Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/13/1 - August 1915 - Part 5

9 Aug.

Chunuk B.
[sketch- see original document]
 

trench the left [shorthand] way & retired
down slope. (Well M R. & Otago)
They were rallied again & were
in old line [shorthand] 6 a.m.

(This ws morning when Ghurk. [shorthand]
[shorthand])
At 10 am [shorthand] reinf
(attack had died away).
They were occupied ww Baldwin
[shorthand] One Coy. Loyal N Lancs ws
[shorthand] in reaching trenches.
(Commn trench had bn [shorthand] but not
thro)
At 11 Bde came into a [shorthand]
Gen Shaw G.O.C. 13^th [shorthand]
Garrison had to be reld as no NZ
Bde [shorthand]. Shaw [shorthand]
2 Bns. All this time Auckld
 

had be holding trench abt 200 yds
in front of Apex. They were [shorthand]
[shorthand] hang on till [shorthand] unless
v. serious C. attack short of
water etc.
N. Lancs were [shorthand]
them at 8 p.m. got there without
incident. Wilts [shorthand] 3.30
but all N Z had [shorthand] summit by
10 p.m. They were withdrawn,
Apex.
——
When Wilts [shorthand] at x 3.30 [shorthand]
[shorthand]
N W of 161 as no room on top.
At 4.30 am c. attack )
[shorthand] Ts. came over [shorthand]
7 or 8 lines. 9 m.gs. on apex
got onto them - 4000 - 5000 [shorthand]
[shorthand] 500 [shorthand] in 2s & 3s.
Naval guns, [shorthand] too.
Our guns [shorthand] c. attack whilst
 

This means tt 200 o / Wilts ran down valley of Sazli Dere &
cdnt get out by day. There ws a major w them shot thro'
spine. They used a Turk well & sometimes met Ts there who wdnt
take them prisoner. When ts came along they simply cowered behind
the scrub & lay doggo & perh. tt ws what happened when / first search
party went to look for themin they thought they were Turks. Maj.
Ricketts (?) died; two other officers also. They had plenty to eat
from dead mens haversacks; & they were there from Aug 10 to Aug 26.
Then 2 of them came in unwounded down valley. Search [shorthand] were
sent out & on Aug 27 - 7 of them were found. I belive 60
or 70 survivors decided to get away on 26th - what happened
to other 63 dont know. Turks shot a man dead - out of pity
they say [[ ? ? ? ? ?]] bright point is that in the
generation these [[?]] wd make good Australians
One Aus or NZ soldier or Engl. Officer wd have got them out - But we all
see tt England breeds one very fine class at / expense of all / rest.
 

[shorthand] as [shorthand] as
[shorthand]
[shorthand] in swarms.
Offcier of N. Lancs came [shorthand]
[shorthand]
[shorthand] Bn at top, & [shorthand]
below. At Apex [shorthand]
200 - 300 [shorthand] shells & m.g.
At 7 am Ts [shorthand] on [shorthand]
[shorthand] Leinsters
& 1 Coy Auckld.
Capt Wallingford 2 Ts w his
[shorthand]
N. Lancs had taken over
Auck [trench shorthand]_x We left one [shorthand]
in [shorthand]
At top of Sazli Beit Dere
abt 500 - 800 [shorthand] &
hadnt bn [shorthand] evac [shorthand]
 

The Knoll
The Ts [shorthand] the Pinnacle Blockhouse
abt 12th - we attacked it on
18. Canterbury 20 men [shorthand]
[shorthand] on beam [shorthand]
trench. were sniped out of it [shorthand]
[shorthand] Lt Lamotte
[shorthand] 9.30 pm [shorthand] 3 k. 7 w. 1 m.
———————
6-14 NZ Inf Bde lost.
 

Bde went in 3000 strong.
Well only 53 left. out
 

There were no trenches on top
o / ridge the first day - opp
the Gurkhas - not as far as cd
be seen.
V.Cs
It may be taken as a maxim - /
better / troops / fewer / V.C.s For one
V.C.s dont have to be earned by leading
them desperately. For anoher their stai
is much higher. Maj. Alanson told me
today: Troops here after 2 wks in trenches
cant be got out of them. Its same w them
all. I sd I have seen Austrlns & NZ in
17 continuous weeks & never seen least hesit
in leaving trench. He sd Aust & N.Z. are the be
troops here undoubtedly - & his doctor sitt
by him, bore him out.
———————
1st night:
14 Sikhs were supporting Monash
10 & 6 G. were on right.
 

Have 12 offrs. 100 days in trenches has
cost us 20 & now have 4.
6 Ghurk.
crossed [shorthand] & swung up to [shorthand]
'Chanuk Bair Ridge.
5 & 10 on Right. 6 up centre.
14 in Reserve & helping Austr.
Aug 6-7 final trenches those wh
38^th now Hold.
Brit were in behind us & were
heavily shelled in close order.
not much oppositn
—
Night Aug 7 8 very heavy rifle
fire.
Aug 9. 9
When Ghurkas got on top they saw
abt 200 Ts who had on waiting down
further stope for bombt to finish -
cowering - & who ws soon as saw line
of ^our heads ran. There ws a flattish
bit of scrub, then a dip; then flattish bit;
then another dip; & on edge of this
were the supports (just as we had left
ours,) abt 200 more. The first lot were
running & we stood on parapets &
fired into their backs. There ws only
 

one shallow half dug little T.
trench there. we stood on par. of
this & fired. Then 5 shells, high expl.
fell right amongst us. They fell exactly
where Naval shells had bn firing
& looked like naval shells - If our
men had bn in trench they might
have lain doggo & not bn hurt
but these shells did a lot of damage.
All gs ran except Alanson,
[sketch see original document]
Marchant, 2? Gloster officers
several Glos men - 12 in all. They
stayed. T. supports seeing Gs run
came back; & when within 50
yds our officers retreated.
Alanson just escaped. Marchant
ws k. The Ghurka support line
stood firm abt 100 yds below
& stuck to it well. For 2
days we had tt positn. On
Aug 10. the very senior Brit
 

officers if bns on both sides of Alanson
informed him "We have bn ordered to
retire & have retired & so he
retired also - why they retired
goodness alone knows. They
left a positn wh it wd cost
us thousands to retake.

Alanson says Ghurkas are
all right as long as officers are
there but must have officers.
6 officers were shot dead (4 within
80 yds) in this recent charge;
& they wont get out of trench
unless there is a white officer
to lead them. Ts. now pick off
the officers & regt simply goes
phut
———