Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/14/1 - August 1915 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/14/1
Title: Diary, August 1915
Includes reference to fighting on 6-10 August.

AWM38-3DRL606/14/1
 

Diary
([[?]] Aug 6-10)
Aug 10 - 20.
& Left.

Original DIARY NO. 14.
AWM38 3DRL 606 ITEM 14 [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
 

Diary
([[?]] Aug 6-10)
Aug 10 - 20.
& Left.
Diary
C E W Bean
War Correspondent
Headquarters
1st Australian Div
——
14
Aug 10^th - 20.
 

6:30
Aug. 10^th Bombardment
directed agst our lines - whizzing
overhead, shrapnel pattering
Enemy sd to be attacking.
Hosp. ships all gone.
Wounded Turks left in
prisoners compound. Their wounds
were dressed yest - they were
brought up & left without blankets
or waterproof sheets lying all day
long in the filthy dust - one man
dying - groaning allah allah
allah rolling from side to side.
If possible he ought to have had
morphia - [[?]] spoke to
British guard wh ws having its
breakfast but they did nothing
Later in day they were taken
down & wounds dressed.
 

(Gen. Skeen's account to me).
[shorthand] 7^th/8^th took Chunuk Bair N.Z.
8^th - 9^th [shorthand] but off
failed
the [shorthand]
[shorthand] the & we had
[shorthand]
[shorthand] on Chunuk
Bair [shorthand]
[shorthand]
[shorthand]
———
 night [shorthand] 16,000
[shorthand]
Skeen told me (I musnt use his name) tt /
 

[Gen. Owen tells me our guns have now
bn continuously in action since Frid
morning - No relief crews - men carrying ammn
all time

We have 56 guns agst us, [shorthand] 56
as [shorthand] K. Tepe couple
of [shorthand]
Burgess go onto them & smothered
[shorthand] This mean tt Burgess &
all other observers have to be on
watch day & night not ¼ hrs off.
from Cunliffe Owen downwards
Water is regularly reaching / troops
Hughes has agst him 2 - 6in, 2 - 75c
3 10 Pdrs. His parapets yesty & day
[shorthand] but he built them up.]
—
Wonderful work of submarines
wh yesty (?) shelled (see inftion)
Turk columns working S along
Gallipoli Rd. The
 

drill book says tt / Commander who
launches his men ' a night attack
without thoro' reconnaissance assumes
a very grave responsibility -
The little man took it - the men got to
their positn & it ws [shorthand]
strength whether they cd keep it or
not. Brit relieved the N.Z. &
were driven off / hill this morning -
We now hold lower line.
——
 

[hand drawn map - see original document]

Turkish shells were bursting on
SE slope of W hills - our shells
on hills to N, Anafarta, & N
slope of W hills.
 

Aug 10.

10.45- Bacchante firing & fast
Prob another T. Counter attack
[* [hand drawn sketch- see original document] Anafarta*]
11. Went up on Maclagans Ridge.
Abt 12 warships were firing
heavily on Ts coming down gullies
near Rhododendron spur. By
1 o'c we cd see Ts retreating shells
blowing bodies into air - 2 o'c. after
more fierce bombardment cd see Turks
some lumbering up hill others hopping
down hill - One chap seemed to be wounded
or helping a wounded man. This fire
continued more or less all day.

abt
9. Heavy T. firing southwards
? Lone Pine or Jolly
9.45 heavy firing Walleers top or
Quinns.
10.10 what sounds like T. attack on
Walleers or possibly Courtneys wh, Pine
 

Aug. 11^th. Wednesday.
Woke up to find everything
perfectly quiet. Sea glassily
smooth - One hosp. ship here
(there were 2 & second fleet sweepers
last night) and 2 hosp. ships
off Suvla Bay - cruiser & big
transport still outside.
Evidently our big battle
has come to its standstill.
——
Desultory warship firing till noon.
Some fighting over by chear W
hills & Anafarta.
——
Abt 6 pm. went up to top path
to S. of DHQ & watched Anafarta
Battle. The 1st thing I noticed ws line
after line of our men streaming back
across / plain from other side of
Chocolate hills. They seemed to be
 

[hand drawn sketch, see original document]

[hand drawn sketch, see original document]
 

retiring in regular lines for blay 
across country - some hundreds
of them & retiring to the other side
o / salt lake. I thought at first
they must be clearing out snipers - but
I think they were Trying to make a
chain across / country. But presently
/ enemy saw them & his shrapnel burst
on them, 4 shells at a time & they
didn't seem to hurry - as far as I
cd see / retirement ws quite
orderly.
Behind them I cd see our shell
bursting over a line upon the
W hills - 3 bursts at a time from
a battery in Suvla Bay.. At From 6.30
to 7.30 this happened 2 or 3 times.
We were also shelling somewhere
from our batteries - & the NZ battery
 

on the beach was putting it in
(They struck me as being too close to
the dressing Stn & I believe the latter
pulled down its flags this morning
but they were up agn tonight.
Numbers of men are lying out there
in / sun.) There are hosp. ships back
[shorthand]
Probably Some lines - prob. of
reserves - began to move back
out o / Aghyl Dere gully,
mass at / corner o / next Spur,
& then move into / next gully.
It struck me they were prob.
reserves. Fierce - distant - firing (as O'G.
said ^sounding like boiling water bubbling"
broke out in tt directn - I shd