Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/15/1 - August 1915 - Part 1

AWMSS
Official History,
1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
Item number: 3DR1606/15/1
Title: Diary, August 1915
includes reference to 15th and 18th Battalions,
New Zealand Infantry Brigade, Hill 60 and Apex
 
Blockhouse

AWM38-3DRL6O6/16/1

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL                                                   RCDIG1066650
 

DIARY
Original         Diary No. 15. 
AWM 38       3DRL  606  ITEM  15  [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 thew 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 writing 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 writers 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 said 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
 

11 Aug Hill 60 
21

Cant & Otago ^MR. attacked. Auck ( Knocked
abt & wellington held inner line 9 
trenches. Maj. Hulton ws hit crossing
during night flat Turks
came up about 2.30
300 of them 
extraordinary
proceedings

8th Bn
on Aug 22.
( diagram) ghurkas NZ 
Went in through safe
here & deployed 
pretty thick

1st line took trench without trouble
then went along trench to left
Turks started bombing
Prob 4 m.g.s on left
(Cpt goodsell)
Maj. Lane got into N. Extension
of this trench on N slope of hill
 
15
The 18th Battalian
moved about 2.30 & Attacked 6.30 (I
seem to have struck common trench
all right & to have been bombed from
parallel
trench.
they
got
heavy 
m.g.
fire from
left flank

(  diagram :( possible trenches not on Russells map)  ) 

I was in trench 36 hours
later. 50 men still in -
naturally nervous.  Officer
in glasses cheering them - good chap
Capt. Goodsell lead first line. Trench was
150 yds from where they started.
C D held by our troops
18th to clear all trenches to A B.
Pushed out abt 3 platoons to left
to keep off attack from this direction
Maj. Macpherson Co. D G K.
Capt. Banfiell C.o. A G.K.
LP. Leslie. K.

Lt Donaldson K
Lt. Moore K
Lt. MacLauahlin W.

Capt. McKean W
Lt Rafferty W

3. 

(Hill 60 - see next page)
were to join up with our left-
-they were to sweep up plain to
W Hills & our left ws to pivot
round & join up w/them about
Susak Kuyu.  I went out & got
into some trenches of 13 Bn where
I could get an
Excellent views of
the ridge across the
Kaiajk Dere.

(T's running from s.end of trench) ->(next page)in Margin

knoll 60
(red flag in trench end
of spur.
Some in turk trench) ---> (next page ) In margin
(diagram)
scrubby hill
off our ridge
over wh our men
went (after 2nd hill they had to come
down under fire) The first was the
ridge on which our trenches were)  & over

wh the supports retreats when T.
shells fell in Kaiajk gully.

Sat Aug 21   No voice owing to laryngitis - Went
out to Monash to see - battle in wh British
(notes taken at time :- ) 

2. bombs descent
2. 30. --- intensifies 
3.0 British I think have started
3.15 Brit line marked by T? 
can see lines coming along
3.20 our men getting our hill 
(drawn by T fire
to get into position)
3.30 A big shell falling exceedingly close
to us but closer to T's.
3.30 Our men start - fine rush 
down hill
3.45 few rush up other side and
into T trench
4. some shells fall in our own trench trench we have taken
? Brit of T
4.15 Shells fall in gully where our
reserves supports are & stop. Come
running back.
4.30 men who have come across plain
and wheatfields are storming up
hill far beyond out our men.
4.45 Our line been advancing across plain
to left near poplars

5

5pm T's creeping along rt portion of
trench opp whilst our M^r Hay is in left
I can see them - a mixture of Aust &
NZ & Tommy standing well up trench
Turks continuously creeping along other
part.
5.3 Heavy firing on plain
more men advancing on right also
5.10 T's running down behind next 
spur. 
Troops still
coming across plain
5.15 Firing far away to right with dropping
bullets 5.25 fighting still hard.
7 Maj [?] reports tt Cant & Olajo
are in enemy trench to south
of common trench. They are hard
pressed there w bombs. Their
sight is on comm trench.
Hants w Herring  & ? 13^th are
 

6

behind N.Z clearly never supports
Indians are on flats to our left-held
to shrapnel up by heavy fire. Russell  tells
Herring & Hants to go for trench
ahead of them & to rt of N.Z.
Capt Rose & M.g. touching up tod
Turks on flat beyond knoll 60.
gun steaming - hissing
more oil & water.
75 gets onto us.
Rose presses handles &
position himself, Fires
all round plain. Big fire
near Suvla - Fire near NZ M.R.
As I came home along the bed of

7

the Aghyl Dere (wh they call the "sap"- it
will be pretty sappy when the rain comes
wh woods says is due on Aug 25) the
Crickets were chirping. The moon was up,
an occasional wounded man stamped
back or ws carried  along - Fires were
burning over I hills behind us - I cd see
I glare of one near Suvla Bay -  One
big grass fire (so l boys tell us) ws
burning in I place where our wounded were
lying - near the trench where I red flag
ws waving
I can't hear of the 13th. 250 of them.
250 of 14th , & digging party of 15th  were
to have gone out but 15th ^ party never got
word to move so far as I heard - Yet
I saw them take 2-3 trenches I
am sure - I dunno why they

 

Much Later

   -------------
I am pretty sure
I was looking at N.Z.
on hill 60 - not, as
I thought at the time, 
on the 4th bde, which
was farken ight

8
simply kicked their feet into or lay down
on parapet of; one a white sandbags
into wh I saw myself 7 or 8 rush
the trench NZ were in afterwards ws well-a
trench with white sandbags but one with earth 
parapet. Their right was at an angle o l 
trench.
(diagram)
Wh then split into two- in the lower of 
these two - amongst  behind a lot of straw on
parapet were T's. They saw us looking 
at them & one of them had a pot at my
telescope at about 400yds. The earth
flicked me over ( he saw me making the 
loophole). I can't help thinking this ws
l trench I saw our men get into at
same time as I saw T's getting out of the
tower end of it. Later one cd see either
Ts retreating up l other side of hill &
our men rushing it.
& later still Turks creeping into the

This was an order began by  which
Gen. Russell began to write 
in my book - then, finding his
message- forms he wrote it on
one of them
CewB.
25/5/23
 

O/c Hants=
you must have on till dark sn
then reinforce NZ 
the trench on your le

---------------------------------------------------------

gully beyond this hill - a bit of a
creek like the Aghyl Dere
(diagram) 
It ws impossible to see how far l point
had for him in l valley - from time to time
one saw figures advancing thro I dust
o l bullets & shrap. Shrap particle 
heavy on ^ plain SW.  of Choc. Hills
Gen Russell ordered Hants
 

Later

-----------
This is wrong they were                     X
to so to the left of NZ.
(see order partly
written, on last p)
 

10

Australians to go for trench ahead
of them ie rt of NZ. Aust-Brit trench
& ^ whole to  take common trench. This they
wd do after dark.
H 10.15 immensely  heavy rifle
fire broke out Casting 5 minutes & then
dying away until 10.35. There were
bombs also (Maj. [Geigor?] had abt 25
but 200 were being sent to him)
& 2000 more in reserve. I shd say
it ws either a counter attack or this
trench being rushed from the S. as
no bullets went over.
As I ws coming on the 5th Bde
(19&18 Bns) were going out - immense
cheery chaps & ever so buoyant,
& lusty. It did one good to see them
as I came up to Army Corps gully