Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/7/1 - May 1915 - Part 6

50

Col. M Cay & Cass know
of this trench
further to right
filled w RND
There ws an incident of wh something has bn made - an exaggerated
account -
in / papers - I didnt want to I didn't incur more danger than any single 
poor private, even in this one attack - no, not so much. I have no right to / credit of
the lowest, simplest soldier - & I am not as brave as most of them.
While we were in this trench - & the Brigadier ws still there - I
kept my head down most of the time, but when one put it up
one could see tt men had been knocked out a good few of them.
There was one chap I could see wounded abt 20 yards to my
right front - he ws moving. I thought he wd probably be hit ^again if he
stayed out there, but the prospect of getting out & helping him in
was not nice. However, I thought, if you one gets into these positions
in the firing line you one must accept the consequences. I waited a
bit & presently / youngster rolled over & began to painfully crawl
in. One cdn't stay any longer so I nipped out o /  trench & ran
out to him & helped him back - with my help he cd get along
on both legs - we were back in / trench very quickly. I don't think
I did much good, but one's concience wdn't let one stay any
longer - tt ws my only reason. As I ran back / Brigadier
sd. " Look here, Bean, if you do any more of these dam' fool actions
I'll send you straight back to Headquarters. I've power to you
know & I've a good mind to." A few minutes later he
was doing the dam' fool action himself up on / parapet.
He knew thought that / men were not coming on as fast as wd make /
support for / front line safe (there ws always a fear in our
heads tt if / front line werent supported it might get knocked
out & / remn wont come back & I daresay it ws right, too).
I think it was. He sd: "How are / others coming on?" I looked
back & sd: "I expect they'll need support pretty quick, won't
they Sir? " We were talking abt it in this spirit when M'Cay sd:
"Well Bean, I suppose this is where I have to do the damned
heroic act" - & up he jumped on / parapet & waved his
periscope. "Now then - which of you are Australians - come on
Australians....." I saw him with his revolver in his hand - he had
just been talking to some chap in / trench ten yds to my left. I heard
afterwards it ws a Sergt & he ^M'Cay threatened to shoot him if he didn't get out

o / trench damned quick. [Getting out into these bullets ws no greater trial than facing a

fast bowler at cricket or riding an unsteady horse. Shells , w their explosion, are different - & mgs are terrifying - they follow you as a prehistoric beast may have chased men in / dawn o / race 

51  50
New Zealanders who were across the creek - I dont think it did.
I never heard of it. We were warned - I think by the brigadier -
to keep away a bit from the creek - it might certainly have
been a good range mark for shrapnel. [About 400 or 500 yds
up the plateau we suddenly found a trench in front of us. It
was one of our trenches, filled with Lanc. Fusiliers - but it
might have been filled with Turks for all we knew. We came
upon it quite unexpectedly - a bank of red earth running across the
heath. xx A quarter of a minute later we were up to it & found a lot
of British soldiers looking up at us. We fell down behind it or
jumped into it. There were three solitary trees just at this spot & a little
belt of scrub, thicker than the rest, leading up to them, a line of
scrub abt 3 yards thick running the same way that we were going.
We came in just E of this. I got down into the trench . The Brigadier
looked like placing his H.Q. in this trench. He got down into it
for a moment. The men all flung themselves down to get breath
because we had come fast, especially with packs & haversacks.
A second line came up whilst we were there. One had a vague
sort of idea this might be the line we were meant to take
up. However after about  We didn't know anything - there hadn't
been time to tell us.
However after 3 minutes ^(no, it must have been more than this for the 2nd & 3rd line were in / trench - / others had gone on) the Brigadier said it was 
time to make a move. He jumped up on the parapet
into his periscope ^in hand - I don't know what officers were in the 
trench then - but he said; " Now then Australians -
which of you men are Australians?  Come on Australians!"
The men jumped up - I suppose about 100 in this lot. "Come along
Australians," they shouted called - "Come on Australians." They
picked themselves up, many with their rifles at the charge, &
dashed out scrambled over the trench, into a very over the Tommies
heads, into a very heavy fire. The fire really was very
heavy by now. It was knocking spurts of dust off the parapet
into everyones face, kicking up little spits of dust. I saw 
it knock a stick 4 feet into the air as it playing tipcat.
But the men Australians went on like a whirlwind.
As they got up I felt for my camera. There was
the case - but no camera in it. Then I remembered I

[*The bullets 
were going by
whizz - 
whizz whizz 
whizz -
phew phew
phew
singing a high 
note just as
they whipped 
past your
ear but
falling quickly
in cadence
[[shorthand]]
wd represent it.
(One sort of gun
only, so far as
I know,
gives a rising
note
phoooeeeee Bang
We heard it at
Helles.
German bomb salvo
Don-don-don
- don.
Bump Bump Bump
Bump - takes abt
a second*]

52 

had left it in the trench at H.Q. So I missed the finest war photograph
that has never been taken
The Brigadier stayed in that trench a while watching the
troops coming up - & I thought he wd place his H.Q. there. A
second lot came up with Col. MacNichol – B or C Coy of the 6^th.
They rested their 3 minutes, Then Col. MacNichol asked of Col. M^cCay
what he wanted them to do. "I think they'd better go on"  sd the
Brigadier. "Right, Sir" sd M'Nichol & jumped up on the
after rear side rear side of the trench where he had been resting.
The same instant he slid down - collapsed rather - with his
back against the tree which rose by the trench, "Are you hit?"
asked M'Cay anxiously. He nodded - "Only slightly, I think"
he sd swallowing ^gasping a little for breath. as he spoke two men tore open
his tunic where
he pointed & found that he had only a flesh wound in the left
shoulder. He jumped up at once - though it must have given
him a great bang - absolutely collected, his normal self -
and bent over the trench, drew his whistle, blew it, waved
the men on with an under sweep of his right hand like
that of a bowler bowling lobs, & led them on. They'd have
gone anywhere with him. I didn't watch them much - I
had my head above the parapet a good bit & it was risky
to do too much of it. The men were dropping very fast
now. Many had dropped in front of the trench & a good
number behind. Every now & then a man came running
or limping back - in every case a man the man was wounded.
One man ran into the trench with quite fast, bleeding
- I wondered he cd run so fast whn if he were wounded
but he was bleeding heavily from the throat. One of the
signallers of our little party had been hit in the throa neck
but not badly. Another man came limping  in at a
half run - he just managed to get to the trench & then
throw himself on the parapet & was dragged in -
He looked very frightened & hagard. He was losing blood
from a wound in the upper leg. The men in the trench
always bandaged the wound, wherever it was, for the
man. A man behind the trench must have made some sign,
poor chap, that he wanted help; for a Lanc. Fusilier ran 

53
out, sat beside him for quite a long time lying in front of him so as
partly to protect him;  & then lifted him on his back & brought him in.
A good number of men, of course, lay out there & never moved. Another
Lanc. Fusilier brought in a man from outside & several others were
helped in or came dragging themselves in - sometimes, poor chaps, on
all fours.
The companies coming up now were some of them a little slower
& it sometimes looked as if the first line might be unsupported unless men
the others kept up the pace. The first line was over the edge, out of
our view or perhaps lying in the scrub. We cd see others half way
to them. Occas Advancing by long dashes, very fast, xxx occasionally
flinging themselves onto the ground for a breather - always going
on. Some of them were not as quick throwing themselves down as
they have bn in practice - not like the 9^th & 10^th I saw on Apr. 26. They
wd calmly pick a place to lie in. As there seemed likely to be a
little gap between the supporting coys & the firing line owing to
the pace being uneven the brigadier jumped up & walked along
to see that the companies came up. "Come on," he shouted waving
his periscope, "run". They came on very fast. They were given
3 minutes in the trench – and then in every case they went over it
with a shout of "Come on Australians."  If there were no officer to lead
them on an N.C.O would. I heard one chap say. "Come on chaps.
We've got to get it sometime. We cant stay here always!" & that
was the spirit - that & the feeling that being Australians they
must get on. It was very fine to watch & it was great to
watch them as they went, absolutely unaffected by the bullets.
I never saw one man whose manner was changed by them
except in that minute moment when they got up & faced them
& rushed over the trench; then their faces were set, their eyebrows
bent, they looked into it for a moment as men would into a
dazzling flame - I never saw so many determined faces at
once - oh what a photograph I missed.
The A man came up to the brigadier with some message
from the 8th battalian. He had call
The Brigadier called for someone ^amongst the Lanc. Fusiliers to volunteer to
take on the telephone reel in place of the signaller who

54
was hit. One of them volunteered. This was the first I heard of
any idea of taking Brigade H.Q. further forward. You couldnt
see anything from where we were & so I suppose the Brigadier
wanted to get to somewhere where he could see. Presently a man
came in from the 8^th Battalion with a message. He asked this
man to come instead of the other - & xxxx he came at once.
The Brigadier went on - As he went he said to me "I dont think
you need come Bean. Youre wiser to stay where you are." I
knew I was, & stayed there. Hasty was sent by the Brigadier to
get Col. Bolton & hurry on the 8^th who were the slowest: Tell him
to come on without stopping at trenches" he said. "The battle fight will
be lost if he doesnt come up." He was nervous that the
firing line, which was a long way ahead, might come back
if unsupported. Then the Brigadier went on & Hasty went
off to the left rear, & I stayed in the trench.
The Lancs. Fusiliers were not intended to
advance - they were holding the day's line & we were
to advance through them. & the From where I was in their
trench I cd see the French ridge away on the right, &
the line of the Turkish V shaped trench on top of it - the white
parapet made it very obvious. I noticed a lot of movement
there - men moving towards in the up-peninsula direction
I put the telescope on them - they were Turks. They were running
from the V trench – not bolting, I have never seen a Turk bolt,
but lumbering off with their rifles & knapsacks. About 50 yards
away were the French - apparently French & Senegalese mixed -
coming on. The French below the V trench didnt seem to be disturbing
themselves - they were gathering themselves up & I don't think they
realised the Turks were running. The French on the skyline,
however were coming along fairly fast with their long spiky
bayonets. The Turks all cleared except one - I saw one chap
standing long after the others all alone in the corner of the trench
snuggling his rifle in to his shoulder for a shot. He had his
bayonet fixed & I thought: By Jove, here will be a hand
to hand tussle.
But when the French were within 30 yards of him he too

55
lumbered away. The French came running up a few seconds afterwards
onto the top of the parapet; & from there you could see them fa lunging
down with their bayonets at something in the trench. I saw three or four
men do this. Then they seemed, to stand along the parapet talking.
It was not till some hours time later that I looked that way again.
Then the French Senegalese To ones great disappointment the Senegalese
troops seemed to be streaming back, especially along the slope of the hill
nearest us - trotting slowly back with their rifles. Their officers managed
to be were rallying some of them. I saw one officer with his sword check
a few & bring them together behind him on the crest of the hill. xxx
At the same time strings of new French & Senegalese troops were advancing
through the oth retreating ones - apparently not heeding them in the
slightest & the French held the position. It is what they had been trying
for for a week & they lost many men to get it.
In the meantime our men were going on. I believe the
5^th on the right formed part of the firing line - or some of them did,
along the Krithia road. They When they got 300 yards beyond the
Tommy's trench they saw the Turks beginning to run from the scrub
in front of them, bolting back as they had done before the French. Maj.
Cass was looking after affairs on this flank as the brigadier had done on
the other flank; & he noticed that the fire was beginning to come in from
behind our right flank. (When I saw him early the next morning - about
1 a.m. probably - in the dressing station, he was very anxious about that
flank. "Bean - old man," he panted - he was badly hit through the chest,
"do you know about our right flank - is that safely joined up? It was
that - which was - worrying me - I was over there - I could - see the
- see the bullets - striking the road - the Krithia road - from the
East - and I thought - they must be getting - round our right
flank - I couldn't see any - any Turks - nor any trenches -
but I knew that - our right - flank was unsupported - I sent
two - two verbal messages & - one written one - to the Brigadier - 
a others - to Wanliss - I dont know - if they - got through -"
I told him I was sure they had got through Quite Fairly early
in the night - the second time I visited brigade HQ.  behind the firing line Col. M'C
M'Cay told me that the French had not come up on the right, but that the Drake
battalion had, & that the commander of the Drakes had agreed to refuse his right
to the Turks & join up with the French; that is to say the line wd run
straight across our front, then 400 yards backwards to the French
& then more or less straight again & finally a little forward ^again on our right
where they French had won their trenches.)

Diagram -see original 
Cass was worrying about this enfilading fire when he was
hit through the chest. He was fell & as he lay on the ground was hit
again through the shoulder. He lay there from 6 to 11 before he cd be brought
in - stretchers were so short that night,
He To return to our position in the ^Tommys trench. A message came
along from the right to the first Australian officer to say that our
right was unprotected. and needed supporting. I dont know

56
if there was anyone who attended to it. The only Australian officer I
saw was having his hand dressed & the only other officer was one of
the Drakes who was sitting very snug in the trench advising our men,
after they came up & rested, to go on again. "I think they need you
Australians pretty badly up there", he would say. He didn't seem to think
of doing any of the going on himself - perhaps it wasn't his job, though
his battalion did support us later.
Lately I was sitting in the trench when Hastie dropped in
beside me panting. He had had a devil of a time, he sd, looking for
Bolton. The fire was very hot, & running about searching for a
man in those sort of conditions is not an easy job. A French
company or half coy. which had come up to the trench -they were little
French infantrymen running under heavy packs - had not gone on
& seemed to have no idea of doing so. So Hastie & I went along
to them & tried to explain in French - Il faut avancer avec les
Australiens. An Australian in the 8^th, one of the front lines of the 8^th
who had come up, tried to explain too. He knew a little French. "Tant
avancer - avant avec Australiens " he said - but they nodded
& lay still. I dont think they had an officer there. The main part of the
8^th did not seem to have turned up & so Hastie got up & went off
to find them again. A few minutes later I got a mess a message
was passed along the trench, xxxxx "for Capt. Bean." It was from
Hastie. "Shot through both hands. Please inform Brigadier."
I accordingly went along by the trench until I could get the wire
leading to brigade H.Q. Then I kept that in my hands & led myself
by it as by a handrail. I had gone about 200 yards when someone
in the scrub just to my left said. "Hallo, old man - you're here". It was
MacNichol. He was lying sheltering behind 2 packs which had been put
in front of him by some chap going across. Word had reached us in the
Tommy's trench that, he had been hit in the abdomen & I found this was
true. He was awfully plucky & cheerful. I told him I would get some
stretcher bearers & I got another pack from near a dead man &
put it in front of him making him fairly secure. Then I went on, &
about 150 yards further I found the brigadier came on quite a reasonable
sized dugout crossing the path. It was down about 3 feet, about
9 ft long & parapet abt 2ft or 1 ft 6in. It was the new brigade H.Q.
As I came up to Brigadier called me a fool. Three or four shots
snapped about my ears & I daresay things were a bit close -
they seemed to think so there. I found the Brigadier there, with
one signaller & a couple of others – only the Brigadier & that signaller had
got through of the 7 who started with Brigade H.Q. Poor Sergt. Maj. Jack Monks,
one of the best fellows I have met, a quiet soldierly thoughtful man.
Killed quite close to dugout - just before getting there. Someone towards heard
him hit & asked if wounded. "Yes. I'm hit thro' the heart" he sd quietly
& fell dead. No one had actually stopped to see if he were dead, but had no
doubt of it.
Brigadier told me it was impossible to reach ridge

57
on way back to Tommy's trench saw one poor devil out of ^the hundreds
who were lying there, trying to get back to cover. I asked if I cd help him - he
ws hit thro leg, high up & ws crawling. We went some way together, limping -
wd he in great pain, - when he fell saying "Oh God - oh Christ - oh its awful."
He had been hit a second time as thro' same leg or other leg. I asked if cd still
come on  - "oh no - no I cant" he sd. The plateau ws very exposed, so I simply
dragged him by both legs - he consented - into the nearest thing to a dimple
in the ground that I cd find - got hold of 2 packs & put them round him
& left him. He had torn open his trowsers, as they gently do, to see the wound,
& was bleeding pretty freely. I don't fancy he can have lived - poor chap. 

^XM'Cay rang up Hunter Weston as soon as he knew how his
flanks were & said that he must have support upon his right &
left - otherwise he wd retire at daybreak.
Hunter W. said - Oh but you mustnt retire, you must
hang on at all costs
M'C. said if he were left unsupported he wdd retire the
next day.
M'C went back to see the Lanc. Fusiliers who were in the
Tommy's trench – He had bn told they wd support him. He
saw / Col. & / Col. told him he had orders to stay in / Tommies
trench. M'C. said but how can you support me from there if
I'm attacked during / night. The Col. agreed - (he ws merely
hampered by his brigadiers instructns) & went forwd
w M'C to dig in in line with his H.Q. 80 yds behind /
firing line - That formed a support line - This must have bn
abt 11 pm.
Two lines of our men - portions of the two first platoons probably
were seen a little beyond our firing line - all lying dead, about
20 in one line & a dozen in / other I believe. They were actually
/ men who got furthest. It ws Maj. Bennett when he came up
w / firing line who gave / order to stay there & dig in. He did so on seeing
that the line was so far advanced of any other line & we being hotted from / flanks.
Q.M Sergt. Noonan 6^th Bn tells me tt the 8^th Bn had abt 100 men dug lying in the
dugouts all / time we were advancing & tt these men never joined / fight at
all - There were 6 or 7 of each o / other Bns. He as not at all impressed w the 8^th,
58
^X behind Krithia. "They set us an impossible task," he sd.
I waited there some time then returned; passing MacNichol again
told him I wd get stretcher bearers. Had got nearly to bottom of hill
where we first emerged from cover when saw party of men on left - 
Was nearly dark - cd just see them. Turned out to be stretcher bearers.
I asked if some wd come with me. Sd they were going out to right -
hundreds there. I told them M'Nichol wounded. Two men immediately sd they
wd come, - & followed me. It seemed a very great distance - we followed
line in dark to Tommy's trench & over (One of them ran off to attend to
man for moment on way, ^to man who who was crying out "stretcher bearer" -
& came back after fixing him). We asked at trench if M'N. had bn
carried in - but they thought some colonel had been. However we plugged
on. The way along that wire seemed very long & I didn't like dragging
the stretcher bearers into it but they never hesitated. I ws beginning
to think he must have be carried in - but decided to go right on to H.Q.
never  You cd only just see. I scanned carefully everyone I passed &
eventually at last found someone lying behind 3 packs. ^It was MacNicol. We carried
him in. Somehow we had picked up his batman in the Tommy's
trench. He carried part of his kit & I took his pack. It was a very
long way back to the dressing station - under some trees down a bank.
The place was xxxxxxx  getting very full - you cd just see the
two dim lanterns by wh they did their work. (I had to lend them
2 candles the next night). The ground ws strewn with wounded taking their
turn; & the path ^along bank of creek ws constant succession of men limping along with
supporter - genly wounded man also. Abt. 400 yds further up along bank
was Mathiesons dressing stn, medical officer of 5^th - he simply took
men who were not already treated at all - they ^were constantly calling
across to know the way, & his cheery voice answered across creek
directing them.
I made way back to old H.Q. in creek bank - stumbled
up & down ck.  long time before finding it – & into Mathiesons place
once. It is extraordinary how difficult it is to find recognise places
by night, wh you know by day - looks entirely strange country.
Finally got to H.Q. Found Chamberlain, brigadiers batman
anxious to start up to H.Q. with the Brigadiers blanket etc,
Offered to show him way there. So trudged over same old hill again.
Cries of wounded all round who thought us stretcher bearers were
most distressing. We cd only tell them s.b.s will come - there seemed
to be none abt at all. Passed one poor chap with shot arm
There were numbers of wounded in Tommies trench. For
second time we followed xxxx wire across ^heath - it used to get tangled
round bush but we cd always find it going on.
When got to base H.Q. found men still there but Brigadier
had gone on to firing line. The men in H.Q. were spasmodically

59
working at deepening it - with 2 spades & one entrenching tool. They
had pulled in around it several wounded men - 4 altogether, I
think, certainly 3. One was the signaller wounded thro' leg. He was
still helping with signals tho' leg broken - had telephone to ears
lying along top of trench, just outside it. When message came, wd
transfer receiver to ears of man next him in trench - at least that
was as far as I cd see the proceeding. Behind us ws lying the poor
volunteer from 8^th Bn. shot thro' intestines in terrible pain. At
times crying like child - incoherently - asking for "doctor! doctor."
They asked if I had any morphine - I found some J had given me
& gave him. One lozenge they dropped so gave another, seemed quieter
after that but soon was in pain again. Kept on rolling over onto broken
leg of signaller. "Oh cant you keep him quiet - what does he want
to roll onto my leg for" sd signaller. xxxx  Boys in trench tried to
readjust them - & the wounded told poor chap in pain - "Try & be
still, old man! It's best thing for you - try & bear up." It ws all
they cd do. He asked "water, water" & they moistened his lips. "You must
not have it - for your own sake old chap" they sd - as he had wound in
abdomen. There was third wounded man lying around left front of 
dugout - absolutely quiet & uncomplaining - only spoke when men asked
him how he was.
Away to our right - 50 or 60 yards - ws man always crying
"stretcher-bearer / stretcher bearer" - & somewhere out in dark not
far away was another – they cried in rather dry, quavering voice. You
cd hear plenty of others further away calling always same -
"stretcher bearer", - & as one went over heath that night
on every journey 6 or 8 men or more wd call out to you asking
if you were stretcher party, sometimes coherent, sometimes not.
One messenger ^who came up to H.Q. dugout, when wounded there
also called for stretcher bearer sd: "You wont see them tonight
my boy - theyre rarer than gold - you wont get them along
here." It ws an idiotic thing to say. "You might let us think
we will," sd one of the wounded men feebly.
The brigadier came back presently; sd men had dug in
right of line ws all safe & Drakes connected with French (when
I ws in trenches next day message came along saying this
was not so. Drakes had come up but not connected & gap
still existed between their right & French left.) A policeman &
myself accordingly went back to old H.Q. leaving Chamberlain at
new H.Q. As we were leaving I asked Ch. how they were off for water.
He thought ^at first they were alright but eventually just as we were
leaving told me they had only one water bottle. I sd tt

60
Brigadier & I looked searched plateau to see if Monks were
dead or wounded - there was some doubt. We looked at every man
who had fallen near ^telephone wire - I struck matches (screened as far
as possible from enemy) when we could not see a man's face.
Men we passed were mostly dead poor chaps. I am not at all
sure one was not Monks, but Brigadier said he was not. After
about 1/4 hour we gave it up.

61
I'd see they got some more.
Went back with Policeman (i.e. 6^th trip across that heath
- but fire was now spasmodic). Brigadier ws anxious to get
water & stretcher bearers up & asked me to do what I cd abt
latter. I went to H.Q. &  told them & then went on to the dressing
stn. I saw Chambers there & he sd all stretcher bearers
were fully at work, but cd I get message to A D.M.S. asking
for waggons or wheeled transport to be sent to take wounded
from dressing stn to beach as s.b.s had to be used for this.
This explained it all - the awful sounds of the wounded
up on that heath. As the brigadier had sd - the wounded must
be cleared from near firing line first, as it wd be impossible
to get at them there once day broke as no one cd cross the
heath ^by day except bolting like a rabbit & at imminent risk.
Yet not one s.b. seemed yet to have reached firing line & it was
now past midnight. I left dressing stn to return when I thought
old Cass might have gone through it - so I went back & happened
to find him just being dressed. He cd only speak in gasps, but
insisted on telling me what had happened (as I have already
written). Cass wanted papers &
Went back to Old H.Q. in creek - found Matheison, doctor
of 5^th there - he had bn doing great work - going all night whenever
wanted.  He I borrowed water tin (kero petroleum tin) got
it half full & was just starting 7^th journey over heath when
battlefield when news news came by messenger: Brigadier
hit - was on way down to H.Q. to see abt getting up water
& stretcher bearers & food when Turks I suppose got one of their
firing fits & he ws hit thro leg. Sent on messenger for stretcher
Mathieson with another chap & I with water tin at once
started out to find him. Gould put us on line to wire to new H.Q.
& we followed it up hill searching carefully. Abt halfway
up first slope Mathieson went off to some poor chap who
was calling. I left water tin near wire & went on for bit
searching along line. Mathieson twice called out if I had
any luck, but I cd not find Brigadier. I went on -
past patch of scrub this time passing it on its left hand
side & so felt pretty sure I had the wrong line - we had
left it & picked up the wrong one. It led to Tommies trench.
I thought better go on & make sure - so went over plateau
apparently endlessly, hoping to goodness Turks wouldnt
start firing again in one of their panics. The wire finally

62
led to two chaps lying in shallow dug aft out, curled
under abt foot of parapet abt foot deep. They were the
signallers of the 8^th Bn & the line must have bn the 8^th
Bn wire - but they didn't know where 8^th were, & the wire
had been cut probably by a bullet. They told me that Brigade
H.Q. had gone back to the old H.Q. - or to the Tommies trench.
So I went back again (journey 8). The cries of wounded were
heartrending. The Tommies trench was full of them - little
Mathieson had been up there attending to them. The poor
chaps there badly wanted water.
I get went back down the hill, struck the wire
to the 8th up which I had come, searched for the old water
tin, & found it - much to my surprise. I decided to take it
right up to the firing time. However when I got to the wounded
in the Tommies' trench one could not help giving the
poor chaps a drink. I told them I had very little to spare,
& they must be content with a little. We got a mess tin
& handed a little down to each one in the trench or
under the parapet. They were as good as gold. Each
fellow took about two sips & then handed it back - really
you could have cried to see how unselfish they were. One
fellow said - "Here, Sir, I think this man would like
a drink"- not himself, but the man next him. I
went over to him & bent over the wrong man in the dark
- but he pointed me out this mate - "him, Sir" he said.
The man he meant was hit in the head or back & cd
scarcely move his head. He w was lying on his face - &
at first we didn't think he wd be able to move his
head to get at the drink - he didnt seem to think he cd
himself; alto' he was barely articulate I cd understand
that much. I moistened his lips first & then we managed
to get his head into a position from which he could suck
at the tin
It was late - 4 o'clock nearly - & there
was not a great deal of water in the tin - so I decided to
leave it at the Tommies trench with the two Lancs. Fusiliers
who were there, to give to the wounded every now & then.
I stumbled home through the gorse, falling heavily once or
twice. On my way I passed a poor fellow that I had
spoken to once before. He was groaning so much that I
had gone out to speak to him. "Oh I'm in agony " was