Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/223/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5

Springall ws on / parapet

kneeling, facing / Ts. w his

rifle in his hand. He ws shot

just under his row of South

African ribbons. He went out

imd. after Vernon Piesse

(who had come back sick from

Imbros 1 day before on hearing

o / stunt). Springall ws k & 

stayed there.

Sergt B McBean & ^Capt V. Piesse

went out together. They had

bn lying in a bit of hollow.

Had to keep heads down

bec. m.g. bullets were just

clearing them (they were on

/ cap o / hill next to / right

troop). McB sd tt he had a

periscope on him. He ws looking

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thro a periscope towds /

T. trenches. Piesse ws a man

who always thought of his

men - he sd "I wonder how

/ rest of them have got on"-

& looked up - & ws shot thro

/ head imd. McB. got in

& ws k. aftwds at Hill 60.

The Cheshires were in /

suppt trench behind & were to

have manned / front line

when 10 LH went over. When

S got back he never saw a 

sign of them. Maj. Love in one o /

suppt trenches told S. to get all /

men he cd & get them back

into / front line. S. at once

got abt 1 man to 8 or 10 yds

all he cd. Later they were strengthened

40

by some o / 9th A L H 

- they then held / left half

of Walkers, & 10th held /

right.

The rt (apptly) of the 4th

wave had gone thro an mistaken

order before its time from

an offr^X who ws not

conducting / attack.

Capt Vernan Piesse, Lt Turnbull,

Capt Rowan, Lt Kidd, Sergt Saunderson,

S.Maj Springhall & Sergt McBean met

& shook hands at / corner

of / sap waiting for the front

trench to clear after / first

line had gone sd "Good bye" to

one another & shook hands.

[X I understand ^from Howe that Maj Love ran up

/ trench from / rear & finding tt some o /

4th line had not gone over shouted

out to / men (who were waiting for / order)

"why haven't you gone!" This started them].

41

41a

 

Diagram - see original document

 

10 A.L.H.

At Hill 60 - 10 A L H

had gone for a spell - went

round by night. They

dug in next day digging

in (prob on Damakjelik Bair)
Gen. Godley came round
abt 4 p.m. (? 28 Aug.) & Maj J.B Scott,
Lt Saunderson, Capt Fry, Lt Kidd
Lt Throssell, Lt MacBean, Lt Burgess,
Lt Arthur Leake (W A lawyer Son of Premier)
& Capt Robertson (of Duntroon)
out & told them tt he wanted
them to reconnoitre / front
line.  They had to take / trench
on / top of Hill 60.  The 9 ALH
had had a go & / Col. had gone
out & bn k. "I know you
will get it" he sd "it's
/ holding tt is / difficulty -
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[Str. of Regt ws 148.  Old
Col. Brazier had bn suspended
by Antill but he came round
w his regt, & ws hit next
morning Aug 28 by a bit of

spent Shrapnel in / eye.  He
told / Ts as usual what
he thought of them].  They reconnoitred.
W.  They lined up  N Z in line
wh ws v. shallow.  One part
of / trench ws v. shallow &
some N Zs were lying in it.
Diagram - see original document
43

S. ws bombing offr.  He had got
leave to get 2 bombs issued
to every man ^of regt - not to team of 6 only - they were
cricket ball bombs w a
match head - striking material
sown onto sleeve.
S. had to go out &
bomb a mg. at X.  What ws
suppd by Russell to have
happened to the 9 LH ws
tt they got into trench XY &
/ m.g. ws fired into this
Sap (or "trap trench") from there.
S. had to go agst this
this m.g. a few mins before
Zero.  He got a big N.Z.
m. gunner an Irishman to
give him a leg out o / sap -
The Irishman sd he ws coming w /
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Australians. "Cow of a job. this".
S. told him he ws to stick w /
m.g. as there wd be C/attacks,
It ws abt 12.45 am (1 am.
Zero).  The N.Z. man gave S. a
devil of a heave - right over a
strand of barbed wire onto his
head - bright moonlight.  The
others came out on their
stomachs.  S. went for /
corner - they cd see the line
swaying up in / moonlight
on their left.  Just before /
men got to / trench S & his
bomb pty threw their bombs in
on / m.g.  It ws there alright
they got it, & its crew - The
Ts had bn quite quiet - it ws
45

a surprise attack.
C. Sqn had a few
casualties Lt Burgess ws
hit in / hand.  This ws by
/ m.g. wh S. ws going for.
The gun fired abt 10 shots
& then S. saw it.  The line
on / left had gn a cheer
as it went & / gun
opened onto them at once.
(on getting out  S. had just bn
round his men - a bombing
pty of 4 men, & A troop
as well - Bombers had abt 10
yds start.
Diagram - see original document
Maj Scott
ws in/c
of regt.
Capt Fry
went out w / men.
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The troop went straight on.
As S. got to / trench a Turk
fired a Mertini Henry up at
him.  He seemed to be a man
at post on Arty - abt one every 4 yds -
/ others were just scrambling
up.  The T.'s shot hit / revolver
lan on S's lanyard - the
revolver flew out of S's had but
/ lanyard held - the Turk
tried to jump out / other side
& S. shot him.  The men were
in at once w their bayonets
& a lot of Ts were bayoneted
as they scrambled up - they
had no chance.
As soon as they got in /
trench Throssell's crowd came in
w picks & shovels.  S. got /
men putting / sandbags over /
47

 47a

※ Capt Fry came running up
along / back o / trench to see how
all / men were - / trench ws
narrow & hard to get along.  S
shouted to him to get down - he
ws a v. game man.  He ^then got
into / trench on / right.
putting them on / far side.
S worked to / right.  The
m.g. there ws smashed &
dead Ts around it &
/ men were bldg a bombing
stop. / Turks were
bombing up / C.T. while
/ stop ws  being built.  The
bock ws made where shown
& S & pty were bombing across
it.  The 18 Bn ws suppd
to have taken / other part of
C.T. but werent there. ※
The Ts were bombing up over /
they bomb stop.  At last They threw
a big thing tt looked like a
Peak Freen biscuit tin over &
blew / bomb stop down.  They
imdly charged across from abt
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