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

22/7/15  Returned rest camp this
morning fatigues all day until fatigue
untill 12 o/c midnight. reserves at
night, but heavy rifle fire early
morning but no attack developed
we are all ready at a moment's notice
to stand to arms as the Turks Force
been very heavily reinforced
23/7/15 Rest camp all day, quiet day
no fatigues. reserves at night
24/7/15 No 3 stayed with the reserves
all day to finish fatigues, sapping in
the M.S. sap all afternoon, carrying
ammunition until midnight, staying
with the reserves all night, rice at
dinner
25/7/15 Sunday Landed 13 weeks 

returned to rest camp this morning
no fatigues, bathed twice today
lazy day. issue of rum this evening
& 10 figs, milk in tea this evening
for the first time, on issue, reserves at 
night 
26/7/15 Rest camp, fatigues in the morning
managed to buy 6 eggs today 3/-  xxx
& tin of milk 2/-, reserves at night
made a rice puddy today 
27/7/15 Rest camp fatigues in the afternoon 
Camp shelled by howitzer in evening
no damage done, reserves at night.
tobacco issued, made a rice puddy today
28/7/15 Remained in reserve all day at 
Batt Hdqrs, sapping & dig a A M 
store in the reserve trench. Inoculated 
2^nd time for Colera, very strong injection  
over stomach

29/7/15 Returned to the firing 
line this morning at 10 o/c placed 
on night watch, very quiet day on 
the whole, a few bombs fell 
very near, have been away from 
the firing line for 2 weeks today 
big parcel from mother today 
with plenty of chocolate and tobacco 
also a pipe.
30/7/15 firing line all day untill 
4 o/c pm when we went into the 
supports. Quiet day. Mounted guard 
at night to give alarm in case of 
gas being used by the Turks, quiet 
night.
31/7/15 Supports all day untill 
4 pm when I went back 

to the firing line, at the dead 
end, very many a tailie flew 
over our lines & dropped bombs 
otherwise a quiet day, on post 
untill 4 am, off all next day
1/8/15 Sunday Landed 14 weeks 
Did not observe. all day on  
night post, shelled this evening by 
the 75 mm knocked our trenches 
about a bit. 
2/8/15 Supports all day, fatigues, 
water & a duty run Quiet 
day 
3/8/15 Returned to firing line at 4 pm 
posted at dead end, trench shelled 
by 75mm in evening, My stuf

hit by splinter of large bomb 
4/8/15 Firing line all day 
Quiet day, tobacco & matches 
issued, 6^th reinforcements arrive 
today 
5/8/15 Firing line untill 8 am 
then relieved by the 8^th Batt 
& sent for a short rest & prepare 
for the advance which is to be 
made very shortly, rested the remainder 
of the day.  Turks trenches bombarded 
with howitzers all day, Very lazy 
day rested all day, no fatigues 
6/8/15 Had a nights rest, no "stand 
too" in the morning, best nights 
rest I have had for a long 

time, paraded before the Colonel 
at 10 o/c am he told us that 
we were to have a fight that 
afternoon, we were to get our 
packs ready & stored, bare under 
equipment only to be carried no 
haversack or bayonet scabbard, 
entrenching tool to be fixed in 
the belt & ready for use, each 
man to carry two sand bags 
he explained that A coy of the 
4th Batt were to lead the 
charge on the Turks trenches 
in front of the 2^nd Batt we 
were on the L of the first Brigade 
on our R was the 3^rd Batt & on 
their R the 2^nd Batt with 
the 1^st in reserve, our job 
was to rush at 5-30 pm the

trenches in front & pass over the 
first 3 lines & jump in the 3^rd  
line of trenches & attack the 
Turks there & work backwards 
first blocking up all communication 
trenches to prevent reinforcements 
being brought up, at 5-30 we 
made the rush as we sprung over 
the parapett with a cheer the 
Turks poured a fearfull hit 
of rifle & machine gun fire & 
shrapnell. Knocking our men 
over in dozens, I got caught up 
in our own barbed wire & 
held for a while but did not get 
hurt the ground was thick with 
our dead & wounded managed 
to get to the second line of trenches 
& fell in there, I got mixed up 

with a lot of Turks which we  
quickly disposed of, the Turkish troops 
were in an awfull condition, the 
dead lay very thick owing to our heavy 
bombardment, & the smell of dead 
boddies rotting was simply awfull, 
the Turks put up a good fight 
those that had any fight left 
in them & accounted for a lot 
of our men, the first line of trenches 
were all dead with the exception 
of those that got into the saps for 
protection from our artillery, all 
these were taken prisoners, very 
few showed fight, lost my Batt 
in the fighting & went to reinforce the 
L which was heavy attacked had 
to make a baracade of bodies 
& so keep the Turks off

& so we managed to hold what 
we had won, we were distinguished 
at night by having a lge white 
piece of callico sewed on our 
back & a broad white amulet 
on our arm, attacked most of 
the night on the L so was kept 
pretty well occupied, after 
midnight was told off with other 
& an officer to hold a communication 
trench leading directly into the 
Turks & blocked one end up with 
dead men & sand bags, in a 
very bad position between the fire 
of the Turks trenches & our own 
when our first ?observer? was told 
of to his post & mounted he 
was only there a few minutes 
before he was shot by our man 
continued in other book 
  
  
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