Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/27/1 - April - August 1915 - Part 2

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open for review
Accession number:
RCDIG1066708
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

10 14Bn Ap. E7.1915 lond 2 Road is 650 from Courtneys (we shot anoficer cn a whits horse there one doe i at 650 yits + t Tes. Attack shown by arrows. to looked as if they had be lying behind the hills & were shoved over the crest I before noon. Courtneys m. Go. got them as they came over mowed them down In front of quins they adacted will & were beaten. There were a lob of bushes at quinns abt 150yds. 40 4th Bdc. 11 14B we hot up & found bits Monday Ap. 26 11 am. of 2,3, & 6 Bn there at Quinns Mlatoons of the on left 24 13 Bn. Capt. Tacob. ws there Forsylh of 13t5 w0 there. Wext day (Tues) 273 got an order to formon? beach i left as2 Tren went off th afternoon leaving 14th & 13 th le 471 Onn plationsof AC. 14, EBCo. 14 - Jacobs Wasvery under MasRannine. ratied. 4 days with iron ration & waterboths & had Waterproofs no nor gt coats or blankets, our packs at botom of Bridges Rd having been fiopened. worst allock wo sed. when they came up Tully in front of courtneys in mass. there were 15t day when we got there no entrenchmets. They had scraped little cover a intrinating tooks - I man firing the other man disging. x.We got some ricts & shoveld, and topls, & began to dis, & entrencting
The moment wegot up a meastine o. mg. in port of pscod ioue courtneys I enpladed us I knocked out 40 men. There were 25 k. 3betts seemnd to be from A Co. 141 We had to bait till night & them got cover & toos. By Thes we were Io waist deep. 29th Dion message on Monday didnt reach 14 Bn but Cease Fire Officers would on the Lett also reached as. We sent 2 out but they couldnt fin & anybody 56 warshps on Mond Es were firing towards back of T. Tolly. All ptdaywe were being suiped from back A.M. Sergt Alo. ws but from back gettin water, s be s. 90 Br 16 13 Sund. 11.20 left G.TEpe. 5 Pm. arrived S. 30 Commenced unloady much confusion on beach Coo. f6o lat a mircd. relie to SBde Pope & arrived at Pope's Hill. Maj. Villiers Stuart showed them in valig tie we arrived at Popes combaly had for 184 half the men, fattebons One Popes thele were 30550 ran of No menarg had beeg drivin vct ten Not entrenched Capt Jacobs 151 Br ws there Indian Exciode. Ipulled him back. They had a cap that looked alnget like a turban. I pulled him to bay pelt 90 Rattle of musketry fon hont all night long, we started diping & wo entrencting tools, (died w Regnt SM. Emmett as shot 8 am. Also Lt. Willon W. Sam. Col. going agwn sota bullet thow his man N3 were only opposite S End of Popess We cd see hem depin Saysers used to get down whole lengt
1837 men used to of opp side of gill our ask permision 1o 1200 oft & shools: them in turks in little papties. se t bodies wed() Turks At down on we the to attacked our left & went on to walkers. severe t all day, & all night Rids They were on Dramans 1xap to onr parapets We made a tunnel to one man to pasttion down. On thild We say tim in wasses in moming against N.J. Previons nogh heard bayles. on tues. we had 2 m.ge shot out of action afernoon On Monday 5 naval shells got into 16th (prot. 7.5 On tues. Col. Monast bok over 4 p. Wed. Dawn Kings & precarious. By eveny expected (rany) shony attack exp. but no attack experiedend, & attack seemed to die down wed Esq. Paprope up hill . o ald. cd not have got ap hill without it 1613 rigade Thurs. Tuilto Naval in relieved 3ro Bl Rumour to ind. Bde had landed. Fid. Kth Bn reld. by 15th. work mention. 0. guyers (worsh ber) amoy. term Semather & wenage carruers 35 signallers Cost in 16th Bn dificuty of sithy canaly lite. afterds Capt Jacobs on right from Popes. usid to send mesages Don't, shoot from the right. You, are hooling your own men, saps here were Incliane, on the let. manstrity Jocobs CMas & Cp Marjoli Hef. Baker irpion, bee, Pallin of oth w. bu, o hoed Tarks never got into Popes. canattier. to mss shot it m section ati noti M.G. officer smised Black severaltimes wd. went give up. BCo. dot Capt Marjoln w. wounded on sand mornity & went away for 3 days. When he went away 13 Co. had 115. when he came back
Tthere were 37. All sexts exc. one were gone. All B loys officers except Capt Mayjorm were killed. Southern Geddes, Catein 1 Fon 9 A Rockliffes ap of Leanes] Trench (awai) II 25 Leane Rockliff AIHt 40 Loyd. Were the trk shere Camethis Poutl 14 in sight 22 68w Exeny abt 30t 0 17 got two cnds of truch 92 4 O. bombing hile extended into tunnel 4281B for mae & 4 did aot explode 15 dead Turks.
18 nt. A 4 columns 150 each Rocklifft Branklin. L/D Packell 6 hlane Tackson capt /50 22 Suna cut out fore Fatr buried a tu 26 2 fotter WS0 C iossent out B B. Rockliff lde rashed. some Iawmene knew a min had) not exploded & pesitated. trts gof into common trugh waiting for any other mines to enplode. ingist got into brench & they started to go back. I The man who ws hit ontrid truch was 1) & hit stet we got a few sandbays up when they started to 5 we got bomb. one o men capying bombs ws hit. we used sercussion fombs & ran short of them, 8£ Each pty brought out if boub throwers. Thuy can do 8. 14714 8 bounb my four 90t across. as we advanced bombseach All we throw bombs into the Gruntes & beyond. Thing looked very dicky& Inoticed a box lying on 1 surface. It looked like ammn. te boy carriny it had or his dropped it, & had ran back. They weere Tam Tin bombs. We were firmy down hig, as soon as we wereable to reply to them with good bounds we kept them. The Turks ptat) sec crapped into trunch. They kit ip a hell of a Stinte. You adnt ele. you cont hear, the dust ws too great. Abo F4y hraen I wo there we discovered the gap in 3/8 our line. we called out to I man nart to us to pass ammunition across. The min kept yelling out. The Twrkes are in 1 trunck on our lift e cent a patrol of 3 men along to find out.
untopiy redel by Raske o teywre 28 a appaned ansormn to. us. Cot. 6o within 3 yas of aen. 25 Copt went fack to & colone of 1th w his informati. 11th went back & reported to I colonel. Cospl McOmish We co see I feashes & our men on fother side I shoutd down I line. Is capt Tackson on 1 left. answer came back urtsari on our left y ne man next you wont hear your heave got in abo 1 centre, At last word came back: Cargheans is in the line sneyed come atony Leane o tunnel & put things out of I hole - bags & boxis of amonggition. ways 10 Near Chear & rust out Dear I ws afraid Turks might come in our year, After I had driven 1 twrts back io bombs I stopped 1 men from fing vecaunt ve co ine no turkes. & got every avaitlill man improving the trinches. we had one or two bonit 105 attacts up I connn trunch afterroos. They were easily n driven off, We completed. I truvefes. Landbags poked this thiy hols, San voys We were enfilated away on pleft Enfilat Itws a 315 fis hund, with a Santas & boey sarth parepet young it I stoged ay men forry & eneiy diout fire at o much owing to seemg no flashes. we sand bassed donbly thick in morning & filled it entire sandblepp i anly cvery sqpar yd o Cparant ws his wite him Explosive shill. left half o1 men in 1 trinches, when net parept wo knocked down thy sut in frish sand bays. mostly went over duing I night, Shellin one, tyrk thgew 3 bombs on to us drigI mogning We threw one back & heard no more. One man wo hit putting his leg over 1 toor but oter Lignt, git it at all. Casnathis were his mt truch & gelling backwds & forwards, 2e Leanes French (see vert p.
165 two Dancaat piled up h Dead Prt 18 15. tire Bomb. 4 Leanes trend. May Stetch of Position o where Turtes were in 23 brench after we interisig Stoppidon 1 edge & firid down for a minute. broke down, parapet? & broke this. They seemed to get straight in Tugks sprias ) Gun Arty. Hughes N.3 on Echelon Trenches No2 works on Pine Kidge Nol Smipers Kelge as down Brown's gun shooting I Valtey of Despunie bursting sra Buyess weon wine glass & Olive nove Loula Bde Hows also 22 suned Wine glassfire straight 70& into Hughes Battery 23 Suyers td enpladed Yest Norning: S gans from wine pas from Ohin povt 52659 i 2Juns Olin Gro vicih yesty morng. Burssaw 2 men coveris shield of gun with bushis. 150rd perbty gorting we ased high explasive we sent up soen 2 Sandbags and a turk.
3 24 Aviatos May-Whenshrapnet particulen annoying on beach (col white hid at lunch- one in an killed in I at Aerophas went up tororlly - rount & r low. For 15t time a smell fairt puff of white smake confolded itself tnothi iher. Present on I side. She turn
o70 Borator 25
o 26 our Job. On Aarif 2 Weekly Times a nentiral who had just visited Observer, 18½ Germany says: while remen Is mind ws on my provious visit had beerallower into the Centred Upon Calois, Paris S.H. drifs 7 backeo who has an of Tbering to genan nenspapers but anyone, s. opportuntt 6 Hblack head wull renember how gctober great -tetyped olines on ti pages of the lelding of the remanfreas Always some front Corgans 2 & had 2000 reference 16 taen the new phase& Calads. 6 came is Co. Let us leave the moment C alone for. s, they sd; witndraw T troop pomble all. give v. Hindenborg every man thather Warsaw. After sc. wants, take winto be toursaw calues 2 theirs. the less failure 10 take bur We After Hs. W Rusie Submarne mind deftly witched blockede of I ingland the average Geran believed that a Crcle & Submanned urned 50 E Isin mines our island that to owin ound You Your shor home grown wheat to be pr peace in suick him would sloused for When I lept Gromany last week the efina Classes tre beginning to duebt the submarias Aochade and thei hofe nen yued to tho Dardavelles Rghts or wringly it was tehiend in Fennay hast t. ars indetaken N Sathes I is said that you have ofr sGareme ther difficulty we much more severilly there you hrace oicially suffed mittes &4 the yess, read tn te Eglit ocoman Vant London indeed. newspopers remarkable disagree in toto th is inasning is not as. l the Minial renan to information ov10 inaning At Ginan Theor Buran ant. mor greative the 2s o Mis atam that if the Hegations than vo & Dundardly 6 suppressive 6at

10
14 Bn Ap. 27, 1915

[Sketch - see original scan]

Road is 650 from Courtneys (we shot an officer
on a white horse here one day at 650 yds).

Tues. Attack shown by arrows.
It looked as if they had bn lying behind
the hills & were shoved over the crest
xx before noon. Courtneys m.gs.
got them as they came over mowed 
them down.

In front of Quinns they attacked twice
& were beaten. There were a lot of bushes
at Quinns abt 150 yds.→
xx

70     11
4th Bde.
14 Bn.

Monday Ap.26 11 am. We got up & found bits
of 2, 3, & 6 Bn there at Quinns &
on left 2 platoons of the 13th Bn. Capt Jacobs
ws there.

Forsyth of the 13th ws there.
Next day (Tues.) 2 & 3 got an order to form on /
beach & left us. These went off tt afternoon leaving 14th & 13th there.
_____________
Quinns:-
A Co. 14, under Maj. Rankine. 2 platoons of B Co. 14 - Jacobs was very rattled.
_____________
4 days with iron rations & water bottles & had
no waterproofs nor gt coats or blankets, our 
packs at bottom of Bridges Rd having been
pilfered. opened.

Worst attack was Wed Tues when they came up
gully in front of Courtneys in mass. ⇡

1st day when we got there & we xxx there were
no entrenchments. They had scraped a
little cover w entrenching tools - 1 man
firing, the other man digging. W got some picks
& shovels & entrenching tools & began to dig.

 

12
The moment we got up a machine gun in front of
Courtneys (probly covered in bushes) enfiladed
us & knocked out 40 men. There were
25 k. from A Co. 14th. 3 belts seemed to be [[shorthand]]

We had to wait till night & then
got cover & tools. By Tues we were
xxx waist deep.

? "29th Divn" message on Monday
didnt reach 14 Bn but "Cease Fire"

"Officers wanted on the Left" also
reached us. We sent 2 out but they couldnt
find anybody.

Warships on Mond [[shorthand]] were firing
towards back of J.Jolly.
____________
All 1st day we were being sniped from
back Q.M. Sergt A Co. ws hit from back
getting water, s.b. etc.

70   13
16 Bn
Sund. 11.20 left G.Tepe.
5 p.m. arrived.
5.30 xx commenced unloading.
much confusion on beach
Pope told off to take a mixed relief to 3 Bde
& arrived at Pope's Hill.
Maj. Villiers Stuart showed them in valley.
By time we arrived at Popes somebody had got
half the men.

On Popes there were 30-50 men of all battalions
Not entrenched - men who had been driven back there.

Capt Jacobs 1st Bn ws there.

Indian Episode: "I pulled him back. They had a 
cap that looked almost like a turban. I pulled him to / back
& he let go"

Rattle of musketry from / front all night long. We
started digging w entrenching tools.

Regnt S.M. Emmett ws shot ^(died of w) 8 a.m. Also
Lt. Wilton w. 8 a.m. Col. going down got a
bullet thro' his map

N Z were only opposite S. End
of Popes. We cd see them digging.
Snipers used to get down whole length

 

14
16 Bn
of opp side of gully. Our men used to
ask permission to go out & shoot them in 
little parties. We cd see Turks in bodies.

At dawn on Wed (?) the Turks attacked
our left & went on to Walkers.
Severe [[shorthand]] all day, & all night.
They were on Deadmans Ridge & up to
our parapets. We made a tunnel
to one man to push him down.

On Wed (?) we saw them in masses in
morning against N.Z. Previous night heard bugles.

On Tues. we had 2 m.gs. shot out of
action.
__________
On Monday afternoon 5 naval shells got into
16th (prob. 7.5)
__________
On Tues. Col Monash took over 4 pm.

Wed. Dawn things v. precarious. By evening
(rainy) strong attack exp. but no attack
experienced, & attack seemed to die down Wed
evg. Put rope up hill - v. cold
Cd Not have gone up hill without it.

70     15
16 Bn
Thurs. Quiet. Naval Brigade relieved 3rd Bde.
Rumour tt Ind. Bde had landed.
Frid. 16th Bn reld. by 15th.
__________
Worth mention:-
S.bs.
Snipers (worst here)
amm. carriers
Signallers & message carriers
35 signallers lost in 16th Bn.
___________
Difficulty of getting casualty lists.|
___________
Capt Jacobs ^aftwds on right wire Popes
Positn from Popes. used to send messages.
Dont shoot from the right. You are shooting your own men.
Jacobs said there were Indians on the left
Maj. Manstitz
& Capt Margolin
Maj Baker
____________
(Simpson, Lee, Pullen of 13th were there afterwards, on Tues or Wed)
_____________
Turks never got into Popes.
_____________
 4 m.gs shot; ½ my section casualties.
M.g. officer sniped {NB - (Later note)
Black several times
wd, wdnt give up.]
_____________
B Co. but Capt Margolin ws
wounded on Sund morning & went away for
3 days. When he went away
B Co. had 116. When he came back

 

16
there were 37. All sergts exc.
one were gone. All B Coys officers except
Capt Margolin were killed. Southern, Geddes.
Curlewis ws k on 9th.
___________
Lt Rockliffes a/c of Leanes Trench (1st attack)
[Sketch - see original scan]

Ws it contiguous Sap?
Were the Turks here? 80 yds.
Casualties: 
8 out of sight )
14 in sight       )  22    68 w.
Evening abt 30 k.

70      17
Leane got two ends of trench.
[Sketch - see original scan]
O = bombing holes.
5  4  24 1 B were extended into tunnels
for mines & 4 did not explode

15 dead Turks.

 

18
4 columns of 50 each.
             ( Rockliffe  rt.]   A
             ( Franklin left    D
Leane  ( Puckell            B
              ( Jackson capt C
[Sketch - see original scan]

Rockliffe
Saw mine explode & then rushed. Some
knew a mine had not exploded & hesitated.
Turks got into Commn trench waiting for any other
mines to explode. We just got into / trench
& they started to go back.
The man who ws hit outside / trench was hit ......
(stet)

70      19
We got a few sandbags up when they started to
bomb. One o / men carrying bombs ws hit.
We used percussion bombs & ran short of them.
Each pty brought out 4 bomb throwers. They can do 8
bombs each. All my four got across. As we advanced
we threw bombs into the trenches & beyond. Things looked very
dicky. I noticed a box lying on / surface. It looked
like ammn. The boy carrying it had bn hit, dropped it, & had
run back. They were Jam Tin bombs. We were
firing down hill. As soon as we were able to reply
to them with good bombs we kept them. The Turks
(stet)
___________
? crapped into / trench. They kick up a hell of a stink.
You cdnt see - you cdnt hear - the dust ws too great
Abt ¾ hr after I ws there we discovered the gap in
our line.

We called out to / men next to
us to pass ammunition across. The men
kept yelling out "The Turks are in / trench
on our left. I sent a patrol of 3 men along to
find out. 

 

20
They cd see / Turks firing & cd see by / flashes tt they wore
a different uniform to us. Got to within 3 yds of them.
Corpl. went back to / Colonel of 11th w his informatn.
Corpl McOmish went back & reported to / colonel.
We cd see / flashes & our men on / other side.
I shouted down / line. Is Capt Jackson on / left. Answer came
back "No, xxx Turks are on our left" The man next you wdnt
hear you. Leane got in abt / centre. At last word came
back. Capt Leane is in / line". They cd come along /
tunnel & put things out of / hole - bags & boxes of
ammunition.

Hear cheer & rush out

I ws afraid Turks might come in our rear.
After I had driven / Turks back w bombs I stopped / men
from firing because we cd see no Turks, & got every available
man improving the trenches. We had one or two bomb
attacks coming up / commn trench afterwds. They were easily
driven off. We completed / trenches. Sandbags poked thro the hole.
We were enfiladed away on the left

It ws a 3ft fire trench with a sandbag & loose earth parapet
facing it.

70      21
I stopped my men firing & / enemy didnt fire at us very
much owing to seeing no flashes.

We sandbagged doubly thick in / morning & filled up extra
sandbags. Nearly every square yd of / parapet ws hit with high
explosive shell. Left half o / men in / trenches. When
parapet ws knocked down they put in fresh sandbags.

Shelling mostly went over during / night.
One Turk threw 3 bombs on to us during / morning
We threw one back & heard no more.

[Sketch - see original scan]
One man ws hit putting his leg over / top but others
didnt get hit at all. Casualties were hit in / trench
& getting backwds & forwards.
___________
Leanes Trench (see next p.)

 

22
Two Barricades -
Piled up
Dead Turks.

[Diagram - see original scan]

Leane's Trench
Map sketch of
Position
where Turks
were IN
trench after
we entered it.
Stopped on the edge & fire down for a
minute. F. broke dow ? parapet ? &
broke thro. They seemed to get
straight in. Turks spread (?)

_________
Arty.
Hughes No 3 Gun on Echelon Trenches
                No 2 works on Pine Ridge
                No 4 Snipers Ridge
[Diagram - see original scan]
Brown's gun ^was shooting down Valley of Despair
bursting shrapnel.
Burgess ws on Wine Glass & Olive Grove

Lowland Bde Hows. also.
70     23

Wine Glass gun fire straight 
into Hughes Battery.
Snipers Ridge enfiladed
_____
Yesty Morning:  5 guns from
Wine Glass
6 from Olive Grove
2 guns Olive Grove visible yesty morng.

Bury saw 2 men covering sheild o / gun
with bushes.
______
150 rds per Bty.
Last time we used high explosive we sent up
to 2 sandbags and a Turk.

 

13    24
Aviators.
May 1. When shrapnel particularly
annoying on beach (Col White hit
at lunch - one man killed in dug
out - aeroplane went up very
thoroughly - round & round
fairly low. For 1st time a small
puff of white smoke unfolded itself
near her. Recently another
on [[shorthand]] side. She turned to sea 
&

 

70    25
 Aviators

 

70      26
Our Job. On April 2 ^in Weekly Times a neutral
Observer who had just visited Germany says:-
On my previous visit while German mind ws
centred upon Calais. Paris had been allowed to drift into the background
but, anyone who has an opportunity of referring to German newspapers
will remember how in October the great black typed head lines
on the front pages of the leading organs of the German press had always some
reference to Calais ... then came the new phase. Let us leave
Calais alone for the moment, they sd; withdraw
all the troops possible; give v. Hindenberg every 
man that he wants; take Warsaw ... After 
Warsaw... Calais would be theirs.
After H's failure to take Warsaw the Press bureau
deftly switched the public mind on to the submarine
blockade of England The average German ... believed that a circle of mines
& submarines would so surround one island that owing to
your short supply of home grown wheat you|would be reduced to beg for peace in quick time.
When I left Germany last week the official classes were beginning
to doubt the submarine blockade and their hopes were turned to the Dardanelles
Rightly or wrongly it was believed in Germany that the allies have undertaken
there a task of supreme difficulty & suffered
much more severely than you have admitted officially in Paris & in
London. and indeed the Yes I read in the English German
newspapers disagree in toto which is remarkable
inasmuch
as the official German information is not as a rule really inaccurate
The German Press Bureau is more creative 
than suppressive. It is certain that if the operations in the Dardanelles




 

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