Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/285/1 - 1914 - Part 6

(re. self paid

In Jan 28. 7)

Rec^d 10/-

Extra on

Saddlery.

50. 0 0
25. 2. 7
24. 17. 5
25. 2. 7

Jan 29.  Recd. from Maj. Farr

£ 6. 9. 0.
on Ordnance receipt for
Saddlery
Jan 29. Lent Schuler £10 (He lent me same
when I was short & cdn't get
money from Govt in time)
I owe Jack £1. (E)
4. 16. 9.
     14  6
5 . 11.  3

x4. 16. 9
      14. 6
x5.   9. 9
  5.  11 . 3 [shorthand]
[*transports
L. Michigan!
[shorthand] x 2.*]

49. 4. 0.
        1. 6
      14. 6
50.  0. 0

30 .13 .10
50. 0. 0
11 . 19 11
12.  6.  8
       1  .6
74 .7 .11

74.   7. 11
30. 13 .10
43. 14.  1

50. 0. 0
  5. 11.  3
44. 8. 9
50. 0. 0

Feb. 22.  Typewriter repairs    6. 1.
Feb. Taxi Mena                        10. 3
            "        "                             10. 3
            "        "                               7. 1. 
Cab. Heliopolis
Ret. Fare Alex.                         18. 10.
Cab.                                            10. 0
Cab                                              2. 0
Baedekers Const.                    8. 2.

March 22. Typewriter              8. 0
   "         28. Telegram                6. 1
Stamps & Reg. letters             3. 0.
4. 9. 9
Typewriting paper                   2. 0
Stationery                                   2. 0
4. x .9
Cabs. Alex.    2.
Cabs.              .1
Hp Cab. 54/- to go                       2
on next a/c                                     1   
                                                  4. 16. 9

Arabick   Kosfick
Foreign language - see original document

Did Turkey give Egypt her freedom
& make ^ Abbas Hilmi Sultan?
What was the first heard of the
actual force invading
Egypt.
Are men protecting health
 

Value of Chaplains - S.A. man one of the best.
Dexter. Green.
Pay. Some difficulty - men stored treasure in it.
Diagram - see original document
(also see: men)
What training our men had.
What mortality of Horses.
What reason for Egypt.
What N.Z. delay at beginning.
Why dont we have picket? in Cairo
What ws done to soldier who slept on
board ship
What were the orders in the Canal as to
sniping?
Censorship. Chicago Pressman got a
wild rumour tt Austrlns were kept below
hatches in canal because they were
fired on by Indians. He walked into
office [shorthand] & asked if Censor ever came back
sober from club. [Int. men whom I &
other correspondents liked & who helped us considerably.] Censor
natly looked straight past him. When he
asked to have his despatch censored
they told him it must go to the office counter 1st
(i.e. it would be paid for & then struck out). 
[*Book*]

Censorship. Millen & Censor.
Home Govt had to be appealed
to through the Govr Genl. & it
finally sd (through G.G.) tt if
Millen made many more
statements it wd have to consider
Australia an uncensored country.
Fortunate day for Austr. when Pearce
became Minister.
New Zealanders think they
are very much cleaner
neater better disciplined than we are.
They don't salute an officer more & they made a bit
of a mull in Colombo
We have
Our men asked "What do you want to lie yourself in for?"
N.Z. replied: I'm not a dirty
slovenly hound .
got smashed up.
[[Must?]] reminder they have bright buttons,
& colours. We have none.
Disc. may be stricter.
Priding themselves on their transports.
Melb sd. Omrah's loss very bad.
500yds separate lights showing.
N.Z officers [shorthand] by these remarks.

Abbas
Kitch's house
Kitch unpopularity
Lunch new canteen
Tel [shorthand] of Eng.

Also rly.
Flag.
Diagram - see original document

Bit of Australia in camp.
(Euc. & wattle)
Dec.
18^th to 20^th. 1914
Extra ½ battn as
inlying picket during 3 days
of proclamation
Men (3^rd & 7^th battns) had
20 rounds of ball.
(D.O. No.9)
Training 50 rounds per 18 pr field
gun during training
(excluding divl training)
120 rounds per rifle
2000 per mach. gun:
5 military interpreters
in Cairo D.O.4
at 5 pm daily
Sir J.C.B. Maxwell, KCB.
DSO. command force in Egypt.
8 Decr.  Lt H. attached to NZ.
[*Egypt*]

Lieut. Comr Palmes the torpedo boat 043.
one small gun and a maxim. 2 funnels. We had
seen her in Port Said. Dark grey w a 
black streak along the water line.
Patrolling canal. At abt 3.30 on
Wed morning he bet his sub.
We shant see them today.
10 minutes later entering the lake he
saw half a coy of men
busily digging a trench on the top of the bank.
His men laid a mine on them and asked
shall we fire (chucking earth away
in shovelfuls). He sd No. They
must be Indians & went on
past them. Had got about 20 yds
when he found his mistake. They
fired into them.
Abt 10 Abt four o'c. when he went along to
fire into the boats and sink them.
The Turks had been driven & back up the bank
by then but the boats were
in the water abt 10 of them,
w the Turks crouching behind them
 

& Turkish bodies piled deep in
them. 
Diagram - see original document
The boats were
floating lightly so they fired a few shots
into each to sink them.
The Turks up at the top of the bank
were potting at them & on top there
they cd see one boat - only her
nose. So he rowed off with his
few sub & a couple of men went up
a gully & climbed the bank to the top.
Diagram - see original document
He had his rifle & just as he
got to / top there was a boat & just behind
her were 5 Turks lying down with
their backs to him blazing away
at his torp. boat. He had just
picked put up his rifle to shoot them
when he looked round & saw just below his
elbow a trench w abt 100
Turks all crouched flat in it.
He thought they must be Indians. They looked
up at him aghast, fumbling
their rifles when one of them
turned & he saw they had
white arm bands - wh he had 

noticed on the dead Turks. He decided
it ws no place to stop in even if there
were a chance of shooting 5 Turks.
in the back; so he lit a boot &
rushed down the bank. They
were too scared to shoot straight.
He had bn too close to them for them to
properly use their bayonets.  They w
A man was pointing a rifle
down his back when his sub shot him.
(New Zealanders fairly laughing themselves to death)
on opp. bank.
They N.Z. people kept up a
tremendous fire - whenever a head
came up they blazed at it.
He ran abt 50 yds along the
beach xx the bullets chipping
bits of earth all the way
by their feet - rowed off to
their ship - & came along
abt 70 yds. There they got the
 

trench enfiladed & put 3,4,
5 shells straight into it at abt
60 yds range
(Serapeium terriers ws getting into
them at abt 1000 yds - 1st shot
60 yds short, 2nd just on edge,
3rd right through - they thought
there were men behind them
firing at them. Cdnt say where. Maj.
Howard ws lucky to come off w
his life - he expects himself to die)
Shrapnel all around them. Some men
shocked by it, pulse slow -)
Cd see them rolled over at
every shot. But fellows in
rest of trench only a few
feet above started firing down -
got him in thigh. Sub took his
place - got him at once
in forearm & wrist -
Had to draw off.
Boat made at Dedeagatsch
[*one man
put up his head but
ammn
got him*] 

First some of them heard ws grating of
boat down bank.
Horseman had come right up to
Toussoum post day before -
dismounted - walked right 
up. We had had such a lot of
labourers, contractors men,
Indians of all sorts and descriptions
there that they didn't really
know who the Turks were when they
did arrive.
Hobart Nurses went out from Hospital
to Ismailia Hosp. on Tuesd. afternoon
just after affair had ended.
Stood where you cd have seen
Turks.
Next morning awakened by
shells.  Went out saw
shells falling in Tamsah. Big
transport shifted positn.
Hardinge came in behind her
abt 10 o'c.
Abt 9 for an hour cd see Turks
apparently in col. of route -

over top of hills almost due
East of Serapeium. Requin
was getting her shells in at this time
near Serap. Evidently agst
brigade supports attacking it.
White flag incident. Two halves of Toussoum
trench.
First heard there ws splash of boat
in water.
50 men to boat. Half hour reliefs
White marching tapes & white sleeves.
Toussoum post ½ battalion minus one platoon
for half battalion beside Serapeium.
Some New Zealanders.
(Another a/c. NZ a battalion; & native battalion
on E. bank)
Reserves coming on abt one man to us.
1 shell blew out 20 men.
Still came on.
Marching orders told them No one
exc. patrols on E bank &
they were not to load their rifles till they got to
[*next bank
Took off boots ^ & putties, threw away pannikins.*] 

Kantara 3rd enemy left 15 killed and wounded.
El Ferdan
4 platoons 13^th Regt. & 2 platoons of 1st at El Ferdan.
Turk 4 small guns opened on signal station
finding range immediately.  Hit them.
HMS Clio came up and silenced them
Hit 3 times.
Battery Post. N of Ismailia (W bank)
1 platoon of 12^th. Battery ws
shelled. 3rd Auckld Coy
relieved them no casualties
Shelled on way to post.
Ismailia fell
2nd S. Cant. Coy and Major
Grant as gen reserve.
Enemy at daylight entrenched ½ mile E.
2 batns opened.  Shelling throughout day
Half hearted attack during night of 3rd.
 

Toussoum & Ser.
At Ser.  2 platoons of 12^th Nelson
Regt und Major Brereton
At 5 pm on 2nd took up
outposts on west bank
on right Battery of Lancs
on left 62nd Punj infantry
All quiet till 3.20.  Then heavy
fire to north. No fire in front.
Punj reinforced by 30 NZ.
Began firing on party of Turks attempting to cross
canal in boats. Movement stopped.
Enemy retreated and entrenched on E bank.
Tried to retreat but were stopped
by our fire enfilading
3 attempts to cross at this
time all failed our
right enfiladed them
at 1200 yds.