Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/14/1 - August 1915 - Part 4

They seem splendid men, & have

been put tonight straight in

to support Monash. Holmes had

nearly 2000 of his Rabaul lot 
& 36 Rabaul officers w him.

They are under Godley & rather

than call in the XIII Div. to supp

(Shaw & he are a little frosty - I 

fancy Shaw doesnt like being

under him) he's putting in 

one o / 5^th Bde.

 

The 5^th (4350 strong) has had a 

fair training in Egypt - & the 6^th even

more. Th 7^th hasnt had much

Two o I 4^th L.H. Bde Regts left

their horses in Aust.

I sd goodbye to Schuler &

Smith in Reserve Gully where we

went to see Holmes & then went

round I left of our positn & got

/ follg details from units.

Shaw had to go home after a few days

xxx

MR.   Canterbury MR

Auck o went for old No 3 Post.

Wellington on their [[shorthand]]

Otago on left up Chailak Dere for

Bauchopes H.

Cant. timed it a little later (leaving

9.30) went along flat by beach

then right wheeled onto Waldrons Pt.

(last spur b Aghy Dere)

They were [[shorthand]] w Otago on

Bauchopes Hill

When Otago [[shorthand]] to attach Bauch Hill

from flat Eastwards fire began on

Cant, as they crossed flat. (They

were in Squadron column i.e. each

column in squadron in col. of

troops & 2 squadrons abreast -

I in (shorthand) w a platoon (Maoris).

Col. Findlay ws wounded as they

crossed destroyers light. M.g &

trenches occupied on Waldrons Pt.

we cd see flashes - Also fired at

from foot of Bauch.

Cd also hear firing on N.Z. Post

Maj. Hutton

The Colonel had a bayonet

encounter w a Turk in mtn after making

4 efforts to way out / Turk. Wasnt getting through

him he fell on his

face. The T stared at him  

aghast & ws

promptly bayoneted 

by someone else.

 

There ws a picket of 4 Ts on flat

wh our advance scouts me & had a

bayonet duel with. Neither side

fired - Ts prob thought it ws a little

scouting (shorthand). Bayoneted 1 man in

jaw 7 other in chest & we got

whole lot of them. It ws a screen of 4

men agst 4.

 

                     LMR

This ws what woke Ts up.

One Sg (10^th) Cant. moved up close under m.g.

wh cdnt be depressed

1sr Sq. attacked m.g. (we cd see its flash)

slightly in its left rear & flank.

 

The magazines were unloaded - bayonet

only - not shot fired - rushed hill without

cheer. Ts waited for them & shot a

good number as they rushed)

but we went straight in.

Sketch    (shorthand) Turks in trench &

got breech block of m.g.

 

Sq. on left swept down Commn. trench

to N. towards Aghyl Dere - Bayoneted

those Ts. The Ts didnt know where

they (shorthand) coming from.

 

Continued advance E in silence

& besides this long trench took 4

trenches wh were running N E towards

Bauchopes Hill. Abt 1000 yds away.

They left many old Turks behind

& went along in silence rushing

trench after trench. They were

absolutely surprised & scared, some 

of those in rear were taken prisoners

those in (shorthand) bayoneted.

 

Joined w Otago on Bauchopes

Otago had taken from Chailak Dere.

Engineers first cleared entanglement

across Dere with cutters (Offr & 2 men

casualties) & party of Maoris ws

detailed to drag enteng away as

soon as cut.

 

Group of w 8 maoris are lying dead

w Capt Hay & some other Otago

men on Bauchopes H. where they

were attacking (shorthand).

 

After abt 4 trenches had bn taken cheers

were heard away to right - (taking

of old No 3 & Table Top). This cheered

then men wonderfully & the N.Z. Inf.

also.

 

Regts of course got a bit split up in

gullies but put themselves under senior

(shorthand) present. Ther

 

Cant joined Otago betw. 12 & 12.30

B. ws saying Come along boys will

charge - shot thro' spine & t wounded.

 

Then dug in along NE slope of

Bauchopes Hill to → advance

of inf. whose advance (shorthand) were

now coming through us.

 

Sketch          Gen. Monash passed

                       thro. Taylors Hollow.

 

Brit. were to get there along the

beach & turn up Djanelite.

 

As day ws (shorthand) They

swept up NE & E towards Chunuk.

When they got half way up hill

where Ts had trenched there ws fighting.

& fighting in broken country to NE.

That fighting went on very heavy

(esp. of Chunuk Bair) most of day.

They seemed to take all trenches

& were rushing up rounded part

of Chunuk Bair. You lost sight

of men in dust kicked up by

m.gs - platoon after (shorthand) went down

like swathes before reaper. Ts

always counter attacked. It

(shorthand) our own (shorthand).

Very big shells.

 

Wellington & Auckland went

on w infantry to Chunuk Bair

in (shorthand) Bauch. Hill. O/u

stones (shorthand) overcoats, barbed

stacks of (shorthand) embroidered quilts,

2 bns betw Aghyl Dere &

Chailak Dere w 1/2 co

of (shorthand).

 

NZ Rifles moved from bivouacs

at 9 p.m.

 

Cant got in (shorthand) a body of 25 Turks

After troops had gone on. The Adjt.

had gone back to bring up 2 (shorthand)

wh had gone astray when saw

man coming up from gully behind

him. Thought this must be troop.

Man w him sd -"Listen -  theyre

Ts". They were filing zig zag out. We

stepped back into bushes - batman

maori, 2 men & Officer - when Ts

were close enough to see that had no white

patches. Shot 4. Rest ran.

 

Maj. Overton who used is ws K. guiding

the Ghurkas at junction of Aghyl Dere.

Abt end of May  he went out for night

& day w 2 men to Rhododendron

Spur & walked by broad daylight

in Evg. met small parties of

Enemy but let them go in silence.

Maj. Hutton now commands-

Maj Overton is Cant. Farmer,

 

M.G. ws taken from rear

whilst men also in front - Fine lot

of me shot down around it - sons

of earliest N.Z. Settlers

 From Col. Tilney I think

C.E.W.B. 24/5/23

 

13.  Hd of Col. ws halted on well sap.

ws getting overflow (shorthand) from everywhere.

 

8th Welsh Pioneers]

5 Wilts Rifles             ] were to ^have bn ahead

but were late & we had to halt for

them. We came (shorthand) beach

& outposts & Tommies came

along beach & crossed head of

our column at sap. Most (shorthand)

(shorthand) - bullets were all round.

10p.m. they were passing.

9.30p.m. we passed (shorthand) at foot of

gully - picked up ^ there Capt. Eastwood

& Maj. Overton the guides.

 

Abt 10.30 got away from H. Q.

There ws v. heavy fighting going on

in outposts at time & bombs seemed

to be falling - guessed NZ had bn

checked - Wilts sd they lost 50

(shorthand) someone

lost (shorthand). Found in Biv

 

men hit there. We lost one.

 

W went out w guides at head 

in Col. of route & screen of 10.

Went along path & up entrance of

Aghyl Dere & (shorthand) is well (scouts 10 yds

ahead) till got to gorge (Taylors Gap)

Turks were in trenches on right.

(Later we found Cant. M. R. man

wounded - so this grd had already 

bn gone thro by CMR.

Gave clearing of heights to leading

Coy (A Coy. Maj. Edmonds) & we

ordered 6 coy to clear heights w

(shorthand) & not use a shot. Many of them

were recruits. (CMR ought to have

picketed). Our clearing party picketed

heights & went almost without

check.

 

Going thro' gorge from abt 11 to 2 when

1st 2 Bns were thro.

 

Once or twice sent up platoon or

(16th & 15th 92T1)

 

150 (shorthand) from snipers

whilst our men 

had 20.

 

two were sent to flank to clear

Ts when we heard talking.

 

As soon as {?] Gorge we got into

open wheatfield. Ts opened but

we lay down & only hit one.

By th time our other people (& A Coy

who were screen on rt flank) drove

off those Ts. (judging by shots at

least 200 Ts. (Big bivouac there next day)

We were abt 1/2 an hour in wheatfield

& then moved up ridge 92S1.

Coming thro gap we were (shorthand) in single

file in bottom of creek. No oppositn.

On top of ridge found Wilts who had

met no oppositn & were entrenching

(I so called).

 

We selected outpost positn

in dark & had 1/2 hr darkness

remaining to dig in. Lost 2