Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/231/1 - March 1919 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/231/1
Title: Diary, March 1919
Covers the work of the Australian Historical
Mission and contains sketches and shorthand
notes.
AWM38-3DRL606/231/1 

Aust. Hist. Mission Diary III & Field Book II.
[* Diar
Mission
A - AZ
A - BG
Diary
Mar 6-10, 1919
Diary.
Sketches
AA - AZ
BA - BG
(Feb 26 -
Mar 6) *]
AWM38   FIRST SET
3DRL 606 ITEM 231 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918
231

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.         C. E. W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN 

F/B II
Sketch 1
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Discovered the works by removing [[signs?]]
It is shooting from both sides at first with rifles
A parapet of sandbags was made
It is Zeki Bey gave him his
revolver
Afterwards voices were heard
behind our sentry
The German and Zeki Bey listened where marked
Z.  He said 2 or 3 men overheard others talking.
A few days later there was an explosion
Z.B who was in the trenches was
thrown down.  He ran along and [[shorthand]]
tunnel at A on right but
had gone.
Adv.  [[shorthand]] 9 [[shorthand]].
Sentry was [[shorthand]] [[alive?]] from the trench.
Sentry 3 was killed.
[[shorthand]] where marked.
Z.B. said the Australians want rest collected
the tunnel to K was cleared out and
they cleared away the signs so as to
look over the graves into
2nd crater ZB
men came up and looking over the
graves to see an Australian crashing
at V with his rifle in his
hand looking towards him and brushing his
rifle.  ZB ran from his [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]]
 

13/3/19
1
GOT   Vehid Pasha Ex Cui C. Cauc. Army
has been arrested for [[shorthand]] and
21 explosions at G.O.T.  Began on the [[shorthand]]  The big explosion ws abt centre
where Greig was k.  25 men were in the front trench and 5 were buried (this was abt 2 weeks
before fight.)  All the C. trenches were filled with dust - the men were in their
shelters.  Z.B. says that if we had attacked at that time they would have taken the trench.
The trenches there esp. at the N corner became so
pulverised tt you cannot build & they had to use cement.
They filled it up with wire, this gap.
Story opposite.
About midnight he intended to send a few soldiers over and capture him.  The soldiers jumped out of the big crater at P. but the moment they
xx jumped out (2 or 3 men) one of them was shot and badly wounded.  The others stayed in the crater and hid there.
The sentry later told Z B that the hole was shot and there was a wire entanglement inside it.  That was all they could see
Not a soldier is in the crater.
A few days after a bomb was thrown from where we were and a sentry was greatly hurt.
 

2
Nights rested like this.  Then one day about xx noon some projectiles fell on both sides on both ends of
GOT
Diagram - see original document
The soldiers got down.  Kemal noticed that the soldiers got down (same ZB
who had an inquiry order found to have been wounded.  At the end of several minutes (ZB had sent a major to
find if there was anything important.  The major found the commander of the 2 company who was on the right in their trenches
and brought back the word that there was nothing in the trenches.
The C.O. in question was very brave, but said he had found nothing; the chief of Essad Pashas
staff xx got him direct on the telephone to him and said: Z.B the enemy is getting into our trenches.  What are you doing.
ZB came towards by himself and as soon as he got into the 2nd trench he found that bombs were
being thrown by his men over into the crater.  He came straight over from the front himself to see what was doing
at the same time a Lt of the company on the (S) left held Z.B and said there is danger - they have been extensively [[shorthand]] here.
In front of the grille in the middle of this several soldiers on their side had been shot and fell over.  A well dressed officer
 

3
retreated into our trenches by the tunnel and the crater.  He was well dressed.  ZB said don't k this man  We want to take him.
The soldiers said:  he doesn't want to be taken.  Z.B. said xxx xxx found that this officer had lost his strength.  Afterwards he found
that he had his legs broken by a bomb.  He was near the entrance of the tunnel.  The tunnel didn't open he could not have got back.
The Turks afterwards said they came out of the trenches.  Others stayed at the mouth of the tunnel.  6 or 7 men were
dead.  12 or 15 rifles were found.  Greig had his revolver (probably an automatic)
After this there was a great tranquility - no bombs - xxx a group of officers and
men w Z.B in the Turkish trench.  There were no prisoners of war dead.  Probably much more than that 
(Young lieut on ZBs left had ordered to fire down the trench from left & this
stopped the attack.  On the left there was nothing)
Our men were noticed in our trenches with bayonets fixed at this moment.
There was a tent on the S side of the valley which was fired from.  ZB at first thought of putting a trench in the trench. 

4
Aide of 125 regiment (Lt) from [[Kermey?]] dist (during demonstration this regiment was there) came to look over our G.O.T.
The sergeant asked him not to do so.  But he did so and was shot twice through the head.  He was a [[shorthand]] [[shorthand]].  The mgs were at X and Y
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
There were 2 mgs. here.
Later a m.g. of 125 came here before the demonstration and was up in position to fire in as all the Johns Jolly trenches
had remained under the orders of 125 regiment.
The corner of GOT was shot and about by two bombs that they had.  [[shorthand]] and it was most of
all a mg in the deep corner.
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
3 

5

6
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Cooee gully from the break of the
valley - looking towads L. Pine
AA

 7
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Silt Spur - our forward line (subterranean)
looking towards Sun R.
AB¹ 

8
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
Silt Spur
AB²