Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/14/1 - August 1915 - Part 5

88 Co RE
XIII division Gen Shaw          ( 4^th S. Wales B.
Travers/ Left covering force ( 5.  Wilts rifles
                                                    ( 6. South Lancs
                                                    ( 8 Welsh pioneers
There was a farm house about 800 yards to our left front.
Wells and 100 bee hives.  (Near Susak
Kuyu). During Sat & part of Sund. some
of the men went out to get water -
no T.s about at tt time - cd see roofs
and reckoned must be water where there was farm.
Ordinary round beehives & blackberries
We were so [[shorthand]] that I got hold of the CO of the Wilts
that we want to stretch our legs.  Found water quite
good. Sanitary arrangements
appeared to be to bog into fires, tracks
& watercourses - old clothes, packs,
accoutrements. Seemed to be no mans
land. (These wells are abt 800 yds to left
front)
 

officers wounded (Lee A Co. & Perry B Co)
in clearing Coys - & Pulling (teaching at Armidale)
k. by shell after positn taken up.
13^th had 650 yds 14^th 400 yds
on top of ridge overlooking Asma
Dere. Men used entrenching tools
(many were lost in charges)
but had moderate cover by
mid-day. Men were done but were
kept digging all tt day, all next night
& all next day.
No fighting on Saty -
Saty/Sund night Bde. attacked
Abdul Rahman Bair abt 5.30 in morning
13^th ws to hold lines w Kings Own Royal
Lancs. We had m.gs under Capt Rose
but we cd do little to help fight. 

From Maj. Rankine
(I think)
C.E.W.B. 24/5/23
 

Col. Wray (Chaplain) who was broken down with hard
work - sd tt our people on Chunuk
Bair fell back. Ts came over in solid
formation like bns in mass as they came
clearly out onto slope Naval guns
got onto them. As they came clearly
out onto slope two v. big shells
seemed to wipe one bn out.
14^th Marched out 868. Aug 20. 480.
Sund. lost 9 Offrs. 4 k. 1 Capt. 4 w.
2 on Saturday - snipers
while digging in. Took 21 prisoners.
Padre Capt Rose on Sat. morning
abt 6. when 15^th advancing
found abt 18 Turks and 2 Offrs
coming up valley towards them.
Waved to them & took prisoners.
Officers wdnt have them take
him till they got his horse.
Chesnut wh Gen Godley now has
Padre found some shirts w ticking still
in them.
One Officer bayoneted in pyjamas. 

German
grey coats.
 

Tinned meats dropped - peggybags - all
very clean. Socks, poles for tents, meat,
gt coats, (all new) biscuits (German)
14^th abt 4 on Sund morning moved
after 15 & in front of 16 across gully
of Kajalik Dere - & up in col. of
platoons - 16 of each bn on front of
abt 250 yds. They got thro stubble
field - under m.gs - 15^th got broken
up in scrub - turned to left down
further side of spur & came back. 14^th went
on to end of ridge under Abdul
Rahman. R Dare reported he

cd hold on if supported on left but
C-attacks on left over ridge.
16^th didnt come on but turned to
repel c.attacks. 14 got in touch
w Sikhs on right & got their m gs
on to Ts. Rose w m.gs did same.
14 ordered to retire down Kajalik
Dere through 13^th. 

Captured bundles of maps on other part of Turk.
Made camp 150 yds N.E. from Bde H.Q.
Guns were got away by main rd.
Prob. got away by v. good military road from
Black from 92 to m in Asma - thence
A & prob to Dervish Ali Kuyu.
Ridge 92 S 8 to 92. O.9
ws simply littered w battle spoils -
picks, bayonets.
15, 16 Bns went up it betw. 3.30
& 4.30 a.m. on Aug 7.
On S. slope of Djamelik
Bair were a number of cabins of
wood covered w brushwood, w plenty
of 75 ammn. On N slope of Djamelik
also a well dug in ammn. depot.
For sev. days 100s of unarmed
Ts were wandering abt these gullies
down towards the sea - & our 

From Genl. Monash.
(I remember this
definitely)

men knocked over gt numbers.
They were probably after this ammn.
The start was absolutely punctual. But as Reserve Gully Road
had to be kept clear from Brit units
all our troops remained on hill sides.
Process of getting them out ws v.
slow & from first line began to straggle
badly. On reaching Beach road we came
under very heavy shrapnel fire many shells
bursting on road ahead of us.
They didnt hit anyone. It ws
like walking out of a warm house
into a thunderstorm. It ws a slow jog trot
till head of column reached
N^o 3. It ws halted there bec.
Wilts hadnt yet cleared. This halt was
a blessing in disguise. It enabled the men
get their breath. All this 

time we cd hear the N.Z mounted rifles
up the hills and simply had to lie waiting and
suffering a fair amount of casualties from dropping bullets.
At abt 10.45 orders were given to advance.
Col. ws led by Major Overton w
a Gk farmer who knew this district very well.
It was led between Walden Pt & Bauchopes
from Taylors Gap. The advance came to
a halt. There was a long delay. I sent
S.O. after S.O. to find what was
the matter & none returned. I
went to head of column  impossible w
gt [[shorthand]] as it was choked with troops & medical
officers were giving field dressings.  There had been casualties.
I found head of col. had bn under
fire & 2 coys of 13 had deployed
to clear ridges on front & flanks 

92 T 1
 

I found the guides arguing as to wh ws
the safest way. I told Overton
his duty ws to show me the way I
had decided on. I decided
to leave the 2 Coys of 13^th &
push ahead (we didnt know where they were.)
We brought 13 & 14 bns (aft.
midnight onto the foothills of a spur
N of Aghyl Dere. I took abt ½ hr
to collect those bns on Cornfield.
I turned them over to Tilney &
going back to 15 & 16 led them
with Overton to foot of T 1 spur.
When we were well off E end of
this spur Overton sd; March
2 fingers S _^ (rt) of moon (abt 3 o'c)
& Overton left me. We knew
we had to go to A R spur. Overton 

Monash w 2 Turks in dug out.
Ordered them to come out.
 

went back to lead Ghurkas & ws
k very few minutes later. I
stayed there. 15 were leading
deploying by coys into Coy line
& sweeping up this spur.
Pretty heavy firing commenced
at once. I waited till 16
came along & told them to come in
on right of 15. I got my
ambce, ammn & signallers
along. Daylight ws breaking.
We had taken up as extended a
positn as I thought we cd
hold. At 5 a.m. I sent out
telephone wires from my H.Q.
to find out what the 4 bns
were doing. I heard 13 & 14 were 

in allotted positns (though they didn't
occupy as big a front as was hoped).
Sixteenth reported that as far as they
could judge their right ws on A.R.
spur & asking where are the
Indians?  I went straight forward myself
to Col. Pope & satisfied myself that he was abt
500 yds from _^ nearest pt. A.R. spur.
(He ws where 14 Bn now are)
All bn commdrs reported tt men
were absolutely done & were
lying panting inst. of digging.
I went back to H.Q. & reported
& recd. orders to fortify the
line I had won. Abt 9 am I
got the C.Os together & gave instructions

Effective Strength IV Aust. Bde
20/8/15.

Casualties.
Offrs. k or w.  -
Sick        2
O.r. k.     1
w           4
sick       44
              51
 

abt nature of trenches & sighting
& flanks. There ws a good deal
of difficulty in getting touch
w / Indian bde - They had
abt 70 of Popes 16 Bn w them.
Before midday we got touch
w them to our right & made
a continuous line w them.
They then extended right up the hill -
6. & 10 Ghurkas by farm, 5^th Gs. & 14 Sikhs
on my right flank.
I then had to reorganise
& send out scouts to look for
scattered details. 15 Bn
by then ws in reserve.