Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/232/1 - Folder - Part 2

7.

17/2/19. Drake Brockman's Coy. moved down from Plugge's by a 

winding path (there are two paths - this was the northern-most

 - see sketch in field notebook - taken from (6). 
(5) Turk tents. 
(6) Where Drake Brockman's Coy. reorganised under 

edge of Rest Gully. They were ½-hour at (6). From 

here they moved up Shrapnel Valley. (Near the pick handle 

stuck in ground - which men thought a mine - at junction 

of Rest and Shrapnel valleys - someone gave Howe a box of 

ammunition to carry). 

In Shrapnel Valley salvoes of 3 shrapnel shell 

from direction of 971 began.

(7) Point where Howe found Maclagan on second day 

(later 5th Bn. H.Q.; Maclaurin, later killed, just above 

it and few yards to left). 

Diagram - see original document

At corner where shrapnel valley turns into Monash Gully 

(past gully on left which is unnamed) 200 men were sent off 

to look for snipers who were thought to be on the spur 

marked with an arrow.

(8) Where Dr. Butler's aid Post (9th Bn) was later 

in day.
(8) ^ 9 Where General Bridge's was killed just before 

entrance to Steele's.

(10) Position (later) of 4th Bde. H.Q.

(11) Where messages began to reach Howe's party: 

"Hurry on towards left".

Fire overhead over Pope's was extraordinarily heavy. 

Men would stop and argue in foot of valley whether 

these were explosive bullets.

(? Was Tulloch clearing head of Monash Valley then or 

before then).

N.B. This valley (head of Monash's) is also known 

to A.L.H. as Pope's Reserve Valley" and "Viney's Road".

(12) Single pine tree on left, 100 yds. short of the 

gully leading to Bully Beef sap; all sorts of legends of a 

woman sniper connected with this tree (probably because of 

white Turkish clothes found in the old camp which had been 

there). (Col. Nash was later killed at entrance of Bully 

Beef gully from Monash Valley).

(13) Wire of our later outpost up Monash Valley. 

Turk prisoners were met near here by Howe, returning 

down Monash Valley.

(Australian dead - possibly A.L.H. - also British - 

on left above this). 

(14) Point where Lieut. Morgan went on over Nek of 

Pope's, Howe thinks. Shrapnel was very heavy here from head 

of gully and caused a scatter. Du Mole and Pettit lost 

Howe here.

SKETCH "B"

HOWE'S TRACK.

Diagram - see original document

8.

17/2/19. NOTE. - It is more open at the Nek than further to 

NE on W end of Baby 700. 

E end of Baby 700 also contains open fields where 

Turk 6-in. gun is.

(15) Where Howe lay down and fired with men of 12 Bn. 

(Shrapnel too hot here, so moved on).

(16) Trenched at which they fired.

(17) A line of men have been buried here by the 

Turks, probably exactly where they fell. One was 1st Bn. 

One was 2nd Bn. About 40 graves may be here from about 

150 to 300 yards S of 6-in. gun. We got xx 1st Bn.

 colours off one and 2nd Bn. off another. One piece of kit 

was marked NB or MB 1 (or) 12th B or G or 8 11342. 

70 yards back towards rear slope of hill was another line 

of New Zealanders - some of 16th Coy. (Waikato) and one N.Z. 

major.

(18) An Australian or N.Z. mess tin was found here 

(may have been from Turkish dump).

Howe had not been (as far as he knew) on the xxx

inland side of Baby 700, so far as this. He took me over to 

the ridges on the north side of Baby 700.

His track has been xxxxxxxxxxxxx as shewn in sketch B 

in my field notes, across a little knuckle and on to the 

main top shoulder of Sniper's Nest on Baby 700. Got to the 

crest and the fire became very heavy as they cleared the 

crest. Here many men were dead. We found them there. 

(I have asked Buchanan to find this spot and mark it 22). 

Howe says they saw the Turks coming down Chunuk or 161 

or Battleship Hill, and also on the lower slopes of Rhodo, 

where there is a small square open patch which Howe thinks 

he remembers.

When Howe retired the Turks followed and an officer 

appeared (whom Howe shot) about 150 to 200 yards N of the 

6-in. gun position.

Howe withdrew towards where they had seen men earlier 

(probably, he thinks) the line of 1st, 2nd and other Bn. 

on S slope of Baby 700. But by this time they could not 

see anyone on top of Baby 700 and so came back onto a Nek 

where he ran over a N.Z. M.G.; and there they dug in in a 

semi-circle. Isolated men came in later during the 

evening from ahead of them.

Howe and I think we located this semi-circle trench on 

the actual Nek around the monument erected by the Turks.

xxx Diagram- see original document

xxxxxx The Nek is vey narrow there - much narrower than I 

expected. We found just S of the monument 3 or 4 little 

positions - rifle pits dug in the scrub still showing 

between the later Turkish trenches - looking as if they 

were part of a semicircular line.

xxx  Diagram- see original document

I have asked Buchanan to make the monument 23 on his map.

9.

17/2/19. From there Howe's party followed the track ( a 7-ft. 

road still clearly seen) back along Walker's Ridge to the 

top if Reserve Gully. The Turks followed them pretty close. 

About opposite the base of the sphinx Howe tripped over a 

Turkish trench and a little later picked up Col. Clark's 

pack.

At the edge of Rest Gully about 50 yards inland from

 the razor edge they got into a C.T. or Turkish trench which 

actually ran out into the gully top. Here they stopped 

and beat back the Turks who dug in 100 or 200 yards away 

and were there in the morning.

The first battleship shells in the morning burst 20 or 

30 yds. in one Walker's Plateau from the edge of Rest Gully 

and frightened the Turks off.

xxx   Diagram- see original document

February 18th. Morning. Rode out with Wilkins, Buchanan, James and 

sergt. with pack mule to Battleship Hill. We found that 

there is a distinct gap between Battleship Hill and the 

next long rise up to Chunuk Bair. This long rise has one 

distinct crest - Hill 161. Looking from the inland slope 

of Battleship Hill northwards this gap between Battleship 

Hill and 161 is like - 

xxx   Diagram- see original document

It is probably the gap visible from Chanak. (LATER. - No; 

it is the gap between 971 and Q which is seen from Chanak). 

We searched first the spur across the valley from Battleship Hill.

Examined some remains in a gutter A A¹ on my map. 

Found them to be Turkish. Came back onto the spur 200 yds. 

west of 184 and worked in a line extended at 8 to 10 paces 

along the edge of it. The spur has a steep sandy face on its 

east side and the top is rounded and clothed with holly. On 

the top of this scrubby slope on the E side of it the Turks 

had been opening their cardboard ammunition carriers. Further 

S where the ridge rises to a little hummock giving a free 

firefield from the valley edge there were collections of fired 

Turk cartridges showing where a Turkish line had fired from 

(AA2). This could only have been on the first day and must 

have been against Tulloch's men. 

No sign of our kit except 3 or 4 bully beef tins and one 

or two iron ration tins almost certainly left by Turks camped 

or surveying there after the evacuation. They got piles of 

these rations at Suvla. Some of our bullets lying near the 

Turkish cartridges cases, showing where our men had fired in 

reply. (Got specimens for museum).

Worked back up reverse of this slope. No sign of our 

kit; but in an open patch a huge shellhole (AA3). Wilkins 

photographed this. We also picked some huge shell fragments 

here. South of the road was another shellhole (AA4). Wilkins

10.

18/2/19. photographed this from the opposite spur (of Battleship 

Hill).

The east side of the valley (from the W edge of which 

the Turks had been firing) contained three big quarries 

(or sandpits), probably washaways, near which was target

"C" of Johnston's guns on the Peninsula. The whole top 

of the gill was scarred with the tiny holes of our 

shrapnel shell exploded on graze - always a little digging 

with a small pile of earth thrown up on our side of it.

xxx   Diagram- see original document

The naval shells made a trenched crater like this in

 section, showing how the shell had gone in with a flat 

trajectory.

xxx   Diagram- see original document

No sign of our men on this ridge (the spur E of 184) 

except one tiny bit of web kit about 3" long and 1" 

broad. On N shoulder of Chunuk Bair is what looks like 

the trunk of tree where Tulloch saw a German officer.

Sketch C made from here (see field notes).

From the top of spur made sketch D.

Track 2.

Went back from here onto the E face of Battleship Hill 

and worked down from the easternmost spur of the hill.

From Battleship Hill took Sketch E.

Working down the E side of this spur we found only

 traces of dead Turks - nothing of ours till we turned the 

bend of it (shown in sketch E field book). Here, a 

little round the bend, on the E edge of slope were three 

small trenched, one with parapet on our side (W), two with 

parapets of xxxxxx Turkish side (E) - probably made by 

Turks. One the parapet of the northernmost was a water-bottle 

of ours with bullet holes through it. Nearby was a 

bit of Australian boot; and near again a bit of Australian 

breeches.

About 25 yards on the W of this Wilkins found one 

Australian cartridge case, fired. This seems absolutely 

to fix the position of Tulloch's forward line - the 

furthest our men ever got.

Buchanan marked the position of the three shallow

 trenches on his map as 20.

They are very close to where the mess tin was found 

yesterday (18).

The tree stump (?) was visible from here on Chunuk 

Bair, N shoulder, about 900 yards away.

(21) was where the empty British cartridge was found.

 It was about 50 yds. SW of the three shallow trenches 

and about 10 yards north of an early Turkish trench. Another 

line of Turkish trench had been made since a little further 

W. It looks as though these Turkish trenches were about 

where Tulloch's party saw the Turkish lines and drove it 

back. They then wriggled 100 yds. on their bellies and 

were firing at the Turks lining the W edge of the Sandpit 

Gully.

Diagram- see original document

1. Turk clothing everywhere along this 

edge, white linen.

2. Turkish cardboard cartridge cases.

3. Tree.

4. Ground sheets (Probably ours salved).

5. Iron ration tin

About 5. Early shallow Turkish Trench.

Turks have fired from here - Empties. Salvaged 

Bully Beef tins and syrup tin.

4 small possies 20 yds from edge of hill 

opposite sand pits. (Probably shell holes).

Diagram- see original document

xxx  Turk cartridges expended and a bit of web kit.

Many shrapnel holes at X Our billets everywhere.

On the way back a the only Q.E. shellhole which we 

can yet identify for certain.

Diagram- see original document

Diagram- see original document

SKETCH E . Dotted line shews Track 2 from high on Battleship Hill.

Diagram- see original document

11.

18/2/19. Sketch F from here whowing dip between Battleship 

Hill and 161; also plan on same page showing roughly 

where kit was found.

(There was a partially-dug Turkish C.T. of later 

date, well traversed, a little further north if I remember 

rightly, running E and W round the hill. We crossed this 

from NW to SE in walking down to the position where our 

men had been).

From (21) I made sketch G.

Track of 3rd search.: Down the rearmost spur of Battleship 

Hill (between spur examined in track 2 and Mortar Ridge). 

About 200 yards down spur from crest we came on traces 

of a Turkish firing line - cartridge cases and clips and 

cardboard ammunition carriers at intervals. This continued 

along the whole line of the crest - the Turks, from their 

position in the scrub, clearly firing along lanes in it 

at our men on Baby 700 and the top of Mortar Ridge. (The 

Turks on point 19 on Sandpit Valley seemed to have been 

firing at men on the S shoulder of Battleship Hill). 

Every dew yards there were cartridge cases all along the 

crest line - anything, I should say, from 20 to 50 rounds.

 No traces of our men here except possibly some 

whose bodies had been burnt. All over Battleship Hill 

traces of dead Turks probably killed by battleships on 

April 26th. Some certainly sniped, as Wilkins found 

skull with bullet through it.

We worked back up the western slope, but no traces 

of our men except on rear of Battleship Hill itself 

(W slope). In case of these the kit we found there 

might have been brought along the road to a Turkish dump. 

But generally we find our kit only near where our men 

have actually been. 

Sketch H from here.

SUMMARY 18 FEBRUARY, 1919

Diagram- see original document

Diagram- see original document

On top of Battleship Hill, S.W Side of crest, we found the kit [[ of an]] Australian on the remains of a Turkish dump. The bullets from his pouches had been opened by a Turk to extract the powder.

SKETCH . G   VIEW FROM WHERE WILKINS FOUND CARTRIDGE CASE . POINT PROBABLY REACHED BY TULLOCH ON APR. 25.

Diagram- see original document

SKETCH. H.   BABY 700 FROM TURK FIRING LINE ON TRACK Z.

Diagram- see original document

SKETCH H^I POINT WHICH LOUTIT MAY HAVE REACHED (LOOKING SOUTH)