Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/286/1 - 1914 - 1918 - Part 2

11 JANUARY 1915
Whethero = S6
MONDAY
Mrs Plante.
Caulfield Train
Armadale station
Down steps to left.
Thro' arcade
across tram
Up Kooyong Rd
Left hand side 3rd St. 2nd Ho
7pm Friday.
Rod Alsop - End of Toorak
Albany Road. Keep to
Torrington Place. 1pm
 

1915  JANUARY 22
FRIDAY
El Ahram. 
Near National Bank
12 a.m.  Birbari.
Canal in 4 divisions -
(1)  Near Suez. 2 important points
El Shatt Koubra (where
Caravan route comes in.
We hold bridge heads with one
Ind Brigade in reserve.
(2) Naval - on Bitter Lakes torpedo boats.
(3) Ismailia - reserve 2 brigades.
(4) El Kantara reserve 1 brigade.
One of Ismailiah brigades is of
Imp. Service troops. All cav is 
imperial & no British battalions except 2 coys engineers.
We hold bridge heads for sallies etc. Trenches of
[shorthand] sort.  Our engineers will be used for building
trenches on W bank (where memb

23 JANUARY 1915
SATURDAY
are Flying corps patrol from both ends and from
canal but sea planes are not
very perfect instruments. Very heavy. They are all
French.  Cant quite reach  We have [shorthand] p.m.
sun to sea

Patrols chiefly agst Bedouins who might
drop etc.
Idea of training soldiers in making trenches

Articles.
(1) Flying Corps Yarn.
(2) Shooting by Swiftsure &
hospital ship.
(3) Brahmans etc.
A country the Turks have to cross.
[[Denial]] [shorthand]
& threat.

1915 JANUARY 24
Sunday
not unlike our desert.
sandy surface. pebbly.
salt scrub.  where sand.
Canal with waste reedy
ground alongside of it
[*scarcely diff.
from ordinary
existing cities*]
Mounds of mud which runs to ancient
city of Pithom (see Baedeker)
& Cassasin. Marshes & reeds.
Marshes in ditches beside rail
cultivated by natives
[*Arabs. 
(hangers on
our outskirts.)*]
Buckets for lifting water
Mahommedan cemeteries
(like ancient ones)
[*People all
working but hit
by cotton
crop failure & out
there in fear
Germans beat
Turks with 6 inch guns
in glaring desert
A country the Turks have to cross.*]
Water gullies in pink surface
bec. any water that falls
leaves its mark. Seeing
shrubs exactly like salt bush
People & houses stand out
black in exactly the same
way. Bir = well
Gravelly Field Line w Eucalyptus.
[*[shorthand]*] 

25 JANUARY 1915
MONDAY
are - Flying corps patrol from both ends
& camel corps & cavalry make

1915  JANUARY 26
TUESDAY
Last advances seem to show that the Turkish
concentration has nearly [shorthand] completing
stores ^ seized probably not quite sufficient for the expedition
in Syria

Turkish commanders
Germans.  Will have Canada.
Echo de Paris 31 December
The [shorthand] drops Turks in Syria
Soldiers   Behind you there is an immense desert  
before you there is an enemy cowardly and behind
him is the rich country of Egypt which
[shorthand] was beautiful.
If you retire it is death  Before you it is paradise 

27 JANUARY  1915
WEDNESDAY
Night of 2nd: Toussoum.
3.20 am Pontoons & Rafts tried to
cross canal supported by infantry.
Heavy maxim fire.
Art. opened fire on Toussoum & Serapeum
Answd by our artillery
Ships in canal also fired
Enemy retired 3.30 pm.
8 officers 282 men taken prisoners
many dead left.
HMS Hardinge 2ce hit by
shells. 10 men wounded
otherwise 2 officers 13 killed
58 wounded
Eg. field artillery included 1 officer & 2 men killed.

1915  JANUARY 28
THURSDAY
Ismailia ferry. Enemy found
entrenching 700 to 800 yds from
our posts
2 battalions opened fire
Intermittent fire. No casualties 
Kantara: our outposts attacked 
early.  Driven off. 21 killed
25 wounded
36 unw. prisoners
Later attack fr. S.
Enemy stopped 1200 yds from us.
8 dead found
1 offr. slightly wounded
4 Ind. killed
21 wounded.
Invasion Enemy engaged
yesterday 12,000 men  These batteries
Inva - Turkish xxx

29 JANUARY 1915
FRIDAY
Central 9g6.

1915  JANUARY 30
SATURDAY
[shorthand] 

31 JANUARY 1915
Turks coming out here
SUNDAY
Diagram - see original document
New Series letters
M1. Diary arrival
E1. Snipers
M2. The first day
E2. Col. Maclagans
Address.
M3. 2nd, 3rd & ½ 4^th Day.
E3. The Missing
E4. The A typical Turk attack
[*May 6*]

1915 FEBRUARY 1 
MONDAY
Diagram - see original document
Battle of Krithia
2nd day of our arrival
Day before 2nd charge (67th May?)
Gallipoli  1.    }
Gall ___   2.    } £75
Gall ___   3.   Charge of 2nd brigade   £25
What 2nd
Gall _____4 Gen Bridges
Gall ____  5   "            "
Gall _____6. mining of May 28. 

2 FEBRUARY  1915
TUESDAY
30,000 guns was
including 9000 of Turkish 11 division
The Greek division 
Night of 17-18 May E Lancs brigade
advanced 500 yards and straight attack line.

1915

2 FEBRUARY   1915
TUESDAY
30,000 guns was
including 9000 of Turkish 11 division
The Greek division 
Night of 17-18 May E Lancs brigade
advanced 500 yards and straight attack line.

1915 FEBRUARY 5
FRIDAY 

6 FEBRUARY 1915

Letters

SATURDAY

E13 July 4. Anzac Beach.

E14 July 10 A Scrap of Paper.

E15 July 11 Anzac Sideshows

E16 July 11 The days interest

M15 July 12. 13 Helles.

M16. July 21 Shells

E 17. July 22 The Night at Anzac.

E18. July 23. The miner

M. Extra. The Sequel.

M17 Aug.1. The fight of July 31

E19 Aug.1. A Night Battle.

M18 Aug.15. Charge of Light Horse

M.19. Aug 16. Lonesome Pine.

E20 Aug 22  24 hours in Quinns

E21 Aug 25 Snipers

M20 Aug 25 Sari Bair

M21 Aug 30 Sari Bair

M22 Sept 1 Lone Pine counterattack

M23 E22 Sept 4  Knoll 60 fight

E22 Sep 6 The Broken Bayonet

E23 Sep 7 The First Days Dugouts

M24. Sep. 27 Aivali.

E24 Sept 28 Light Horse Charge  - Turk a/c
 

1915  FEBRUARY 7
Cables.
SUNDAY
27 August 15 Light Horse Bdes attack
28 August 19  Lonesome Pine
29 August 24  18 Battalion's charge
30 August 29 Knoll 60 fight
31 August 30 Knoll 60 fight
32 September 31 Winter Quarters
33 September 7 Southland torpedoed (? Censored)
34 September 8 Canteens & Relief (Censored)
35 September 10. Genl. Hamilton Special
Congratulatory Orders.
36 Sept. 11. Gen Linton's Death. (Censored)
37 Sept 29. German aeroplanes.
38 Oct 4. [[Karachafe?]]
39
40
41
42
43
44
45 - Nov. 7. Ryries Knob & ^ mine gassing (Thom)
46
47. The Storm & 3rdBde. Nov 19.
48
49 K's message
50 Snowstorm (1)
51  Snowstorm (11) 

8 FEBRUARY    1915
MONDAY
E25 Genl Walker
M 25 Bridging train at Suvla Bay
M 26 The daily News  (North of Arras)
M 26. Medical  Armenian massacres.
E 27. True stories of Australians.
M.27. Patrols.
M 28 The Iron Crescent etc
E 28 2nd Divn mining (L. Pine etc)
Capt Coleridge

1915  FEBRUARY 9
TUESDAY
Capt Embleton  3rd A.M.C.
I have his Kodak Camera
100 1 June.
Twice ord. exposure.
F11 . 1/12.
Bright . 6 stop w 25^th.
Shady Fall  25^th