Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/236/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 4

It got B 7.5

(Pioneers

H 12 D 30.70     1 gun & HB.

H D 80 90 1 gun.)

 

relieved by the Yanks tonight.  A half dozen officers
killed.  4 officers of 24 battalion killed.
Germans are shelling the village but it is not badly
knocked about.
Our m gunners and
riflemen say they never had better shooting.
"Used 10 boxes of ammunition on Huns.
Great support.  I estimate 200 prisoners or
almost was escaped.  No men to do this object
at all.  Good day with a battalion.
(m.gs. are at us from the village  not mopped up.)
Made clean break over on flank but had to retire
retire because of mgs in the back.
(There seemed to be a great number of Germans always on the [shorthand])
Many Germans dead
3 battalion HQrs have been here all the
[One old woman routed out a German in the village]
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Our part centre was established by 21 Bn
1 H 6 c 4.3 on the J.O. trench
and was advanced into the railway coming after zero.
A [shorthand] station was then established later on in the quarry
in H 12 B 9.8 and towards the afternoon
telephone line eventually being run to one of the
outposts at I2 C 2.6.  Communications
throughout the day were very satisfactory considering the amount of
artillery fire that prevailed.
21/24 battalion went in 3 companies each to a village of 100 men
per company.  Pioneer battalion 4 companies of xx
about 70? men per company.
Germans fought very well as if they thought we were stronger.
Movement all day along near the mill
in 8a and B
In some places mgs were captured in them 
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a few feet apart from considerable sections of trenches.
Germans had garrisoned sunken roads in the vicinity of the
village which greatly assisted the advance.
2 tanks were knocked out and one
tank had engine troubles and was unable to return.
British did nothing today.
Advanced about 2000 yards.
Hist. Note.
Anzac Landing. Ap 25. 9 Bn.

1st day Lt Roberts got

to Pine R. with a party &

possibly onto Gun Ridge.
The screen had to come back
very fast. Roberts was on

the S. shoulder of Lone Pine in /

afternoon - (some of 8 Bn were out tt

way too) - When Cpl. Carson ws
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sent to him w a message. Just

as Carson got there R. ws k. by a shell

- he ws buried there & ws / life of

/ party / men w him.

Saker ws in charge of this 

part o / line later, & ws k. the

next day.

The Landing of (Chief Steward of Galeka. Mr Simon)

Galeka &                  

3rd Field Ambulance.

On the day of the landing

Galeka lay inside, very near

the beach (Capt Burt or Bert Bernard Burt - a

regular Captain Kettle to look at & great

was always ready to take risks).

One of the boats alongside 

containing the 7^th Bn was hit

by a shell & sunk - abt 12

were saved from it. The pinnace

or destroyer for these boats did
[*German hater who 

was drowned on the Glenart Castle*]
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59

not turn up, so they set off
by themselves (four boats) &
they were / ones wh landed
out near No 3 outpost.
During / day / Galeka
ws sent off to Imbros. On
Tuesday she ws brought
back & a message came off
to / Captain tt he wd be
required to take wounded. How
many cd he take.
The chief steward calculated
up / no of beds in / ship &
sd abt 160. This was
signalled back. The chief steward
cleared / saloon for an operating
theatre & got / ship ready -
& 600 or 700 wd came off tt afternoon!

The ships doctor ws doing everything
he cd, but they had no provision
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58
 

for anything like this number.

However, tt evening Maj. Butler

of 3rd Field Ambce & part of his

Ambce came off onto / ship &

they made as much of a 

hospital of her as they cd.

They got Battn ws working 36

hours on end there.

Before / Triumph was

sunk an alarm of "submarines"

ws given. Galeka was lying

close in. She ws waiting for

Gen. Carruthers to come aboard,

& Birt wdn't move until

Carruthers did come aboard.
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57

35
Diagram - see original document

Leanes Trench.

The mine on / left ws /

one wh went up late &

caught 3 or 4 men - killed

a couple. Graham ws

with the right party under Potter (the 1st party to move

out). Potter ws hit in / hand just before / start.

The extreme rt pty under Rockliffe got in at B on

/ rt of the undug portion.  (This had not been

dug at all.)  Cpl Graham's pty got in at A. When

his pty got in there were 5 or 6 Turks in

/ trench on the South of them (Right)

56
 

36

Diagram - see original document

These Ts. tried to get down

the main C.T.  Two were

killed & the others jumped

over the parapet. (Just as the 11th got into /

trench Sergt. Ringwood ^ DCM from Boer War had bayoneted a Turk in /

trench. The Turk was working his bayonet round

in circles (their method of going "on guard".)

They then blocked the C.T. with dead.

Puckell got into / trench a moment ahead of

them & ws shot. They pulled him out &

blocked the C.T. with 5 Turkish bodies

& sandbagged it over - By this time the

first tunnel ws thro & sandbags were being

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Diagram - see original document

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pushed thro' it.  Grahams pty ws 15 minutes later

than 50 men went out to each flank first; then,

after ¼ hr, the main pty of 100 ws to go out under

Leane to / centre.  (When / centre pty arrd there were

still these Ts in the trench -) Just as they were to start

Aarons put up his whistle & sd are you ready to

start. Ringwood & Potter w 15 men were on / rt &

were on / parapet ready to start in Leanes pty

& Potter gave / word to start. Aarons tried to call

them back & tt is how Potters 15 men

started by themselves. The rest were abt 10 mins

later (there had bn a block in the C.T. thro' wd

men going back.

The flank pties went over with practically

no casualties going over. Left (under Jackson) had

abt 7 including 3 or 4 caught by / mine; right pty

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38
had none. The centre pty lost heavily. Eight of

Ringwoods 15 were hit going over.

Puckell had bn on / right of Jacksons Pty

& ws k. just before the centre pty entered / trench.

4 wd men were there w Puckell. & 3 of our

own dead.

The pty with Graham started digging thro

to Rockliffe's Pty - but cdnt get commn

with them for 2 hours because of the fire

from the pty (who no doubt still thought there

were Ts in that bay).  Eventually a runner

got back to Tasmania Post from / left

& so back thro / tunnel to Rockliffes pty.