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. HI.
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 Hx, 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
SWx 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 / leftx of
the Asma Dere (Nx 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.
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