Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/25/1 - April - June 1915 - Part 2
11
The follg. order ws issued:
25th April.
G.O.C., A & NZ Army Corps wishes to place on record
his appreciation o / gallantry & dash with wh the 3rd Aust Bde
carried out / difficult operation entrusted to it of landing in / face
of opposition on an open beach. In spite of / enemy being
ready & o / heavy casualties involved at short range,
the Brigade pressed on, carrying successive positions
in face of heavy fire & completing a hazardous operation
in a manner reflecting / highest credit on
commanders & troops engaged.
During this advance / Brigade captured 3 Krupp
guns (disabled).
Major Brand was commended for his work
Maj
Our left 1st Day ^three weeks.
Co. Bauchope says:
There ws a m.g. on top of No 3 post (New)
(where I photoed T. trench today July 26) in a trench
similar to one on Queensld knoll & N. Knoll. Also a
m.g. at foot of hill near stream.
Another m.g. on upper end of shepherds hit Knoll
& a fourth on lower end above Fishermans Hit.
There were three boats on beach - 1 opp. nearly
No 2 post; on opp. Fishermans hit; one a
little S. of F. Hut.
Three wks after landing, when No 2 Post
ws taken up, there were still 14 dead in one
of these boats belonging to 7 Bn. The [[paietes?]]
was so shot thro th when they tried to make
strands of it it wont hold. The water
proof sheets & oars, were riddled w bullets.
The Oars were used to make telephone poles
The bronze in iron air tight compartment was
used as a stove. The boat ws broken up &
I saw one piece, w a bullet thro it, used
as I little teatable for / commander of No
2 Post in a little leaf covered grotto (like
that of a tea garden) built for Col. Bauch oper.
This No 2 Post ws first taken up by our
Marines & shallow trenches dug. Their
bodies were found there when we occupied
the place.
When we moved one o I boats for
wood the Turks laid on it as they
reckoned we wd cut it up at the
nightfall. After sundown a
heavy fire ws opened on it
but we expected it & kept away
from / place.
Sketch map
Plan drawn by
Col. Bauchope.
Sketch map
13
No. 3 Post
When N.Z., after holding it for 48 hours,
lost nearly every man in it & lost /
trench, the Turks got right onto Shepherds
Hut Ridge & tried to rush the trenches
up a steep sand slope on the S.W. side.
20 dead Turks were found here &
one N.Z. officer w no identity disc
evidently killed first day or in early
days only recognisable by his uniform.
14
Engrs 1st day.
Dawkins put over water further S.
Williams Shrap. Gully.
For 2 hrs Engrs lying
down well were more or less
cooped under bank on a/c
of shrapnel. St
First night after one hours rest
nearly all Engrs in Anzac
were kept on digging trenches
all night on top of this ridge
in luggers Plateau in case
of a cave in.
15
Signallers.
2 signallers of D.H.Q section
were sent off to find position of
each Bde. From the time out they
were used as guides.
Signallers built Watson Pier.
16
Landing
11 Bn (from Col. Lyall Johnston & Adjt)
Suffolk. I Transferred at Lemnos A. C
A Coy (Perth) & C Coy (Goldfields) Perth Sold along
were transferred
with c H.Q. to H.W.S London.
The men slept on / mess decks - 500 of our men ^ships
crew, ^the Capt & all officers turned out of their quarters to
allow us to sleep & bath.
12pm. hot cocoa -men did but
There was Service on ^board i the afternoon.
Abt 8pm the E men turned in
men turned in. The Ship issued a lot of rum
in the morning just
just before going into the
boats, after we had formed
up on deck.
Just about midnight
they were knocked up &
had hot coca given them
-by the Navy. The Navy
did all they could for our men.
(The old service launched this new fit force
on its first fight CEW.B.)
There were 2 tows of A Co & 2 tows C Co.
At 2.30 we pulled up. You ^could just see I
faint outline of this coast. We cdnt see the other
ships. No confusion not a word spoken. The only thing
to be heard was / throb of the small engines.
We started together but some other tows got between
us. Soon after we left the ship, we
Commdr Dick was shouting all I time
"Keep more to starbd!"
Just before reaching the shore we turned to
the left & the boats looked as if they
were going to collide.
We struck some o I boats on point of Ari Burnu.
Comdr Dick just before reaching shore sd
give my compliments to the colonel & tell him we were
pushed bout 1 mile too far north.
Just before reaching shore, 300 to 400
yards out, ws we saw a light abt I bldg ofbuilding on
17
11 Bn
Gaba Tepe & a light showed on the point
w. c the s) about where
of Ari Burnu where blue the redoubt ws.
It ws a lamp or lantern - it just flashed
for a few moments. Then col heard voices
& what appeared to us to be a sentry
giving a warning - carried distinctly
-one loud voice appeared to be sentry.
They all came from that Point. / hig ^(the adjutant) whispered
to Capt Leane th they had seen us. The
order By this time we had turned in again.
The order to cast off ws then given,
The boats started pulling & a shot
ws fired. W cd see I flash of it
from I redoubt - silence ws still
maintained. That shot went high -
whistled over. A few seconds later we
got a shower of bullets - a m.g.
from redoubt on top opened on us.
We asked stroke to try depth of
water. He put ^in his oar &found it was abt
disappeared up to our armpits. It ws a
mistake ws to land with packs. We were going very
slowly. We found the packs upset us.
The Picket boat opened with her m.g. from
very close - firing at the crest.
Bullets seemed to be coming from all along
18
11Bn
/ front. The Ts seemed to be to right & left of'
redoubt & in redoubt.
The Order ws given:"fix bayonets". Capt sh The Captain (?Leane)
said": The success of / enterprise depends on yr taking
this hill w a rush." As / men stormed up /
hill several shots were fired at us from /
rear. Men shouted back - dont fire on
grown men, but they ^were snipers who were
missed.
On board I Suffolk every man had had it
explained to them in what direction (not ^on I map)
they had to go. Officers only had maps.
Our first breather ws on top of Plugges
Plateau. There were 2 lines of trenches
one near / edge of fore edge of / Plateau one
near / read end of Plateau- The last Turks
were bayoneted in this. The sprinters had
gone ahead & killed the men in this forwd trench
& the bn fr men reformed between the
two trenches. We had the The They destroying had landed
these men (^destroyer had bn off Imbros) almost on top of
us (Chelmer & Another) same destroyers we had practised
with at Lemnos (very similar, day & night). The men
had bn told: "you must go forward - you are
covering troops whatever the opposition.
We had abt 3 Coys of bn there & one
platoon of all sorts of details wh we put
under an officer ^there. A general ws ^direction ws
pointed out to them in direction of Courtney,
19
11Bn
Post. Fire exc. from snipers had steadied-
There ws no xxxxxxx concentrated fire but we lost a xx few men. We
went down at a run into the gully, in some places
filing owing to / diff. nature of the country;
& routinely ^the battalion, except abt 3 platoons ^left on Plugge's
to entrench (& occupy in Turkish trench) worked up the
other ) side to front & to left of valley. Very
much mixed. In valley there ^ was a lot of shrapnel
xx & rifle fire - from left chiefly. This was
abt G.O.C. They hung onto I edge
constantly charging forwd & back from edge.
Maj. Brown ws on our right & Bde HQ.
We formed to an ammn reserve on Plugges so
we sent back to bring ammn & water from
Plugges. Many reinfs went from there & we
directed them.
Everett, sh cd Denton & Sellby were
on the left & had an observation post (Ev. & Selby) Post there
which they occupied till the followg Thursday.
When N Z & A arrived the garrison of
Plugges Plateau ws moved out & Gen.
Walker took over & our 3 platoons ^were moved
out to support th 3rd Bn. (on Monday).
On Tues. they were absorbed in the firing line.
The Baby 600 party w were 60 strong & picked
up details abt 120 strong. They were
asked for reinfs by Ryder of 10th
& went out to him - covered his
retirement & got scattered into firing line.
[Surely this is wrong - G.E.W.B)
20
Newman came in on right of Maclagans HQ.
w m.g. Peck, Newman were with that party.
Reid & Cooke went out that way with a party & never
got back. Reid ws wounded in both legs. They
were heavily pressed & had to leave him.
Capt. Tullock ws wounded out / same way
-in thigh & got back himself. [The C.O. who gives this
account didn't really know where his men got to (EWB)
3rd Bds were called to beach on Wed - Maj. Robertson
& Col. got there on Thurs. There were 350 out of 1023.
We lost quite 50 per cent.
May 19
11th were at Turkey Knoll downwds & had
a sap wh enfiladed Turks. At Dawn Turks
they were crouched under Tasmania Post [[throwing?]]
themselves 6 safe. ^They / 11th were enfilading them.
28th June On 28 June we went out - we were keeping I Turks
engaged to cover / advance of 9th who were attacking ^Snipers
Ridge. The trenches were in a hollow so we had to
go forward over the trench to bring fire to bear on
T. trench in the valley. Total Cas. 21 K. 42 w.
3 officers of C. Co. were k. & 1 wounded. Leane ws
the only one left.
26
3rd Bde. Impressions of Landing (Maclagan Ross & Peck)
Peck went down Wire Gully.
Ryder got onto Mortar Ridge from Owens Gully.
9 & 10 went down Owens Gully.
Loutit, Newman were in th direction also.
Plant had bn on Pine Ridge & was driven
back too.
Our men got onto / crest of baby 700.
Ross saw them charging & recharging with /
bayonet abt midday. Finally they
no officers left & were driven back
onto Popes & Quinns.
Machine gun section of 2nd Bn
were certainly on Que Baby 700.
Ryder on Mortar Rudge went back
for reinf. & Peck & Newman went
towards him.
At 10am Peck ws foremost. Hit by over He was hit. He retired
over Courtney.
No Bn. wd go up to the Neck from
Plugges Plateau. Bn ctn Bn got onto
Plugges, net shrapnel, Came into gully
went up Monash valley. Maclagan
had seen that baby 700 wd the key & begged bn after
bn to go up th way but they all got sucked in on Courtney
etc. There is a Camp at bottom of Wire Gully &
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