Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/211/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item number: 3DRL606/211/1

Title: Notebook, 1915 - 1918
Includes references to the 11th and 13th
Battalions, 12th Infantry Brigade, Sailly-Laurette,
Pozieres, Bullecourt, Sailly-Le-Sec and Gallipoli..

AWM38-3DRL606/211/1

Original
DIARY NO.211.
AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 211 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.E.W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

THE use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half-asleep;
also, not infrequently what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing believed. Further, he cannot, of course vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sep., 1946.                   C.E.W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

11 Bn Landing.
The first thing D. Brockman saw
ws a flare which went up on /
beach. It ws like a low flare
or a bundle of cordite. D/B had
looked at his watch on / way
in - 3.45 a.m. The xxx time
when they landed ws abt 4.20
he thinks. The boats were
then 700 to 800 yds out when
/ flare went up. Almost immediately
m.g. fire opened. Something
went into / water before they
landed - possibly Hotchkiss
shells, & threw up a spray
- a number of these were
falling about.
They got rifle & m.g. fire
 

also while in / boats.
(A Hotchkiss gun ws tn by
10 Bn, D/B thinks, on
Maclagans Hill. This
probly did the shooting. They
cdnt see / flashes or where
/ shooting ws coming from -
didnt notice it anyway.
Beside B/B in / stern
o / boat ws a little red headed
midshipman. As the fire
came on / boat, the men
bent their heads & backs.
As / boat got in / fire
grew fiercer. The men
bent down & this kid
clambered over / backs
o / men revolver in hand -
jumped onto / beach, & ran
 

up across / beach & into /
scrub yelling out in his
squeaky voice: Come on my
lads - Come on my lads.
(The two sailors in / boat were had bn
like everyone else in /
bottom o / boat. D/B sitting
by / midshipman). Then
/ youngster realised tt he had
to go back to his boat & his
face dropped.
D/Bs boat landed on /
point of Ari Burnu - exactly
on / point. The 11 Bn ws
landing opposite this pt. Col Lyell
Johnston landed there too.
Major D/B was on / rt o / point
& ^Capt Leane on / left o it.
D/B ws / senior man o /
whole o / battleships party.
(towed in to 700 or 800 yds).
3
 

The flare wd be a little to /
S of where 11 Bn ws heading
- probly opp. 10. Bn
2 coys 9, 2/10 / 2/11.
right to left.
The boat load drop rushed
across / beach & dropped
their packs in the scrub
just off / beach. D.Bs pack
ws just round / left corner
o / hill where you got
shot at (when later you went
to get / packs) from / left.
On / top o / hill,
a man named Paddy Reid ws
just behind Maj. D.B. D/B
had just got on / top o / plateau
when 3 Turks jumped out
& came for him w fixed
bayonets out o / trench on /
top o / plateau. D/B thought he
4
 

ws done for when Paddy
Reid appeared. He hit / first
Turk over / head w his rifle
butt - the second Turk swerved
off & went for him. Paddy bayoneted
him & apparently cdnt get /
bayonet out - so he dropped
it. The third Turk came at
him but he brushed his rifle
aside, & caught hold 0 / Turk
- threw him onto / ground &
kicked him on / head & killed
him. (he ws a very fine
looking man - originally ^an Irishman in
/ dragoon guards - always
in trouble - probly a timber getter
in W.A.).
On / top of Ari Burnuu had
bn a trench in wh there were
Turks. They were shooting -
5
 

Leane & Annear & MacDonald
were lying together in / scrub
at / foot o / hill when
Annear ws shot thro / head
[*Howe
didn't
see
Annear*]
& MacDonald wd thro /
shoulder by these Turks.
D/B went up / hill to /
right of this trench. D/B
cd see these as he passed
& there ws a quick fight
there - 1 man killed them
& went straight on.
On top o / plateau is
ws fairly day light. The y Turks
ran down the steep slope into
Shrapnel Gully. Four or five
were shot down there as they
ran. D/B tried to give
some morphia to one badly
wd Turk on / plateau.
[*Howe saw this man 
w Brain hanging
out
groping for his
water bottle.
6
 

The Turl looked venom at him
& spat it out.
On top o Plugges they
reorganised - got the coys
separated. Maj D/B personally
sorted them out - put ( Bn on
rt, 10 in centre & 11 on left.
The job o / covering party ws
then regarded as done. They
were then being fired at
from Walkers Ridge & M'Cays
Ridge.
The / balance o / Bde
arrived behind & got into
in good order. Then Maclagan
came up & D/B saw him.
His first order ws to dig
in where they were on the E
edge of Plugges Plateau &
7
 

Maclagans Ridge. They were
already doing this.
From there it looked as
if the plateau over Walker
Ridge ws continuous - as
a matter of fact ^Monash Gully
came in. (This ws a bit
before 6 a.m.) Maclagans
next order ws to go % make
good the left over Walkers
Ridge way - it looked as
if Baby 700 were the crest
of a continuous ridge.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
D/B on getting these orders
from Maclagan decided to senr
Smiths Coy his own & Leanes
Coy on to / left up towds
Baby 700; Dentons & Barnes
8