Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/24/1 - December 1915 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Hem number: 3DRL606/24/1

Title: Diary, December 1915
includes notes on lmbros, Mudros, talks with
Lord Birdwood, visit to Helles and the other war
Correspondents.

AWM38-3DRL606/24/1
 

Diary 24
Dec 19/20 to
Dec29
24
original DIARY NO.24
AWM 38 3DRL 606 ITEM 24 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C. E. W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918
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

Lt. Hunt Davis
Ross.
Where is Anzac?
F. N.
Colles 3L.H. Kimbee.
[*Leyshon White
6 Aust. F. Amb*]
Barkor 6 Aust F. Amb.
Crozier - AMd. HQ. 6 Bde.
Note:
Apr. 25
It is important to note that
from 1 (or possibly 12) until 4
on the first day no troops were
brought ashore. The boats were
employed in carrying wound in
to the transports - but whether
this was the reason why troops
were not landed or no I
cant say.
 

Diary 24
Dec 19/20 to
Dec 29

About 7.50 am.
Dec.20^th (cont) The fleet all turned - I
suppose there ws a submarine about -
for Imbros. Big craft, little craft,
sloops, destroyers, battleships, trawlers -
all making their separate way ^straight for the
Imbros Kephalos Heads. Grafton got a
message: "You are to stay & watch for
enemy ^or attempts to to take away stores" or
something to tt effect. Two destroyers
Beagle
- Rattlesnake (with Seymour formerly
of Colne) were attached to her.
S. is a splendid chap - he knows
his job to the uttermost on our coast
there. When grace ws rather irritated w l
Rattlesnakes slackness for not firing
as much as he wanted thought she ought
on our flank - the voice through l
megaphone sd "He fired 3 times Sir,
& then they fired 5 shots at him -"
"He's pretty close in, Sir" - "He is
within 2000 yards" - He wdnt have
his brother destroyer criticised
 

2
even tho' the criticism was: "He's
not doing it as well as you -  the
Chelmer used to do." Loyal chaps
they are.
Went down to breakfast & then
transferred to the Beagle & steamed fast
into Imbros. Sh In harbour was a wonderful
collection of warships of all sorts &
sizes - transports full of troops,
Bxxh cruisers, Destroyers alongside
them, battleships old & new - all
busy talking to one another just like
the crowd that foregathers at a club
after l break up of some meeting.
They stayed seemed to stay long eno' for a meal
& a yarn as the it were - &
then off to Mudros Salonica, Helles,
I dont know where. The harbour
quickly emptied down to its normal
again.
Imbros ws full of troops. Part
o l 1X^th Corps ws here (they're
breaking it up, I believe). The 29
Divn is going to Helles & our fine
 

_X At Anzac one ^of the two I believe, ^was run over
by a mule cart
(I think
this is wrong.)
C.E.W.B.
15.6.24
 

3 
6 in Batty. has gone there already.
Nevinson Price & Old Lawrence
had turned up at the Chateau Pericles
- they were in the Cornwallis at Suvla -
indeed they only left the beach there at
abt 2.30. The Turks fired 4 shells at
them as they came away. At about
5 o'c. The Turks  one o l mines in
their front trenches at Suvla went up;
the at Turks were clearly attacking
the front line of trenches - or at least
someone ws there. By At 9 o'c the Turks
were still bombarding the second
line of British trenches at Suvla. _X
I looked in to see Maj. Butler;
George Lloyd was there - all tremendously pleased.
I heard tt we lost 3 wd. at Suvla &
2 wd. at Anzac. We all agree tt l
thing to do is to get our acct of
this to l world before l Germans
can do so. We got away Every
mule at Suvla & all but 50 or so at
Anzac - I believe 50 had to be
 

4
poleaxed, xxx as arranged. We had
expected to leave 9 guns - but only left
5 i.e. 3 - 18pdr Australian guns; 2 - 5in
howitzers; [not counting 2 little 3in &
one anti-aircraft, & the old 4.7]. It
is easy now to say we ought to have
got them off but after all l thing we
contemplated ws extreme difficulty in
deceiving l Turks - & if we had it ws
partly by l guns tt we deceived them.
If we hadn't deceived them, then
a great deal more wd have xxx  bn lost than l
mere guns.
Abt 5000 mules were got off at
Anzac & Suvla. We left all our artillery
waggons or a great many - wh is a
pity; & a good number of native
wagons. I have heard it sd tt if we
had had anyone except Knox in
charge we shd have saved these or
at last smashed up all wheels. I
 

5
know a demolition party under
Maj. Williams was at work last 2 days.
Dec. 21. Went up to see Birdwood tonight
at his request. He attributes our
success in l first place to Providence.
The wind changed abt 1.20 on l night
of Dec. 20/21 wh he had originally
planned for l evacuation as he didnt
think l navy cd manage it earlier.
"I calculated tt there wd h. bn abt
3000 men ashore - I think we shd have
lost ^some of those. I had given orders tt once l
landing Embarking on l final night had begun
it must be gone on w at all costs,
Even if it were necessary for l
troops to wade out into l water to
get into l boats. I am afraid it
wd not h finished till after day light"
he added - "tt ws l danger."
What struck him most abt l
 

6
evacuation ws tt there were 85,000
Turks still opposite Suvla & Anzac,
& l trenches were in many places
within 25 yds. L of course
Snipers Nest is within 1100 of the
piers on N Beach, & the ^Turks on l Nek are only
300 yds from l cliffs of mule gully
where they overlook l whole beach
^& piers at 600 yds - & l Turks are strongest
there. Birdwood ws in l Chatham.
He visited Anzac last day - & went
to right to Ryries Bde. On way back
he found tt x a gt number of
Light Horsemen had dropped the
extra waterproof sheet & blanket
wh they were ordered to carry
for their comrades who were
leaving later in light kit. He ws
clearly rather annoyed tt more
stores & guns had not been got off -
 

7
but I doubt if he ws right
abt l guns. I daresay Knox cd
have got off more o l Indian carts
etc. Suvla got off much more but
then Suvla isn't observed like
Anzac.
[shorthand with some text]
It ws not my
wish tt we abandoned
Diffy of digging there (ie -
or hellas) is / water.
[shorthand ends]
The warships report tt there
 

8
had been put up on Lala Baba
during l night a German flag.
I hope l Turks like it.

Dec 22. Called on B.Gen Cunliffe
Owen, He told me tt all writing
from here had bn stopped
He had bn writing
an account o l embarcation at
Anzac. There were abt 100 guns
at Anz, & rather less at Suvla -
abt 70 Turkish guns opp each
place. He thought l Germans
were bringing 2 big guns &
Austrians 2 - so deserters sd.
[1 deserter came on l last
day] Early in Dec. we (expecting
our last but one] tt we wd have to lighten l
garrison were asked to prepare a
scheme. We sd we cd dispense
30 guns & by keeping others