Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/23/1 - December 1915 - Part 1

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

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item number: 3DRL606/23/1
Title: Diary, December 1915
Also covers the evacuation.

_{AWMISS-3DRL606/23/1}

Diary 23
Dec 13 ' 15
Original DIARY No. 23

3 DRL 606 ITEM 23 [1]
AWM 38 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 those 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 Sept., 1946             OPEN             C.E.W. Bean

Diary 23
Dec. 13. 15

[Sketch map - see original scan]

[Sketch - see original scan]

Patent gun to fire after men leave
invented by Pte Scarry Moonee Ponds 7 Bn
Muffled feet-
----
4Bn 60-4  officers 6-7
         60-4  officers  9. 1 mg
         60.4   officers 2 7Q 3 or 4 OCG
         Very last 5 of these  - 5 active men
----
Anzac

This puts the colonel in sap Q7 & 1st Px
40 men & adjt the [[?]]. 10 minutes before the end. Then 25
men 2 officers and colonel
----
Anz. Line at Present                          
20.19.17.18.13 L.H, 23, ½ 21, 23, ∧24 ∧comb. 7, 2,8,1,4,LH 7.5.6
½ 21 1^st division C to Brighton
----
Patent gun. Down Victoria Gully.

Taube yesty came over Gaba Tepe
flying very high. Our battleplane ws
below & the Taube ws headed from S.
by a ∧2nd Brit-plane. A 3rd plane headed
here from / North & when last seen he
was flying in the direction of Imbros.
----
Abdul is putting out tins in front of his
wire here.
------
2 LH Bde  :  450.8 mgs to go in 3.3.2
least shd from brighton Leaflet from Brighton
----
Shanghai are ∧to go 2nd [[?]]
-----
We blew up other day on right
4.7 gun T 715. 1896 destroy long time
-----
2nd division 3650 15 M
                        3000 2nd 1
Div Commndt ∧to leave last on 1st [[?]]
Bde ∧Comms B2
Bn Comms C1 now
Paton (25 Bn) 5^th Bde. Lamrock 5 Bde.
Watson (24 Bn) 5^th Bde

150 ask which is their rations
Parties on last need to have only gt coats
& packs- 1st to take some of these
----
2 Bn signallers w parties C3
Forwd line right to end.
Sigs bring shell instruments
Last night B.G Sir A Russell Klmg
Ev men but shell [[?]] from head with a 
Rear Party under Col Paton
from Maclagan's Knoll CS Knoll
Plugges, Walkers, N^o1.
Rt 75 1 Div
Plugges 90 of the 13^th. to 8 mgs. on
Plugges
& report as outside by Paton on [?] ridge
76 food for 150 men 150,000 rd
166 Mills grenades & Reserve water

on Plugges. Col. P. may arrange their [[?]]
on Pl.s Walkers.
Col Patons office will be in communication with

MLOs office [shorthand]
No missions unless you did the enemy as attacking
in [shorthand] .
Rear gd under (Russell) will
direct our party commune (Paton) if
mines be blown after [shorthand]
retired [shorthand]
No effort to remove a large number of casualties.
17 Bn 520 rendezvous in reserve
gully
13LH in Lone Pine Between
Tambo & Lone Pine
via Bridges Rd + Rest
Gully.
1650 1st party (5.20)

1550
1st party         Blue [shorthand]
17.  420            in canal beginning
18. 160              of July.
19. 460
20. 250
13 LH. 310       N. Beach 6pm
R. vous Rest Gully

2nd night  A
17 Bn 120 23.50                Rendezv.
18       175  Div Train 51    Res. Gully
19       100 Med Ors 50    5.20
20      300 Div HQ.4        6 N Beach
21        50   1000

700 2nd Pty.
21^st. 180, 22w 190, 23 w 180
24.  150   Watsons Pier. 8pm.
7.15 at R. vous. (1^st Div Rif Camp)

3 Party
21.     350
22.     250      3.15 am Reinf. Camp.
23.     300
24      165       4am Watsons Pier
Div J.  75
Med.   50
DHQ.  10
        --------
         1200

B1.
21.              100      
22              150      R.v. 1^st Div Rif. camp
23              100          10.15
24             200      11 Walsons
Engs.        30
Med.         20
             --------
               600

Watson at Rif Cmp

nr gunners 35 (for our party)
DHQ. 7 (600)

13 2      17.            27 )
             18.         100 )
             19.           57 )
             20.          81 )
             21.           42.)
             22.          114 )             12 - 12.20
             23.         186 )             Watsons
            Div Sig   34 )              1 am
            Med       40 )
            5 Bde
        (& Q Sig)     13 )
           6 ....           14 )
          DHQ           9 )
                 ---------------------

C 17.     50
    18.   140 (50 on Plugges 40 walk real)
    19.     30
    20.   100 (m.g.s on Russells Top
    21.      20                   & Post P.
    22.     60
    24     100
D Sig. 21, Eng. 15, 5 Bde Sig. 11 Gdo 11

Garrisons on Plugges
& Post P. [shorthand] by order
O.C. [shorthand] 

1 inf capt. 1 RE sub or NCO
1 RE other rank 2 signallers
                            for Bn HQ

                             Como Pier
C. 1.          17.           2.       2.35
                 18.          2.30   2.55
                 19.          2.        2.35
                 20         2.45    3.5
                 21&22   2.15     2.45
                 24         2.15     2.45
& all mgs.

C.2.          17.         2.35    3.10
                 18.        2.55    3.20
                 19.        2.35     3.10
                 20        3.5       3.25
                 21&22  2.45     3.15
                 24        2.45     3.15

C.3.          17         3.20     3.55
                18         3.15       3.40
                19         3.20      3.55
                20        3.25      3.45
                21&22  3.15       3.45
                24        3.15       3.45.