Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/21/1 - November - December 1915 - Part 2

4

The conservatory
Night of 6&7 Nov.
We were working in L.P. 14 previously. Engr put
his pick thro. into top of Turk tunnel we got under
in 2 days & broke up into T. tunnel - bayonet
hand head sl. lr, burst thro.
Bomber Capt  Engrs put his head
thro bottom & Lt Carr thro top - at 7 pm.
1 pty went to rt - dead end
2nd pty found a shaft from tunnel ∧later found to lead to an
up to an overhd covered trench. Didnt go up it yet but put a
barricade. Came Northwds into another tunnel, one
you cd stoop along it, SE leading
out into a big gallery 8ft across
w heavy timber 6 x 8. Tunnels go down
8 - 15 V6 to W. They evidently use it as
a base for mining. They ended in dead ends, evidently
listening posts. We went abt 25 yds 
along &
& left a sentry &
retired for night. [shorthand] down
all these (Saps 24 & Engrs)
Manning ws w Fletcher & got [shorthand]
& put his head up -  
There are T. trenches 15 yds away & corner
past this. Went back & looked into
another [shorthand] to N.
When 23 came in they found
further leads to N. During night of 7/8 Turks
put a barricade there. One man had come
out & had a look. Barricades were
5 yds 8ft apart round an 
angle. Lt MacGregor of 23 & Corpl Gration 4                                                                                       
 [* T. trench abt 35 feet away from Barkers.
We built out barricade on 2nd day (23 Bn) before that sentries; abt 10 days later [[?]] blew. After blow 
the two barricades were touching! 
Ts built theirs after us.*]

Silent Battle. Patrol came within 10yds
of trench at head of Wire Gully. We opened
& k. 1, severely wd. 1 - prob some others.

Silent Battle. Turks abt 20 of
them first night kept put heads very 
far over parapet; last night (26/7) abt
20 of them came out over paraget
& one crept up trench to within 12
yds of our line. We waited till he turned
& then shot him. It is Abt 5 in morning
some of our men of 24 Bn went over
parapet & pulled him in. An officer
appeared to be very puzzled w this. He
kept putting head over parapet but
we cdnt get an absolutely certain shot
so didn't fire. First Last night ∧(26/7) we also shot
at L. Pine a patrol of 2 who came out
of trench - shot them as soon as they turned.
-----
2 Bn. 3^rd Bn 1^st Bn 7 L.H.  4. 5. 6.
On / first night our patrols
let / Turks get out before them, &
so / T.s lay up first & some of our
men were shot. Second night 3rd 
Bn patrol at head of Wire Allah Gully saw
same Turks but did nothing occurred,

5

Field Co Engrs crawled further &
found themselves looking up to light of
same trench & legs of Turks in it.
Put 2nd Barricade down this tunnel.
It ws found tt / shaft ∧to S went into
/ same trench. Trench came to
dead end there, turned into bomb
pit. We found tunnels from wh
Turks cd observe thro little hole.

We bomber We thus turned one of these
into a bomb pit & now had 3
bomb pits & went out from LP [[?17]]
below their barricade & behind it.
Blew up 250 lbs of ammonal
& blew up 80 yds of Turk
trench. Turk bombs from bomb pit
were scattered all over surface
The Turks then started digging
vigorously but inst. of blowing us
they blew up almost part
of their own trench
----
The silent battle. ∧Opp. 1st Division Turks v. curious
on right on first night (25/6). Last night
(26/7) they came out - abt 50 opp 1 Bn. at 3 am.
seen on Turkish Despair - abt 3 am. 20
attacked & actually reached parapet &
threw in bombs - there ws no field of
fire so Turk gets onto parapet (in N. part of
Leane's trench) almost at once. We
shot this chap & dragged him in & /
rest made off - bombed by us. Further

Apex. abt 50 Ts at 3 a.m. came
down over / snow (it ws snowing
here this night) but they only got
abt 25 yds & ran back on being
fired on.
We have patrols [shorthand] 30 [shorthand
[shorthand]
hollow [shorthand]

6

South the 7^th L.H. had a number
of Turks making a determined more
determined attack. The Ts seem to
have left their trenches along this part
o / line & come up in the valley. There depression
lying between us & Turkish despair - scarcely a valley.
There were 19 of them dead along / valley
slopes this morning & 2 more opp.
Chathams. After they retired to their
trenches a devil of a noise of
groaning & shouting ws heard rather
suggesting tt their officers were
"talking" to them for not having pressed
/ attack.

Steels: 30 Ts. came over parapet in groups
of 3 or 4 last night. When 30 were out we
fired on them

Courtneys 3-4pm. Shelled w 30 or 40 H.E. (75)
(good deal of damage)
Quinns. small party ∧Ts approached centre of
Quinns, fired on, retired. Later centre
heavily bombed - 2 men came out
fired on, retired. Later trench 5 Ts came
out, fired on. Later, 4.45am 6 Turks
moved towards crater; bombed at, retired.
Evidently try on all along line.
Popes 10.10pm small party came towards left
of Popes - fired on, disappeared.
Russells Top - shelled from 80.0. 

For Lalor - see Bulletin
abt end of Sept. 1915.

7

Nov 28^th. Awoke this mg. to find whole
country covered w^th snow (see cable
49 or 50). Still a bit jaundiced, but
only way of keeping warm was to
walk round trenches so tramped round
After all - what does it matter how you
slop as long as you can move. But
climbing some hills it ws next to
impossible to get on - ∧to get to White Gully ws a struggle
that left me near almost exhausted
½ way up.

Saw Gelly tonight. I believe he's
getting command of 8^th; Brand to
take Spencer Brown's place in 6^th Bde;
S.B to go to Egypt where he will do
fine work. I'm awfully glad if Gelly
gets his colonelcy - hes worth it
every inch, & more.
The authies have a new plan -
They havent prepared agst / winter;
they havent made a harbour; they
now find they cant expect to land
acrpxxx water & stores as they wd have wished
(and / condenser is holed) so they are
to take off troops. Imbros will be a

8

sort of camping place for / reserves.
What use it will be having reserves in
Imbros if / weather is like it has proved
to be 3 days out of 5 is a puzzle. But
I suppose they realise now tt / troops
cant be kept here so sure bec. they haven't
prepared for them; so something had to
be done. It has caused a sudden
change in / plan of rearranging / line.
- Yesty the 24^th & 23^rd were shortly
to come out of L. Pine & take the section
further N. Today they have had this
change (so they believe) countermanded
owing to authorities' new plan.

Russians are sd to be
concentrating a v. large force in
Galicia.

Silent battle ended midnight
last night. It ws a bit of a strain
on / men & officers - but it kept /
Turks jumpy. Abt a thousand Ts were
seen on Gun Ridge yesty gathering firewood
(so probly back slope is fairly well eaten
out) - Our snipers were turned on today
Its bitter tonight - freezing hard. Im

9
afraid some o / men – esp. the 8^th who
are in / open, & / sentries - will
feel it really badly.

29 Nov. Freezing hard last night
& most of this day & again tonight.
The Turks put up some flags
this mg - white, red, & black. When the
white flags were seen our people
asked hastily of / beach what they
were to do. White sd: Shoot
them down at once – they may be
marks for artillery to aim on -
and they were. Abt 10.30 or 11
quite a heavy fire started - 
probly they got up ammun last
night during time when roads
were frozen. Two guns on Chessboard
were firing down at Ammun dump
near hospital but without luck.
Sent 2 or 3 shells into hospital,
one into latrine, wh 5 men were
sitting on; it spattered them & did
no harm. (A man was blown thro'

10
a ventilator in hosp. roof
/ other day - shell burst below
him when he ws sitting on a
stool & he ws unharmed & on
duty next day. Hosp. today
moved men patients into saps - stretcher
cases lying down along one part,
walking cases standing in another.
Men One shell landed in sap &
broke legs of a standing up case.
I had to walk round to keep
warm - most of men seem
to have little fires - I have at
present none. A man o /  11^th
A.S.C. offered to make me one. He
ws an unlettered chap - left
school at 11, - who came in
w a surprisingly exquisite piece
of prose & verse on / grey outlook
of everything - extraordinarily
beautiful in spite of crude faults
in / metre. He had read poems
in / Bulletin & tt is his only
literary educn but there is little 

11
short of genius in / crude work
- N. Ash, 11 Coy A.S.C. I gave
him a bit of a lecture on rhythm
an scansion - & he, as a
return - offered to make me
a stove.  S6
Still a bit jaundiced.
Walked to / Apex to keep
warm - it ws snowing up
there 24 hrs before here - on /
last night o / Silent Battle.
The torpedo boat did nt
run today. Will get to Imbros
tomorrow, probly. I cant work
here, only walk - its far too
cold. An issue of rum to all
troops tonight - poor beggars, /
novelty of snow will soon wear
off, but its worse for / troops Turks
than for us. They get this in their
backs - right into their dugouts.
2 Turks deserted this mg morning - came
in along / beach with one kit bag
abt daylight - 6 in last 3 days.

12

Two men are sd to have bn frozen
to death in a dug out in Mule Gully
- no, Reserve Gully, last night. They
crawled in dead tired & were found
this morning dead. I don't know if
it is true - the doctors of the 1^st Stationary
Hosp. told me. They may have bn
men o / 54^th, who are under orders
to leave & are largely on / beach -
Indians taking over.

Another change in plans, I hear
- or perh. this is the change I
spoke of yesty. Up to yesty the
garrison ws to be thinned. Today
they are to stand fast. Our gen.
staff here doesn't know what it
means - unless White does.
My appelite is much better
this weather & so long as I'm
walking I'm not really uncomfotable.
But / poor chaps in / trenches
can't walk.
A curious glare at Imbros tonight
fire or searchlight.
Bed. reading - what I had on. Old cook. [shorthand] 
Arctic  [shorthand]  Chopping  [shorthand] Shell in [ [shorthand = trench] 

48000 water ¼ 2 (snow [shorthand] ) & boots wet o / 
[shorthand]  my socks (while [shorthand]) Ind. in
[shorthand = trench] Rest in  [shorthand] 41

13
30^th Nov
Maj. Johnson, sanitary officer, 6 ∧ Field Amb.
buried in tunnels L. Pine yesty
& Capt Green shot thro heart by [shorthand] abt
11 o'c while betw 2 offrs at dressing table
- they thought he had fainted but it
ws  [shorthand]  heart (Green ws 23 Bn attd
to 6 F. Amb).

These casualties accurred in the
bombardment yesty of our position by /
Turks. The Ts turned howitzers
from N & Baghali way onto / Pine - 
tt ws / especial target- mg 8.2, 9.5
& 10in shells were falling - following
blue L Pine section, I believe & they beat
in the parapets o / Pine badly. The
Pine had not its underground dugouts
ready (or apparently even begun - I
dont I know of they were so much as
thought of) & the parapets of part of
trench simply buried / men. Gen. Holmes
(comdg 2 Aust Div vice Legge away w
Erysipelas or Eczema - Chauvel
commands 1 Div (after Hobbs vice Walker))
told me th it ws chiefly one trench tt ws
damaged. The men were buried under /
parapets. On commn trench was blown in
& another damaged - only one remained
for use. 30 men (mostly 24^th who were going in
relieving at time, and relief ws not stopped and
cd probly be seen from Kaba Tepe bec. Gun Road
is now being used - White used not to allow
this & has got them to stop it) were k & abt
70 wd. The place wd safe however even