Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/26A/1 - April - May 1915 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
 

Diaries and Notebooks
 

Item Number: 3DRL606/26A/1

Title: Notebook, April - May 1915
Includes references to the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, and
12th Battalions, Helles, the transport GALEKA
and the 28 June sortie.
 

AWM38-3DRL606/26A/1

 

Rec II Records : / Bn
6 Bn 7 Bn 3 Bn
IT. 9 Derana

26

Original
DIARY No. 26.
AWM 38
3DRL 606 ITEM 26A [1}
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.E.W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

 

The use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War memorial. But apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half-asleep;
also, not infrequently what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing believed. Further, he cannot, of course vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sep., 1946.                   C.E.W. BEAN

 

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN

[Page - mostly of shorthand symbols - cancelled by vertical & diagonal lines]
12^th Bn. 
Rec II Records: / Bn.
6 Bn 7 Bn 3 Bn
 

12 Bn [symbols]  H.Q. Derana
11pm Sat 24 [symbols] ∧^M.E [symbols]

(A) [symbols] whilst
[3 lines of symbols]
3pm [symbols]

[7 lines of symbols]
[symbols] 4.30 am
[3 lines of symbols]

Towv [symbols] 

[symbols] 

[Page - mostly of shorthand symbols - cancelled by vertical lines]
12^th Bn. 

[3.5 lines of symbols]
H.Q.s   A.  D.  B.   C.

[1.5 lines of symbols]
A ½ D [symbols] left
B & C [symbols] 
[symbols] 

-----

A.G. [symbols] 

[3 lines of symbols]

[symbols] Lt Pat [symbols] 
[symbols]  Capt Burt ∨^{2nd AG} [symbols] 

[symbols] Capt Lawler [symbols] 

[symbols] 
[symbols] 

[Page - mostly of shorthand symbols - cancelled by vertical lines]

12^th Bn.
H.Q. & AG 224 93 [symbols] 

[symbols]  NE 224 c 8
Here Col [symbols] 

[symbols] Capt Lawler
[symbols] 

[symbols] 700

At ~ 4pm [symbols] 

[2 lines of symbols] 
[symbols]  2nd [symbols] 224 f 1
Col. Brand [symbols] 
[2 lines of symbols] 
[symbols]  (same night)
Capt Lawler Lt [symbols] 
[symbols] 
----

[symbols]  224 G8 [symbols] 
[symbols]  224 G9 

[2 lines of symbols] 

Saw [symbols]  224 w 7 & 8 ([symbol]) (400)
[symbols] 
" 224 H5 - 7 [symbols]  No 5 [symbols] 

[Page - mostly of shorthand symbols - cancelled by vertical lines]

12^th Bn.
[2 lines of symbols] 

[symbols] (3 G B6 1 G 10^th Bn)

[symbols] Oldham
[symbols]  8.30 9 symbols] 

[4 lines of symbols] 

[symbols]  contour [symbol] 

1 ~ 12 [symbols] 

[symbols] 

[symbols] Desult
[symbols] 1.30 symbols] 

[symbols] 

[symbols] pitted

[symbols] 4 pm [symbols] 

[5 lines of symbols] 

6 pm [symbols] 

[symbols] 

[Page - mostly of shorthand symbols - cancelled by vertical lines]

12^th Bn.
[symbols]
[symbols] Col Weir [symbols]
[symbols] Lts Foster & M^cPherson
[symbols]

[symbols] 10 [symbols]

[symbols] 4 C [symbols]

[symbols]

[symbols] Ross [symbols]

[symbols]

26 -----

[symbols]

3 [symbols]

[symbols]

[symbols] 100 [symbols]

[symbols]

1.30 [symbols]

[symbols] 100

[symbols] 6 Wed [symbols]

[symbols] (11.12 PM)

[symbols] Go [symbols]
[symbols] 3000

[symbol]

29th Roll call 8 [symbol] 472 [symbols]

[symbols]

[symbols] Landed [symbol] 7^th

[Pages of text cancelled by vertical lines]
Lawler dropped his sword, evidently in /
scrub. Scott Morshead (Lt) ∨_{2 Bn} ws coming up
w platoon when he came on Lawler at abt
/ edge of Malone's Gully.(?) L. sd "It's a b---!
Will you come in on my left?". He had his
[symbol] then & no sword & he sd;"the poor old Col.
ws killed, down by those huts, dropped just 
like that! ^^{I dont know where Witham is - Hope he's alright} -
^{He & I were pals.} 
Oh its a beggar!" Scoot Morshead
made his plat. left form & moved across .
Lawler waved his hand - & moved his own
platoon across & joined him. There ws nothing
to see there. Lawler presently stood up - they
were being fired on from No 1 Post or
thereabts. (they were on seaward slope) - &
shouted "Now then 12 Bn" when he ws shot.
 

12^th Bn

[line of symbols]

[symbols] Mond 2

-----

[symbols] 18.30
4 Bn [symbols] 48 [symbols]

[symbols]

----

[symbols] 4 x 8th [symbols]

3rd n 6 psn [symbols]

4 [symbols]

-----

D6 or [symbols] 

[symbol] M'Cays [symbols] waited for 22
[symbols] Bolton
[symbols]
[symbols]

Shrapnel in Shrap Valley
N slop of Boltons [symbols]
(Col Weir ∨_cd  [symbols] of D Co.

G M'C [symbols] at M'C's
[symbols] Bolton 224 R4
224 M 8-9

[symbols] 224 S & O x. [symbols]

 

[Page of text cancelled by vertical lines]

Blamey thinks that the furthest ∧^Witham they
got forward ws the Gully below ^^{& West of} Pine
Ridge. The slope down to it is very steep, &
there are several small ridges to cross -
Holly Ridge, Snipers Ridge, Pine Ridge.
(The Pine Ridge, Mortar line is the one we ought
to have held had we had decent maps. As it
was we took the highest land).
------
Some of 1st Bn got mixed up with 6th
away on right & were sent up by
Capt McNicol to reinforce 5th.
------
Lt. Stout 1st Bn. went well [[?]] up 700 w
Maj. Kingdon. As they were - [[?]] they
met some New Zealanders who had a [[?]]
out there - they had buried the machine 
gun, they sd.
------
Baby 700 - well round the side of it. He told me this D " mention
Capt. Lawler - There ws / sword alone
no scabbard.
Curiously [[?]] Harry Frewe [symbols]
[symbols] It ws a ceremonial sword [[?]] w khaki
on / handle and very bright with V.R. on / blade & it
ws picked up by him on

[Page mostly of shorthand symbols cancelled by vertical lines]

12th Bn

[symbols] wine glass (37.7)
2nd Bde [symbols] Boltons
[symbols] B's
[symbols] No 10 G
[symbols]
[Diagram]

Lt Munro

Kilia       7630

Ridge

(Gun Ridge)

[symbols] 100 [symbols] Kilia [symbols]

4 [symbols]

[symbols] small [symbols]

[symbols]
[symbols]

[symbols] 8th on my [symbols]
Witham (Co ws c)

[symbols]
[symbols] Saker of 5^th [symbols]

[symbols] 400 x [symbols]
[symbols] 700 [symbols] 6 & 7 [symbols]

[symbols]
Holland [symbols] on Boltons [symbols]

Party of 30 [symbols] G. Tepe

[Page mostly of shorthand symbols cancelled by vertical lines]

12th Bn

18-19 ~ 8 pm. [symbols]
12 Bn - [symbols] slope of Kilia [symbol]

in masses w [symbols]

7.5 [symbols]
[symbols]

from 3rd [symbols]

Fr Col or: 7.40 [symbols]

-----

[symbol] 9th [symbols]

-----

[Diagram]

 

[Page mostly of shorthand symbols cancelled by vertical lines]

[symbols] the Bacchante for an hour

Munro [symbols]  No 1 G  [symbols] No 2 G

[symbols] Tooth

Lawler had a sword - [symbols]  900 [symbols] 

-----

Photo. Wheel of No 3 gun Hughes 7^th

 

[Diagram]