Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/23/1 - December 1915 - Part 4

He sd. Yes, but tomorrow
I think we shall have
aeroplanes enough up to
keep a Taube down.
----
Sat.
Dec. 18. Fire still burning - but
quite safe now. It ws /
one topic at breakfast but
no two people have / same
theory. One o / officers o / 
Indian mule batty told me two o
their mule drivers were
suspected - "just / sort of thing
/ beggars might do in bravado.”
he sd. Beachy still firing occasionally
at the Milo - she has / range pretty well.

There will be a certain amount
of demolition today in 
Mule Gully - blowing out boiler
tubes - It is not very loud &
they make / explosion coincide
w a shell burst where possible

[Aboard the Grafton,
Grace, son of W.G.
Grace the cricketer, was
captain, & Gibbs, formerly
N.T.O. at Anzac -
afterwards killed by a
shell on board - ww
the Commander]
Great fellows.
C.E.W.B.
16.6.24

Dec. 18
5 pm. Nothing.
5.45. Mars passes steaming quickly
close in to fire.
6.55 Gun flash on right
7. Dinner
8.30 Mars passed us with 
2000 troops on board.
I can still see the fire burning
less brightly. Moon behind
clouds. Beachy was not
shelling - at any rate till 8 o'c.
The ordinary rattle of rifle
fire comes from the direction
of the Nek. A perfect night.
The Big Whalelike shape of
Sari Bair agst / faint
misty sky. A fire or two
burning steadily. One of
our field guns at Suvla
is firing. The rattle from
Anzac is like a low crack
fire. That at Suvla like a
kettle of water boiling. A bomb

Rattlesnake
1st night.
quote from
8.30?

Rattlesnake

has flashed on the Nek - then a
dull report - very much as
we used to hear them from my
old dug out. This ship is at
anchor on a perfectly silky sea.
A destroyer is moving across the 
surface of it very slowly - like
a black cat - about 200 yards 
to port. I can hear the rustle of 
her bows moving thro' the
silky water. A bomb at Hill 
60 - It is about 9 o'c.

An ideal night for the
job. No ships - only a few lights
visible at Suvla. One ship
about a mile on our
port beam.

Barely a wrinkle on the
water Soft air from the N -

Moon at present quite
invisible. The wash of the 
destroyer has been lapping
agst our side like the wavelets
on the edge of a pond. At
present there is less movement
on the water

10pm.  3 ships just gone in.
12 cutters shd be leaving
Watson. Heliotrope one of 
them. Ordinary casual fighting
- Beachy not fired so far -
12 cutters shd be leaving
Watsons. Moon still invisible
No wind.
4 Bells just gone on one o / -
Cutters were to probably gone
with 12 cutters loads -
only 1 can be seen.
Honeysuckle can be seen abrest

of hospital ship.
[2 nights ago / destroyer
came out after one shot "I have bn fired
at" he sd. Later the Chelmer
was fired on 9 times. The Capt.
sd: "I have been fired at by a gun,
I think it is a 9 pounder - 
I do not propose to do
anything."]
[5 observatn posts on
Gaba Tepe]
The destroyer on / rt has
not bn firing eno' so
Beach (whose capt. used to be in Chelmer)
Rattlesnake ws sent to
hurry up the firing on the
destroyer on the right.
Colne & Chelmer had kept
place v - busy - But
Rattlesnake has done

A sub-lieut. says that the
Rattlesnake had fired 3
shots & had imd. drawn 5.

has been v. quiet.

Capt Grace says he
wants him to buck up a
bit or they will notice /
difference - He is to keep
light close up to [[?]] Chathams
post. Honeysuckle had
told him to go within a
mile of G. Tepe (laughter)

10.35. 5 trawlers coming out
with cutters in tow - 4700
are actually away. Heavy smoke.
Each trawler has one picket 
boat and 2 cutters astern
- one picket boat.

1.30. A very few trawlers left -
certainly not more than usual.
xxxx I can see one steamer close

inshore near the fire - another
on our port beam, & a tug with
masthead & green light moving
out towards the right flank
destroyer. One beetle creeping
out to the trawler on our starbd side,
another to / trawler to port. They
have 10 beetles & as only 8
are now wanted for / troops the 
other 2 can remove baggage.

Beachy hasn't fired as
far as I can tell tho' I thought
I did hear 2 shots.

xx All so far is splendid.

So I have left old Anzac.
In a way I was really fond o /
place. I have certainly had some
quite enjoyable times there in
my old dugout - yarning to
friends; or going round / lines.

I cant pretend tt I ever
liked shells or attacks - but
one came to put up with them
much as one does w / toothache.

The contrast o / civilised life
of this hospitable navy is very
pleasant. Commander Gibbs
saw tt we had a warm bath
first thing - I sat in mine for
20 minutes; & some clean
clothes - I only had my one
uniform & I have been lent
clothes by everybody. The
Navy cant do too much for
our chaps - the batmen have
a simply regal time. By Jove
these naval chaps are a
sterling lot; the most hopeful part
about / war is tt Englishmen

w proper surroundings can
develop into men like these.
The Captain is Grace - son of W.G.- whose brother just beat me for the
XI at Clifton (another competitor
was Magniac., Intelligence Officer,
9th A Corps whom I saw at Suvla /
other day - he's quite grey).

The greater part of the 3rd & 
last batch of tonights troops
is going The is on board ship by
now, so I am turning in. No sign
of offensive from enemy. He may
think this is only another
ruse like the "Silent Battle" - to
make him attack. If he
attacks or Beachy starts up

they are going to call me.

There ws a submarine reported
today.

Honeysuckle (Comm Boyle)
made a signal to Beach. "Extinguish
that fire". Beach replied "cannot
extinguish w means available."

Honeysuckle made another
signal to / Heliotrope (^on which Gen.
Godley will be): You are improperly
lighted."