Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/285/1 - 1914 - Part 7

My exs. ₤50 for horse etc.

Kitch's army more like business off] country dance, 

that is perfection. War off & finance

17 Nov Reports  [shorthand] Govt. (Horses

(Men

Had to come Egypt  (3 weeks)

Cant get things in Eng. have to get them [shorthand]

All sorts of questions arise lately.

K’s absolute guaranteed we are going to the front.

10 November hold Mayors dinner 9 Nov

Sydney, the letters arrive  [shorthand] 

Secrecy in a [shorthand] people wondering whether we were

Impt.

1,500,000 men
1/14th of the line at present  No [shorthand] this year.

———————————————————————————
Must be here to be in touch w
projects and government                                                                     

 

Col Mancorps Shepherd

gun & 3  [shorthand] officers.

What he notices in Engld. Loss of Aud. Known here. Why keep it

12^th Nelson Co. of cavalry regiments.

3 machine guns.

Austrlns in Lond. Enlisted?

6 [shorthand] out (4 men including sentry)

700 yards of front. 100 men into 2 [shorthand] 

Can you hear sounds of guns? 

Each B groups is sentry.

Gr. of 4 with sentry near [shorthand] rear.
Are they thinking much of Australia & NZ? [[?]]?

So tt they cd hear something everyone was quiet

until I was rushed by 3 guns firing [shorthand]. .

Cth Bldgs? Men heard rumble of waggons

they must be driving up railway.
London much deserted? Before they are parted out the firing convoys.
I hopped up and cut to the left of the position
What come for. Saw officer there and we stood up to go 
I sd don't open fire.
Reception? I am [certain?] I could see those guns.
Heavy clouds - dust in air
[cutting?]
How are Canadians [[ongetting?]]
[*G Reid
NZ
[[?]]
[[?]] *]

[shorthand] 

 

[[shorthand]] 

32 Punj gun attacked  abt midday
Orders given to close early
in afternoon on 22nd Brig. H.Q.
Pte Hain senior wounded and died of his wounds
Sergt Williams wounded by shrapnel.
Outpost [shorthand] night sniping.
Swiftsure clio Harding
Requin Dentricastion
[shorthand] bits as louvres
Brit officers K 1 wounded 4
Brit Ind & Eg Rank & file
K 17 wounded 79
Requin they saw [shorthand] 6 in gun
(but did not)
6 [shorthand]

Serapeium 110 8^th
E L Ferdan 220. 7^th
Ferry 110 8th Battery Post 110 8^th
[[*Note from
Capt C. E.
Brereton*]]
Brigade Major rode down as usual. I said there is heavy firing on the
left: he said firing at anything out: he turned and left me.
[shorthand] joined and in 10 minutes
said I was nearly shot 50 times.
They were abt 300 yds away; we had for mile.
spread along fronts so only you could see flashes 
in front. Abt an hour.

——————————————————————
I'll see things are to be ready. I said "Quick in your
groups and man the bank" Distributed ammunition 10,000
8000 rounds fired by 100 N.Zrs
10 minutes in this or quarter of an hour.
Hurried back to left. Men had
moved and left a man behind to say that had
someone requested that it move further down
I went down with the sergeant major.
When we positioned stump near trenches edge
Pines 50 yrds. 6 rows of trees.

deep
Artillery of enemy rained on trees.
Abt 30 men down behind
[*NZ
[[?]]
[[?]] *]

[*did not hear anything
wind screeching.
Cdnt make
out what
it was*]
Some [shorthand]beside crossing. Had been firing many
minutes.

[shorthand] can say time. You could see the Turk 
boats. Dark [shorthand features?] in boats
about 50 yards to left of crossing.
1st thing I saw was 50 men taking things
almost shoulder to shoulder on the bank
[*They*] shooting in dark is most [shorthand].
100s of men ran about on our side all night 

but were not hit.
Cd see spades going calmly
on sky line.
[*Mach
guns
not used
after
day light*]
Before daylight there we dug in.
Trench was a forward slope.
A party never left the boats. Dug a hole through
and never left it almost behind the boats.

Boats looked like dark objects 
as men messing abt them all
night till daylight. During [shorthand] took
Punj. were prob. fired at by Turks on our 

side, in trench low down. 
 

Diagram - see original document
[[*NZ
[[?]]
[[?]] *]]

Got there 5 o'clock day before.
Choosing which posts told them tt
every man ^seen swimming ws
Diagram - see original document
to be shot - let them go down & examine
mile posts. You may fire on them
as they go away if you like.
Turk. orders: to cross & wait for orders
after crossing.
"Nothing could be prevented. If it had only [shorthand] 
2000 [shorthand] "
Diagram - see original document
 

1 chap got up a ridge [sub?] machine fire
He [[beut?]] Straight away he [shorthand]
into an area

but was captured.
Opp. main N.Z. position
Turks cd be seen coming
up & reinforcing, crossing
in northerly direction to place where
trench was.
At daybreak the
Brit artillery opened.
Turkish xxxx supports advancing
in 3 lines were heavily 
shelled. Suddenly  
N.Z. men stood up and cheered
[*"500 -" abt 11 o'clock*] a compact body coming
away from Toussoum ws
then seen. Guns switched
onto it and the 3rd gun shell got
the lot all except one man who ran away
Dust made it hard to see.
Diagram - see original document
[*Toussoum
8 o'c
Soon after dark
Shelling 1st [shorthand] line
at time.
Switched off
& 3 shots into them
only 1 man ran away*]
Daylight most [shorthand]
Three lines -
(3000 yds away)
Platoon ? in 4s
at back of [shorthand] sandh.
opp. Toussoum.
guns onto them 
[*NZ
[[?]]
[[?]] *]

Maj. B. was firing at 150 at rear trench
and at 180 at [shorthand] trench. Never more
than 300 yds range at this point.
Bn officer of 2nd regiment said that the NZ men
were firing in the right way. None of this
popping up and down business. Punjabis
were allowed to walk along & see how
the N.Z men were doing it.
Turks made 3 attacks. 1st when
crossing ws beaten. 2nd when
supports came up abt 8 or 9
o'clock. 3rd when reserve
began to move up abt
10 or 11 o'clock. Indian
Bn (Punjaibis) crossed
& moved 1st straight out E
Then a Coy came &
moved under cover of bank.
past N.Zlanders. These were
 

Maj. Gen.
Sir. A.J. Godley K.C.M.G. CB, p.s.c.
(A.J. Godley)
warned not that Punjabis were
going to attack & not to shoot but
Indians thought there was some shooting
there where men behind the line. sev bullets
came very close to Maj. B.
Sergt Maj & he both noticed them.
Lieut Forsyth
Lieut Saunders
Major Brereton
Swiftsure came along at 7 a.m.
next day. Cd see man hanging
over side of crows nest - clearly
shot. Thought he ws shot from ^4 man trench low
on bank.
Sergt who ws wounded abt 11 a.m.
1^st Turkish shell right 1000 yards in desert
2nd short in water. After that into wood
all time - at first into clearing through
which artillery ws firing; then onto dressing station.
Sergt went though to be dressed shell burst
he ws wk w loss of blood and wdnt
go. When he ws hit the bang bang
[*NZ
[[?]]
[[?]] *]

of gun & shells came close together.
They all crouched. He ws hit
by base of shell in shoulder. Aftwds it
fell down his tunic down his back.
No Turk got through bottom to top of bank
in night.
Torpedo boat came along to blow up bodies
Saw bits of one in sea abt 10 o'clock
didnt see how it was done. Swiftshure next day
seemed to blow them to pieces w 
Lyddite [shorthand].
2 Indian bns moved down
next day.
Ep. to rear made a dickens
of a noise in ^2nd offense. Abt 11 o'clock.
Everyone thought a show must be beginning again.
Some of Turks were dressed like Arabs. Some
in greyish uniforms theirs apparently blue.
When our artillery opened
 

There was a group of horsemen out some
way from bank. They galloped to
rear for all they were worth. They
seemed to be in blue uniform w
lots of gold.
From the ∧3 enfiladed trenches mens
legs cd be seen
sticking up - patches
of their backs
& their legs.
Diagram - see original document
As soon as
it ws light Lieut. Sanderson saw the
legs of men in 3 trenches abt 1100 yds
to N. He tried 900. Then 1300.
It was 1100. Used to [shorthand] fire ^70 men to each
in turn. Fellows wd get up & begin
to bolt. Each time they fell [shorthand]
sent by Breretons lot opp.
Breretons fifty Turks in front trench
tried to bolt all day long.
Every man that xx tried [shorthand] ws
killed. One poor chap tried to scramble
up from banks trench below bank.
He ws shot by about 6 guns. fell tried to go
[*[[?]]
[[?]] *]

& ws shot again.
In afternoon closed on H.Q.
Had to pass an open bit of 
ground. Bullets, v. thick but only one man
killed.
Next day just after Swiftsure passed they were ordered
away to train. Didn't know their way so many
Turks [shorthand] but men would not leave the trenches.
All way across desert bullets kept
playing over them. Train started at
9 by 11 o'clock all was over.
Brit cavalry and the Indian cavalry in front of
them in desert saw Turks retiring in front
of them about 3 miles away but didnt
go for them. That ws on
4^th. Brit cavalry ws West Brigades (Swords)
Rifle & bayonet (Herts Yeom.
(1 sq. D. of Lancasters own.
Cav. did arrive there just after our
Australn infantry. We left a little [shorthand].
Went out [shorthand] seem to attack got
a 6 in shell, a 4.7 in desert (?owns)
 

N.Z. on 3rd cd see Swiftsures(?)
huge shells exploding far out
over desert. Wondered who she was firing
at.
[*[[?]]
[[?]] *]

[[Sbrd?]]
Men
 

Ordnance
7800 Sox
21000 [[Hks?]]
1200 shots
——————————

Memo. White abt message
[[Makariers?]]
Arm band
Censor & Alexandretta
Name on bag
Camera
Try saddle
Saddle
Wallet straps
Pay
Wash.
Call for photos
Albums
Glad Rags
NZ Flag
[*[[?]]
[[?]] *]

The day I wrote those wds posted letter
& went to Hotel for tea. Host of English journalists.
Saw Brigadier.
That night saw him again.
Moving out
You bear the injuries grimly
You know something is working.
Your own divisional staff has
ceased to
Right in the centre of things
you dont know if N.Z. has moved
out. One man says one thing one another 
As a matter of fact only Gen.
Maxwell knows & anyone
he cares to tell. We hear that
such & such a battn has moved
recd. its ammunition.
We thought all N.Z. had gone.

Two battalions off it has
begun to [shorthand] ind. The battleship has
started off on her journey. The
others said of it is - a battleship
150 miles away - labouring in
a heavy sea.

100 sick on Tuesday
only 20  -- Wednesday
Nice job members of Part (M.P.)