Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/233/1 - 1919 - 1920 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DRL606/233/1
Title: Notebook, 1919 - 1920
Includes information from Maj Zeki Bey on
Gallipoli.
AWM38-3DRL606/233/1 

Field Book 1
& Zeki Bey's
Notes
No I.
Sketches A - N.
Zeki
3DRL 606 ITEM 233 [1]
AWM38
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918         233
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 these 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

Howe
[*Numbers are those temporarily
used - see my map. A different
numbering was adopted later.
C.E.W.B.
19.12.46*]
1. Landing (one tow to left - 100 yds)
2. Where Turks were seen at time
3. Where Turk met in shallow trench
4. Where Annear ws k. on T. Parapet
Turks then running on xxxx Plugges's plateau to rt.
Two T trenches running straight towds
Wire Gully
Near left top corner of Plugge's ^2 Turks shot
Batt & ran.
5 Where reached Rest Gully (one dead T. on edge, one badly wd.)
6 Turks seen running at Wire Gully Our men then on N. face of M'Cays Hill advancing
5 Turk camp
6 11 Bn reformed. From here
saw first shell
Diagram – see original document
1 

192
Stayed ½ hr at 6.
Plum Pudding at bottom of Rest Gully
In shrap valley salvoes of 3 shrap.
began.
7. 3rd Bde HQs. & place where McL. ws k.
200 sent to look for snipers at Corner.
8 Butler's aid Post
9. Bridges k.
10. 4 Bde HQrs.
Monash Valley - Pope's Reserve Valley
Viney's Rd.
11. Messages began to arrive: Harry on twds left
Fire over Pope's (Extremely heavy, ? explosive)
12. Pine trees. Bully beef gully 100 yds NE of this.
Nash k. at corner of Beef sap [[Rovire?]] & Monash Valley
13. Wire.
Get this stake.
Prisoner returning met up near 13 by Howe
A. Austs dead
14. Point where Morgan went on
This ws being shelled from head of gully
Scatter, [[Dumole?]] & Pettit lost H. here.
More open at Nek than further N.E
2

191
 14 Where H lay down & fired w 12 Bn
16 Trench at which he fired at
17 1^st Bn man.
(men buried near naval gun.)
18 Aust mess tin found
Diagram – see original document
NB
?12^th B 11342
?9 or 18
2 Bn colours on man looking down
from right side of Baby 700.
3

190
[*^x Note: I
often spoke of
xxx Russell's
Top as Walkers]
C.E.W.B. 17/1/47*]
Diagram – see original document
Howes track. Sketch B.

Many dead on head of Ridge leading down to
Snipers Post.

4

189
SS^E of Nek monument - 20 yds Rt of Semicircle trench
Diagram – see original document
on right 150 yds due N of 6 in gun
[*?Turks
C.E.W.B.
17/12/46 →*]
↑Germs folld & offr on skyline 150 yds
N of 6 in gun
Diagram – see original document
Col Clarke's body abt
End of Sphinx
5

188
Diagram – see original document
1. Turk clothing - every where along this edge, white linen
2 T. cardbd cartridge cases
3. Tree
4.2 Groundsheets (probly ours salved)
5 Iron Ration tin
abt 5. Fairly shallow T. trench
Ts have fired from here - Empties
Salvaged Bully Beef tins & syrup tin
4 Small pozzies 20 yds from wire
of hill opp. sand pits (probly
shell holes).
Diagram – see original document

Sketch C. Fb 18/1919.
19 Turk cartridges expended and a bit of web kit.
Many shrap holes at x
Our bullets everywhere
On way back the only Q E shell hole which we
can yet identify for certain.
6

187
7
Diagram – see original document

186
Diagram – see original document

E. Dotted line shows Track 2 from high on

Battleship Hill
Diagram – see original document
20 3 shallow trenches w parapet by our water bottle & boot

21 Fired British
cartridge
abt 50 yds S. of Shallow Trench
abt 10 yds N of T trench xxx
22 Dead 200 yds N of Big Gun
23. Monument on Russells Top.
Diagram – see original document
8