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

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everything fatigued for them by the men supposed to be 

resting behind the lines, we all much prefer to remain 

in the line & take the front line risks. Before 

returning we visit the beach for a last swim. The 

day has been vy quiet, we keep up the ordinay trench 

routine of observing etc

 

1/6/15 Easy day nothing doing, we started today to 

sap out from our front line towards the Turks this 

sap is entirely underground, & is making good 

progress daily, not a shot fired today, absoluty nothg 

to fire at, & vey little sniping alog the entire front 

both sides wotchng one another & preparing surprises
Water fatigue again, tin of tobacco & box of matches 

issued, these issues are now becoming a regular 

thing each Monday. A small amount of stores have 

arrived for the Bn, managed to buy a packet of 8 

boxes of matches for -/6 from Padre McKenzie

 

2/6/15 We are again relieved for a rest, this time we 

have a longer & better one. Nos 3&4 platoons are 

given the job to dig a new communication trench 

for supports, we dig all day, but get a good rest at 

night, being exempt from all other fatigues & duties 
we all managed to get a good nights rest

 

3/6/15 Fatigues all day & digging communication trench
"Stand too" at 9pm however there was nothing 

doing, False Alarm. "Stand down" 10pm

 

4/6/15 Fatigues for the Q M Stores & digging new 

latrines all day. Very heavy artilly bombardment 

on Achi Baba a large hill on our R on the 

english Tommys front, we can hear the vy heavy

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guns all day. Fresh meat stew on issue for tea 

tonight, also lot of rum. English mail in tody

 

5/6/15 Fatigues all day digging. very quiet day, many 

shells pass over us on their way to the beach which 

gets attention at intervalls during the day, as it is 

always crowded with men it is now just like 

a small city. The Turks lost a trench to the 1st Bn 

early this morning

 

6/6/15 Sunday Landed 6 weeks. Returned to front line 

today at 9 am, this time we take up a different sector 

of the line on the L of our old position, which is very 

badly protected from rifle & shrapnel fire, the post 

I am allotted to is exceptionally dangerous, when I 

stand upright am head above the parapet, sniped 

at several times, the Coy we have relieved evidently did 

not believe in making for their own safety, this throws 

extra work on us as we now have to build overhead 

cover for our own protection besides our ordinary 

trench duties. We have been shelled a little today
Our naval aeroplanes dropped several bombs on 

their trenches with great effect, blowing up a 

good portion of it, otherwise we have a quiet day

 

7/6/15 Very quiet day, did not fire a shot, the smell 

from the dead that are again accumulating is very 

bad, and swarms of huge flies worry you all day 

the heat now is vy considerable. Turks made 

another heavy attack on Quinns Post tonight, but we 

had a complete success again. Water is reduced to 1 1/6 

pints per man for all purposes including tea, cooking etc 
owng to its scarcity it is being towed from Egypt in flat 

punts & pumped into tanks on the beach.

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8/6/15 A little sniping today, tobacco issued very 

quiet day on the whole, our artilly shelled the

"Chest Board" this afternoon

 

9/6/15 Had some good sniping today otherwise 

nothing doing, The Turks continue to sap towards 

us, we snipe at them all day but to no effect 

untill thy turned a machine gun on us at 6 pm 

in reply no one hit. Our artillry shook them up 

a bit this afternoon, we get a quiet night, no alarms

 

10/6/15 Relieved at 9.30 & placed in the support lines
Mess orderly & water fatigues all day & trench digging 

all night. A fight started at Quinns Post at 2.30 am 

but we remain quiet on our sector

 

11/6/15 Very windy all day, the parapet of the trench 

is slowly being blown away on us covering all food etc 

& making things gritty & miserable. trench digging & 

repairing all night

 

12/6/15 The whole 4th Bn is now moved to the R 

of Wire Gully, previous to this A & B Coys were on the 

R & C & D Coys on the left of the Gully. A Coy now 

mooves further to the R & the other Coys move over, 

making an unbroken front for the Bn. Our old line 

on L of gully are taken over by the 2^nd Brigade.
Fatigue at Co Hdqrs all day & digging at night, heavy 
mail from Sydny arrived received 2 letters. sapping 

all night

 

13/6/15 Sunday Landed 7 weeks, very quiet day, the 

battleships shelled a Turkish position for about 1/2 hour 

pourng in several heavy broadsides, we watched this

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bombardment during breakfast, as on our new Coy post we 

can see the whole of the Turkish left & across country 

to Achi Barba on our front, and the whole fleet at 

our rear simply by turning round. quite an unique 

position to observe effect of shots, advantage taken 

of this by naval observers. We are digging trenches again 

all day, half loaf of bread issued today, One of our naval 

aeroplanes flew over our position under a heavy shrapnel 

fire from the Turkish batteries without being hit. It 

then dropped three bombs on their trenches with a 

terrific roar, this was our entertainment during 

the evening meal. Fatigues & sapping all night

 

14/6/15 Return to the front line today, quite a relief from 

the last four days fatigues, digging etc, feel very much 

knocked out after our reputed "rest", rather quiet day 

only a bit of sniping on our sector, we get a little shelling 

at sundown, trench knocked about a good deal

 

15/6/15 Reported sick today, bad attack of Cholic & 

dysenty, our sector heavily bombarded with heavy shells  

from Chanac forts. issue of tobacco, relieved of all 

duties durng day

 

16/6/15 Worse today, relieved of all duties. Coy relieved 

from the trenches and take up a position at bottom of 

Gully on a rather badly exposed position to shell fire
shells are dropping at intervals trying to find our guns. Our 

next camp being situated in front of Brighton Beach and 

near the Indian Mule Batterys, we get plenty of  

opportunities for bathing here. 4^th reinforcements landed 

and joined us during evening

 

17/6/15 Unfit, resting all day, pains in stomach slightly

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better, many men are down with dysenty which is 

now very prevelent amongst us  Clean shirt issued

 

18/6/15 Unfit again today, worse if anything, very 

feverish & feeling vey weak. 1/3 of a loaf of bread 

issued tody. All "hands" have dysenty more or less 

some worse than others, many men are evacuated 

to hospital

 

19/6/15 Doctor again marked as unfit, fortunate to 

get a tin of milk and a handful of rice today from 

Major Storey, quite a treat, first food I have eaten 

for four days. We were shelled in our camp during day 

nobody hit

 

20/6/15 Sunday Landed 8 weeks. marked unfit, easy 

day, nothing doing, 1/3 loaf of bread issued, a good deal 

of dysentry and other sickness is breaking out, but our 

rest is doing us some good, this is the first actual 

rest we have had

 

21/6/15 Unfit, large mail today. Doctor issued tin 

of milk for dysentry

 

22/6/15 Still unfit, tobacco issued today. visited the 

Indian Mule Batty camp to get some of their curry 

& damper bread. feeling better.

 

23/6/15 As we are returning to the line today did 

not report sick, but joined the platoon & reported for 

duty. Detailed for night work 8 pm till 8 am next 

morning, with no fatigues the next day. Three men are 

now being placed on observation post, two keeping watch 

the other sitting down beside them, but must not go to

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sleep, we relieve one another each hour - 2 hours 

observing & 1 hour rest. We find two hours are rather 

too long a strain for the eyes. 1/2 loaf of bread 

issued today

 

24/6/15 Resting all day, nothg doing. The Turks are much 

closer than when we were in the trenches last 

time, and thy are still sapping towards us. We 

get a quiet night with vry little sniping, no casualties
As I am off trench duties during the day, I get a very 

good days sleep in the support line from 8 am

 

25/6/15 Resting all day, observation in the front line

changed again hours now 7 pm to 7 pm the next day
The Turks are now throwing trench bombs similar

to ours but less powerfull, hit about 10 men during

day otherwise very quiet. We draw the Turks rifle 

fire by volley firing & so discover the position of two 

of their machine guns

 

26/6/15 In front line all day, it is now very hot 

weather and steadily gettng warmer, the flies are a 

great nuiisance, it is imposible to keep food free 

from them, thy are the cause of all the dysentry 

and hundreds of our men are down with it, but 

must carry on just the same as we cannot get the 

necessary reliefs. Several bombs are thrown at us 

today, without doing much damage, we are to remain 

another 24 hours in the line before our relief is due 
English mail in today

 

27/6/15 Sunday Landed 9 weeks. In front line all day 

untill 9 pm when we are relieved by Nos 1&2 platoons
We are being shelled today by some new high explosive 

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shells, probably captured from the French, otherwise 

quiet day, 1/3 loaf issued today

 

28/6/15 Had a good nights rest, fatigues all day in 

the support trenches. Attack on our R by the 3rd 

Brigade & Light Horse. orders to "stand too" from 12.30 

untill 4 pm ready for an attack on our front.  My platoon 

& No 4 are in the reserve trenches behind the front line 

however we are not wanted, although we were 

shelled a good deal. The attack on Right successful

 

29/6/15 Fatigues all day, we return to the front lineat 

7 pm. There is no moon now untill early mornig. the 

nights are vry dark. About 9.30 a dust storm arose 

with a very heavy wind, under cover of the thick 

dust we expect the Turks to attack, as the dust is blowng 

in our faces, and the light is slowly fading fading
We are "standing too" constantly and firing several volleys 

at their trenches through the dust which is vry thick 

this has the effect of keeping them there, after a while 

thy think we are preparing an attack on them, so thy 

reply in like manner, which of course keeps our heads 

down, & so each side bluffs the other. The Turks 

however miss a great opportunity, as the dust & grit 

is blowing direct into our faces, nothig happens 

on either side. We expected them to liberate gas 

on us  similar to that used on the Western Front
Respirators have been issued, simply a gag soaked in a 

chemical & placed in a gause which we tie over 

the mouth & stuff up our nose, tying gause at 

back of head, said to be vey effective but seem 

to be vy premature in idea. The direction of 

the wind changed at 10o/c, no gas was liberated 

although we have received the information that 

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they are equiped with it, both sides have succeeded 

in keeping the other in their trenches, and the 

expected attack dies out when the wind drops at 

10.30. everythng remained quiet for the rest of day & 

night. Issue of tobacco today

 

30/6/15 Quiet day, only a little sniping, very dark tonight 

absolutely no moon, similar to last night. Heavy rain storm 

with vry brilliant lighting at 9.30 pm, we all stood to 

arms for 1 hour while storm lasts, expectng an attack. We 

apply the same measures as yesterday keeping a steady fire 

on their trenches & they do the same to us with the result 

that neither side attempt to leave their trenches, the 

lightning is very brilliant, we can see the whole of their 

trenches & "no mans land" as if it were daylight
another downpour at 1 am, we all get wet through 

and the trench very muddy & sticky, the night passes 

vry quietly

 

1/7/15 Nothing doing today. Had a narrow escape from 

being blinded, an explosive bullet hit my periscope 

while observing blowing the top of the periscope to pieces, 

breaking the glass into small fragments all over my eyes 

cutting my nose badly between the eyes, many fragments of glass 

enter the eye, fortunately without cutting the pupil 

knocking me down & completely blinding me for 24 hours 

face also badly cut & bled freely. Removed to Bn dressing 

station where Dr Tebbutt placed me under observation 

will know definitely tomorrow condition of eye.

 

2/7/15 Under observation at Bn dressing station, eyes 

examined & pieces of glass removed. fortunately no permanent 

damage has been done, bandages removed from eyes & I 

return to Coy for duty. No duties rest of day

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3/7/15 Attended Dr, marked light duties, sight quite 

normal again

 

4/7/15 Sunday Landed 10 weeks. Dr marked me fit 

for duty. Orderly man

 

5/7/15 Back to full trench duty today, relieved one 

of the boys on night duty. Stomach again troubling me, vry 

sharp attack of Cholic again

 

6/7/15 Reported sick, light duties, 2 ozs of tobacco today
Several 10" shells fell on our trenches today & in the 

Gully tearing up a lot of ground, nobody hurt, two 

cigarette lighters arrived from England which are worth 

their weight in gold, as we cannot get matches at 

any price. At 11.30 pm the Turks spring a small 

mine under one of our saps blowing it up

 

7/7/15 Reported sick, no medicine available, light duties 

guard on L 3 sap which is blown up again tonight

 

8/7/15 Did not report sick, useless as there is no 

medicine, so was put back into front line, feeling vry 

weak. Half loaf or bread issued today. Heavy bombardment 

of the trenches opposite to us this afternoon at 5o/c. We 

are relieved from the front line tonight

 

9/7/15 Resting in the supports all day. lazy day, light duties 

The Turks blew up a sap on us this evening, doing 

very little damage, the crater is very near our front 

line, two or three men being hit by falling clods of 

earth, otherwise no harm done & no casualties

 

10/7/15 Orderly man, water is now getting vry scarce

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in the Gully , had to wait for 3½ hours for water for 

the tea. Australian mail in today. Return to the  

front line this evening

 

11/7/15 Sunday Landed 11 weeks, firing line all day 

nothing doing quiet day

 

12/7/15 Attack made on our Left to gain "The 

German Officers trench" which was subjected to a lot 

of shelling, to which they vigereusly replied knocking 

several of us out. Watched the bombardment of Achi 

Baba by the fleet during afternoon from an observation 

post. The top of the hill vry heavily bombarded 

which could be plainly seen being slowly blown away 

by the continuous rain of shells on it

 

13/7/15 Firing line all day, quiet, we expect an attack 

at night, several flares being used which is quite unusual
The religious feast of Ramadan starts today, we expect them 

to go mad & attack us in their religious frenzy, but 

they keep pretty quiet, we are ready for them and all the 

supports & reserves are brought up close behind the lines 

for instant use if necessary. Tobacco & matches issued 

today

 

14/7/15 Relieved from the front line, went to the rest 

camp where we have a quiet day. Col Benett transfered 

to 1st Bn & Col Macnaughten return to 4th

 

15/7/15 Rest camp. Orderly. half loaf of bread issued 

today. We are all innoculated against Cholera over the 

heart, afterwards all hands visit Brighton Beach for a 

swim, & do their washing. Paid £1