Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/25/1 - April - June 1915 - Part 4
40
gully at 10 oc. When
Indians were reported he
went straight out over trench
to see if they were Indians.
He reported that they were
not Indians X
================
There were 20 3rd Bde fellows
who had bn put all together -
_______
Lamb ws on Popes Hill
& bloody angle.
On Day of Landing: - (From Maj Brown)
Owen wdnt move
3 Bn till they were all
together on the beach.
We were 1st of 1st bde.
B Co leading Lamb at head
pract. in Villiers file.
Villiers Stuart all P ws
41
3 Bn
there. Ste sd: "Push on,
reinfs are wanted, go right
forward."
2 platoons of B. Co went up
Monash Gully w Lamb.
McC & 2 platoons went
up Northern slope of Browns Hill.
Rect of & & made the new line.
Away to rt of McConaghy
someone ws calling "Reinfs wanted
here". A few men were retiring
there so Brown took A Coy
up to Razor Back & lay down
there to cover a retirement. They
didn't retire, ceased to call for
reinfs - we cd see the 2nd Bde
going to the right. It ws then tt
Maclagan sd to me "Dig in in
front of H.Q; D & C Coys came in
42
3 Bn.
on left of other half of B.
\ ½B Lamb
\ D
\ C Wilson & Lear.
\ A ½B McL. Street Goldring
\ A. Brown
Lear ws k whilst rallying his Coy.
J C Wilson.
Burns & Lear prob killed at t 4 o'c.
Col. Owens H.Q. till 4 were on
Plugges Plateau.
Burns ws k whilst calling
for ammunitn - calling for near
Capt Wilson's, at C Coy thro the
heart.
[Note. The wounded on the Beach on left.
NZ. Sbs were shot. (not Kane's)
(Carpenter). got 5 [[? of the]] wounded
away, who were on / beach]
43
3 Bn
On Monday night a little NZ
doctor went over & attended to men
in battle outpost. He ws a thin
little man & came along / line attending
to all / wounded. (Think ^they think he ws a
major). He attended to Maj Brown
in / forwd trench in wire gully.
On Mond afternoon abt
50 Turks dribbld down over
Walkers ridge into the
gully so as to snipe Popes Hill
in rear.
They did same on the
1st May (morning)
this Ap 30-/May 1st attack
was general tho' not determined.
___________
On Monday afternoon
or Tues afternoon numbers
of Turks abt 200 supposed to
44
3 Bn.
be N.Zealanders came along
Walkers Ridge towards
Monash Valley & seemd to
funk it & dribbled back.
The Navy did its best
firing from above Popes.
______________
A Path came over Scrubby
Knoll up wire gully down
Shrapnel gully to the beach.
______________
45
3rd Bde. (Confidential & not
for publication)
Maclagan ws always pessimistic abt
the result of the attack his bde ws to make. The
line they were to hold ws 5000 yds more or less.
9th on right (up Boltons Ridge two knolls) 10th on
their left ^up Boltons Ridge & 11th further up ^on next ridge - to take by 71.
they cd not have held a continuous line
tt wd have been three posts at most &
Turks wd have got in between them in scrub
& in rear (holding positn in such strength
as they did.
When they reconnoitred / positn Maclagan
saw the wire on the beach & sd tt if K.T.
were strongly held with guns it wd be
impregnable as arranged & 2 coys
of 9th were to take it & then come
on to gun ridge to hold right of line.
Birdwood sd "yes & if there were
50 4.7s on Kilid Plateau' etc etc etc.
chaffing him. Bridges also thought
him pessimistic. On the eve of
landing Bridges sd to Macl. "Well McL.
you haven't thanked me yet!"
M'L. sd "yes sir I do thank you
for / great honour of having this job to do.
46
with my Bde. But if we find / Turks holding
these ridges in any strength I honestly
dont think you'll ever see the 3rd Bde
again." B.sd. "Oh so along with you!"
[On Sunday night when M'L came
down to see Bridges (before the conference
-Bridges Walker & Godley were one confce)
B sd to him, "Well old pessimist - what
have you got to say about it now.?"
M'L. said: XXXXXXX "Well I dont
know Sir - its touch & go. I think the men
will do it. But if the Germans Turks come on
in mass formatn on / left like / Germans
I dont think anything can stop them."]
M.L saw that if he only lost 50 p.c.
of his men in the attack he wd only
have 2000 to hold 5000 yds. & S
When he got to the second H.Q. near
top of Owens Gully & began to get the strings
in his hands - really excellent reports
were coming in, he says, - he saw it
wd be impossible to go on w / present numbers
He decided saw / enemy thick upon
gun ridge & decided tt / best thing ws
to dig in where he was until reinfs
came up. He put M Lag in on his rt
47
3 Bde
and then saw tt Baby 700 ws / key o /
situation All later reinfs.
He meant to push on as soon as
reinf came. But when he saw 100
men starting opposite & only 20 reaching
him he realised that it ws impossible.
He saw / key o / situatn ws to
take Baby 700 & from tt time out he
tried to send all reinfs up tt way.
He wantd them to go up to the left of
Plugges to prevent them being sucked
in to his line, but every bn as it
got to / top of Plugges inst. of giving up
Walkers got shrapnel there & swerved
down to the right into Plu Shrapnel
gully - (? esp. the later lot).
They did get sucked into / firing
line & few exc. 2nd Bn got up to the
left.
_______________
M.L. Maclagan puts down our lasting out
Tuesday night to the determinatn
o / stronger men to hold like grim
death at all costs. there were eno'
strong men to do it.
(Certainly Baby 700
C.E.WB.)
(It ws certainly Baby 700)
C.E.W.B.
48
Maj. Kindons [[?ale]]
1 Bn. There ws a red sign post next
to / tents in T. camp in ?Shrapnel
gully XX w hieroglyphs on it - sd
to be a mine (Kindon understood it
ws a mine).
We went to Walkers Ridge
(or plateau) abt 70 of the 3rd Bde
were left there. I had D Co. of / Bn
& there was a Coy of 2 Bn under
Gordon - Storey ws also there.
Shout & Jacobs were w me.
We picked up / men of 3 Bde
& cleared the ridge. The Turks had
some trenches across it.
There (Maj. Kindon says at
Russells top) we stayed. Two Coys of
N.Zs came up. They reinforced me.
We were digging in there all we were
worth. Abt 2.30 2 NZ m.gs came
up in rear of us & we retired on to them.
I told them to dig in & hang on.
Our left. Our left got onto / beach -
Jacobs command w our right
platoon. I went looking for 1st Bde
49
1 Bn
H.Q & found Maclagan. I reported
to him & then went back to Popes Hill
(wh ws being held by N.Zealanders)
& told them tt reinforcements were
coming. Pope reinforced them at
about 10 that night.
Jacobs ws on the left (?right)
side of Walkers Top when we
advanced to clear Happy Valley w /
bayonet. Shout ws on / left; & there
ws a Turkish trench (it showed as
a line of brown withered scrub) in
front of us abt 200 yds away.
Our flanks were both in the air.
when we cleared the top
& Happy Valley there were not many
in front of us & they cleared like hell,
& ran back to that trench - I only
saw one warship shell get into tt
trench but it ws a real good one.
We were on the West side of Russells
top all the time - I believe the Turkish
50
1 Bn
trench ws near Malone Gully.
___
We landed north of Ari Burnu
& got orders from Col. Maclaganaurin to
reinforce the 3 Bde & report to Col
Maclagan. The Bn got broken up
coming over / hill. Jacobs had one
little lot & Shout another. D. Coy ws
faced by a m.g. on its flank &
shrapnel in front & rifle fire &
we were up agst a trench. We
cdnt shoot much - we
cd simply lie there and - we cdn't shoot
muchxxxxx they cdnt come on
whilst we were lying there.
We reformed on / beach on
Wed 29th & made mustered 404 strong.
[Shout seems quite clear tt they
went beyond the Nek. so does
Freame - I did not know /
nek existed till they told me of it)
One NZ gun (?machine gun)
was lost that day? to the 64th
Regt?
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