Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/229/1 - December 1918 - February 1919 - Part 4
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(8) where Dr Butlers Aid Post (9 Bn.) was later in day.
(9) where Gen. Bridges ws k. just before entrance to Steeles
(10) Position (later) of 4th Bde Hqrs.
(Note: head of Monash Valley past
(11) ^where messages began to reach Howe's party: Hurry on
towards left.
Fire over head over Popes ws extraordinarily
heavy. Men wd stop & argue in foot of valley whether
these were explosive bullets.
(? was Tullock clearing head of Monash Valley then or
before then).
N.B. This Valley (Head of Monash's) is also known
to A.L.H. as "Popes Reserve Valley" & "Viney's Road."
30
Diagram - see original
(12) Isolated Single Pine tree on left, 100 yds short of the
Gully leading to Bully Beef sap; all sorts of
legends of a woman sniper connected
with this tree, (probly bec. of White Turkish
clothes found in the Old Camp wh. had bn there.)
(Col. Nash ws later k. at entrance of Bully Beef Gully
from Monash Valley.
(13) Wire of our later outpost up Monash Valley.
Turk Prisoners were met ^near here by Howe, returning
down Monash Valley.
[Aust. dead - possibly A.L.H. - also British -
on left above this].
(14) Point where Lieut. Morgan went on over Nelk of Popes,
Howe thinks. Shrap. ws very heavy here from head
of gully & caused a scatter. Dumole & Pettit
lost Howe here.
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Note.
It is more open at the Nek than further to NE
on ^W end of Baby 700.
E end of Baby 700 also contains open fields where
Turk 6 in gun now is
(15) Where Howe lay down & fired with men of 12 Bn.
(Shrapnel too hot here, so moved on)
(16) Trenches at which they fired.
(17) A line of men have been buried here by the Turks
probably exactly where they fell. One was 1st Bn.
One was 2nd Bn. About 40 graves may be here ^from abt
150 to 300 yds S. of 6 in gun. We got 1st Bn colours
off one, & 2nd Bn off another. One Piece of kit ws marked
NB or MB 1(or)12TH B or 8(or G) 11342
70 yds back towds rear slope of hill was another line of
New Zealanders - some of 16th Coy (Waikato) & one NZ major.
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(18.) An Australian ^or N.Z. mess tin was found here. (May have
been from Turkish dump.).
Howe had not been (as far as he knew) on the inland
side of Baby 700, so far as this. He took me over to the
ridges on the N. Side of Baby 700
His party track had been as shewn in
Sketch B in my field notes, across a little knuckle
& on to be main top shoulder of Snipers Nest on Baby 700.
(N. side). abt 150 to 200 yds due N of the 6 inch gun they
got to / crest & the sho fire became very heavy as
they cleared the crest. Here many men were dead. We
found them there
(22) (I have asked Buchanan to find this spot & mark it 22.)
Howe says they saw the Ts. coming down Chunuk or 161 or
Battleship hill & also on the lower slopes of Rhodo where there
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is a small square open patch which Howe thinks he
remembers.
when Howe retired the Ts. followed & an offr
appeared (whom H. shot) abt 150 to 200 yds N
of the 6 in gun positn.
Howe withdrew towds where they had seen
men earlier (probly, he thinks the line of 1st 2nd &
other Bn on S. slope of Baby 700.) But By this time
they cdnt see anyone on top of Baby 700 & so
came back onto a Nek where he ran over a NZ
m.g.; & there they dug in in a semi circle.
Isolated MCu came in later during / evg. from ahead of
them.
Howe & I think we located this ^semi circular trench on
34
the actual Nek around the monument erected by the
Turks. The Nek is very narrow there – much
Diagram - see original document
narrowed than I expected.
We found just S. of the
monument 3 or 4 little
positions - rifle pits
dug in the scrub ^still showing between the later Turkish trenches -
Diagram - see original document
looking as if they were part of a
Semi circular line.From
(23) I have asked Buchanan to make the Monument
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23. on his map.
From there Howes Pty followed the track
(a 7 ft road still clearly seen) down the Nek back along Walkers
Ridge to the top of Reserve Gully. The Turks folld
them pretty close: about opposite the base of the
Sphinx Howe tripped over a Turkish trench & a little
farther on picked up Col. Clark's pack.
At the edge of Rest Gully abt 50 yds inland
from the Razor Edge they got into a Commn trench
or Turkish trench wh actually ran out into the Gully
top. Here they stopped & beat back the Turks who
dug in 100 or 200 yds away & were there in / morning.
36
The first Battleships shells in the morning burst 20 or 30 yds
in land on Walkers Plateau from the edge of Rest gully & frightened
the Turks off.
Diagram - see original document
[X I note that on a map of the
British official history this
is shown as (Hill) 261 -
presumably its height in in metres.]
C.ew.B.
31/1/47
37Jan Feb. 18.
Morning. Rode out with Wilkins, Buchanan,
James & Sergt with pack mule to Battleship Hill.
We found that there is a distinct gap between
Battleship Hill & the next long rise up to Chunuk
Bair. This long rise has one distinct crest
- Hill 161. Looking from the inland slope of B'ship Hill
Northwds this gap betw B'ship Hill & 161X is like
Diagram - see original document
It is probly the
gap visible from
Chanak.
[Later. (No - It is the gap
betw. 971 & Q wh is seen
from Chanak).
X I think this
means the
same spur
- I should
have said
"this" spur.
C.ew.B.
15.1.47
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We searched first the spur across the Valley from Battleship
Hill E
Examined some remains in a gutter A A' on my
map. Found them to be Turkish. Came back onto the
X Spur 200 yds W. of 184 & worked in a line extended at
8 to 10 paces along the edge of it. The spur has a
steep sandy face on its E side & the top is rounded
& clothed with holly. On the top of the sandy scrubbyslopes slope on the E side of it the Turks had been
opening their cardboard ammn carriers.
Further S. where the ridge rises to a little
hummock giving a free firefield from the valleys
edge there were collections of fired Turk cartridges,
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