Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/229/1 - December 1918 - February 1919 - Part 6

49

No sign of our men until I found one puttee -

apparently an officers - at the break of the hill

just N of the deep Mule sap (abt 200yds N of sap).

Sketch J from here.  [[*It shd be SK. H^I.
C.EW.B. 28/1/47*]]

Feb. 19.  Went out with Wilkins James & Buchanan

onto ridge behind our camp - starting imd behind

camp & working N.

Just about 200 yds S. of the big Turk Sap

I found an Australian cartridge, not fired, on the

top of the Hill just on crest.

A little further on we found a number of

our cartridges unfired, opened by Turks together in a heap.

50

Further - (near Sap?) Rogers found a mess tin.

Asked Buchanan to fix this point; & Wilkins

to photograph from the Sap towds J. Jolly & from

J. Jolly ^looking to Sap.

I think the end of the ridge between there &

J.Jolly must have been the "little mound" Loutit

speaks of.  But if so he never saw the straights.

Came in to Chanak to meet Zeki Bey the

offr detailed by T. war office to meet me.

Feb 20.  At Chanak. Z's ship didnt sail.

Feb 21.  Z. Bey arrived - a nice looking, small

offr from Constantinople - a staff offr at start of war

Note on dates Feb. 22 - 5:

[There is a day (Feb 22) missing

here, but later there are two entries of Feb 26.

here There had been some uncertainty also  

as to earlier dates in the diary, which

was written up at night from my

field book; but to Feb. 20 they are

[[* Should be Saturday Feb.22*]] 

apparently correct, as is evidenced

by a letter written from Chanak when

I arrived there on 20th.

The omission inaccuracy is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

explained xxxx by the xxxxxxxxxxxxx

fact that these notes were written up

at least several days after the searches

to which they relate. I have ^inserted the corrected

xxx  dates in the margin.

(C.E.W.B. 7/2/47]

 

51

but later, got some when new Bns were being formed, volunteered

for command of 1st Bn 57 Regt 19 Divn.

Crossed with them to Anzac.  Had a

walk to Pine. (Notes of conversatn in Field Book.)

 Feb 23.  Hill 60. Found the Gap in the

Hedge not where I expected it but further

towds the W Hills - in nomansland betw our

eventual line & / T. line.

Our attack ws surprised coming thro

there & swerved to right into / ^shallow gully, &

brushwood wh were there or back behind /

bank.  Some men held on & our kit is

Later.

The attack ws

I think

really 

made

where I have

marked in ink

Thus D&C (D)(C)
Coys.           ↓    ↓

A & B.         (A)(B)

                      ↓    ↓

52

found abt halfway across / paddock between

the gap & the T. trench opposite running from / left

of our positin in Hill 60 towds the W. Hills

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

Our kit ws

abt where I have

put the black

dots.

I shd say tt

possibly some

brave men went

in directn (1) but

many went (2)

^xH²)

C.E.W.B. 7/2/47)

 

53

Had a look at 4 Bde trenches on rt of Hill

60. There is a burnt patch where the old oak

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

tree was

& one

of our
men

buried

right 

beneath

it (6)

At 5, 5, 3 & 4 there are

Australians - & at 2 the badge of a N.Z. M.R. on

a cap just outside / trench (with "Hauroto" on it).

I made sketches H^x, I, & J this day

It shoots out NW

C.E.W.B.

30/1/47

 

^xi.e. our left as

we searched.

N shd be NE.

C.EW.B

30/1/47
 

54

We then went round Hill 60 by road & off to

rt up Asma Dere.  No traces of Australians

at all till we passed turning of main Asma

Dere away to our left behind big spur shooting out

SW^x from Abdel Rahman B.

From there on for ½ mile there were scattered

traces of our men all / way (i.e. behind the

ridge held by Ts. looking down on Kaiajik aghala.)

Here Z. Bey had his final positn.

In accordance w Cannans descriptions

I looked for our men or their kit on / left^x of

the Asma Dere (N^x of it).  But there ws little -

a water bottle or two & a few bits of web kit & some

55

mess tins, a fired T. bullet & one of ours.

But Z. Bey pointed out a hill imd left

of the valley opposite (in rear of) his old trenches &

sd that the Coy of m.gs. wh had not fled (all /

rest o / troops had cleared) was on tt hill

when our men came towds / Asma Dere.

It ws the Coy of m.gs. of the 11th Regt - they hung

on there - & they had had a great effect in

stopping us bec. they cd fire very calmly not

being themselves under any fire.  It had bn

credited at / time w having a gt influence on /

attack he sd - & ws much commented on.

56

I think he sd there were 8 guns.

We me  If this is so we shall find

traces of our repulse of Aug 8 on / hill between

Kaiajik Aghala Dere & Asma Dere.

Returned by Koja Chumen Tepe.

All the locket O.P.s of the Ts, on the left

were in Abdul R. Bair, Zeki Bey says.

Sunday
Should be Feb.
23

?81 a central

C.EW.B. 3/2/47.

57
[[*14*]]

Feb 24:  Expedition to Q, Chunuk Bair (wh. Zeki

Bey says shd be pronounced Jonk Bair) and

Rhodo Spur.

Went out to find traces of Ghurka

attack wh reached top on Aug. 9.

Went to crest next to 971 (the next

crest S. along / ridge) & worked back Southwds

along / top o / range in extended order.

On the first crest we found nothing.  On the

second crest (81 central - a little N of this on the summit

58

of the hump) we found a few traces of English kit.  Zeki

Bey did not think the English had got to here & there

was not any obvious correspondence in between the ground

between & Maj Allison's account to me.  On the next

hill (leading up towards its summit) we found

4 Turkish gun emplacements for direct fire
- right on the edge of the hill.

A little to the N. of / crest of Chunuk

Bair we came on many traces of English soldiers,

including bodies.  They must have got on to the

left ^(N) shoulder of the top of the hill which is open to Q & 971.