Photostat copy of diaries of Benjamin Bennett Leane, 1915 - Part 20

164
afternoon, and again about
2 o'clock this morning, when I
suppose the Turks counter attacked. 
The Turks opposite us are very
busy strengthening their position
and digging their, fourth, and 
even fifth lines of trenches to fall
back on in the event of our
attacking them; but I fancy
they are wasting their energies,
for I don't think we will even
attempt the trenches line; our game
is to work round on the left and
cut them off. Of course we
put up a bit of a demonstration
here occasionally in order to 
keep their forces here out of 
mischief, but it is all bluff. 
The usual artillery duel is 
going and over our heads
this afternoon, and shells 
are continually bursting and
scattering themselves over our
support lines, but we take no
notice. I have been [[ ?clearing]]
letters all the afternoon. Must
knock off now & scribble a
line to the mater as the mail
closes tomorrow.
Monday, 30th August. - 6 p.m.
I made no entry yesterday
as I went along the firing
line to Courteney's and Quinn's Posts
during the afternoon, and had
to go on duty immediately I 
came back. At Courteney's
Post, and also at Quinn's post
the Turkish trenches are only
a few yards in front of ours.
Between these two posts is the
spot where we lay for those
first few days.  In those days

166
there were no Turkish trenches
on the hill at all, and
if our firing line had been
pushed out round the brow
of the hill as I suggested
at the outset there might
have been no Turks there now.
But instead the line was
drawn straight across the brow
of the hill, giving us certainly
about 400 yds. field of fire, but
allowing the Turks to sap up

from the valley and push
onto the hill under cover of the

darkness. You remember I told
you that on that Sunday
morning about 9 o'clock when
we found ourselves in possession
of the hill and the men
commenced to dig in I went
forward to the brow overlooking

the valley to observe. It is
there I mean that we should
have pushed the line out
to. We could then have
had command of the valley
and - in daylight at any rate,
could have prevented the 
Turks from coming up.
Today I have been down
to the beach and over the
old ground where we made
our first attack.  It is
difficult to recognise it now.
The beach is a mass of stores
of various descriptions, with
dressing stations, wireless
stations, landing piers, offices
and all the paraphernalia of
an overseas intermediate x base,
while the hillside is covered
with dugouts, roads, saps,
 

168
and all manner of works. My
main object in going there
was to look up Hugh Wrigley,
one time 3^rd Brigade Staff Sergeant,
now on Divisional Headquarters,
I had a letter for him from 
a friend of his I met while
in England. After a deal of
hunting and climbing I found
the H.Q. offices and Wrigley.
When I got back to my dug
out I was wet through with
perspiration so I had an
'all over' wash and changed
my clothes.
While on the beach I
passed the cemetery, and
saw there the graves of
Capt. Hall and Lt. Owen Smyth.
I thought of them both as
I last saw them - Capt. Hall

with his white face upturned
to the sky, his signalling
flag still clutched in his
hand, and  dull red
patch on the ground where
his life blood had ebbed
away - Lt. Owen Smyth
on board the 'Ionian' as we
were on our way back to 
Egypt, envying  me my wound
and cursing his own luck
that, he had not been permitted
to land with the rest of us.
It appears that when the
'Ionian" returned to Anzac after 
landing the wounded at 
Alexandria Owen Smyth asked
for permission to go ashore,
but was refused, so he went
without permission.  He did
a bit of sniping up in the
 

170
firing line and then grudgingly
went back to his transport
on the ship.  On his way
back a shell came over
and exploded among some
mules, killing some of
them and causing panic
among the others. He sprang
across to quieten them, when
a second shell came over
and the shell case, I believe
took his arm off and otherwise
badly injured him.  He died
very soon afterwards.
I have to go on duty at
midnight tonight, so will go 
 to bed for a few hours' sleep
now.  I wonder how long
before I will sleep in our
dear old cosy bed again.

Wednesday, 1^st Sept. 6 pm.
Missed another day.  I was  on
the rotten watch Monday night,
so Tuesday morning I slept in.
I was still in bed when the 
orderly brought along my mail.
It was English mail, but it
included a batch of old Australian
letters which had been to England
and back again.  In it was
yours written during the period

May 4^th. to 11^th. - dear old girl -
and one each from brother,
Norman, and Jack Mossop, all
about the same period. There 
was also one each from Ted and
Ray which had just missed 
me in England, and one from

Aunt Agnes. The latter three
I am sending you to read.
Of coure, I got up right away
 

172

and commenced answering
them, and have been answering
ever since - bar watches.
This morning my promotion to
Lieutenant came and in orders
(to date 21. 8. 15. D.O.9 5 of 30 .8. 15).
Of course I have only been 2nd.
Lieutenant up to now.  This means
another star. One more and I'll
have my captaincy - May it
come soon, so long as it doesn't
necessitate a casualty to make
the vacancy.
The Turks' shell fire is pretty
hot tonight, and they're
bursting uncomfortably close.
I'm on midnight watch again
tonight, so I think I'll turn in.

Thursday 2/9/15
Had an interesting
little experience this morning. Just
after "unfire," as the daylight was
becoming more pronounced, two Turks
came along an old communication
trench up up our firing line and
gave themselves up.  We blindfolded
them, and sent then back to 
Headqrs. under escort.  Later in the
day Major Nicholson, the Intelligence
Officer came along with them and
got them to point out the Turks'
bomb positions, reserves etc. He
was also able to get much other
valuable information out of them.
They themselves had been bomb
throwers, but were evidently fed
up with things and thought life
would be more pleasant in our 
camp than in theirs.  I wish
the whole caboose would get the
same idea into their heads.
 

174
Friday, Sept 3rd 1915.  10 pm.
Whether the information
gleaned from the prisoners or
not I cannot say, but last night
word came round that a general
attack on our position by the
Turks might be expected any time
between now and September 5th.
It appears that they have about
12000 troops massed opposite our
front, while we  - well, I mustn't
mention figures on case tis book
by any chance should fall
into the hands of the enemy. Still
I guess we can hold them, and
twice that number.  Up to now
the attack has not taken place,
but one of our corporals, a level
headed fellow, has got the idea 
that they have come out of their
trenches since dark and are
waiting down in the gully.  he does

not casually "see things," still, he
may be mistaken. Let's hope he's

not anyway, for the  sooner we 
get it over the better.  Unfortunately
for me, I have struck a rotten
watch tonight ( one of our other
officers being away) and am on
from 10.15 pm till 5.15 am. - just
the hours between which an attack
may likely be expected if it
comes at all.  I went over to see
 Ray this afternoon, intending to come
back about 5 pm have tea, and
turn in for a couple hours' sleep,
but he enticed me to stay to tea
(who could resist it when there
was bovril, potted turkey and
pickles, and tinned peaches!)
and I did not get back to our
lines until 8 p.m. Then I found
 

176
everybody busy laying barbed
wire entanglement etc. so I got
busy and helped.  we have only
just finished, and it's no good
turning in now, so I reckon I'll
be sleeping by 5 am. tomorrow.
Oh for peace and our own cosy
bed once more,  I won't get up 
for a week. Goodnight Kiddles.
Saturday, Sept. 4th 1915.  No attack
last night, perhaps tonight.  All
sorts of rumours extant about our
being relieved shortly.

Sunday Sept. 5th. 1915.

"Tonight's the night," as the play
title runs.  No attack last night,
but there was a bit of a demonstration
in front of the 2nd Horse Bde lines.
Last night we put barbed wire
out in front of our lines, or
rather Capt. Cornish and a party
laid the wire while self and two
men went out in front to cover them
in case of surprise.  A few shots
& a bomb came over, but no
damage done.  This afternoon
General Birdwood and General Walker
came through the lines, and 
they have ordered barbed wire
entanglements to be put in Hancock's
Trench ( the one the "two"  Turks
came up and which is often
used by the Turkish bomb-throwers)
We also have to push forward
an observation and firing position
so that we can overlook the 
Turks' lines.  This means going
down to the second bend, about
15 yds. down the trench.  I suppose
the job will fall to me, as I'm
off duty tonight.
 

178.
Monday, Sept. 6th. 1915

Fixed up Hancock's Trench alright.
A party under an engineer sergeant
carried out the work, while two
volunteers with rifles, and myself,
crawled down the trench ahead of 
them to keep them from being
surprised.  A large party of Turks
were out working in the gully
and we had to move very quietly.
We got down to within a short
 distance of them and lay very
quiet behind some bushes on 
the top of the trench while the 
others fixed the entanglements behind
us.  We were out for about an
hour without our presence being
known, and then just as we
were crawling back along the
parapet to get into the trench
again in rear of the wire I
slipped down the bank and there
was a clatter if gravel and stones.
They opened on us and threw

several bombs, but we were all
able to get back unharmed
This afternoon  I have been alternately
sniping and observing.  It's very
exciting sport.  Right opposite
one of our trenches is a Turkish
communications trench, a section
of which - about two yards - 
is exposed to our fire.  A man
walking through exposes his body
from the waist upwards.  The
distance is only about 300 yards,
and if you are quiet you can
get them nearly every time.  One

keeps his rifle trained on the spot
while the other observes through
field glasses and gives the word
to fire as soon as a target shows.
 

180
Usually they run through, or go
through in a crouching position
and then it is hard to score a
hit.  But some are not so careful,
and others come through in a group
of five or six, and then you
are almost sure to bag them.
It beats me why on earth they
don't throw a few  bushes over
the top of  xxx their trench, for then
we would not be able to see
them.  I suppose it seems awful
to you, to be deliberately shooting
men like this. So it does to me,
only I know they would do
the same to us if we showed
our heads over the parapet for 
a second or two.  Their snipers
get very little shooting nowadays
for we have gotten too careful.
They content themselves with
firing at our periscopes, which
then often break,  and our
rifle barrels poking through the

loop holes.  One chap today
had the whole of the woodwork
split off his rifle barrel and
a neat hole bored through
the barrel.  That's good shooting
you know.
Have just head there is a 
big mail in today.
Clarie Goodrich and Lew Leaver
(from Prospect) came up to see me
today.  I was in the midst of
sniping when they came, so I
let them do a bit of observing.
They got very excited over it.
Clarie is as fat as ever.
Your birthday today, sweetheart.
You thought I had forgotten it,
didn't you, when I got all this
 

182
way without mentioning it ? Don't
you believe it.   I forgot it once,
during the rush and worry of
organisation work in the  [[?}}
camp last September, and I
have never forgiven myself for it.
Dear old girl, even now, just
twelve months  after, I feel just
the same flood of remorse that
I felt that night when you said
just as I was rushing back to 
camp  "It's my birthday today
dear." Darling old love, not a 
tone of reproach or resentment

in the remark,  but I felt so
ashamed of my apparent neglect.

Twenty four years today sweetheart.
Perhaps next birthday - who knows!
I wonder will I celebrate your
birthday as I celebrated Mother's

on April 25th?
Tuesday, Sept. 7th.  The night
passed fairly quickly, except that 
a barbed wire party was fired
on, and one man wounded in
the stomach, a nasty place.
As I went on duty the officer
I relieved handed me an envelope
addressed in your dear old
writing, and when I opened
it I found Gwen's phot, and
yours and Peggy's proof.  They 
are bonny, dear, and i like
them very much.

Wednesday, Sept. 8th. 1915. 6 pm.
No letters from you kiddie. I
had expected one to follow
the photo, but I suppose the

mail is not yet ^all in.
I've got a rotten job tonight

Kiddie.  I have to go

out and take a plan of