Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/9/1 - June 1915 - Part 3

                                          15

good indeed the serial begins "Bertrand sniped

battleships from his dugout on I beach..."

 

Wednesday June 9th

Stayed in to write diary till got a message at

3.30 p.m. from Col. Johnston (2nd ^Ast Bde.) to say he had a

scheme on. A battery from in front was to pound the enemy's

Quinns trenches one way →; B. Brown ws to run a 

gun into I firing line & pound them another way ↑

-just 10 shots & them down (They are only alld 2 shots per

gun about w a little discretion).

 

Phillips guns were to pounce on C - if he

opened.

 

The guns were very slow in opening - the

firing on the whole seemed to me scattered, & not very

good. Then "C" began. First there was a curious white

puff of smoke up wher over his positn - I thought it ws one

of our shrapnel; they Col. J. sd it might be a puff (i.e.

apparently a blast of powder meant esp. to mislead us).

He turned one of our guns on C. Presently quite clearly

from behind a break in the hillside otherwise quite

invisible came a small cloud of dust - just a tiny

whisp of it blowing away to I left. Our guns began to

pounce on it all of them straight away. It fired again -

& its shell had a curious light tired sort of rustle.

"Why that's Tired Tim!" cried Col. J." I'll swear th's Tired Tim. He's

never bn there before. Wonder what they've moved

him there for!" Tired Tim is a smallish gun wh used

to fire at its very extreme range. It ws firing now from

a good deal closer - if this was Tired Tim. Presently

as well as T.Tim we noticed smoke dust whiffs

travelling from at least two other positions a 

few yds to I left of it. They were firing at some

                                       16

of our guns in Shrap. Valley. Then came a dull report

& with it the whizz of a fairly loud shell overhead.

It exploded far back towards B. Brown with the

nasty shriek of a high explosive. They dont know exactly

where that chap is - he's prob. 4 in or 4.7.

 

Then over came a much more distant fellow still.

We heard his report ^coming from the N. - a soft dull one; then,

8 secs. later we heard the rustle of I shell coming

up passing overhead & away to I S. of us. Must be

nearly on I limit of his range now, I shd think.    

 

The bursts of our guns showed you the valley at

"C" most clearly. The snoke sometimes swept right

up it. One cd never have suspected it otherwise.     

 

Col. J showed me two more of their gun

emplacements on the extreme crest of 971 - quite

visible thro' a telescope.                 

you cd just see I top o I black enclosure.

 

Also the observing stn under a bush on

Battleship hill.

 

Monitor arrived yesty & took a look round

Has bn firing today at Ananfarta                    Sketch

 

Thursday June 10  Nearly all day writing

this diary. Made one break to go down & photograph

Watson, the second i/c of the Div^l. H.Q. signallers making

his pier. He started (by order) with trenches but is

now pile driving with an 8 in shell full of shrapnel

bullets & sand (weighing 3 cwt) as a pile driver.

The wind has been blowing fairly strongly today &

yesty, luckily off the shore. If it blew on shore

we shd lose our pants & the sapp he landing of

supplies wd be stopped. They say th I other 

day when I Triumph went down the steam launch

of one o I warships wh ws towing a pontoon full of

                                  17

mule carts dropped it & made straight for I Triumph.

The mule carts & pontoon went shore & were a 

present to I enemy.

 

The other incident o I day was th I noticed

the artillery headquarters people all w their glasses

and staring at the beach beyond I N. Zealanders. I asked

what it was. "Turkeys" they sd (th is I

way I Indians say Turks). I got my glass & there

sure eno' behind some sandhills on I beach were

two men - crawling through I grass tuft - now standing

up, now kneeling. Anderson thought he cd see part of

a gun behind one heap sand hill. I noticed th these

Turks were not good at keeping themselves hidden;

they didnt crawl on their stomachs - on I inside of

their hands elbows knees & big toes as Freame

does; they crawled on hands & knees erect. The

artillery people sd th there had bn a lot more of

them but the destroyer had crept in & fired one shot

into them at them wh made them jump over I sandhill

& scatter in all directns - abt a dozen of them at

least.  XX The destroyer fired no more guns at them tho'

she went in to look, & the our own guns tho' firing

weren't firing at them. However, they knew of I target - so 

th ws all right, tho' Harris wd very much have liked a

howitzer shot onto them. Anderson sent him down to N.Z

H.Q. to report what we had seen, tho' he was sure they

knew it & he hardly thought guns were required bec. by I 

way I men were crawling they seemed to be under fire from

somewhere.

 

Tonight I had some light on I incident.

They werent Turks at all - They were N.Zealanders

Maj N.Z. had established a post far out down near I

                                   18

beach - I dont know why bec. it draws attentn to this flank,

but stil it ws done. The Turks were trying to cut I post

off all day, but our guns kept them bck - Maj. Campbell

& the XXVI Mtn Battery was protecting them. "Have

they all survived?" I asked O'Gorman asked him.

when he ws up here today. "Well they were all there,"

ws I answer, "but I dont know if they are now bec. the destroyer

Pincher fired at them a shot at them."

 

I suppose I destroyer will be blamed - &

perh. she ought to be, for firing without asking But who 

these people were. But ^why as a matter o I most ordinary

military precaution - why didn't I N.Z. people tell

I Navy th this party ws there?

 

The 4 in gun of unknown site (I think it was)

ws firing on I beach today. She didn't get I beach but

only I dugouts above I ^lower beach; & I whole beach

was st Army Corps people included was standing

roaring w laughter at seeing the men from I

dug outs bolting down to try & get I shell cases

whilst one hardened individual waved a

spade or something after every shot to tell I enemy

it was a washout.

 

Foster goes to the 2nd LH Bde tomorrow as

Bde Major. Lynch comes down here as Camp

Commandant, & until the Frenchman go he well 

share this dugout w me.

 

Very uneasy night at Quinns.

(see opp. p. 11)

 

Men get very to look on shooting snipers v. much

as they wd on shooting rabbits (plunk - bullet in sea punctuates

all this country every night). One chap ws shooting I other

day when Smith & Griffiths were up there. He ws just 

firing when some one else ^from somewhere else fired & I chap

rolled over. "Now aint I an unlucky beggar " he sd "There's

                                 19

someone else gone and plugged him just as I had a ^ws getting a

beautiful shot shot.

 

Another fellow was describing a successful shot which

killed a sniper. "It was a beautiful fall" he sd describing how

I man threw up his hands & his rifle ....

 

A lot of this sniping is indirect fire. The Our sniper

cant see what he is hitting but is laid on by a man w a 

telescope just as a gun might be. "Come up 3 o.c. from

there" " A trifle down" - "a little right" so on. The 1st Bn

snipers from Jacksons post (where Arnott ws hit w

his m.g) hav got 14 snipers in ten days in a snipers 

trench on top O I Razorback. These chaps dont know

where I bullets are coming from. You can see them

discussing it. Then one is hit & a man pulls him

back by I heels. Finally they are clear.

 

Quinns is being strengthened as far as possible; 

& I believe Popes has now 6 m.gs. to bear on it.

It is curios how I fight has come down to little

things. I hear even White discussing little plans for

effecting the scores over one or two men. I suppose

we have to keep them going. But I dont think this miserable

hole & corner scrapping at Quinns is improving I force.

 

The engineers were ordered off their bridge by

pier by the Army Corps people today when a 

shell fell on I beach hundreds of yds away. They

didn't in I least wasnt to go. This sort of things - breaking

off work for I possible chance of a shell before any

shell has come near wont improve them either

if there is much of it. That sort of carefulness is

awfully catching.

 

No aeroplane here for a wk. But I exp. they

want them badly at Helles. Our fleet ws to have kept

clear I right flank o I French from fire from I Asiatic

shore - but now it cant do so. The French cant be having

too [[p?]] a time.

 

                              20

Friday June 11th.

4^th A.M.C. (Col Beeston tells me) had had 6 men killed

& 36 wounded. For a unit not supposed to be in I firing 

line at all that's not bad. I believe the 3rd A.MC. has had more -

& the stationary hospital.

 

2.10.am. Big explosion followed by heavy firing (seems

mostly to be ours).

 

Heavy gun shelled beach today (?4 in) from a point further

round to W, I think, than ever before. Shells seemed almost to

catch hills from back - one remarkably close to Watsons Pier.

 

As we have had no aeropl. for over a wk I don't suppose

we know where tis gun is.

 

They say that 2 Divns here landed at Helles, & that losses

there in last attack were 4000-5000.

 

Heavy firing down south at Hellas tonight.

 

Last night the Mtn guns fired abt 20 star shells. the

Turks are putting out wire in front of their trench at

Johnstons Gully - great 5 foot framework rolled

out. I suppose our idea is to stop this night work

&, if they are out in front of trenches, turn on a maxim.

 

Foster went to 2nd L.H.B. tonight as Bde Maj.

 

Monitor firing tonight this evg.

 

Sergt. Maj. Noonan was here this aft. noon & composed

the 1st issue of the Dinkum Oil. I can't say I even

helped him. All I did ws to hold the pen and write

clearly. He really has a very remarkable wit. The

thing is very good indeed.

 

Still windy - & cooler - fortunately N. wind

off the shore. Working all da A very quiet day

-12 shots a minute day; much more noise

tonight, abt 40 shots a minute all pretty loud as I

sit here & right [the next minute there were 4 bombs

& about 150 shots - thats the sort of night it is; but

I always reckon there's not much on at Quinns

unless other guns start firing]

 

Heavy gun fire at Cape Helles last night and today. Stated that reinfor

are coming to us as well as to them. Howitzer being placed -

Plugges Plateau - drawn up by men at dark.

                                 21

Sund June 3.

Morning paper art. 8 & evg. paper 8 finished.

Glasford & White are both ill & little Blamey

is really doing a big part of the field work

& office work too.

N.Z. exploded a mine today at ^4 o'c at Quinns under

a mine of the enemy's - haven't yet heard result.

 

The old Bauchante

turned up & gave

Kaba Tepe a shelling

quite like old times, this morning. I wasn't there up

unfortunately, to see it. I sort of heard it in my

dreams. At the same time the Dartmouth gave the

T. Headquarters (I believe th ws I target) somewhere

to I N. of 971 a devil of a basting. Both of them

fired viciously during their short stay. They had 10

destroyers.

 

In the Afternoon the Monitor bowled up (if the

expression can be suitably applied to a flat iron) and

banged at the hills or valley to the North of us; & a

destroyer came right in to the Bay in front of the

salt lake & hammered both sides of the point

bay very hard - searching, I think, by the way the

shells went along the ridge. That same unknown gun -4 in -

shelling beach & bursting its shell splendidly.

 

A real aeroplane from Hellas - British

flew over us twice today - The second time she

dropped the bombs in the direction of the gully

beyond Quinns or the valley below it. All the men

here could see them fall - yellow looking things; & 

a cheer went up from the beach when they

exploded. Nearly five minutes later the black smoke

of th explosion floated over.

 

Heavy bombardment at Hellas to day -

in earlier part of day on French side; later on

English side; most of last night also.

 

Our guns caught ^sight of a motor car on one of the

road at the back today or yesty & put a shrapnel over it. It

ran into its top speed & vanished.

 

3 articles off this morning & two more ready tonight. I've got clear of

history & am into the nice sketchy bit lighter stuff which one can reel

off faster. An 83 shot a minute night - Turks rather uneasy.

                                      22

an exquisite sunset over Imbros. Took 3 photos of it & one

good one of 4 in shrap. burst near N.Z. point (N end of Beach).

 

Miners in one o I long saps - 3^rd Bn - I think it is - say they

can hear the Turks mining underneath them. A.M.S Noonan (who

runs the Dinkum Oil (True News) is in charge of a party working

on one of those saps.

 

McCay came in & had a yarn.

 

Foster very anxious to get the 2nd LHB together into

trenches (Infantry say the Turks say they cant face the

Australians but they dont mind the Light Horse) I heard a 

L.H. Officer the other day asking an Infantry officer for a

fatigue to bury very dead men for him in the L.H. trenches!

 

The 2nd Bde (but) are taking over a special half

section of No 2 Section - from Courtneys to the 1st

Bde H.Q.

 

Monday June 13 14

Last night we blew up the sap wh ws so close to

I Turks. Mosely advised agst it until they were closer.

The explosion x did not break the ground, & duly a little gas

appeared to escape at our end - so presumably

it burst into I Turkish tunnel - but no one can

say exactly. The tunnel is too full of foul gas for anyone

to get into it, & they say this ^it will take a 

month before anyone can do so & see what was the

effect.

 

The N.Z.^counter mine the other day was possibly 

a success; their staff told me in a half hearted 

sort of way that it was, which of course

leaves one w I impression th it was'nt.

I was sure something ws on by the conferences

between White, the General, & the Engineers - but 

even Blamey didn't know th it was

                                     23

coming off tho' he was up in the trenches at the 

time.

 

We were wakened this morning by the Anafarta

gun firing a couple of shots ^shells which only missed

these dugouts by a few yards - one went through

Austins tarpaulin.

 

The navy weem to have tried to silence this

gun without success. A destroyer also went

in close and gave K. Tepe a good time from wh ^from I back

whilst our guns got our man this face. The 

enemy have now two guns - so I

am assured a w of by Col. Maclagan I think

it was - on K. Tepe. This morning the 

Bauchante & the Dartmouth

 

Went up to S. flank (round two snipers

trench) & it seemed a better policy to see Smith

of 12th Bn. They have some wonderful

trenches - I took several photos - you

cdn't see the fire trench until you were

right on top of it. I cdn't see it at all.

 

They often of late have seen I Turks

drilling in the hills this side of Achi Baba;

endless convoys moving down, the

the smoke of French guns can now be seen

on I left (looking from us) of Achi baba.

A destroyer was fight ^firing tody at the

back of K Tepe from close inshore & also

up as Pasha Dayd.

                                                24

Took several photos of our trenches - cd not see

them myself till a rifle ws put up. Saw Turkish

trench in process of being made - the corrugate I

parapet    & then the boards over. 

It makes a fine set of loopholes agst enfilade

fire.

Tues June 15.

Went round all the Australian guns except the 

one in caddy's Batty on Walkers Maclagan's Ridge with Col. Hobbs

today. He gave me a splendid look round- is kind, & very

keen & well up in his work; but I cannot think he is a really

good commander of artillery _Others - his own staff especially -

say he is, but I'm sorry - I cant believe it. All along he has 

impressed me as being really xxxxx a man who, however

keen could never get a real hold on men. You can only

go on your impression & that's my firm impression still

in spite of having tried to think otherwise.

 

The potin of the guns, and of the enemy's guns I 

have written up in diary May 4 (p.19 black Diary) The Turks

have been shelling the Pimple (prob. because they know there's

tunnelling going on there) with ^an 8 in. guns somewhere ENE

-possibly at Kumkeui or on the Anafarta Rd. One shell

caught a machine gunner lying on a ledge inside I

trench by B. Browns battery & took off first his leg then

part of an arm then hit I ground & went off to somewhere

unknown over I back parados o I trench. The chap

wd not killed - he ws quite cheerful & ws obse telling

his mates th he expected he'd get his living selling newspapers

when he got back.

 

Brown's Battery has had it v. hot at times thro'

being on the Pimple -(the reason why the 6^th got it so

                                                                       58

Malcolm Ross arrived today. It took him nearly

3 wks to get from Alex. here. His son ws hit about

the 4th day - some say blown out of a trench by a

shell. He doesnt remember it, any way - when

w a dozen men of our 4 Bde of whom only 7 were left

He wrote a splendid a/c, I believe, wh has bn sent to

"The Times" (June 6).

 

Atrocities (Ross's a/c.)

Ross says he came across two definite reports of

T. atrocities. A Queen Eliz. surgeon told him upon his son,

th they had had a man on board (Ross's son saw him & asked

abt him) wh ws nailed to a

door & had his eyes cut out (probably Munster Fusiliers)

Oliver Hague met a Munster who sd he ws there when

they found him. (Burning also came into it somehow). This is

pretty definite.

 

(2) A nurse told him she had seen a case

of a man w his tongue cut out.

 

But Ross sd his son told him our men

killed I wounded - bayonetted men in trenches to make

sure - but then they were sd to have bn fired on by

wounded. Some of our men sd they had bn ordered to

make no prisoners.

 

Australians (no surrender)

Turkish doctors on Armistice Day told our

doctors th I Australians wdnt surrender & had to 

be shot.

 

Aircraft (lights out)

No unveiled lights after 9pm. till 4am. for

fear of aircraft bombs. (A.C. order)

 

Hosp. Med (Imbros)

Legge thinks I hospital sh be at Imbros &

(3) we might make a breakwater agst I winter on

agst shallow ground spit. The season breaks at

equinox.

 

Friday June 25.  Went down to Helles today w a party of our

officers. Noticed that coast around mouth of small river south

of Kaba Tepe is very strongly entrenched line of trench

ran along coast from small sandy knob south of mouth of stream

& has bastions at intervals

 

Sketch

                                                                  59

The destroyer caught someone at Kaba Tepe : when she fired a

betwee number of mounted men got out & bolted as fast as ever their

horses wd carry them. It ws Parker ^now commds the right gun of Burgess's batty

who told me - he had seen it. I asked if our gun had damaged them

also. He didn't know - he had bn ordered to fire a couple of shots somewhere

& he hadn't know seen our gun fire. I sd it seemed to be right on

top of them - a couple of shots. "That ws probably our gun" he sd. "Of

course we didnt know what we were firing at - I expect th ws it".

 

The Turks also seem to have a H.Q. over on the plain

there wh the guns destroyer shelled.

 

On May 17. The head of their line was up across the end of a long

stream gully running parallel to coast. 

One cd see I Indians on their flank

up this gully.

 

Sketch

 

Inland one cd see them

big works

recently

made on Kilid Piahu

on the yellow paddock

on top o I plateau.

 

The Turkish trench wh seemed to run not far from it is several

large communicatn trenches wandering exactly like mole hills

down towards it. The T. right turned back along I coast. 

 

We went past the point & up into I Dardenelles into

Morte Bay. Some big gun - probably 8 in on rails - was throwing

up geysers of reddish earth.

 

The party consisted of Gen. Russell (why dont they give our

Brigadiers rank? - it means they are always junior to N.Z. men)

M^cCoy, Johnston (N.Z. Artillery), Cunningham, Gellibrand, Blamey.

Wallis, Maj. Davidson (1^st) Young Cook (4^th) a person, Maj. Bennett,

Maj. Anderson (our arty), Maj. Williams & others. Blamey, M^cCoy,

Bennett, the person, Wallis & myself started up towards our old

camp (we landed at W. Beach).

 

[There were few transports about, & a few submarines

& tbds & hospital ships. As we came round I point I saw a

great coppery green turtle back hull - like I back of a porpoise-

wh might have bn a submarine except it had a light tied

on top of it like the tiny hat on I old Majestic.

 

Blamey M^cCoy & our party went down I hill to near 

our old camp. The ground was empty a dusty desolate, where there

                                                   60

had bn green fields & flowers was white dust, shredded

grass roots, & line upon line old tea tangled telephone insulated

wire looking like the dead skin of a broken backed snake -

& line on line of dugouts. We walked to I hill where

Johnson had his mob H.Q. The view seemed to have gone -perh

the trees were in fuller leaf. Then we went up I ^Western stream

past the ^stone cottage w I red tiled roof & sat down near a

stumpy tree. I sd it wd be better to be close to a dug out

in case of shrapnel. Under I tree were numbers &

numbers of Turkish bullets. Gen. Prendergast came walking

past while we were there. He sd th a group of 6 men

there ws a dangerous invitation to I enemy - the bn

camped there used to lose abt 6 men a day - so he had

shifted them further back amongst some light tree scrub

& th, although v. sparse, spate prevented I shrapnel

from coming- they cant properly observe I bn & his brigade

altho' only one real scrap, June 4, had lost nearly 50

per cent ^on jetty, and then small daily losses.

 

The tree we were under (I had chosen it) ws

a particularly dangerous place. He ws having a communicn

trench dug right thro to I firing line - they put the shrapnel

up & down thick every day!

 

This ^(E side of stream) ws abt where the 5^th were camped-

they were a little further on on the I other side, ^(W bank) under

a sort of bank formed by a higher level of ground ws

I dressing slate - it is I dressing stn still.

 

Sketch          Behind a low rise             Sketch

                       some way ahead of it

                      was camped the 8^th

                      & there ws a soldier

                      grave of a man

                       in (8^th there amongst

abt 6 other of British Bns. On I right (E) above there ws the 5^th

with Mathison's old dressing stn, a wh hole dug into I bank

wh the 7^th made. Then the stream broadened, the banks flattened

the road on I W side (wh has all practically bn made since we

were here) came down close to I waters edge & a path 

crosses where the E bank was lowest. (Ut was here the Brigadier Hasty,

Hogan, Monks & I with several signallers, started out during

for the fight of May 8. Further up on the right (E) behind a bluff was

where when 6^th was camped.

 

Sketch

 

By this one ought to be able to refind the ground

whenever one revisits it. About 500 yds ^further over the heath

to the E of I Creek is what we called I Tommy's trench.

Going up I creek ^today we came to a trench wh seemed to be I

Tommy's trench. We went on from there another 250 yds

& reached a trench dip wh seemed to me to be where I sniping

used to take place _ There ws a bit of a cliff on I West.

The rest was shelving & half way up I eastern bank ws a 

spring               Two white parapets of trenches went

                            up I hill here & Bennett    

Sketch               sd it ws our firing line.

                            Sure eno' "Australian line" ws

                           written up against it.

                          We walked up it & to ^I top

                          got up to see I xxx country thro wh

we had come that day. It ws most unfamiliar, Col. Mackay

sd he cd see the trees by the Tommies trench (abt 25 yds

behind us) but it didn't seem to me at all like. I ws 

just thinking to myself: well, there's a curious