Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/231/1 - March 1919 - Part 6

51

two lines, working with an interval between us.
We picked up a fair amount of Australian kit,
but I was not quite convinced till Hughes found
the sleeve & shoulder straps of one of our men
with the 6th Bn colours & the AUSTRALIA in
Bronze still on them. That of course proved
it beyond question. Afterwards I followed
the line down to the bed of the Krithia Nulla

where it joins the N:Z. line. We found
 

Sunday night March 16.
52

the old Bde Hqrs a little behind the support
line, with two men buried in the parapet -
one of them, poor chap, wd be the man to whom
I gave my an opium pill.
This settled the point reached by the 2nd Bde, definitely.
After lunch, I went on w Wilkins &
Buchanan to Krithia. The village had been
robbed of all its woodwork by the T.s for their
trenches & is a complete ruin. Back by
the Gully Ravine wh runs further N than
Krithia. 

10.Aug.1946
[※Note - later, when studying this battle in 1923 in Australia, I
discovered that I was wrong in thinking the new Krithia
road had been made since the Evacuation; British maps
showed that it was there during the Campaign.] C.E.W.B. 
53
Buchanan & I went up again to our battlefield
in order definitely to pace out the distances betw.
the various trench systems. We found as follows:-
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
[※But see note on opp. page. 
made 10/8/1946] 
 

54

The part N. of Vineyard is trenched over by shell heavily trenched &
much cratered ^by mines. I shd say tt the English held
up to / middle o / vineyard. The little
vines are still growing there and some
small olives.
Buchanan & I looked for any 
sign of a Turkish trench having bn entered by our
men. There was none.  We found (Bigg  Wether
in the mg. found them) some shallow Turkish rifle
pits several hundred yds ahead of our lines 

55

from wh they had bn firing heavily.
The French had a party of Senegalese 
natives out salvaging / battlefield w 
sacks. I dont know what they were
getting. The French have marked up
along the Gully Ravine & the Krithia
road the dates on wh the various trenches
were taken; but as far as I cd check

them all these marks were widely wrong. 

56

The French 45^th Regt has, for example, put up on
the Tommys Tr. ^(Line D), wh ws front line up till 5.30pm. May 8
(& had surely not been front unchanged for a week before)
"Position Anglaise du 30 April 1915."
The front line reached by us on May 8, 515 yds ahead
of the line held till May 8., ws marked: "Position Anglaise du
4 Mai."
The Turkish front line beyond the vineyard wh I do 
not think ws ever held by us - tho' the R.N.D. probly passed

it considerably in June - is marked: English Position of
the 21st June."
I picked up an English water bottle & other gear 

[* C.E.W.B. 9/2/47 *]
^X The new Krithia rd, which at the time of 
this visit I thought to have been made since
the campaign (because it looked so new), was
raised a foot or so above the level of the
flat surface of the spur.  Bullets striking this
bank would raise a white spurt & be easily noted. 
57
beyond this; but these trenches were never held
by our side.
The old Krithia Rd, wh is not now used
but wh is clearly traceable, is in some
places slightly raised above the surrounding
soil owing to its surface having bn hardened
(as happens in our Central districts in Austlia)
& the rest surface elsewhere weathered down.
That ws probly how it ws tt Cass noticed
bullets striking the right (E) side of the stones there.^x
 

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
All way down
this old Rd at
intervals & on
both sides of it graves
esp. where crosses
Tommys trench by
olive tree.
Graves E & W of line of
bushes & many
in trench & riflepits.

325 yds behind Tommys trench along road
by olive trees is another trench
427 yds is 2nd old line barely dry & not
inhabd later.
498. 3rd old line around head of spoon
shaped dip

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
522 Tommys to ^Aust suppt trench betw. C.Ts.

MCays little adv HQ

480 yds in front of 

Tommys trench. halfway 

betw two C.Ts. nearest 

Erskine C.T. 5 yds from Rd

Bennetts H.Q. on rise top i.e. just

North of W. C.T.
Hand drawn diagram - see original document

59A

85 yds beyond next trench ahead of 1st Aus
line is a line of possies behind an
almost imperceptible crest.
Just S. of the next trench ahead of
Aust line, at this point, is 
a copse of abt 25 little fir trees.
Left C.T. runs thro them.
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
60
Hand drawn diagram - see original document
B.I. 
Helles from Achi Baba
showing where Aust attacked