Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/26B/1 - April - May 1915 - Part 5

scrub towards Gaba Tepe. The
Pine Ridge scrub is much higher
than here. You could stand up
there / whole time - you cd
see two yards ahead.
I saw the Bacchante
blow one gun clean over. In
the hollow of the ridge. That
was the only gun I saw. It
blew over backwards.
9.30 to 10. Men got a bit
weak there not stopping for lunch.
The Turks seemed to go on to
Gun Ridge from the South &
Extended the moment they came
across it. They didnt seem to
trouble about the right at all in
the morning.
In the afternoon they came over
Gun Ridge in artillery formation. Guns
were opposite the Pimple.

When / guns got on to them
(in 2 columns) they were to to far
over for us. But the guns got
on to them. I said: Look lads,
we are getting some of our own
back. The men cheered like
mad. They seemed to be
coming up to the South.
——
In Landing:
The last 200yds to the shore
was the worst. "Get out your
oars - now then - all together!"
Dip, dip, dip. Crack above
us - scatter of shrapnel - then
you wd have to begin all
again.
One boat was hit on the

nose & going down. Two
companies pinnaces got
along our side - chaps
with their necks above water.
Didnt throw off their equipment.
I felt a land lubber when a
shell burst over me in a boat.
(Hand drawn diagram in original)
400
Green field
Furthest Prisk
reached. He saw
no-one go further.
line taken by
Turks in morning attack
Turks
probably
from
here
Turks in
Afternoon
(2 saddled
horses here
abt 200 yds
away.
grazing
quietly)

[To illustrate Prisks account].

7^th Bn. Landing.

The whole Battalion ws on
the Galeka Except A Coy under
Maj. Mason wh was on Clan
M^cGillivray; & the whole of the
6^th Bn all under Col. Elliott.
Dropped near at 4.45 exactly
up to time.
No tows arrived. The Turks
commenced shelling. Lieut Commdr
Somerville said: You must land
in / ships row boats. I said it
was contrary to orders. The
men would not know where
to go. But, if you can give me
the order, we will do it. He
said we should be sunk.
I ordered B Coy under Maj.

Jackson into / boats. The
first 4 boats pushed off nearly
simultaneously, & the instructions
given by myself & Somerville
were to endeavour to land on
the left of the 3rd Bde. We
could see the flashes apparently
half way up the large hill.
The first 4 boats went off
with 140 men on board & Maj.
Jackson in command, & Capt.
Layh, 2nd in/c.
I have gathered from them _^that when they
passed the destroyer & Jackson
asked where was the landing,
he pointed to the Fisherman's
Hut. Jackson's boat was leading
& everyone in it was killed except
3 or 4 men. He was wounded,

but jumped out & pushed out it
forward. Three or 4 were got
out. The losses were caused by
machine gun fire from he
Fishermans Hut & men in /
trenches on / foot hills. The rest
o / men remained in / boats.
When / boats got there ashore
/ men dug into / sand & /
Turks almost immediately
withdrew. Chapman was
mortally wounded. Layh was
hit twice, Jackson 3 times;
Heighway was hit thro' / chest
& had his rib broken.
Two of these boats are
there still. They could not float,
being riddled. Later the tow
came off & Jackson sent

two of them off filled with
wounded. Jackson advanced
& took up a Turkish trench 200
yards from / beach.
They sent to / nearest ambulance
& got some assistance.
J. sent ro a message round
to me to say he was looking after
the wounded, & as soon, as /
wounded were got off, he
would rejoin / rest of /
battalion. J. later left
Layh there & joined the
battalion; & all tt were
left of his 150 were 35 men.
——
In the 5th boat / remainder
of B Coy under Lieut Swift &
6 Boat C Coy under Mr Grills in wh 

Defence Melbourne
Do quarantine regulations permit
visiting reaching Hobart via Melbourne aaa
If not how many days quarantine
would be necessary. Reply paid.
Bean

Military
Commandant Perth
Has Defence authorised
journey. myself  & two officers to
Mebourne by rail
Bean.
————
 

the Colonel got. We started to row
across, & when we got 400 yards
from the shore a pinnace came &
took both boats in tow & landed
us in Anzac Cove just S. of the
North cape. We were under
Shrapnel but no one was hit.
It just missed us. We got
the men under cover & looked
for Maj. Glasfurd or Maj.
Villiers Stuart. I was told they
were not yet ashore. I
asked for the next senior officer,
Col. Maclagan, & was told he was
up the gully to / left near / top
o / first hill. I went up
there - found Col. Maclagan &
had a conversation w him. He
sd / original plan cd not

be carried out, & told me to
collect my battalion down on
/ extreme right of / position under
Queensland Hill (Brisbane Point).
I sent Swift & Grills to collect
there. As boatload after
boatload came ashore, we
sent them round to form up
on / S. end o / beach. I
spent a long time trying
to find Jackson.
I found tt Mason had
landed & Glasfurd had sent
forward Mason & battalion to
where the Indian Camp is now.
Under instructions, Maj
Blezard had sent C &
part of D Coys on to M^cCay's
Hill near / Razor Back to

and some of the 9th were then
on our right. We found
some changing the head cover
(? Caps parapet etc) of / Turkish trenches
on the Razor Back itself.
While we were there Col.
M^cC. came ashore & took charge
& his instructions were that, as
the 5^th Bn had not come ashore,
my battalion was to attack take up
the gully role of the 5^th Bn & advance
up this ridge to 971. We
started with A Coy leading up /
valley where / First Bde H.Q.
are. We had just reached this
& could see Capt Hunter on /
crest in front of us (in Commd
of D Coy) a lot being - he was killed afterwards).