Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/208/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 7

a certain number were kept

behind / Edge & /   hill - a

certain number worked forwd

abt 10 yds in / low scrub ( abt

2 ft 6 high ) & formed & firing 

line.

The Turks had ran back in

front of us across / valley

( there were half goat tracks

up /  valley side ). ^Some of these Turks

got into a trench already dug

abt 300 yds across /  plateau 

- you cd only guess where

/  fire ws coming from. The earth

of /  parapet had bn removed &

the scrub in front o / trench

hid it. The moment our

men got up & started to

 crawl over they were fired

at.
58

men by now were arriving

up / gully. Maj. Denton

ws standing behind /  ridge

in one place in the left

end of Courtneys bend, & 

E ws in /  rt. And as

men came up / gully they 

assembled them & apportioned

them to /  line. D ws abt 50 

yds from E.

Other units began to

arrive, 1st Bn, 3 Bn, 7 & 8 Bns_

& they were put into /  line

wherever there ws a casualty.

They wd pull ^ wd men back

by their heels - & then as they

got them to / edge o / ridge 

they were pulled over /  sudden 

drop.
59

59a

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

E dug in an observatn 

post on / top, about 15 yds

in, on Sunday night.

The men dug little rifle 

pits on rt of this & a

few on / left & these were

disconnected till abt Wed

or Thurs. They used to 

work at night on them

tunnelling from one to /  other

to connect up. If you

threw up / earth by day time 

you were shelled w shrapnel.

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

On Sunday, / main trench post

& /  Turks ws on / left.
60

E. cd see /  left & notify

Bde. On /  Sunday / Ts.

made no serious c/ attack

till after dark. After dark

they were attacking all

along this line & / men had

to work one digging & /  

other shooting.

Ap 26. By monday morning 

/ rifle pits & the  O. P.

were down below ground.

w some parapet.

On / monday there

were only a succession

of small attacks.

On Tuesday / Turks

put an attack in on / left

in order to cover a movement

of Turks along / trench

wh they had begun,

- abt 500 Ts. moving towds

/ left w 6 m.gs - you cd see

them carrying / guns.

E got word thro tt these

Ts were moving round; & 

asking for fire on / Neck

where these Ts were assembling.

under cover o /  timber.

Prompt reply ws gn by / ships

guns & well directed fire

demoralised & dispersed this 

attempt. The attacking force

ws badly mauled by our

fire from / edge of / cliff

wh we were holding. This

attack appeared to be led by

German offrs in a sort of helmet

waving revolvers & urging

/ Turks on. They seemed to
62

be different troops altogether

to those who were moving

in rear towds / Nek.

The attacking troops seemed to be scally wags, the others

[*in dark

uniform,

well

equipped.*]

They were clearly trying to

get round / timber on /   

Nek to reach walkers R.

from wh they cd fire into

our rear. No one seemed

to be holding / Nek & /  

timber there at this time.

The first shells o /

ships guns wh followed

in sets  abt 10 mins caught 

them beautifully - shrapnel

 & scattered them in every way.

A second attempt ws

made abt an hour later &

they were caught in / same 

way - a couple of Lyddite shells 
63

lodging fair in / middle of

them. Some of  them then ran

forward demoralised & got

into / pocket between

Popes & Walkers & our

men on Popes started firing 

into them. But others did

get along into / scrub on 

Walkers & gave us a bad

time later by sniping in our 

rear.

This ws on Tuesday:

On Monday _^ or Tuesday night there ws

a blowing of bugles, & howling

& shouting apparently in / 

trenches on / far left - abt in 

front of Popes - And this

made us suspect a feint.

On Tuesday night

there ws a lot of calling out
63

in front of Courtneys ( ? Mond.

or Tuesday.) There were calls

of cease fire, cease fire on

/ left. There had bn heavy

firing going on. E. cdnt

make out who ws giving

/ order & told / men to

continue - he worked

along / line to find out 

what / hubbub ws - it

ws a shallow trench. He cd

hear men calling out

in front "Ceasefire! Indian 

troops! where can we come in ".

He saw 3 men kneeling

behind a bush abt 20 yds

out & called to them to

stand up - our men

had ceased fire there. They
65

had fixed bayonets but /

bayonets seemed to be

dulled as with mud - it 

ws faint moon by it. E.

moved out a few yds to

get a closer inspection - &

they seemed to have turbans

on. At / same time he 

saw / faces of men crawling

up thro / scrub. He at 

once realised / positn &

jumped back towds / trenches,

& gave / word to open fire

on them, Just as the Ts.

sprang to their feet & 

were rushing forwd. The 

fire immdly stopped them

& many were K & Wd.

They drove off then for

/ time being. This sort of thing
66

ws going on all night.
[The folly night came
the same gag abt: "The French
are coming through!"
E. cd hear Crowley calling
out at / same time further 
rt.
In after of Tuesday
xxxxx On / Tuesday
Sellby joined E - he had
bn in another part o / 
line - not far away.
Capt Carles of 16 Bn had
come along w some men
of his coy - under / edge
at night time & saw E.
E told him to go down to /
left as the left ws v. weak,
& / attacks were occurring
there. Capt Miller came along
67