Handwritten transcript of diaries of Apcar Leslie De Vine, 1 January 1915 - 6 October 1918, Part 5 of 26

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On the high ground to the left, there had been a

much harder fight with our artillery assisting to

keep them off Quins Post the most important

position on our R flank which was constantly

attacked without any success. At dawn the

battleships gave us some help by shelling their trenches

and gun positions. Was on observation post from 8-9

& saw their trenches & guns simply blown sky high

with their crews running for shelter all over the

place, the naval gunnery is most deadly, while

our lads in the front line picked them off

with their rifles, we had continuous sniping all

the morning, all firing ceased by midday. when

everythng regained normal quietness. The Turks

gained absolutely nothing their losses being extremly

heavy, but the poor devils never had a chance as

our fire was well controled & too much concentrated

on their masses. Our casualties during the night

were very small in comparison, most of them were

caused by their shelling, reported they do not exceed

500. We had many casualties in A Coy. They attack

again on the left at 3pm where they again loose heavily

this is only a small local action. The Light Horse made

a counter attack on the right with some success, rest of

the day remained quiet. Some 6" shells were fired

at our trenches, doing considerable damage and

knocking a good deal of it down causing more

casualties. One fell through the roof of the

machine gun cover doing considerable damage

Believe the shells are from Turkish warships in the

Dardanelles. An extra rum ration issued tonight.

And well earnt too!

 

20/5/15  Expected the Turks to attack again early this

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morning so we had to "Stand too" at 3am, however

nothing happened, evidently thy will not risk it after

yesterdays set back. A 6" shell fired at our trench

about 8am just missed a group of us while we were

having breakfast, burying itself in the "parados" only

just passing over us, it knocked a good deal of the

trench in burying us all in the dirt, we all lost our

breakfast  being buried with us also the remains of our

24 hours rations, as the only damage was done to the

rear wall of the trench & our rations we were lucky

to get off so lightly, especially as the shell did not explode

The trenches now are very dry & baked hard in the

sun. being swept out each morning & kept perfecly

clean, owing to the flies etc, the smell of the dead

now is getting awfull some have remained unburried

since the first week of landg, now the position is

much worse owing to the heavy casualties of the

last few days. Had a little sniping today managed to

get a few in their trenches on the left, where they

have to pass a rather exposed part, the day has

been vey quiet, we all expect that thy will attack

later when reinforced. Was detailed for water fatigue

rather a heavy job, in which we all take turns

all water being brought up from the bottom of the

gully in petrol tins, the climb to the front trench

is very exhausting, everythg here has to be man

handled no matter what the weight is, as we have

no horses or mules, while on this fatigue we were

often sniped at as the Turks have command of this

gully from the high ground on the "Chess board"

on our left. we all file down with an interval

of 50 yds between each man, all got safely through

we were pleased to be again under the cover of our

trenches, the front line is the safest place after all

 

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as everythng missing the line immediately finds its

resting place somewhere in Shrapnel Gully as our lines

are dug in just over the top. On observation post

4-5 pm at 4.30 I reported to Captain Simpson that

the Turks were flying a white flag from their trenches

in front. Evidenly a Red Cross sign as the flag consisted

of a red crescent on a white background. This occured

slightly to the left of the sector that I am observing

over, being the first to notice it I reported same.

After a while other flags are waved further to the

left, after a time we answer it by showing a white

towel. later a party of 6 Turks came forward carying

a white flag, they advanced half way across "no mans

land" holding their hands up, we all thought they

were going to surrender, so we freely exposed ourselves

many sitting or standing on the parapet, when the Turks

 saw us doing this they did the same. The deputation

consisted of a doctor, staff officers etc, remained mid

way between the trenches after a time the Adjutant

Mr Massey and an interpreter left our trench and met

them to enquire their business, while this was being

done many other Turks had been seen leaving their

trenches and were now mooving about among the dead

gathering up rifles, bayonets etc handg them over to the

occupants of their front line. The deputation said

that they had been sent by their G.O.C. to arrange

an armistace to allow both sides to collect and

bury their dead, whose condition now is simply

awfull and are lying about in heaps in a most putrid

state, the stench being absolutely beyond description

many of them have been lying exposed to the sun for

three weeks, thereby causing great danger to health

on both sides. The request for an armistace was

refused, as the hour was too late in the day

 

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Rumoured also that the officers credentials were

not quite satisfactory also that their trenches

are being heavily reinforced, this appears to be a

means of gaining time to bring up fresh troops

unobserved & without being shelled as all firing

has ceased. On these main grounds the proposed

armistace was refused also they had commenced

repairing their trenches from the front. During

the negotiations on our front some trouble &

a good deal of firing occured on our left as

the Turks were not keeping their neutrality &

had commensed to repair their parapets etc

& to carry up amunition to the line. The airmen

report that behind their lines 5000 reinforcements

are being landed at Chanac & in consequence of

this we all receive orders to "Stand too " & man

the line in case thy suddenly open fire on us

or attempt to advance, we are all still sitting

on the parapets watching them closely & shouting

to them across "no mans land" After armistace

had been refused we all scramble down quickly

under cover & firing broke out again at 5.30

We are expecting a general attack all along the

line. The latest patern Trench mortar lent

by  the Japanese is placed into position this

evening it is said to be the most deadliest gun

in the world, we have not seen any trench

mortars before, and so thy are being manned

by a squad of the Royal Marine Artilly, one

 bomb fired into the trench simply blows both

men & trench to pieces, thy are terribly effective

and we have two of them. All through the night

our artilly shell their trenches & the high ground

on our left at intervals, in case thy are

 

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massing for an attack, we have everythng ready for

 them but nothng happened. Letters from  England arrd

today. Our full casualties yesterday said to be only

600, not much in comparison to theirs

 

21/5/15 After spending an anxious night nothg happened

thy would not attack, so everythng remains quiet except

for a few snipers, a new shirt & a pair of socks were

issued to each man, first change since landing

German aeroplane dropped a bomb among our ships

just off the coast but missed. At 6 pm a few very

large shells are fired at us which explode with a

tremendous crash, the vibration shaking the whole

trench for a hundred feet, we are being shelled

from the Turkish ports on the Dardanelles, on the

Asiatic side. we expect a few more but nothg doing

thy must be a few ranging shots to get correct

elevation on guns, then thy can give us some

hurry up. The dead are smelling terribly bad

all day, during the night & early hours of the

morning thy seem to get worse

 

22/5/15 Everythg was vey quiet all night, we expected

an attack, but it did not come off, everybody ready

& on the alert, the trench manned at 3 am

about 9am we get a downpour of rain, & another

at 11am the trench is vey muddy & sticky, vey little

sniping tody, both sides miserable & wet through

at 4pm we give them a few of our new bombs

which are vey effective, thy give an enormous

explosion, one fell rather short in "no mans land"

& we feel the effects of it. shelling our trench up

& blowing a big crater. A fresh meat stew was

 served for tea this evening, this is the first fresh

 

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meat that we have had  since the landing

 

23/5/15 Sunday  Landed 1 month today, exceptionally

quiet day. A Turkish officer came in today

along the beach with the necessary credentials

to make arrangements for the burial of the dead

which are now in a most shocking state & a

great menase to health, the stench has been simply

awfull this last day or two after the rain

arrangements are eventually made and agreed to

viz - tomorrow from 7.30am to 4.30pm all

firing is to cease, parties are to be sent out

to collect & bring in the dead for burial,

during this armistice no military work of any

discription may be undertaken or any guns

removed or troops reinforced etc, both sides agree

 

24/5/15 A few sniping shots fired before 7.30 am

At 7.30 everything is ready & red cross flags are

hoisted on both sides, we all lay down our rifles

The arrangements are first that the Turks

may only approach, not more than half way across

"no mans land" towards our trenches, we are

bound in a similar way in regards to theirs 

The half way line is kept by a row of small

white flags. All of their dead that we find on

our half we hand over to them, & they hand over

ours which are taken away on stretches for burial

after being well sprinkled with Clorate of

lime. All rifles that are found are to be handed

back without the bolts. All men engaged in this

work are to wear a white band on the R arm

We collect a huge pile of Turkish dead and

hand them over on the half way line, we collect

 

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more than 3000. Our boys are very friendly with

the Turkish soldiers, and exchange buttons, [[?]]

& other souvenirs with one another, many of their

officers are mooving about among their working parties

The German  officers do not appear to treat the

Turkish soldiers too well, some of them speak a little

English & tell us that the German officers & NCO^s 

are vey cruel to them. I saw myself a german

officer kick a Turkish private for somethg he had

done. Once during the day things began to look

pretty ugly, a few shots were fired on our side

but before anythng developed thy were quickly stopped

otherwise everythg worked smoothly. Was out in "no

mans land" most of the day & had a smoke & a yarn with

a group of Turks our work being completed before 4.30

the rest of the time was taken up by making friends

with the Turks, who do not seem to be a very bad

sort of chap after all, thy all hate their German

officers. I formed the opinion that thy would

rather surrender as thy cannot understand why

thy are fighting against England who has always

been a good friend to them. After today most

of our opinions on the Turks were changed, thy

certainy play the game better than the Germans do

Nothing else doing today owing to the armistice

as all work has to completely stop, the only work

allowed to us is the removal & burial of the dead

of which there are very many. On completion of truce

we all scrambled back to our lines dead on time

then the Turks opened fire again & kept it up at

intervalls all night. While on post during night a

sniper crept up quite close & unobserved to my

loophole & took a shot at me, the shot actualy

breakng the loophole as I was observing through it

 

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the flash of the rifle nearly blinded me being

so close, the bullet struck the earth only 1/2

inch from my head. coverg face with splinters of

stone etc fortunately not touched although the

flash & noise knocked me down, the sniper

could not have been lying dead square with

the loop hole hence my escape. The closest call yet

expecting attack tonight

 

25/5/15 Very cold rainy day, trench very muddy & sticky

Issue of tobacco today, everythng very quiet, had a bit

of sniping to pass the time away, everythng & everybody

very wet & miserable. The battleship Triumph sunk

off Anzac beach by submarine reported loss of about 50

members of the crew, we could see her sink from 

the trenches.

 

26/5/15 Quiet day, very little sniping, we are now

digging a new communication trench through to

the supports during the day, this will make things

easier for us in case of attack & will allow

the front line to be reinforced much quicker

A clean shirt & a piece of soap issued today. very

cold during the night

 

27/5/15 At dawn our artillery opened fire on the

trenches in front of us, doing considerable damage

knocking down a considerable ammount of their

parapet, every shot was dead on the mark, one shell

falling short killed a few of our men, the firing

ceased at 9o/c We remain quiet for the rest of the

day. Have been told that the Majestic has

been torpeded in the Dardanelles with heavy loss of life

 

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28/5/15 Our trenches are shelled this morning causing

considerable damage, the fire is vey acurate & they hit

us every time, the shelling being either from the posts

or the battleships in the Narrows. We are shelled again

about 6.30 am which cause several casualties, but we

remain fairly quiet during the day. All observation

posts are now manned by two observers doing duty

together. Capt Simpson is transfered to D Coy & we

get Capt Coultman instead. Intelligence received

that the Turks are running short of amunition, so

we dress up dummies for them to shoot at & so

waste their amunition further, this however had a

poor effect as "Jacko" would not "bite" too easily

Mail from England arrived today

 

29/5/15 We are attacked at dawn after a pretty hot

shrapnel fire which lasted some time and caused

several casualties, most of the fighting is on the left

where the Turks loose very heavily, some prisoners

were taken, the attack played itself out by 9.30am

We are relieved from the front line today the first

time for a month, we camp on the side of Shrapnel

Gully just behind our front line. After a rest we

go to Brighton Beach for a bathe which is very

 refreshing & the only good wash we can really get

We were noticed by the observation post on Gaba

Tepe who inform their artilly who in their

turn sprinkle us with shrapnel nobody hit & 

we take no notice of it. On water fatigues to the

beach at night carrying for the Bns in the line. Mail

from England again sorted & issued with rations

 

30/5/15 Sunday  Landed 5 weeks. Mess orderly today

fatigues carrying water etc all day. Shrapnel fully

 

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and the beach are heavily shelled during day, so we

had to do without our swim, many men have been

hit & killed while swimmng at Brighton Beach and

Robertsons Pier, their artilly wait for the men who

bathe generally in the afternoon & give them some shrapnel

everybody takes a risk & spread themselves out well

but of course a few get caught each day. Tody

thy are extra liberal with their fire so bathg

is refused by orders, we spend the rest of the day writing

letters etc. Was detailed to mount an observation

post at the top of the Gully which we have named

"Wire Gully" as it is full of barbed wire this Gully

is just over the sky line & overlooks the Vally of

Death. where the Turks suffered vy heavy losses

in their attack on the 19/5/15. This post is a vy

important one as isolated scouts etc seeking information

have many times attempted to pass through & so reach

the top of Shrapnel Gully which is about the centre of

our line on the R flank, if successfull thy would

have a clear observation right down Shrapnel Gully

to the beach & could direct all artilly fire, the

approach is well hidden by bushes etc on their side,

this part of the line is only patrolled at night

as our front line is broken here by the gully

A Coys sector ends on the Right side of the gully the

Bn then carries on on the other side. Am relieved

at 5am next morning

 

31/5/15 We return to our front line sector today after

a supposed rest of 48 hours which consisted of heavy

fatigues carrying, water, amunition, stores etc up the

Gully all day, so we return much more tired than

when we left, there being more rest in the front

line than behind it, as the men in the line have