Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/128/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 5

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46
13 Bn had still to lead on, w
16 Bn sliding down shot on top of
them - Singing Tipperary, & Aust. will be there.
as they went up.
first steep, then gentle slope. They right turned - rushed 13 Bn turned left a little later & climbed
the T. trench - & reached a point 
abt 200 yds ahead of the line
Durrant stood at top end of
slope (x) counting men off & letting
Colonel know when 250 had
past.  The order ws then given
by C.O. (who ws there) to these
250 to adv. w picks & shovels.
They routed Turks out of their
trench & bushes - putting them
up like pheasants.  Coy Commdrs
led them (Capt J W.A Simpson & J. N.
Edmonds) (Capt J. W. A. Simpson
- k near Armentieres w 3rd Div).
Meanwhile the Co rest of Bn ws
filing past.  There were bullets flying
everywhere - & some bombs (quite a
new experience for us) at the T. trench.
Many didn't go off - just fizzed &
made a great smoke.  Capt Durrant

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47
picked one up when it was smoking &
fizzing & sd: Look Col. this is a
Chinese Stinkpot — they are trying
to stink us out."  Col B. sd: Throw
it away you bloody fool — its a
bomb."  This bomb fell at their feet where
they were standing.
The sec The 16 Bn
cd be seen across the gully quite
clearly by flashes of rifle.  The
right ws never in touch w
them bec. the gully ws longer
than imagined & came between.
One platoon ws lost there.  An
NCO ws at bottom of gully turning
13 Bn off to the left.  There ws a breach
in line & in this time the N C O
ws killed (the breach was caused by
16 Bn sending down for reinfts.
Lt Crow of 13 Bn took his
men up to them - he ws k. there)
When next part of line came
along they weren't turned off,
& went straight on up gully, under
Lt ^K.A. MacLeod (a Ballarat Duntroon
boy)

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48
& they never came back.  Those
who got up never came back (13 Bn
never lost a prisoner at Gallipoli).
Durrant nipped down & turned
the tail of the Bn back to left agn.
An Offrs patrol ws sent
out to left & got in touch w /
Otagos.  They were in touch w
us continuing our line to left but
in small detached bodies.  Their
Col. (Moore) ws lost & wandered into
13 Bn. wild w excitement.  The
13 Bn ws digging in under bursts
of m.g. fire from right, left &
front. (chiefly from front).
Col. Popes H.Q. ws abt near
bottom of Popes Hill.  He had two
Signallers shot trying to get him
someone on the telephone.
The 16 Bn sent a message
asking for sandbags to Bde H.Q.
The answer came back tt there
were sandbags at Bde H.Q.
& tt they cd get them if they sent
down for them.

8
49
Next morning - the first news ws
tt the Otagos were not there.  They 13 Bn
were heavily shrapnelled from Field
guns to front; & Enemy m.gs
enfiladed left from positn left by
Otagos.  Also, most of 16 Bn had gone.
13 Bn H.Q. was in Support trench in
excavation but shelling cut wire.
When 16 had gone enemy enfiladed
right flank also with m.gs.
[During night the Nelson Bn
came up, got in our support
line (where Bn H.Q. was) & started
firing out in front of them at our
front line digging.  It took abt
15 5 mins. to stop them firing.  Durrant
rushed to one Offr to tell him to stop.  He
fell dead while D. was speaking to
him.  Rushed to another.  He fell
mortally wd.].  Some of Nelsons
got in / front line.
All May 3 the 13 Bn ws
shot at.  They took up 500 & brought
out 250, 27 hrs after.
When shelling started in

50
Capt. W. Willis of
15 Bn (holding Popes)
was wd trying to rally
the Nelsons.

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51
morning the Nelsons bolted & were
cut to bit by enfilade m.g. fire.
Their Officers gave order to retire
& went w them.  Some of our
men, hearing Offrs. give order to
retire went w them.  The 13 men
in trenches shouted out in remonstrance.
The Australians w the retreating
Tommies turned round (abt 20)
& returned to trenches, our men cheering
& cheering, while Tommies went
on.].
All day 13 Bn stuck it.  At
abt 3p.m. as they cdnt get a
runner or wire thro' Col Burrage
& Durrant tossed as to who shd go
to Bde.  Col. Burrage won & he
went.  Durrant stayed in Command.
There ws a Confce at Bde HQ^x it ws decided
to evacuate.  Col Burrage returned
abt 6 p.m. (it ws light) & dictated
order for with d . awal.  Evacuatn of
wd. first; (A Commn trench had been
dug to front trench thro wh you cd crawl

52
The Support line we built ws
later the T. front trench on Dead
Mans Ridge & ws well
loop holed ; our front line
ws their Support line & they
used our Commn trench.
The trench dug by 16 Bn on
left of Quinns ws dug occupied by Turks;
but we dug 13 Bn filled 15
yds of it the next night
next to quinns left.

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53
in daylight.  Front trench ws abt 200
yds from Support trench & ws abt 3
ft deep - 2ft in places.  This ws
afterwds a Chessboard trench, &
Support trench. wh. ws later a T. trench.

Sketch map - see original

(The
Portsmouth marines
got stuck on DMR
at daybreak - &
got slaughtered by
m.gs.  Darrant didn't
even know of this till whole show
ws over, & he saw them lying dead
there after our retirement).
By 9pm we had every man
away - only one man slightly
wd in the retirement.  Wd went
away first; then Supports; then
3 quotas from Support range.
That finished it.