Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/25/1 - April - June 1915 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item number : 3DRL606/25/1
 

Title: Notebook, April - June 1915
Includes eyewitness descriptions of events of
April -June 1915 and references to the 1st, 3rd
and 11th Battalions and 3rd Infantry Brigade.

AWM38 - 3DRL606/25/1
 

25
Original DIARY No. 25
AWM38  3 DRL 606  ITEM 25 [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 the terms
of gift to the Australian War memorial. But apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings 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 writer's 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 such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sep., 1946.                   C.E.W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

at Nasirijah

On [[their?]] 5
________5.1
_________5.2
________________________________
Fine de joie ct. 5.4
from right. one round.
__________________________

Regim Record
Col. [[?]]
9 Bn 11 Bn 3 Bn 1 Bn
Rec.1
 

Typed 3/6/19
SR

 

9th Bn. Landing
2
probably to Western
Plant got over ^foot of Gun Ridge.

Abt 10.15 across 400 Plateau
we had been digging in at abt 9 a, on the
Razor Back. We has about 3 companies
- A B well reorganised & C partly re-organised.
D was not (?) with these.
A + B (battleship tow) landed about where
present beach is. [[Away?]] to the right.


see H.Notes. for corrected narrative
____________________________________________

9th Bn. Salisbury
A.P 25
3



McNicholl came up & we
went up to the forward slope again.
abt 4 o'c. in the afternoon

Salisbury only got 7 men of his lot across ^Plateau 400
The others dropped into crevices & holes or were killed.
 

They thought this point 
was Kaba Tepe.
Said: He is going 
to the S. of Gaba tepe.
Afterwds they thought
he had gone right.

5
9 Bn. (from Maj. Salisbury.
The 9th Bn landed opposite the Norther
Northern Knob of the beach.
It was not quite daylight but getting close to it. A very bright
light appeared to the North. The first
we heard when we were 20 yds off / beach was one shot.
Then 2 or 3. It sounded like a sentry group.
Then it began very fast. There was one exclamation: "Hallo, we're
spotted!" It was a relief to hear the thing go: Here we are - now
we are in it.
The pinnace backed out, elevated lifted her machine gun &
let off at the Turks. We thought at first it
was our own gun. You could just see the high
elevation of the gun.
Our boat broached to. Probably there
were some boats on / left before us.
A few landed on / South of us.
Salisbury had half his Coy in one
starboard tow & half in / other. B Coy was in the
post tow.
 

6
Nobody (he sd) was hit in our boat; some xxxx in / cutter (the big
boat) were drowned, because she grounded in deep water. Some jumped out up to their
chests, some up to their feet only. Dr Butlers watch stopped. The people
to charge up / hill were considerably less than half the 3rd Bde -
abt 6 Coys were in / first charge.
The first party got no flanking party. They got under a
bank, fling off the packs, some charged their magazines.
Some cd not load because they had sand in their rifles. They
fixed bayonets. Some were trying to scrape / sand out of
their rifles. It was very close to day light. They were 2 minutes under
the bank.
The men out of / lifeboats were in the first charge. The men in / cutters grounded in deep water. The men were laughing 
7 shouting "Saida!". They were so relieved at getting
ashore without being killed that they thought half / job ws done
& they were in great spirits.
Salisbury says: We went up the N side o / Knoll. The other
half of B coy, I think, went up / other side. About 6 coys formed a rough 
line. The men in better nick raced ahead of the others. The Turks were out of
the Knoll before we were up there. To the right the company probably
 

7
got a few Turks going up.
We started digging at M'Cays or Braunds Hill
We came under fire at the Knoll, & against Plugges.
To left of us ws a steep cliff. I suppose we were
from 20 to 50 yds from the Turks. We were
stopped by this steep drop. The Turks knew / way
& got away. We cd see them clearing off to / left on
both sides o / cliff. We lay down on / top of
Plugges & started firing. There was very firing
in / first rush up the hill.
It ws only when they were moving tt we cd
see / Turks. The keener men cd often pick them our.
When we crossed shrapnel valley we started ....(?)
Some of our men landed near Queensland
Point (probably C & D which were probly a little behind
/ others). We were anchored near Imbros
- destroyers were within half a mile
of us.
 

8
W e dug in probly on the Razor Back
& some of the 12 & 9th seem to have gone
straight up from / Beach towards M'Cays Hill (? from Queensland 
Point?)
We were digging in from abt 7 am
As soon as we saw the 2nd Brigade
coming down into Shrapnel Valley we were ordered to
advance further. The Brigadier & Brand & Ross
were there. I looked at my
map when we were digging in.
A small attack came opposite us, to our left front
whilst we were digging in, but a small party dealt with 
it.
Abt 8am. we were sent ahead again.
I had my own company there. I to;d the subalterns
to get their sections (who had taken off their equipment) & to go
ahead as soon as possible by sections.
 

[*This note must be from
Brand*]
[Note Fortescue of 9th & Jackson & Milne
were with the advanced party] →

Under the original plan of landing
2 Coys had to deal with Gaba Tepe →

9/


The 3rd Bde Dugin just abt N&S
thro' O in Owens gully (on our map)
^At about 6.15 am Brand ws w Haigh (of 11^th with 9^th& 10^th Bn
details )(at about 6.15 am) when on forward
slope of Lonesome Pine. He said:-
"Haig, Dont go too far forward. Dont go up that hill."
(i.e. ^Gun Ridge - the original positn). Brand sent
back to Maclagan (who unknown
to him had come up White Valley
near Phillips Top). "Have captured 3
enemy guns. Abt a Coy holding
line to .... Square. Enemy advancing
 

10/
from Gun Ridge. Shall I keep advanced company forward?
Maclagan didnt know what troops were
holding this forward spur. He now knew tt there
troops in front who would protect / rest o / brigade
whilst digging in. Messages kept coming
back from men in front. "Turks advancing &
trying to outflank us.'
We dug in just in front & behind the
wheatfield. The Brigadier went to
Scotts Point.
Col. Maclagan had given order
to dig in before Col. Brand got back to
him - he saw they couldn't get
any (?) further with safety.