Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/143/1 - 1915 - 1916 - Part 5

23      52                                                           
12 Bn
Ap. 25/15
of them fired at Co party  —rest were
killed or ran. (They were in a short recently
dug shallow trench). NZ put a bullet thro
the gun. & then marked As Ts cleared out
wh were going to make this trench a strong
post when Ts. (almost at once) put
shrapnel onto us.) They moved out
down gully & after wandering thro'
scrub — side of gully pretty steep at this
end – came out towards trench on L. Pine.
[*at bottom end of Legge valley?*]
The guns were under some trees on the
flat at the bottom o / gully (wh opened
out towards Gaba Tepe. They were

23            53                                                     
12 Bn
Ap. 25/15
A smaller type of field gun).
Left there about 2 in afternoon
& lay up in Owens Gully. The fire of
our own men on plateau, firing at
Turks on Gun Ridge; wd not allow us
to get in till abt 5 o'c. (Only one man
in pty ws hit in foot). While out in
trench some men reported tt they saw
gun teams drawing guns along / top
of Gun Ridge northwds as if to
fire on our mtn battery (on our
plateau). Turks were later mix twi
coming down Gun Ridge in bodies,

23         54                                                             
12 Bn
Ap. 25/15

stealing thro / scrub. We cd see no one
to the South of us at this time owing to the
crest o / hill being higher there. They saw
several time bodies four men near the
Daisy Patch farm up & charge across it -
a few Ts got up & bolted in front of them
each time - But T. shrapnel came down
smashing on backs of our men always
& probly few were left on this ridge.
The party lay up in a washaway
at the head of Owens Gully. There was

23        55                                                  
12 Bn
Ap. 25/15
a bench there made about a week
with a small trench on our side of it
from wh the dirt for the bench had
come. It had never been used.
They stayed here till 5 pm. unseen
by Ts. Shrap. & m.g. cdnt properly
get at them — & Ts coming down
Gun Ridge did'nt see them tho they
themselves sniped at Ts. They saw
Ts coming thro abt trench on L. Pine
– southwards & got some shots at them.
 Diagram - see original document                                 
 

23          56                                                   
[*Connell of
12 Bn*]
Ap 26^th 
1915
C. was near top of Quinns or
Comtrope  – wire gully (where Lorenzo was anyway)
He ws on right of Gully (near where Tambour
Sap later was). There were rifle pits on
fore slope of hill (aftwds taken over by RML 1.)
Gully to left ws steep – On Monday he
cd see the Turks coming down the
main ridge in abt 6 lines at wide
intervals or a good distance betw. line
(not at all regular). They were well downhill,
& some still coming up over crest when

23            57
[*12 Bn*]                                                                 
[*Ap. 26/15*]
ships turned onto them. These came
abt 2 ranging shots with 6 in – first
shot – in behind Kennedy of 12^th so
we were told later — next over –
then shrapnel from a big gun. There
were about 3 big shrapnel bursts.
First stopped Turks. After others they
melted into scrub — crawled away,
disappeared somehow. It was
a very powerful shell & made a
heavy air current as it passed
over.
[*?Is this 27^th Ap.
I think Connell first sd
that it was*]

Diagram - see original document
23            58

[*Apr5/15
26/4/15
?27*]
That day, abt midday cd see Ts some
men in a trench abt 600 yds north.
(whether Brit - or Turk trench it is hard to
say). Lieut St Lieut Stopps of 10 Bn ws
there in charge of this bit of line. It ws
a questn whether men in this trench
were Ts or Australians. then The Ts.
were concentrating as in picture opposite.
The Aust. went out, charged w bayonet across
a small flat stretch — parried, mixed, Ts ran
back – our men retired.
A little later two white flags came up from
[*11.18 shorthand} charged again*]

23             59                                                               
Apr 25/15 Turkish side. You cd nt see what happened — but
nost one minute our men were signing to Ts to
put down their arms or get down — next min
minute they were our "mixing it" again, w
line of Turks behind.

23        60                                                  
Nov 16    Verbal report from OC. left
Bn to∧ left Bde to gird trench retaken
by bomb alt from NW & across
open from NE – Our inf. w
detach' – 50 Divs returned to jumping off trench
M18 c o 3 to M  24  A 45
arty put down barrage to N. of
gird trench at 6.40 p.m.
Lewis guns & rifles had beaten
off frontal attack but, sd to
men been bombed out.
C.attack sd to have driven Germans out.
Later: Left Bn back in jumping off trench owing
to strong enemy attack & strong patrols out
to find whether Gird trench held in strength.
or by small parties only. If latter will be be reoccupied.
If strongly held regret deliberate attack not possible without
fresh troops.