Charles E W Bean AWM38 3DRL 606/11/1 - August 1915 part 2

Col. Smythe was keeping his head
most coolly - giving distinct
orders to every messenger what to
do - sorting out orders messages - this he 
answered, that marked out for 
Majr King.

Could see earth being thrown up from
Communication trench - apptly being
cut back to us from enemys line.

In front of our line all along ws a continuous
scattered belt of jam tins in the wire.
Then the bullet swept scrub. Then the folly
- absolutely bare of any sign of life - one
broad earth parapet & several other 
mole furrows across a knuckle - & 
our bullets whipping the dust out of the parapet
& shells bursting there occasionally - black 
earth clouds flying. I did see 3 bayonets 
sticking out of the nearer end of it.

12
Col. Smythe V.C. Brigadier, & Col. Bennett by me in
trench. There arrives a 
message presently from Col. Brown.
Left Safe. Centre ^wants is a few men
70 [[shorthand]] & Will send them 
in as soon as [[shorthand]].

Excited man pushes up to Col. Smythe with 
the written message: "men smothering in tt tunnel".
He repeats it 2/3 times. No one takes any heed -
Then  Wounded come crawling
limping [[shorthand]]. One chap crawling thro
like a dog on all fours  - apparently content.

Tel. Line again [[shorthand]]
Hear we had [[shorthand]].
Signaller who was waving to us arrives,

Signaller P C [[shorthand]] he
started to wave they put
3 shrapnel on to him & several
were hit, so he cdnt wave. (The
shutter method was difficult to read).

13
'Col [[Shorthand]]

[[shorthand]]. Shall he 

stay where he is [[shorthand]] 

[[shorthand]]  He has bn in touch w the

left & [[shorthand]] 

Told - stay where he is & 

feed the firing [[shorthand]] 

[[shorthand]] Head cover is 914 "Something marvellous."

Things seem settled here

by 7.3o o'c so [[shorthand]] 

[[shorthand]]  Mackworth & Gordon

As I came out of trench saw some of Js men
Heard J. had bn wounded in the
hand and gone down to beach →

^X I ws talking to White at / time. We were
expecting a counter attack. The Commn
trenches were at present 12 ft & 20 yds 
away respectively.

⇣ On beach I heard abt 10pm tt
he had bn sent to the Sicilia. On
Aug 9. I heard from him tt it was
a nasty wrist wound - shrapnel -
& ws found to be septic & drained
under chloroform. He ws going to
England & wd stay w Mrs Selwyn
or Aunt Katie. 

14
Commun. trenches blocked by wd. men
Our men wont trample on them.

The signalling apparatus
shutter & yard arm broke down

^X At 9.30 [[shorthand]] fire in
Centre - NZ  had gone in.

(200 bags of mail sunk -
saved nothing. [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]] June 30)

Fighting also [[shorthand]]

10.20 more heavy firing on
left.

Nos of [[shorthand]].

Men lying up under crater

15
digging in.

Warships lights on left.

Just [[shorthand]] or counter attack
[[shorthand]]

Turks knew we were going
to attack for they saw others
charging.

X [[shorthand]] Walker [[shorthand]] Godley [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]]
NZ Howitzer [[shorthand]]
Threw off [[shorthand]]

Men used [[shorthand]]
& fall but got up again
2 m.gs traversing over trench.

11.15 pm  Aug 6.
I heard at A.C. Headqurs abt 11.15 that
N.Z.M.R. were held up on Table Top
& were late. But Monash & Ghurkhas were
starting out in spite of this (some small
risk perh. if M.R. cdn't clear ridges
- might make Monash's retreat
difficult - but worth taking. Gen Birdwood 
clearly thought so.

Bazley sewed white patches onto
my coat & I took field glasses.
I somehow missed the sap that in NZ
lines. Coming on bank of it I jumped in.
The jump was much bigger than I expected
& I got a rather nasty shake. Went on &
10 minutes later found I had lost my
pince nez. A couple of hours later found I
had lost my field glasses. No chance of
seeing them again.

Thought heard mine explode
at midnight - (Just then passing NZ Inf
endlessly filing thro sap) but v. little
firing. This was puzzling bec. we were
looking to this attack as a big punch in
back for Ts attacking from Jolly.

(cont. on p. 32*) 

16   

1st Bde charge:
Hand drawn Diagram - see original scan
Clouds of dust in beautiful evening light
∧ shrap cloud yellow with shell smoke
Saw one man standing up & firing at the Ts
running away - just as if he was firing at a rabbit.
Men standing along the trench perplexed
by overhead cover.

Going to the N flank on reaching C.T. to No 3 outpost I found
that the Brit. had gone on - i.e. Bde going to Waldron's Spur.
NZ moving thro' sap - Saw Hughes there & Saunders

Lights to trench North wh may be 
/ British firing landing. Just as I pass Hughes 
it is midnight. We shd hear G.O. Trench.
12.43 Out burst of firing on
right. [[shorthand]] G.O. Trench,
(as I was going through the GF near No 1 Post)
Cheer in Dark,
12.45 Gen Russell reports he has captured
Table Top. [[shorthand]]
Telephone thru to Table Top

160
200 Lives lost in Rest
gully.

Both attacks on GOT
failed
:X:  See later page for this part of diary.
(3) He had to tell G.H.Q tt if they
cdn't let him have water he wd
have to send troops away - not
bring them in. They Turks knocked a
couple of water barges out - We had
tried to get them to make
arrangements long before. Monash's
Bde had to start short of water - so
they sd - but seem to have got some
later all right -

17
12.45  Notes made at No 3 Post.
Russells H.Q. in old No 3.
Bauchopes [[shorthand]].
Canterbury [[shorthand]]
Hutton got m.g. on Bauchopes.
Man w bayonet red tells us (perspiring messenger
fine looking boys v. excited
"Got into trench on Bauchopes [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]] but trench was mined & working
[[shorthand]] was blown up."
Line is: 
1.am. Big Table Top. Old No 3 Bauch. Hill
Birdwood told me tt (1) He cd not get pinnaces
No pinnaces for Beach for wounded
(2) Cd not get mules
1st Divn ^lost abt 2000 [[shorthand]]

Bdes going slowly to 
left. Filing slowly thro' dark. Some
yarn abt Ghurkas running away
(At this point I went off to find Monash)

No word behind of ^what opposite them
(Jack hit thro' hand)
Prisoners in Coral (Cage)
5.15 tremendous firing
4.30 - 5  tremendous firing. L.H attacking Quinns
No water Barge at Imbros
Warships & numbers of trawlers
off point.   5.30 more heavy firing. 
6.10 more [[shorthand]] firing.
Taube came over 6 [[shorthand]] &
one of our aeroplanes made it dive
Troops up to the farm.
5 Pinnaces one trawler with a sail.
Destroyer on each side of the Bay. firing

 

18 

cruisers, 2 battln ships, Bridge (?) w black funnel
[[shorthand]] Bridge [[shorthand]]
a transport round the point & another further round South - destroyers.
Still hold Lone Pine - not [[shorthand]] attacked
8 o'c [[shorthand]] if 971 ours
          [[shorthand]] who took it.
          [[shorthand]] if NZ Inf Bde had their [[shorthand]].

We haven't taken [[shorthand]] or Baby 700
or G.O. Trench

Bayonets are gleaming under [[shorthand]]
of [[shorthand]] Baby 700 & N of it.

Water had to be got from GHQ
had [[shorthand]]. If you dont give us
[[shorthand]] send [[shorthand]].

Ours were made taube [[shorthand]]

3 a.m. rippling fire out
North of NZ positn -: British
far across the plain.

1.30 Further heavy firing warship
firing continuously.

News - 971 captured [[shorthand]]
Ghurkhas on top - v. tired.
Lone Pine [[shorthand]]
wh [[shorthand]] are using on the Turks.
any [[shorthand]]
V. like old days.  N force
can be seen on beach
& on hill N of Suvla [[shorthand]] Landed
on [[shorthand]] beaches. Firing to N

19
4.55 pm - Aug 7. firing again
5" howitzer dropped a lot
of shells on our own men.

Aug 7^th 
8.45pm   Whilst dictating cable to Bazley
sudden outburst v.
[[shorthand]] Quinns.  Bullets
whistling over his dugout
8.46 Bombs. Fire appears be
receding. More bombs.
Bombs must mean
we attacking [[shorthand]] or they are.
One sergt of L.H. told Gellibd
this [[shorthand]] coming down wounded.

Fire getting further -
9.51 Fire further & slighter
I think I heard a distant 
cheer.

When we went out to G.O.T.
today we got orders
for frontline to [[shorthand]] front
trench to second line. 

20
We are attacking. I think we have
got these trenches or some of
them.

8.53. Fire getting far more 
distant. Few bombs.

8.55. Fire getting very distant

& almost dying out.
Sounds like Baby 700.

8.56 Only few isolated shots
above here. Rest of firing
distant.

M.g. whistling overhead
shells flies near.
Lisp of bullets v. distant.
9.15 or 6 fire almost ceased. Few
near shots - Distant Bullet
has just hit dry leaves
outside this dug out. 

:X:
2 LHR. 2nd B Sq. under Major Bourne attacking trenches
[[shorthand]] Trenches Lost Quinns enfilated from Jolly & other side - trenches Lost [[shorthand]]
cdsnt [[shorthand]]. Lot Major Thegan Lt Hinton k. Lt Bruqes Burge
missing. Lt Coris wounded (6 k. 8 missing 29 wounded)
1 LHR und Major Glasgow attacked from Popes.
Some men reached 3rd trench ([[shorthand]] 1st trench) [[shorthand]] 7.30
when owing to enfilade had to get back & bombs.
Only right section got back. C group [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]] Major Reid k. Lt Nettleton k Tinson
missing (k?) 25 k 51 missing Capt Cox Lts
Holman, AD Reid, A.A. White, N.S. McMillan,
J. Stuart, W. Weir, JHE Harris 67 omen wounded
1st LH killed Ts in trenches they got into.
3 LH.R. were in Popes & Quinns as support,
4 o. r. wounded
8^th Coy R. Welsh Fr down gully  6 Bn
Leinster Regt 10th Divn in Reserve.

Hughes attacked in Nek  8 LH had 3 offrs k.
5 wd. 8 missing
3 LHB. 8 offrs k 9 w 11 missing
427 men k w m. T m.gs had cut down
our trenches. Col White (k) was first out.

21
Few near shots persistently firing.
10.10 Very heavy firing far to N. like [[shorthand]]
Occasional lisping bullet here 
past dug out.
Stafff  [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]] Engl.
10.15 Heavy outburst of firing
10.16. Bombardment firing
Aug. 8. 5.40. Tremendous
muffled explosion on ridge at
back of camp. Rifle fire & other
distant.

(Sounds like bombardment of
Chessboard. Ships not firing)

5.55 Bacchante opens again w

10
men came rushing back.
dropped into a hole.

They took one line over, &
another line [[shorthand]]. It got
cut by [[shorthand]].

Then [[shorthand]]. Left
weak. Turks attacking
massing for attack on
left. (from 4 Bn)
we began to

([[shorthand]] 200, 300 [[shorthand]].
3 wounded  [[shorthand.]])