Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/14/1 - August 1915 - Part 6

13-14-16.
15 in reserve.
16 in touch w Indians. We
started burial [[shorthand]] & S [[shorthand]] getting
Ammn - getting away wounded,
digging trenches & looking for [[shorthand]],
gathering [[shorthand]] & [[shorthand]] positn.
Abt 5. 30 Gen Cox sent for me to
discuss [[?]] offensive [[shorthand]]
I got orders at 7 o’c to [[shorthand]] in
gen [[shorthand]], to attack w
such [[shorthand]] as I cd (surplus)
up Abdul R. Spur so as
to draw enemy down
spur from 'L' other way.
As I [[shorthand]] the idea tt

4. 30 h of
attack

I hadnt eno’ [[shorthand]] & [[shorthand]] exhausted
Gen Cox arranged for me [[shorthand]]
added [[shorthand]] 1 Bn K.O. Lancaster
[[shorthand]] at 9 pm &
ws put in trenches at 2 am
[[shorthand]] 14 & 16 Bns. My
plan ws to leave 13, &
with 15, 14, 16 form an
assaulting col. 15 [[shorthand]]
14 & 16 main body, We
issued from trenches at 3 am
for abt 1000 yds
marched in col. of route
entirely unmolested. But
just as / head o / column reached the

turn of the spur to / S. we
reached foot of A.R. Spur - 
& came [[shorthand]] fire. They
got scattered – lost 1000 men -
I sent back word tt I cdnt go
any further than positn
we had reached- I required
[[shorthand]] 2 new bns
[[shorthand]] as to [[shorthand]] to dig in where
I was or withdraw behind
defensive line. Abt. 5 o'c am
I got [[shorthand]] from M.G. Cox to withdraw
behind my defensive line after
evacuating all wounded.
I detailed Capt Rose to

command rear guard w 4
mgs & one platoon. During [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand - ? bayonets]] only. Fire ws coming from
gullies on both sides & from summit.
15^th lost at least 400.
Rose put up a splendid fight
& mowed down c. attack after
c. attack down the ridge &
mowed down [[shorthand]].
There ws a lot of bravery in
evacuating wounded & withdrawal
ws complete by 8.30.
On Sund aft. [[shorthand]] 5 p.m.
enemy made a counter attack
on rt front of 13 Bn (&
[[shorthand]] KOLR) & this ws repulsed

Ghurkas got up on Sund
[[shorthand]]
20 [[shorthand]]
(This is a note concerning
the Ghurkhas getting to the crest
on Mond. - the first I had heard
of it, I think. "Sund." is an error).
C.E.W.B. 24/5/23

a little diffy & much loss
to enemy. 

Since then fellows have
dug wonderfully - & lost
comp. few men - Brit.
units around them lost
heavily.
Kings own in our trenches
lost nearly 200 men
incl. 2 Majors k. in 2
days. 13 Bn didnt lose 30.

It is quite clear to me tt Monash
did not know where his bde got to
on Sund morning. Dare says definitely
tt he went up after 15^th along ridge
on other side of Kajalik Dere - on wh
Turk trenches now are - he pointed me
out the place they turned up (wheatfield)
& place the 15^th got broken at (scrub)
& place he himself got to - all on
tt spur - & he says he w have
stayed there.
Lock thinks he led theme up
Abdul Rahman spur.
Clearly they ought to have had
some one to guard their left. If there
ws any opposition at all on
the Saty fron directur of Abdul R,
they were sure to be c-attacked
from there. It was a hopelsss seat
of attack - utterly in the air.
Diagram - see original scan

Monash used / same formatn as
/ Turks when they swept over
Chunuk Bair. It was a German
formation - battalion mass
- platoon columns, one platoon in
lie behind / other. The T.s came
over the ridge at abt 5 am
on Tuesday in this formation

Diagram - see original scan
& the naval guns &
artillery simply
swept them away. Bodes
went into / air at every
burst. Then they came over
as coys in line - finally
in 5s & 6s - but 5 or 6 ws
enough for a shrapnel shell
to be sent at them. They

were being pounded from
the rear as well as from /
front. One battery fired (they
say) 100 rounds. Eastwood
thinks / Tcs must have lost
4000 dead & certainly the
sandy slope under Chunuk Bair
is still ghastly w dead bodies.
During / day / wounded were
trying to crawl up over the
dead.
-----
Elfect saw a wretched little
black pup loping along the
beach today, in & out - disappeared
in directn of Suvla. Wonder where
he came from.
Gellibrand calculates that the Olive

Gen Godley’s
Report

Grove gun - (Beachy Bill) has already
accounted for 1000 casuallies on / beach.
He cant be far out.
Attack on Sari Bair Aug 6-10.
Gen Godley's [[shorthand]]
13 Div of [[shorthand]]
NZ Inf Bde.
29 (Brit) Inf. Brig. 10^th Divn
4 Aust. Inf. Bde.
29 Bde Ind. Inf. (Sikhs & Gurk)
1 & 3 Bdes Aust L.H.
N.Z. M.R. Bde.
1 Bn Maoris
with NZ & British 8 pdrs & hows - Bde of Ind.
Mountain Arty, NZ Engrs, NZ & Aust
Supply & [[shorthand]] services
----
(1) Otago, Cant, Well, Auck MR. & Maoris
under B. Gen A.H. Russell (a N.Zler) & 4^th
S.W. Borderers & 5 Wiltshires under
B. Gen. J.H. Travers formed covering force
for gen attack on Sari Bair

They drove enemy from nearer T. posts w [[shorthand = ?bayonets]].
Right assaulting col. (N.3. Inf Bde.
1 Coy NZ Engrs
Ind. M. Batty)
Commanded by B. Gen. F.E. Johnston
a N. Zealander of N. Staffordshire Regt)
Left assaulting col. under Brig. Gen H.V.
Cox (29 Ind Inf Bde, 4 Aust.
Inf Bde under B. Gen J. Monash
Field Co. N. Z. Engrs & Ind M Batty)
Both these columns after night march
thro' diff [[shorthand]] established themselves
at foot of Massif of Chunuk Bair
(886 ft [[shorthand]])
Meantime 1 & 3 ALH Bdes under B. Gns Chauvel
& Hughes had contained (by fire & bombs)
a large N^o of Ts in front of Quinns Popes
& Walkers. At 4.30 they dashed
out & "cleared out / T. trenches nearest
to them; but more than this they were
unable to accomplish & they then withdrew
to their own lines." Continued to contain