the boats - but as destroyers to take them off. We wait all you night, &about 230 in the moring at lste I vaited with the staff in Marsh's ASC mes for a bit other curled ap under some fourbags in my sleeping bay & slept on thi beach til 2.30. The first tor of boats was just movnng of then were taken to A345 in pladayliht, we o tawler p a hovse lighter. They were veryniss to as - tit as leave our kit in a cabin where I am writing this. The troops take 2 ASC day retiors. They be been very cold all night. The males which generally occupy the males were sent aay from He beach by our staff in order to make room. Done oe sta officer- Beach officers I think, taken from the Egystian service, sent them back. This happened I times. I times the nales were sent op the road; 3 tiues they were ordered back Altogether a rotten peese of staff work. The first ting that happened when we got on the Cawler was that her captain asked. Does anyone know when we sail? Who is to give as orders to Sail ?t we shall have
26 Hop 5 Bn Ipooper vent out, wo dispey a fort 150 y ds in pout of line. Ht told the enemy that we have weakend here & strengthed 150 c had o p sagns tan but wvery nenge ahent and omisting set on to him iI downs - a hopeless theng to do. a maning a mess pearled apond. Hy had, to comsback, & loit on nan. Stogether tonights arrangements are in keeping 3B with the wour days of the Britich service. nid& L 6t L wit 5 an, sot on to surke hill, & wolese Down Past the coast - cont see a sign of life on it a not we a jost. Navy gave as a waim brakp- ow sup & coloa. Thos brin on to day c 5 th 4.57. opposite the French landing. A few tents on the brow of the neetion of ur Ie on inst ring Fnos tonca 211 Ont Geffer Aers torburn can Dcliff. Ohers under te bottom of it along te seash. Dtouple of hoises Lly9wer eny on the cliff top. They dont seen to have much more of "updray. 33007 5 a hold here than ws have. It wasn't the Trenah landiy 500 py from Alex 24 after all. The French after 1 day on the Fouther shore came x Sory back & tanded on the English right at the Soutemost beach). We steamed past a ruined signal ste - still uned as Delfon On Sat night went up as a sinal st by us. had been heavily battered Berdgsh on Mi M Nichot is went their Col. wh hedt & came upon 1 Deal fr wh, ws getting it stood on a cliff. The fleetwweeper on which we were - J.S.C. 9x bu ins trenchis yet so He W ayot not cweys a feror deas witnegs) Reyvint knoep, (the Hythe, I think a small crosschannel boat) swept in taking to meng. Hit reached one Rot & wos sisting taking to them when a mia a few quickly past a score of transports - they looked like white star & conard hie, & one fourfnalled paces away suddely soad yp. Beddyele sd as down my man, fyou and get bit. He sd. all Bendesh stanes looked t ne like the Iusitania - but she right sir, quite respectfuly Bat be didnt sit down. The next moment he rassed his ripls & blayd turned out to be la France – when you looket a second time shaightal M. W. M missed A p.y 1ney inslant i who truch wos in ai uproar, From both you saw her funnels were to squat, & there was too much 59 at M10 slablike sides they were blaging away into there officers. tey bad spy manig, suy shot kiie white apperwark on her sides. She was moving in. to & I seng majos & wounded 2t prisates & ten came at M.N Eutk bayonets, they trit let we came roand the corner of the clif the Southern shore to stih him thers I shoulder of them got pount of a bartiet into his deck. was full in view of us - where Troy or the mound on iN which it stood. There was high ground neat the southern He warded of one for his chast of had his hand cut. Iy they got him down, Entrance of the Daronnelles sutfurtes be it wes flat bland folder him a led pim to Dear. Mey lep their own Colovel there for st with a village on it which, under the telescope, seemed to be battered hoars unbursed (Rew, sayd. tey had on in I trundes att hs retiuin the Further ip pom the month it was a flat valley with several J 7936 hill or mounds in it; & in the background rising to much 4 2 6159 424t H.. 6 Ba. were tth higher monutains - sublen leaden grey & a snow capped ridge away to the S. Dut & sel to 1 P. 8 6 to sweeping on the shore round which we were steaming the roads. (MN cccount iag by tuiged by white clif suddenly fell away. There was a fort- a low eark oing bitternn &9.1to Hear that poor old the Warren - one of the three voyz M work fort on the top of it- ben it fell away to a beack last Who came with us to heror - ws killed the first Sunday statement on the South it rose again to a great ancient square stone He was to one who said in hhe train coming book fort which you could hardly recognise as a fort; the while stones of from Laxor: Its pnny - but I never have recho it were mostly standing - with huge gaps, but they seemed to I ar comig back fom this business. I know I in have been almost disintegrated by some might shaken. Behind it going to be killed I always have thought so, was a village - Ilooked an ordinary village + I didn't trouble to five it a further plance at the time. As a matter of Poor old chap - Im apait theres as donbt of it. They cay they have his dise & his paybook fact every house was, I believe, deserted & the place batterid No one knows how it happened that I have spokent to preces.
In ABaitletts acct. The implacable is sd to have gone in close & find at the suipers - the only way to finid them. I think I wo told something aIsame sort. Our ASC & Astelling on Allaortian found As Kold wext cloor - same os Ashold- to s of thes Eushore. Saw Darvanelles rabyes inshare. Beautiful morning, All of sudden Ashold lat & hell let bose. Tremind ous dust raised. Trijate (Frincd clset on Aatioside shll fatng all round C sabout patty off & Fr. boat upsite whole place so inveliped in dust that costs what going on. Attantian cont se to take up her positen. Then hage chasda bit woon resed co see our men above W beach, synallers going more troops getting up - & a vessel on beack filed high up Then a boat drifted along. The had a number of te onther wit tro, I woundes & Prowing, denrly pich tip. Young seaman at ster holding litter, w ore hand & lying tp hand to 2 fajers Clown off with handks & teek. And mate - There they go - into C& bayonel a thats the stygh. in Coglener (aft. at angac Here they come their near you to leave that hall - Theres a bloody to offine in leading on - down t com -no its only too steep theyr joig other Just in port of the medde of this demisercular beach was a steamed which I recognised abonte. She had a yellow stampy fanner & two stunpy masts + she stood very high out of th water. Her pa side-turned towards us- was painted red ablack. I herseen her before - on Friday April 28 at Lemnos. HeI staff officer had pointed her out. I'm very interesty in that ship, he had said. The's our wooden horse - our gift ship? The sriti landing of an army from the sea in face of fire is a newin modern war; sone way the Brilish were going to solve it at Sittil Bahr was by, taking an old Merchant Steanes - the River clyde - mannigher with the R. Navy, filling her with Bottich Croops, & runney her ashore on the beach they were attacking. They meant to ran her sidways on so that one side faced the land & the other the sea. The landward sids was painted yellow - like the sand; and. when I saw her at Lemnor that Friday this was what they were dony - darbly the starbourd side of her fellow for all they were worth in a few meantes tater I saw her leave the harbour! Well, she went that night to Tinedas, & stayed there all the Saturday. At midnight she sailed on her, job. I dont know quite what happened next - but anyway at dawn - 4.30 it was perfectly peaceful of stil - one of our transports carrying artillery found itself ap against the old Askoto. The next mincele the Sky was fairty sptil in two with a tremendous bombardment For two hours it lasted - &thte clowds of dast whirted up by it favily rolled across the whol seninsuta. They created are absolute haze and it was difficult to see through it. A haff past six the River clyde came in, first of the transports. She was taken a little up the Dardanelles & then turned back & round the paint almost by sittil Bahr + coolly run ashow under the oldfort. tet she ran in head on, not aslast she was followed by trgs with strings of boats & had herself a lighte. As she can as hove the Tarks opened fire on her. They fired shell from the Assatic shore & with machin puns po to sha apporite her shorelies alove coast live above her. Nunbers of men were kelled on the boats - they or machine juns outs them. The men came out of square holes doibed in the ships side. the Munster Fuseliers & the Dublin were insicle her, They lost tremendoush to start with. A few got ashove I crept up under the cover of cliffs. Some of these were wiped out by machineguns, but some manayed. to reach the foot of the cliff & bung on there all day. At the same time another landing was going on at the
165 way ow. 15 yis N fit s ft D 10 1 38 1 1 pat 91 beace under the cliffs further north. Santahan Synetues tell me that there whas no shirking about this troops. The Munsters eventually got into the viape of Sittil Bahr where there was prence hand to hand fight. The Earrr, who came up in a Fleet sweeper - a fast Margah or cross. channeh boat had a maching gun turned on them before they left it & lost yomen. Whese troops got ashore - losing heavily - & then started inland. They went straight at some of the Turkist positions + ten our warships juns Narted again. The foing line managed to get over the clifslo the North that Sunday & vork a little inland to out a determined attack ad probably have beaten them back into the Dea that niht. No more troops were land I from the Riverclydete, but on Sunday, but on Monday Ap. 26 the rest were landed. The British took Krithia within two or three days but had to come back because ammunition could not be got up to them. As we cams up to the River Clydo a peyser went up just on the N. side of her as if a whale had spouted. This, rils & came from the southern shore. The Aganemnon or L. Nelson came staning up to wards te Dardanelles & turned her guas outs a low ridge or false crest about a mile or two inland from the Southern month, vill freand our stels a second shell landed right beside one one your Heetsweepers moving in under 35 the R. Clyde. I was wondering what they ad do, as these were clearly byshell - poob. 6 wch. & one naturally supposed they cad do more harm than eneraly the shrapsel we, got at Anzac -a we had had be shells there too, but I had as experience of hhim. Presently a Shrapnel burst from te same gun, & came showering down tike by thenderdrops for a space of halff a second at least. some part blown from this shell landed on our own fleet swegror bridge. No one took the slightest notice. They just subon hew sacks & landed from the R. Clyde

I have photos of Maj. Hughes No 2 gun - taken on its barrel. Also No 3 gun

broken wheel & I think firing at green field.

Maj. Phillips. No 3 gun ws the first of ours ashore - on Sunday {{svy}}.

Next day Hughes Battery. They were dropped up over scrub to right

-terrible job but had to be done & put right into firing line,

{{??}} on 3rd nights Turks got up & were found dead

with wire clippers within 10 yards of {{these }}{{runs}}. They used

to be {{?}} with rifle & mg. fire(No 3 gun was right in {{?}} line {{?}}

the front of it (see fig opp.) but t. guns did not get onto them properly

for some days. They used to {{lay}} this gun on at night & have a 

man sitting with his hand on the firing lever all the time.

The infantry wd pass the word down where they wanted the

the gun to fire & it wd be fired w {{tube}} sometimes at zero making it

a sort of shotgun. Had to be most careful not to blow a hole in our own line

Enemy wt have got thro.

{It was abt this time (May 3 or {{pert}}. 4) that Gen Bridges wants

to have the Turk trenches opposite them {{moving}} opp.  {{Bessell} Brown (Later Lone Pine)

shot at. This con't be done without dragging gun into firing line, pulling

down sand bags, & firing point blank at abt 400yds. Col.Hobbs was opposed to it.

Bridges forced him to try it. It ws done one day - the T.s not suspecting it let

it pass without punishment. The Gen. insisted on it being done again

next day. Col.Hobbs sd it wd mean the loss {{of}} guns crew.  Bridges

practicaly told him he was afraid. Hobbs sd {{?}} men wernt afraid & wd

do anything th ws wanted of them - & it took place. The gun ws

dropped forward, {{1}} sandbags taken down, 1 crew lay flat & 15 rounds

were fired under a tornado of fire & 1 gun run back. Not a man, I

believe was hit. This was prob. pure luck - the men were taking a 

big risk.

One of Jopps guns at a little bit after this time ws in a {{casemate}} - looking

S.E. It had a window on S.Slope of 400 near {{?}} Nicolls {{?}} 11.9.

but its arc was only abt 15 degrees & it ws eventually (abt May 20?) taken

out. We were not good at concealing our guns at first - in fact the

N.Z. guns are far more carefully concealed then ours to this day (June18)}

 

Drawing below of Rough position of guns

                                                                                                                              19

Sent back, with Maj. Sweetland. The 7th battery manned their guns

for 5 days continuously, from Monday to Friday Ap 30. On Friday they were

relieved by the men of the 9th under Maj. Burgess; They remained there till

Tues May 4th when Maj Hughes and the men of the 7th Battery went back again.

 

 

 

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Allan GroutAllan Grout
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