Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/28/1 - 1915 - Part 2

& Majestic began to put Lyddite into

/ column. Turks ran holding head

in hand, like ants nest stirred up,

every way, quite mad not knowing

what they were doing. Q.E. fired

abt 6 big lyddite shell- one of them

ws firing black smoke onto Battleship

Hill - & broke this attack up.

Popes was all goat tracks.

That aftn Col. J. sd [[Shorthand]] ^we had better see if we

cant get a party onto Walkers Ridge as

Turks [symbols] ^we are trying to get onto Walkers.

J. tried to get 14^th to move up onto

Walkers, but Monash sd: all rt, 

sir, I'll reconnoitre myself thank you.

There ws a parson there, white haired, w dead

When warships finished Turks

[symbol] ∧^simply lay down & sniped.

XXX We were withdrawn abt.

4 when it ws a fire fight - there were

only 6 left at tt time & they wd

have gone to Walker's R. if they cd h.

got the men - as seemed wanted there.

Our men, very few, were ^^visible firing

in scrub on Walkers abt opp. Popes. 

A few of 11^th under Le Nauze on 

Tuesd. missed others going to Popes

& went on to Walkers & a few

went to Quinns. There ws quite a lot

of water in these days.

[*7.25 pm they were swept by Rifle & m.g. fire in a*]

From Popes to Courtneys on Tues. night.

^^{[[?]] Leane} went round to support Maj. Bennett.

[Col. Brown (their Capt.) ws at Courtneys. There

ws a sniper on ridge at back on Wed [symbol]

who hit him in hand].

Co. Owen ws [symbols]

Irvine stood up in dugout on bank.

Shells were coming heavily from Gun

Ridge. Irv. had periscope in both

hands & ws shot in back by sniper

from rear.

Leane ws back at Courtneys ^^{on Tues.} afterwds

& had to be ready all night w fixed

bayonets. But attack never ^^really came.]

[On Monday message came along abt "French & British

are just out back of Turks."

Presently message came: "Indians

are digging in on our right: dont fire."

Some Turks on rt of Courtneys

Post were fo approached quite close

to lines before trick found out.]

11th

[[?th]] moved to Rest on Wed aftn.

Before then ^^{On Tuesd} Col. J., Maj. Roberts & Leane & quite and

a few men had bn at Maclaurins Hill or

Courtneys.

Rested Ap 28 night. On Thurs. took up [symbol] above

Shell Green - Thurs. Frid. Saturday

-no fighting -(digging in).

----

Night of May 3 (Mond. night) Heane ^^Leane

went to beach w 100 men, & Lt. Rockliffe &

2Lt. Thompson (K.G. Tepe). Capt Brennan &

8 S.b.o.(?) & ^^Med. Sergt, & Engineers (10 men under

L^t......... and Sergt        ∨ _{3^rd field coy}).

Slept on beach till 3.30.

Destroyer sent in boats & towed us

(alongside) in boats (under her shadow)

to within 500 yds of point of

G. Tepe. My instrns were to land just

to left of Point, destroy plant in

observing stn & if possible any guns.

No time prob for blowing up bldgs 

but capt. or kill any Turks found

there & get away quickly. To retire

along beach if possible - Not to 

lose men if place were impossible

to storm. Leane had bn observing

it for 2 days. It ^^prob. shd have bn evg. before.

L. warned. Then scheme ws off. Then scheme ws

on again. (Howe says men volunteered
rather than called for.)
2 [symbol] there but only 1 towed us,

Chelmer(?). She cast us off & we

rowed in w oars. Previous to leaving 

boat we saw 10 men of 10^th (Rumball)

under an offr. cutting wire on stream. It

ws [symbol] day & Ts didn't fire a shot.

The 4 boats went in in line abreast

by order rowed by our own men w

4 navy men in each boat helping w

oars & steering. Boats ran aground.

I sd pass wd to land - sailors

had bn shouting before to one anor.

No firing so far. As soon as order

ws g. to land they opened fire w

3 mgs. 1 Nordenfeldt (1 in) & rifles.

        (see plan)

Rockcliffe ws hit in boat; some

were hit in boat. Some seamen k. & w.

Many shot on beach.

 

Total ( 5 k. in landing,  2 missing 

 cas.   ( w. 19 xx (1 s.b.)    (3 of these kil as retired)

(Insert opposite where marked)

[From Lt Goundrey, 20/4/19

*  This pty ^^included consisted of:

      Pte Goundrey (later, officer)

      Pte A. Gee (rescued by Destroyer)

      Pte E. Gee

      Pte Wilkins

      Pte Steadman (known as Ally Sloper)

      Pte Les Pahl.

They got so far round tt they cdnt get back (other 4 did)

They went round under / edge o / cliff but found

/ first wire uncut (near / foot of gully). It

went into / sea so they had to dash down into

/ sea & go round it. This involved getting

into heavy fire from mg. on cliff behind them

wh caused all / trouble - it cd almost

look in behind / edge of cliff - Wilkins was

hit just before reaching / wire.

Pte A Gee was left behind this pty. The

mg. put down a barrage ahead of him &

there he had to stay, under / cliff. The 

others gave him up for lost, but /

destroyer saw him & sent in & picked

him off - a fine bit of work (before 8 am)

[Diagram]

 

Party rushed across beach. Only poss.

place to get up ws path - barbed wire

across rest was impossible. L. saw th

wire cutting party had got away under

cover. Discussed w Capt Brennan; he 

thought s.b. cd get away if retreat

covered. I sent 10 men to take covering

position on high gd just to left S. of

stream, they got as far as cover went but

m.g. raked them as soon as tried

to get to Ck.* A Bugler ws k. there

(Wilkins) & I saw they cdnt go further.

Just then enemy blew up a mine just

in rear of this party wh ws sheltering

under / bank. No one hurt tho all

smothered w dirt. Black smoke &big

hole close under bank - threw clods

over us 50 yds away.

I saw wd cdn't get away tt way &

at abt 5.15 I signalled to destroyer to

sent boat for wounded. They did

so at once. They sent a picket boat w

boat towed. Ts fired on her all way in -

she came in v. fast & let go boat some 100

yds from shore ⇣ [*w 4 or 5 seamen inside her*]

& her way brought her in.

Picket boat stood off & used m.g. (had

some Nordenfeldt holes in her). Party

of men volunteered (on my call) under

Capt Brennan & assisted wnd. to boats

Ts. who had bn firing ceased firing

at the wd. Kept firing on w nd. The

Insert on opposite page where marked. .+.

 

[*Kaba Tepe - as explained to me by Maj. Leane.

[Diagram]

15 yds of beach.

Then cliff, 15 ft, falling away inland to lower height.

Then 50 yds of flat grass - a trap.

Then sheer cliff up which only one way - wire all along
side of it & round W end but one Y path leading up.
Machine gun in hole in front of Y. *]

 

Stretchers w lying down cases went

1^st, then wounded helped by others.

[[xxx]] Wd. were put into boat, boat

pushed off, men assisting returned

across beach to cover - no shot

fired. only wd. alld to leave beach.

Only had fit men left. L. saw no

chance of getting away by beach. 

Destroyers left off firing when Turks

wd. were being got off. Picket boat

ws firing on trenches & trenches on

picket boat - also ( 7^th batty (or

6^th) firing on Oha Gaba Tepe &

Olive G on our guns.

.+. Drs I flagged Commander & he

sent back message to me (after

wd had been safely sent aboard)

"try the beach". I replied "impossible

wd ^^{any men who shd be hit} would have to be left. If boats

sent I cd get wd away in them."

He made no reply but just before 6

2 picket boats dashed out w two

tows (2 boats in each) wh came in

line abreast. I sent men I flagged

position of mgs & Nord to destroyer

Commander - & he put in very heavy

fire, kicking up tremendous dust.

I ordered men to rush out into water

before boats grounded & to spread 

out so as not to overload any 

boat. They did so. Tremendous

fire but ill directed. Got off w

3 casualties hit getting into boat

& in boat. Just as Maj. L ws

getting in he got smack across two

fingers on rt hand. Sergt MacLeary

(got D.C.M) & ws badly smashed w

Nordenfelt.

----

There were prob. 150 in trenches & 

others were seen swarming up w

fixed bayonets thro commn trenches.

----

3 men got around beach under 

heavy fire of retirement into boats.

[? Late in / day another boat was sent in at request of Turks. 

This is according to Goundrey].

The man for whom boat ws

aftwds sent in ws ^^not wounded but k -

(shot thro brain) & ws moving arm.*

[*This has always bn & still is a disputed matter

acc. to Goundrey].

----

On May 19. Turks at daybreak

opp. 11^th were in Allah Gully on forward

slope in front of our trenches

to Holly ridge w fixed bayonets 

-in lines, apparently waiting

in order to charge. It ws misty

morning. We saw Turks running

over skyline to attack pimple.

Our lot ^^{of Turks} were late & we were

properly awakened ^^beforehand. Got T

Officer & 5 men prisoners

11.30am. later. They were waving their 

bayonets in token of surrender

abt midday. We threw them

notices in Turkish (in German

characters) tied on stone & string.

They cut string (abt 17 yds away ∨_{in trench}) 

Then threw back note in French

saying if they were well treated 

they'd come in. Interpreter

called out - Cadet Officer

(wounded) then came in -

afterwds 5 others.

------

On day of informal armistice (22 May)

T. trenches in south were certainly

crammed w troops w fixed

bayonets. Flag of truce was shown

*Take in these sketches where marked opposite.

 

[Diagram]

 

Flashes
from cliffs 
near 

Sphinx also

 

* Shrap. started when

some of 10^th ws

nearly on top of

Sha Macl. Ridge.

As we got to top

the Bacchante came

close in & shelled G.T.

wh had begun to shell

boats by destroyers.→

 

10^th Bn

10^th. Major Giles: On Scourge

(A & D ^^cons on ∧^{destroyers slightly behind} B & C which were on P of W)

Just as 1^st boats touched, to I noticed, we were

under way (A Foxhound D Scourge).

½ way.

I thought ^^just after we jumped into boats I heard

a few shots fired. Cd see flashes then but

dawn came quickly. As we landed

whole place ws alive w bullets.

Sparkle of rifle fire ws on / top of

Maclagans Ridge & from edge of cliff

11m its N. There were flashes

from / cliff near / Sphinx also. We landed as in the 2 sketches

opposite(*) Rallied on top- Past 4 T. trenches

w lot of ammⁿ in them just

over edge of 

[Diagram]

[*Take in here*]

Reformed again in gully - went

up White Valley, screen of fastest

men in front clearing Ts. (As

11^th came up we went off

Plugges). Up White Valley stopped

w left abt Wire Gully

This ws abt 8 am. Our men who 

had gone on (Lt Hemming B Co ∨_{Capt Ryder})

were retiring. We got message "send

reinfs. at all cost We cant hold on"

signed Ryder. Hemming & Ryder came

(*Take in this passage 2 pages ahead where marked)

Impt.

Turks were ^^clearly feeling for our flanks by 9a

or 9.30.

They wd advance till met by rifle fire

as they crossed Mule Gully. Some

wd then swerve to ^^their left & still meeting

rifle fire wd swerve still further

left round Lone Pine way. Others

wd swerve to right, & when ^^some held up we

by his party on ? upper               

end ? of Mortar Ridge?                

would those tt followed              

began to get still further round &

by 2pm. were pushing in the weak

parties wh he thought to be 12^th Bn

on Walkers Ridge T high ground.

[*  I had only 3  10th

Bn men but abt

150 altogether *]

He retired abt dusk - prob 5pm.

Capt Lean, a subaltern, & possibly 

a third officer were killed out there on

the first day - Turks were afterwds

found in some of our uniforms.

 

in. Maj. Denton came up w part

of 11^th (his Coy) & Capt Croly (11^th) w his

Coy. Cd see N end of Gun Ridge but

cdn't see Turks tho we knew they were

hot foot after Hemming. He sd Ryder "I dont

know if Ryder will get back."

We saw Turks apptly crossing foot

of Wire Gully & going left - ? up Mule

Gully. I saw it ws necy. to

strengthen the left - there were prac.

none of our men visible in front of

their Chessboard - tho' we knew

tt they were going along Walkers Ridge

or wd proby be there. Ws afrd

Ts wd get in between & G. thought

I'll get in between & bridge.

[Left flank of C. Coy 10 Bn rested on edge

of Wire Gully. D Coy ws on left of them

in a hillock in midst of Wire Gully

digging in.] 

Maj. Lamb ws betw Courtneys & Steeles.

Maj. Denton sent G. with 150 men (only 3 of

the 10^th Bn but about 150 altogether)

Giles met Lean on way, ∨_{abt Courtneys}). G said "I am going left"

G. Thought 12^th were on Walkers

working past further end of Razor

Back (i.e. Popes). At time we started 

one cd see Turks making across

Mule Valley in North direction

Lean & G. went on up Monash Gully