Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/25/1 - April - June 1915 - Part 3
22
3rd Bde v impt
& Scotts Point Gully (N of Y in Wire Gully).
[Later. There was also a camp of at least a dozen tents,
rails Picts for picketting horses, many boxes of ammuntn
etc. at / back of Lone Pine, wh ws hit by Fortescue, Roberts & others 9 Bn]
Bde Hqrs: Ross & H.Q. went up Anzac Gully
into a round Turkish outpost
pit on I ^centre xxxx of Plugges.
Next sent th ^telephone by Monash Gully to
Maclaurins Hill & went up Bridges
Rd & went nearly to head of Owens
Gully. Set 10 & 12 to dig. Then
walked thro Wire Gully to McLaurins'
Hill.
Salisbury ^& Chapman & Holmes led men of the 9th & 10th
on Monday afternoon. Holmes ws sent to
collect men in / gully & take them up
to Owens Gully. There he got tremendously hit
hotted with shrapnel.
Col. McL & Ross took 15th up on
Sunday night abt 1a.m. to Phillips Top
& put them into by ^trenches between Maclagan
& M'Cay. Saker ws in charge there & was
doing splendidly. Maclagan recommended him
for it.
23
[From Peck.]
Ryder got a T. horse down Mule Gully
& sent his sergt back on it. Sergt
let the horse go as soon as he got
back & horse went back to xxx ^towards / Turkish lines
& ws afterwds shot.
Peck ws hit at 10 exactly.
At tt time ^the Turks were coming [symbols] over Mortar
Ridge & fire ws heavy. We cdnt see
Gun ridge.
P. ws adjutant of ∧11th 19th & saw
men in front of where he was.
A ½ Coy of 11th & platoon of B landed from
battleships a little ^behind some [symbols] of the others.
10 minutes after Peck landed Col Clark
landed. "Rumball of 10th ws w
me Jackson (11) Rockcliffe (11)
Macfarlane (11) Everett (11)
Rumball ws left as ^reserve xx platoon"
P. reported to Col. Clarke & moved
with Clarke up Reserve Valley & over
neck X P. outstripped C.O. (Clarke
& Lalor got off to left. He had his
sword drawn - & P. shouted to
him not to be a b.. fool.)
24
3 Bde [Peck (Contd)]
Peck went straight into Shrapnel
Gully. Left Rock. in ∧charge [symbol] & went
on to find H.Q. didn't find them.
Went to Maclaurins Hill Corner
& found Hemming Herbert Oldham
& Hamilton all of 10th digging
in. Cd see from there isolated
groups - thought it ws Jackson -
found isolated fellows Cooks etc.
Bbt ½ way down Wire Gully
got Ryders message. Collected
men - Newman, Lourtit,
Hague (11) collected & went on
as far as Mule Gully. Booth &
Ryder were together there.
----
Booth retired over J. Jolly (? This
was how he got in with 3rd Bn - if he was the same?)
----
A party of Turks [symbols] ∧dressed in Australian
uniforms came down (reported by
Denton) along E of Baby 700
down the slopes. They shouted
"Dont shoot we're Australians"
& were afterwds got by Q.E.
25
3 Bn
Booth ws killed on Monday at 7pm.
abt Courtney enemys side of Maclaurins
Hill.
The first night Turks [symbols] ∧were singing out
"Dont shoot were Indian scouts."
Major Brown ran along: "Dont take
any notice." Everybody [symbols]∧ws sending messages
to H.Q. Price ws sent over by Col. Owen.
We saw 3 of them in light blue -
Our men were in / trench on top of /
hill & they came up.
Sergt R McLellaind went forward & sd
"Come on lads we'll charge the
beggars - [symbols] ∧give them the bayonet". Some one sd
from / rear "You bloody fools they're
Indians" - prob someone who didn't
want to go forwd - Most o / men
came back.
McClelland xxxxx ws shot & lingered 30 hours.
26
3 Bn
Wilson ws in a trench on
A Co 3 Bn occupied the "RMLI Bn [symbol = trench]" as
it is now known.
They were 100 yds down Wire Gully
in 3 tiers, with no communication. This
is the trench (filled in now with
dead) in wh R.M.L.I. were on Thursday &
wh they left afterwds.
The RMLI when they ran left some
wounded in / trench. A platoon
of 3 bn. knowing the trench, went
Sergt Macleod & Sergt Meagher
(since officers), went out & stopped
until the 4th cut down to them.
They got some Turks cut off &
as they tried to get back thro a
whole night they were shooting
them until abt 200 shot.
(Heane ^of 4 Bn ws in / nearest Coy of 4th Bn
& as the RMLI authorities dealt with him
they - to his gt surprise - recommended him
for a DSO for his work - wh he got
27
Wilson ws hit on Monday night
thro head observing thro field
glasses. For 30 hrs he ws in /
trench & cdnt be got out.
Brodziak - ws hit abt
Courtneys (on left)
Burns ws shot up Baby 700
way.
Only one officer ws ever in front
of Wire Gully - Maj. Scobie.
Scobie walked down Mule Gully
by mistake thinking it Shrap Gully
& came in at 3rd Bn Outpost
on Sunday at 12 o c w his nose
bleeding. Beckin ws in Wire
Gully.
At 9 o'c There is a road up
Wire Gully, a good walk, wh
led into a T. trench at head
of Shrap. Valley (Maclaurins
Hill) out of wh Turks were
some of them driven by us when
28
3Bn
we went in on left. The Turks
came down Scrubby Knoll into
valley thro' valley & up / beaten
track in Wire Gully.
------
The positn is shown by
the two sketch
maps hereunder:-
-------
Trenches at
Present (Wire Gully)
[Diagram]
RMLI 4 bn
-------
Trenches as they originally
were in that position (1st situation)
[Diagram]
(Commn Trench has since bn made).
-----
Maj. Brown arrived with A Co. Maclagan
sd I'd like to send you on the left
bec. if they get that high land on
/ left (B. 700) we're gone. But
you must hang on in front of
my HQ at all costs as th I have
established myself here (he ws determined
not to retire)
29
2nd Positn ^Situation. Brown put
McDonald (No 3 Platoon) on request
[symbols] ^from Carter (as Ts were
attacking up Wire Gully in
gt force) 30 yds down gully, which
ws v. steep, across / gully
in a 2nd tier of fire in front
of Carter.
3rd Situation
At dusk we put No 2
Platoon und Lt. Becken 80
yds down the valley. This ws a very brave thing.
Very brave thing.
Brown went down with Becken.
The left half of
[Diagram] Becken's trench
on the hill is now known
as RMLI Trench wh ws
filled in at the Armistice. The
Ts used to snipe from it.
Davidson filled it in & Turks
strongly objected (German offs)
[This was when the German offrs appeared who gave their
name to G.O.T CEWB.]
30
3 Bn 4th Situation.
On Mond we decided to hold onto to /
battle outpost & put in
Butler with No 4 Platoon
behind the RMLI trench
[Diagram] We hung on there till
Thursday.
On Monday night at dusk they
came over Scrubby Knoll as
companies in line.
Just before that the word had
come along abt British & French
: "All firing will cease for the
night. The French & British
are just at back of Ts. & Ts
are surrounded. The NZs
have already captured 1000
men 2 f.gs & 9 m.gs."
Shortly McC ran along to his
command: "Shut up you fools -
31
3 Bn
theyre your own men! You're losing
your blocks." Maj. Brown
Abt 6.30 "The whole line will
advance." At tt moment Turks
in light blue uniform were advancing
in line of Scrubby Knoll towards
Wire Gully.
[Maj. Davidson saw cavalry attack.]
On Sund. afternoon we saw T. officers
on grey horses at 2000 yds on
the road down Scrubby Knoll.
Abt 5 people on horses - They had
some good trenches already made
on Scrubby Knoll - well concealed
& those who came down wd drop
into these.
The 1st attack in force ws
Mond. night. We repulsed
tt without leaving our
trenches. On Tues. night
32
abt 12 - street (who ws near
G.O. Trench (B6))
[Diagram]
Brown had a local reserve of
abt 200 in T. trench next to
McL.'s H.Q. Men used to be
sent up from gully - stragglers -
to MacLagan & he gave them
to Brown. Brown kept what
he wanted in his of ^reserve & sent the
rest round to Col. Owen who also
had abt 200 at this time in
rear of Claytons or Steeles.
33
3 Bn
The 3d Bn hung on from Wire Gully to
Quinns Post & hung on till Thurs or
even Friday X
----
On the night of Ap 30/May 1 (Saturday
Apr 30 - May 1 night (Sat
on 1st of May
night) we found 8 of RMLI
running down the hills - Turks
were coming on all right - They
were bad trenches (to right
of Wire Gully). We relieved
RMLI tt night. ^They had left 220
rifles, & ^ much ammunition & these
started we passed out to them
next morning. (Chatham ^Deal)
We came up late & cd hear the
Turks coming up. One Turk
stumbled into / trench & got 2
bayonet thrusts & a bullet
wound but lived - we fired hard
all night but it ws very dark
& we cdnt see. We were firing
over their heads.
34
On Tuesday Ap. 20 (?) we
charged abt 4 times.
At abt 12 to 2am we
charged w advanced to
about 200 & cleared the
front. The Turks in / scrub
cd see / bayonets glittering in
/ moonlight.
On Sunday (the adjt), being
doubtful of the Indians,
sent out & got one o / dead
Turks (supposed to be Indians)
He had rifle - no bayonet fixed
& he ws a Turk).
In / meantime Brown
went to HQ. HQ rang
up Indian Battery &
D.H.Q ^who sd after consultn
w / Indian Mtn battery
"There are no Indians out
35
3 Bn
in front". Col. Maclagan
sd you must shoot." so we
did - all night.
----
Tuesday afternoon Col. Owen
paded ∧passed along via Maj Brown to
H.Q. Reinfs wanted on the left.
The Turks were ^not attacking.
Brown ws on left of new
H.Q. & Irvine thought it ws
Brown tt wanted reinfs.
(this usually meant by day
reinfs a few men are wanted
to replace casualties in firing line
or open up a new section of trench
bec ^the trenches were still incomplete. If
officer hadnt eno' men for this he
called out reinfs wanted on left).
Irvine had just come up &
didnt understand. He told B.
36
to deliver a local counter attack
Br. sd theres no T. in front
of me - battle outpost ws
in front of him & Ts in their
trenches. Then Irvine took
Browns 50 men on to Owen
thro the old Turkish trench.
(B. sd its on / left they want
them). Whilst he ws w Owen he
was standing up in the trench
with his periscope when a
sniper got him from behind in
/ back. They called this place
the Death Trap
[Diagram]
HQ 3rd Bn
Irvine killed
H.Q. of 3 Bn ws in
a niche on platform near the top
from wh you cd have to look over
/ top. You used to get sniped at
going round the corner to Brown.
37
3 Bn
Irvine ws looking over the top
when shot in back abt 3 yds from
H.Q. Brown had sd to him "get down
- youll be sniped at". He sd
"I'm here to be sniped at".
A few minutes afterwds Maclaurin
came along to Brown & sd: "Have
you delivered tt counter attack?"
Brown explained tt / reinfs
were not wanted to meet an
attack. McL sits in his shirt
sleeves. "My word Ive heard youve
bn doing fine work" he sd. He
& Irvine were both new from beach
& didnt know what they ought care
they ought to take.
Maclaurin had just gone
back when he ws shot prob by
same sniper - He prob hadnt heard
abt Irvine.
38
[NB. See Heron]
Heron ^2nd Bn. ws at the confer.
of the 3 generals (as signal
officer) when they decided abt
staying on or not staying on.
Also when Johnston took
over ^brigade after McL. killed,
& favoured a retirement &
Dobbin also. Owen ws
sent for & took over.
----
S/B L Wright ws
carrying down a wounded
man abt Tuesday, &
another lot were taking a
wounded Turk down from
Popes. They passed in /
valley. As Wrights
stretcher caught up the
Turk jumped & went
for him w a knife. Wright
grabbed a billhook & chopped
his head off.
39
3 Bn
In 2 Bn on 19 May a Turk
ws being looked after by a
AMC man & the AMC man
was cutting his coat when the
Turk went for him w a knife
(Thought he ws being mutilated).
Another s.b. dressed a T who
pulled out a purse & gave it
to him.
Cowie was about Quinns
in a very hot shop. Maj. Lamb
was on his left. Wilson ws
forward - charged down slope
He wanted to know who is on
our right. He ws badly wounded in
head in this trench - he died at Alexandria.
Col. Owen & Brown went along
whole line tt night.
Booth came back from Mule
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