Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/26B/1 - April - May 1915 - Part 9

trying to get along / trenches,
& many of them were killed.
The result was th they
suffered heavily. Some of
them got cut off, & in
passing water & food to them
they suffered a good deal.

——

Leanes Trench

Note - valuable work done on 1^st
attack by Lt Croker of 3^rd Field Coy Engrs
who himself shot 3 Turks coming up
trench to c/attack & went backwards
& forwards all night.
Clogstoun was hit early
morning of Aug 6^th leaning over
parapet to see if Ts were digging
beneath it. As matter of fact
they were our own poor chaps
scratching at foot of Leanes trench
cliff for cover.
(? is this certain C.E.W.B.)

3rd Bn Landing
Landed abt 8am. Went over
Maclagans  R. & down valley on to
Braunds Hill. Then up to left
to Quinns - Left on Quinns,
 right near Maclagan.
Capt. Bean, M.O., placed his
first dressing station on Plugges
Plateau near / Eastern edge of it in
a bit of a dip. But it was a
dangerous place. The bullets
sang over there & he himself was hit
on the head by a bullet - just grazed.
One of his men picked it up & gave
it to him.
After tt they came down into
/ gully & placed / dressing station
in an excellent place just before
you turn round / corner to
Monash Gully. They were / only
station in / gully for a long time,

& had to treat / wounded
from a long front, xx right
down to / Beach in fact.
Gen. Birdwood the next day
complimented them on / work
they were doing.
Capt Bean himself stayed
w some of his men up at Steeles.
post by Bn Hqrs, & he was
seriously hit when bending over
a wounded man up there.
Capt Brennan happened to be
by, & ran to him at once & fixed
him up.

The work of Maj. Lamb & Maj.
Brown of 3rd Bn was splendid.

——

On Sunday night a p
3rd Bn went in on / right
of 3rd Bde. Really it was as
much in / middle of them,
mixed up w odd bits of them.

(Col Owen asst.)

Ap 25.

On / morning o / landing /
3rd Bn moved on in tows. As
each company ws complete it
was moved off to such place
in / firing line as appeared
to be most pressing. The
general instruction was tt /
3rd Bn was to reinforce / left
o / position of the 3rd Bde.
The enemy hotly engaged them
from / beginning & farth therefore
trenches could not be made as
good as otherwise. [No shellholes
as later in France C.E.W.B.]
Fighting continued all night.
All positions were maintained except
advanced battle trench.
Ap. 26

On April 26 the position
was:-

 3Bn      Bns of NZ      3 coys      10th Bn      Parts of 1,2,&5
              & of 3 Bde     3 Bn                               Bns mixed
150 yds   400 yds        400yds         300 yds        300 yds

On Ap. 26. the position was
vigorously shelled (shrapnel & common
shell).

10am. Owen asked for ships
guns on 238.v.4 & 224 K5 as
he thought / enemy's arty ws firing
from there. This fire almost ceased
(ships opened at 11a.m.)
Abt noon noticed tt enemy
were again coming along
square 224D, & realising tt it
was of vital importance they
should be stopped lest they should
fill the whole valley S.E. of
spur with snipers, I advised
(Col. Owens c) the officer in charge
of a mixed force of New
Zealanders & other troops tt were

on / spur to charge.  They
appeared to have held / enemy
for some time in check & to have
advanced during / day. Trenches
could not be made improved but 3rd
Bn hung on. Trenches were
very weak.

Ap. 27 4pm. A very heavy attack
of / enemy threatened on centre
of 3rd Bn position, &, with
/ assistance of several officers
including Maj. Irvine R.E.,
Col. Owen gathered about 200
men of various units & led
them opposite / threatened
points. The threatened attack,
however, swung round to /
right & Maj. Irvine came

close to my position to
reconnoitre. Whilst doing
so, he was killed. He had
previously said reinforcements
must go to / right.
Lamb had B Coy - Popes & to right of
Popes.
A Coy was on rt - abt positn of
1st Bn

C Coy were abt Courtneys (Capt.
Lear's Coy)
Battle outposts on N. side of
German officers Ridge.
D in reserve.
Street on left in a bad place.
Brodziac & Capt Wilson in centre, -
(Wilson hit 28 April).
Col. Brown had right.
M^cConaghy on left of Brown (one
platoon of B Coy)
(Wilson in centre ws on left of M^cConaghy)
Beckin & Macdonald in charge of
battle outpost.

(From McConaghy)

On Ap. 25. Capt. Lear was on
Quinns - Capt Roche of 10^th Bn was
there too.
Cowie was at Quinns. Capt
Lear was further up the Quinns
Gully.

Diagram

Capt Burns was killed in front of
Courtneys the first day. Left
top of Quinns Gully & dug in 300
yds in rear of where we were.
Maj. Lamb was on left &
was driven in. We were getting
fire from behind our left
shoulders. We didnt see a single
Turk.
There ws not so much
shrapnel on tt side. Walker's
Ridge & Pope's Gully Turks were
getting down. Abt 1 pm we saw

figures in khaki on our left rear.
Capt. Lear was killed abt
4 o'clock when ammunition was
being passed up to / front line
from paths wh acted as communication
trenches.
Col. Owen was practically
in command of / left centre
 - Col. MacLaurin was in H.Q.
in reserve.
——

Butler [Malone] Some isolated bits o /
battalion got right across / gully
behind G.O.T. the first day,
but had to come back.
[Beekin?]  One _^small part o / 3rd Bn was
in / first place put in on / right
o / Bde - Johnstone's Jolly or
Lone Pine. The officer in / c crossed

the Jolly later going Northward
& finally withdraw not
Southwards but N.W. to /
remainder o / Bn, which
he hit quite by accident -
Wilson's trench - now 1st Bn,
(Steele's). The men who crossed
/ Jolly on their way back were
knocked about fearfully (every
one agrees to this. C.E.W.B.  Also,
I think Lear ws k. on Mortar R.
or on the one w / hut & steps).

Charges from Courthey's This officer had a trench 

next to a New Zealander a
certain Capt or Lient Cowan. The
order was passed along.
Prepare to charge! They charged.
The N.Z. man went furthest,
although they cd not see any