Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/229/1 - December 1918 - February 1919 - Part 5

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showing where a T. line had fired from (AA2).  This cd only
have bn on / first day & must have bn agst
Tullochs men.
No sign of our kit exc. 3 or 4 bully beef tins
& one or two iron ration tins almost certainly
left by Turks camped or surveying there after
the evacuation. They got piles of these rations at
Suvla. Some of our bullets lying near the T.
cartridge cases, showing where our men had fired in
reply. (Got specimens for museum).
Worked back up reverse of this slope. No
sign of our kit; but in an open patch a huge shell
hole (AA3) Wilkins photographed this.  We also picked some 

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large shell fragments here.  South of the rd ws another

shell hole (AA4). Wilkins photod this from the opposite
Spur (of Battleship Hill). x
The East side of the valley (from the W side edge of wh
the Ts. had bn firing) contained the 3 big quarries
(or sandpits) probly wash aways near which
was target "C" of Johnstone's guns on the Peninsula.
The whole top of the hill was scarred with the tiny
holes of our shrapnel shell ^exploded on graze.  always a little digging
Diagram - see original document
with a small pile of earth
thown up on our side
of it. The Naval shells made a trenched crater 

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Diagram - see original document

like this in section, showing how the
shell had gone in with a flat trajectory.
No sign of our men on this ridge (The Spur E of 184) except one tiny
bit of web kit about 3 inches long & one broad.
On N. shoulder of Chunuk Bair is what looks
like the trunk of tree where Tulloch saw a German
officer.
Sketch C made from here (see field notes).
From top of spur made Sketch D.
Track 2.
Went back from here onto the E face of B'Ship hill &
worked down the Eastern most spur of the hill. Here made
sketch D. 

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From a little lower ^Battleship Hill took sketch E.
Working down the E side of this Spur we found only traces of
dead Turks.
Nothing ^of ours till we turned the bend of it (shown in sketch E,
field Book).  Here, a little round the bend, on the E edge of
slope were 3 small trenches, one with parapet on our
side (W), 2 with parapet on T. side (E) - probably made
by Turk. On the parapet of the Northernmost was
a water bottle of ours with bullet holes through it.
Nearby was a bit of an Australian boot; & near again
a bit of Australian breeches.
Abt few 25 yards on the W. of this Wilkins found
one Australian cartridge case, fired. 

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This seems absolutely to fix the position of
Tulloch's forward line - the furthest our men ever got.
(20) Buchanan marked the position of the 3 shallow
trenches on his map as 20.
They are very close to where the mess tin was found
yesterday (18).
The tree stump (?) was visible from here on
Chunuk Bair, N. Shoulder, abt 900 yds away.
(21) was where the empty British Cartridge was found.  It was
about 50 yds SW of the ^3 shallow trenches & abt 10 yds
north of the an early Turkish trench.  Another line

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of Turkish Trench had bn made since a little further W.
It looks as though these Turkish trenches were about where
Tullochs party saw the Turkish line & drove it back. They
then wriggled 100 yds on their bellies & were firing at
the Ts lining the W. edge of the Sand pit Gully.
Sketch F. from here - showing dip between B'ship H.
& 191. Also plan on same page showing roughly where
kit was found.
[There was a partially dug Turk C. trench of later
date well traversed a little further N if I remember
right, running  E & W round the hill. We crossed this x xxxxx right 

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from NW to SE in walking down to
the positn where our men had been.
From (21) I made sketch G.
Track of 3rd Track. search.  Down the rear-most spur of Battleship Hill
(between spur examined in track 2, & Mortar R.)
Abt 200 yds down spur from crest we came on
traces of a Turk. firing line - cartridge cases & clips
& cardbd.  Ammn carriers at intervals. This
continued along the whole line of the crest -
the Turks, from their positn in the scrub, clearly
firing along lanes in it at our men on Baby 700.
& the top of Mortar Ridge. [The Turks on point 19 in
Sand Pit Valley seemed to have been firing at men on the S
Shoulder of Bship Hill]. 

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Every few yards there were Cartridge cases all along
the crest line - anything, I shd say, from 20 to 50 rounds.
No trace of our men here except possibly of some where
bodies had bn burnt.  All over B'ship hill traces of dead Turks
probly k. by B'ships on Ap. 26th.  Some certainly sniped as
Wilkins found skull with bullet thro it.
We worked back up the Western slope, but no
traces of our men exc. near ^on rear of Bship Hill itself (w slope) In case
of these, the kit we found here might have bn brought along
/ road to a Turk dump.  But generally we found our
kit only near where our men have actually been.
Sketch H from here. 

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Summary Feb. 18/1919.

Diagram - see original document
 

A...to B & C Track of Tulloch. Final positionC. Turks pushed off B.
E Jackson. D...to E Howe. F & G. NZ line (F) supporting Lalor final

line (G) Col Stuart k at F. Lalor at G. H Turks firing at Tulloch

                                                                   "      "          "       "   Lalor
K Turks after following

up Tulloch.

L. Howes final position
at Nek.

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Feb 18. Evening.
Back out onto ridge Behind our camp to look for
traces of Loutit.  Hughes has had Gun Ridge searched
& found nothing; but has ^found a few pieces of our kit on the
ridge above ^(E of) our camp
I found a piece of kit & one water mess tin about
200 yds NE of camp on W slope facing J. Jolly.
I then crossed the deep Turkish mule sap & worked N
to what I take to be Scrubby Knoll. On the  A good way before reaching Scrubby
Knoll, on the T. slope (wh is steep & bare) there were positions
dug into the sandy hill top & ^Turk cartridges fired all
along the ridge (& in the scrub on top of it as one went N.