Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/200/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 3

up onto / platoon

(? Walker's Top) Capt Tulloch

ws 2 in/c of B Coy, 11 Bn

& had w him a platoon

of B Coy & a Boatload of

D Coy of 12 Bn.  The 12 Bn

(Capt Lalor) landed there

abt / same time.  They

came up just to /

S of this (? Walkers) Ridge.

Tulloch they reorganised on

/ top & so did Lawler.

Orders were to get Big

700, 11 Bn were to

rendezvous there.  Lawler

sd he wd dig in facing

N as / position seemed

important & 12 Bn

ws in reserve.   

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Hand drawn diagram - see original

 

Tulloch saw someone

bending over Col. Clarke

there abt 100 yds away

to rt front on / track.

Maj Elliott ws lying [[?wd]]

there shot thro / shoulder.

Tulloch pushed on over

the Nek.  Turks were

sniping from the E side

of the head of the left

fork of Monash Gully.

 

Hand drawn diagram - see original

 

So a few men

were sent worked

round over the

Nek & dislodged

them from their flank -

probably shot them.

This left / coast clear -

the fire had bn nasty

from these men.  Tullochs   

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pty of abt 60 pushed

over / Nek - in groups

& on / other side extended

facing towds their objve

(abt N.N.E)  There ws abt 7 to

10 paces between men. They

worked over rolling scrubby

country & on the second

crest from there (probly the

first hill, wh had 2 crests)

they had a stiff fire

fight with Turk riflemen

& one m.g. (wh ws behind

the (the Ts) - there were probly abt

60 Turks). They were 

abt 400 yds away

on another distinct

rise - part way up it.

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We gained fire superiority

& advanced.  Abt 10 men

had bn knocked out.

Lt [[?ELY]] Butler 12 Bn,

Lt Buttle 11 Bn and

Lt Mortimer Reid of 11 Bn

were there - probably Buttle

& they Reid had followed across

/ Nek with another 30

men.  Butler had bn w

Tulloch from / start.

# The Turks ahead

melted away & we crossed

the crest tt / Turks had 

bn defending & advanced

abt 150 to 200 yds &

had a prolonged fire fight

with Turks very well hidden.

There ws facing them then

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(at abt 500 yds to /

crest) a further & larger

hill wh Tulloch took to

be Big 700.  The Turks

& our men were both

v. well hidden.  It ws

only when using entrenching

tools or moving tt we

brought down a big storm

of fire.  They had m.g.s,

at very long range. We

cd see what Tulloch took

to be a Bn Commander

standing by a tree on the

left Shou N Shoulder o /

hill.  Runners were coming

-a few - & going to him ^this officer, &

Tulloch took him to be a

Bn C.O., & ws sniping at

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him at 800-900. yds

but cdnt move him.

The line moved forward 

here abt 100 yds on its

bellies, still on / down

slope - on orders passed along.
The men were 

10 mins later heavy

m.g. fire at short range

opened on / line wh

they had left.

The men were doing everything

they had bn taught - firing

only as directed - conserving 

ammunition.  During a lull,

on orders passed along, abt

noon probly, Tulloch found tt

water bottles were practically 

untouched.

Lieut Reid ws hit here.

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He crawled to / rear not

permitting anyone to go

w him.  (They passed over

/ same ground ½ hr later

calling his name but he

ws never seen again.)

They fought there for

½ hr.  The sea cdnt be 

seen at all from there on
either side.  But they

cd see a line of Turks

facing almost S firing

on some people of ours

who were down what 

looked like a kind of

valley ½ a mile to right

(to S) digging in. Tullochs

men were enfilading the

Turks occasionally.  Possibly

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the sea cd be seen to /

right in / direction o /

narrows.

Tulloch had sent men

Lt Jackson w 20 men, when

he left the Nek to the

left, (N). Fire was coming

from between Jackson
to be an echelon in left rear.
Jacksons pty cd be heard

fighting there. In Tullochs

final positn he found tt

fire ws coming either from

/ other side of J. or from

between the 2 parties. They

had no touch w anyone on

/ rt.  Increasing fire at

short range showed tt /

Turks were [[?massing]] in dead. 

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ground under very good

covering fire.

They accordingly retired

(in 4 sections by alternate

sections at / double).

Abt half remained on

what Tulloch took to be 

Baby 700, & half were

sent back to the next

little rise in front o / Nek.

A messenger was sent 

from there to find Jackson.

Lt Jackson shortly came in

to between / two parties

-he hadn't seen / messenger

but came in to find /

positn.  They left the advanced

pty under an officer w 

orders to delay any Turk

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advance. With the rear

party & Jacksons pty

came back onto the

spur N of the Nek without

crossing / Nek & without

going into any steep gully on

/ way.  N of this ws a gully.  

On / far side of this gully

(abt 2pm probly) the
Turks cd be seen in force.

They were on / other crest.

Nearer to / sea on / left

there ws probly a party

fighting further N, but

the Ts were directly opposite
Tullochs pty.

The shrapnel fire here 

ws well burst & very heavy &

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