Diary of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1915 - Part 5 of 7

has been quiet the rest of the day  
left trenches today for 2 hours 
went to the beach & had a  
bath vy refreshg, rest of day 
spent quietly no fatigues today 
We all been ordered one 
complete days rest while  they  
stay on the R by the 3^d Batt 
some 15 or 20 Turks surrendered, 
received a Telegram from friends 
today good news, also a letter 
from Amos, word received that the 
Turks have been heavly reinforced 
on the R, all guards doubled & sleep 
in our kits, supports brought up, stand 
too ordered for 3 am, turned in 
a quiet night untill 12^o/c 
Rg support returned to Alexandria 
  
19/5/15 Turks attacked us at about 
1-15am, the trenches were manned 
& thy got a vy hot time leaving 
many dead on the ground, after 
a futile attempt to get up to  
our trenches thy withdrew 
& re attacked again in heavy 
numbers all alog the line, we  
were hotly engaged for the attack  
was at 3 o/c we had all  
previously been called to arms 
& were ready for them, they 
made a very persistent attack 
& came on in large numbers, some 
gettig vy close to the trench 
& threw bombs, they had vy 
poor rifle fire, & had their 
bayonets fixed as if to charge 
us, but we mowed them

down in rows, the remnants of 
them turned & fled for their 
lives to their trenches, they 
could be seen plainly against the  
sky line at dawn & made  
excellent marks, fired for two 
hours practically without stopping 
my rifle got too hot & the  
bolt stuck at a critical 
moment but managed to free 
it, they left many dead in 
front of our trenches, on the L 
they put up a better fight 
& at dawn the battleships 
shelled their trenches, I was 
on an observation post at 
8 - 9 & saw their trenches 
simply blown to pieces & 
the Turks running for shelter  
  
all over the place, while 
our infanty mowed them down  
in [[buckes?]], vy deadly. the Turks 
never got a chance, we got 
shelled at this time, our 
casualties for the night were 
vy small, [[Len?]] Sledge got 
killed, figh ceased about 10^o/c 
the Turks dead are very thick 
in the valley on our L, attacked 
again at 3 pm on the L, Turks 
again loose heavy, the light Horse 
made a counter attack on the R with 
some success, rest of the day quiet 
Some heavy 6" shells fired at our 
trenches & knocked a good deal 
of it down, & caused some 
casualties, one fell through the roof 
of the machine gun cover doing some

damage, received a flyer today 
extra rum ration issued tonight 

20/5/15 Expected the Turks to  
attack again early this morning, so 
had to stand to arms at 3 am 
nothing happened, they will not risk 
it, large 6" shell fired at 
the trench about 8 am narrow 
just missed a group of us having 
brekfast & buried itself in the 
trench, it passed just over our 
heads & buried itself in the 
opposite side of the trench about 
3 ft knocking some of it down &  
coverig us with dirt & dust, 
we were all at breakfast at the  
time, the whole of our tucker 
was spoilt, I had only had 
a little & had to throw 
  
the rest away, my bunk vy 
filled with earth, a narrow 
escape for all, lucky it did 
not explode & so saved all 
of us, did a bit of sniping 
tody, good sport, got 
several in their trench on the 
left, Turks vy quiet, probably 
will attack later when they 
get replacements & bury their 
dead, was detailed for water 
fatigue tody heavy job water 
carried from the bottom of the 
vally to Coy Hqrs, sniped at 
several times, all missed, 
Went on observation post 4 - 5 
at 4.30 reported ∧ to Capt Simpson Turks flying 
white crescent flag on the L 
another flag was then flown

from other trenches further on 
the L, we answered it, later 
as party of 6 came forward for 
a truce carrying a white flag & 
holding their hands up, everybody 
thought they were going to surrender 
& stood up on the parapet of their 
trenches, the Turks did the same, 
While the Turks were negotiating 
between the trenches with an 
interpreter & Mr Messy some 
of them were going round the dead 
picking up rifles bayonets etc,, they 
wanted an armistice to bury 
their dead, which we refused 
during this time they were heavily 
reinforced & returned their 
trenches from the front, a  
few of them also fired on  
  
the extreme R, the whole thing 
was an act of treachy, thy mearly 
wanted time to bring  up ammunition 
& reinforcements of which 5000 landed 
at the time, reported by the airmen 
were all ordered to stand to 
arms & man the trenches, in case 
they suddenly opened fire on us as 
we were sittg on the parapett 
visibly then & speakg to them 
across the space between us 
Armistice refused firing started 
again at about 5.30, we all 
expected a general attack along 
the line, the latest pattern trench 
mortar lat by the [[?garalese]] [[?brought]] 
into position this evenig, said to 
be the most deadliest gun in the 
world, manned by the RMA

one bomb fired into the Turkish 
trenches, simply blew men & trench 
to pieces, & was terribly effective 
we have only 2 of them, all night 
our artillery shelled the trenches 
on our L on the hill, vy heavy 
everythg ready for our night 
attack. letter from mother tody 
casualties yesterday 600 

21/5/15 After spending an anctious 
night nothing happened the Turks 
would not attack & eveythg is 
vy quiet except for a few 
sniping, new shirt & socks issued 
German airship dropped bom 
in the harbour but missed 
the battleship, this evening about 
6 a few vy large shells were 
fired at us which exploded  
  
with a tremendous crash the 
vibration of the earth could be 
felt in our trenchs, we expected 
to get a few at us, but no more 
were fired, the dead smell terribly bad 
tody 

22/5/15 Fighting vy quiet all night 
we expected an attack but it 
did not come off, evybody ready & 
the trench manned at 3 o/c am 
abit of a downpour of rain & 
another at 11, trench vy 
muddy, vy little sniping 
tody, both sides wet 
at 7 o/c we threw several bombs  
at their trenchs from our new trench 
mortars, vy effective, they give an 
enormous explosion, 1 fell short & we 
felt the effect of it, a fresh meat

stew for tea tody, the first fresh 
meat since we landed, vy good 
  
23/5/15 Sunday Landed 1 month 
tody, exceptionally quiet day 
tody, officer came in [[?again]] to make 
arrangements for the burial of the dead 
which are in a shockg state, & a 
menace to both sides, the stench has 
been awfull this few days after the 
rain, arrangements have been made 
viz tomorrow from 7-30 am untill 
4-30 pm all hostilities to cease 
& parties sent out to collect &  
bury the dead 
  
24/5/15 A few sniping shots fired 
before 7-30 Afterwards the 
red cross flags hoisted on both  
  
sides & parties sent out to collect 
the dead, we sent several hundred 
men & collected a huge pile of 
Turkish dead, our men were vy 
friendly to the Turks & exchanged 
souveneers with one another, had 
a vy slack dy tody absolutely 
nothg doing owing to the armistice, 
the dead were stacked in huge 
piles & left for the Turks to bury 
Mess orderly tody, at completion of 
truce Turks opened fire & kept it 
up on & off all night, narrow escape 
while on watch tonight, a shot broke 
the peephole that I was observing from 
& the bullet [[pierced?]] the wall up in 
front of my face covering me with dirt 
We expected an attack tonight but 
nothing happened

25/5/15 Vy cold rainy day tody 
trench vy muddy & sticky 
issue of tobacco tody, quiet dy 
did a bit of snipg to pass the 
time away, got a [[?Clyds]] tody 
evybdy wet & miserable tody, vy 
cold, battleship sunk in harbour tody 
by submarine 

26/5/15 Quiet day tody, vy little 
sniping, digging new communication trench 
for sappers tody, clean shirt issued tody 
& a piece of soap, rather cold night 
  
27/5/15 At dawn our artilly opened 
fire on the trenches in front & did 
considerable damage knocking down a 
considerable amount of the parapet 
evy shot was dead on the mark a shell 
killed a few of our men  ceased 
  
firg about 9 o/c quiet rest of the dy 
  
28/5/15 Our trenches shelled gain this 
morng knocking a good deal of it down 
fire vy accurate, shelled gain about 
6.30 causg some casualties, quiet 
during the dy, all observation posts 
have double observers. Capt Simpson 
sent to D Co & we get Capt 
Coltran, received information tody 
that the Turks are jolly short of ammunition 
so we dress up dummies for them to waste 
their ammunition on, had a good effect 
post tody letter from mother 

29/5/15 The Turks attacked us at dawn 
sent a vy heavy shrapnell fire which 
lasted some time & caused several 
casualties, most of the fighting was on 
the L where a trench & prisoners

were taken, the Turks lossed heavy 
some prisoners were taken firing ceased 
about 9 o/c. Relieved from the 
trenches tody at 9-30 the first 
time for a month, camped on the 
hill side at the rear of our trenchs 
mess orderly tody, had a bathe in the 
sea tody vy refreshing, carried water from 
the beach at night, two letters & flyers 
from mother tody 
  
30/5/15 Sunday Landed 5 weeks 
Orderly man tody, on fatigues 
carrying water etc all day, the valley 
& beach was heavily shelled this 
afternoon so could not go down for 
a swim, wrote letter to mother tody 
mounted an observation post (extra one) 
to overlook the Valley of Death untill 

5 o/c am  
31/5/15 Returned to trenches tody 
very tired after fatigues, feel worse after 
"rest", went to beach & had a bath 
rest of day vy quiet, kept up ordinary 
trench routine of observing, etc 
recd a Reg letter from Edith 

1/6/15 Easy day tody nothng doing 
our sap towards the Turks  
progressing well, did not fire a shot 
tody, vy little sniping done 
water fatigue, tin of tobacco 
box of matches issued tody, managed 
to buy packet of 8 boxes of matches for -/6 
from "Padre" 
  
2/6/15 Relieved from the trenches today 
Nos 3 & 4 platoon, given job to dig 
new communication trench for supports 

dug all dy, got a good rest all 
night, did not observe, fairly good 
rest 
  
3/6/15 Fatigues all dy, digging communicatn 
trench, stood to arms for an attack 
at 9 pm nothing much all quiet 
from 10pm 
  
4/6/15 Fatigue for QMS & digging  
latrines all day, vy heavy artilly 
assault on big hill on the R could 
hear the big guns going all dy, letter  
& flyers from mother, stew 
to day fresh meat, tot of rum 
issued 

5/6/15 Fatigue all day, digging, vy 
quiet dy, plenty of shrapnell fired  
at us, but all flew overhead 
  
Turks were attacked by the 1^st Batt 
early this morning & a trench captured 
  
6/6/15 Sunday  Landed 6 weeks  
today, returned to firig line 
tody at 9am, took up another 
sector of the trench on the L of 
our old position, vy badly protected 
from rifle & shrapnell fire, From  
my bunk when I stand upright can 
see the whole of the Turkish 
trenches, snipped at several 
times, was shelled a little 
tody, dropped several bombs 
on their trenches with great 
 effect blowing in a good  
portion of it, otherwise a  
quiet day 

7/6/15 Very quiet day, did not fire  
a shot, smell from corpses vy 
bad, & flies in swarms worry you 
all dy, heavy attack on Quinns 
Post tonight, we had some good 
success, water reduced to 1 1/6 pints for 
all purposes includg tea, cooking, etc per man 

8/6/15 A little snipg today 
 tobacco issued, vy quiet dy on 
the whole, our artilly shelled 
the chess board in afternoon 
  
9/6/15 Had some good sniping tody 
otherwise nothg doig, Turks 
continue to sap towards us 
snipped at them all dy to no effect 
untill they turned a Machine gun 
on us about 6 o/c no one hit 
artilly shell their trenches this afternoon 
  
quiet night, no alarms 
  
10/6/15 Relieved at 9.30 am & placed 
on the supports, orderly man & water 
fatigue all dy, trench digging all 
night vy tired, fightg on Quinns Post 
2.30 am nothg doig on our part 
quiet night 
  
11/6/15 Vy windy all dy, the  
parapett of trench blowing down on  
us all dy, vy miserable, trench 
digging all day & night 
  
12/6/15 Fatigue at Coy H Quartrs all 
day & digging all night, large mail  
from Australia two letts from the 
Greaves, digging & sapping all night 
last dy on two vy quiet