Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/198/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

the road twds 15 Central wh

ws full of dugouts, & Lt Allison

went down Drew lane next m.g.

& picked up a few prisoners. The

country beyond ws full of

guns but I policy ws not to

go beyond the top slopes o I hill

as this wd have meant being 

blown out immediately.

The flanks also were not up.

 

From then on I men had

the time of their lives. The rds

from Nauroy to Bellicourt & I 

trenches along I canal were

being thronged w troops, engineers

working on bridges, transport,

all working in daylight. Our 

men were sniping heavily.

Two Bties were connected I

w I front by private lines & 

whenever any movement occurred

these bties were put onto

them-

 

The little X trench in 21A 1.5

held out for a long time. 10 Bn were

                                                    30

trying to help 4 Divn on rt, trying

to get the 14^th Bn Coy in, when

2 men of 10 Bn were cut off

in I sap o I support line

nearest to this X trench.

Some Germs nipped across & got

them prisoners.

 

The 18 pdrs were put onto

this trench. A couple of Bties were

put onto it from in front  I Gully

NE of Priel Wd SW of Caution

dugouts - & these with a 4.5

Bty were turned on & blew I

German out of the X trench - he 

leaked out of it.

 

BN HQ ws now in Harrods

Stores. Capt Perry (who got M.C. here

ws O.C. front line & Col. Neligan

O.C. attacking troops. Perry ws

wd going over by a shell at

Jeancourt before reaching I hop off

line, but RoD.

In Haut Bruyere we got 2 men

w a light m.g. who had carried their

guns back right from Jeancourt

to there, fighting.

 

The next day I Germs were

easy to capture betw, there & I

Canal because the German authorities

did not know where their own

line ws & had not fed them.

They were coming in constantly.

The Germans had a constant

transport on I line rd W E o I

Canal & our guns were constantly

onto them. They must have lost

heavily.

 

The German planes were flying

low - slately black planes w no

markings. The German ws continually

shooting at the 5.9 gun & ws

nearly caught Niligan going around

there. The 10 Bn Bde must have

                                                         32

got 50 guns this day - they were

never all counted, & a tremendous

lot of mgs.

 

The Brigadier o I rt Bde of

74 Divn had bn in this line before

& knew all I difficulties &

anticipated very heavy oppositn

from this or th dugout. This 

rather frightened his Bde &

probly affected I ideas of those

on his flank. Mackay ws

made very anxious & proby

I Bdies on the left was also!.

They none of them expected

to get beyond the Brown line.

(Mackay told me th he ws

more anxious abt this fight

than any other this year.)

10 Bn only went in w 3 Coys

averaging abt 85 & ws

very optimistic. The 10 Bn

went in as 3 Coys of 3 Plus

each & a skeleton Hqrs.

                                     33

Raised maps were built by

cutting I contours & each digger

ws told what he had to meet.

A big map ws also raised

& also a practice stunt

abt 6 am on similar ground

I morning before.

 

From where 10 Bn got to you

cd see the canal, & I water in it, &

I people in I roads at Bellicourt,

wh were crowded w traffic.

These were soon registered &

numbered & as soon as a block

occurred there I Germs were shelled.

This fight ws nothing like so heavy

as Lihons - the chief difficulty

ws the heavy going owing to I

rain overnight.

 

10 Bn lost abt 8 offrs.

5 wd, & 2 k. They only went in

w 12 xxx offrs in I coys (3 coys).

(5 wd & 1 k were from I Coys). The

heaviest casualties were from

mgs wh caught them from Harrods

stores - Nex

Gallipoli.

The Armistice - Start of negotiations:-

Maj. Anderson Bde Major

3rd Bde was orderly officer to Gen Walker

at this time. He says th after the May

9^th attack there Gen remained a small trench

full of wounded Turks out in front of

3rd Bn. Old Col. Owen had an interpreter

sent up to ask these men to come in but

they did not. The next day (?May 21)

Owen on his own responsibility had

a red X flag put up over our parapet.

The Turks at first shot it down. But

as it continued up there a number of

Red Crescent (? or white) flags appeared

over I Turk parapet - the Ts may have

thought we wanted to surrender. Two

men - doctors - then appeared out o I 

Turkish trench (?German officers trench). Walker

was up there. He decided to go out & meet

them - & did so at once, Anderson

going with him. They met I Turks who

were medical men - one spoke French

very well - so well th Walker or Anderson

asked if he were French - wh annoyed him

very much. Walker gave them cigarettes & they

gave Walker & Anderson pencils in exchange

                                                  36

12th Bn. Tasmania Post and

Leanes Trench: After Tasmania Post ws

built it had a filed of fire abt 30 yds

mostly in I wheat field. It ws a badly

sited trench bec. The Ts cd always get up

I gully (Z)                           Sketch diagram

unseen. Also

the high wheat scrub made the field of fire

very obscure. Rafferty wanted to burn the wheat

off very much earlier so as to clear I view,

but they wd not allow him. Finally, after

Tasm. Post ws built this ws allowed xx

ordered. Rafferty ws told to throw out tow

flares, & burn I wheat, but ths ws an

impossible idea. He therefore went out

with Sergt ^Paddy Weighill & crawled to the NE

angle of I crop & set fire to it & then came

back practically thro' the fire. The Turks

opened up - but they got into an advanced

peep hole post & slid down feet foremost,

Rafferty going last. As Rafferty slid down a

big man scrambled out past him; this

was Weighill. He had noticed some Turkish

cricket ball bombs unexploded lying out

on the edge of the fire (some were exploding

in I fire). He went right out 40 yds thro

a heavy rifle fire & came back w one of

                                           37

these combs - he wanted to see have a look

at it.

 

It ws at this time th (after I fire) there ws

first discovered a couple of small trenches

running in from the gully edge.

 

Sketch map

 

original front line ws dug at A in first week.

On May 19 Turks came right up to this line -

got within 7 yds without being seen (they were

thick on I ridge opposite also, later Tasm. Post).

 

After May 19 the underground line ws

dug to observe into the termination o I

Gully (in I wheatfield) & to act as a surprise

trench in case of further attack.

 

The Turks cd now still come up onto

Tabon Post ridge. In order to deny this to him

(he cd put down covering fire from there for an

attack up I Gully in front of our original

front line). it ws decided to go out onto

Tasm. Post ridge.

 

Sketch

 

 

There ws a questn whether to go to the

extreme edge o I ridge or keep on I crest

with 30 yds field of fire. Rafferty wanted 

                                              to have 

Sketch                                  the trench

                                               at 2. It

ws argued agst this th I trench wd be seen &