Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/30/1 - April - August 1915 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number 3DRL606/30/1

Title: Notebook, April - August 1915
Includes references to Auckland Battalion, 7th
and 8th Battalions, 29th Division, the landing,
Lone Pine and Hill 60.

_{AWM38-3DRL606/30/1}
 

[*Regt Rec]

30

DIARY No. 30
Original 

AWM38  3DRL 606  ITEM 30 [1]

DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.E.W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

The use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War memorial. But apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be
true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what
was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half-asleep;
also, not infrequently what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when
discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.

These records should therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what
their author, at the time of writing believed. Further, he cannot, of course vouch
for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he
did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had
seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand
evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed
upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that
those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All
second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sep., 1946.                   C.E.W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS 
OPEN

REGIMENTAL RECORDS J[1]
AA 

23.2.78 ARM
 

Reg. Rc.

Typed
4/6/19

E.C.
 

Landing
Auckld. Inf. Bn; Waikato Coy Auckl. ^^landed 10.30 _a.m.
[Diagram] 12o'c recd
orders to
reinf.
Australn 
left ? at at 2.25 ^4?
C.3
Packed xx
Previously
had gone up
towards Sphinx but Gen.
Walker wished advance
to be made over Plugges
Plateau. Put in over Plugges,
thro commn trench, down
"Mine" Gully (past sentry who
warned them) Last Bn of Australians
ws moving past there & Aust ∧^Waikato
waited in Mine Valley till
they cleared. Then started up
Maclaurins Hill towards firing
line but were waved from top
to keep on up gully (Monash
Gully). Went to extreme top of
 

[Note as to times & units.
Got onto Baby 700 abt 1.15.
Got to extreme positn abt. 2
Left there abt 2.30 -
saw no one on left or right
while there. Left Baby 700
abt 4.30 for Nek.
Hit abt 5.15 on the Nek.
6^th Haurakis (Coy of Auckl.)
were sent up but did not
find Waikato. A few joined
at 3.30 or 4. Some were
on Nek at 4.30 & some
went to right of Waikato
but didn't get in touch.
One Coy ws on Plugges Plateau
(3rd Auckld Coy)
15^th (N. Auckland). were more
in centre of line - didn't
turn up to left.]  →

2/
Monash Gully & climbed
up steep ground on our left
wh put us just past the Nek
(E of it). Just there there ws a
nice depression & we collected
the company in it. Then sent them
on thro scrub. Abt 200 yds
on met Kingdon. He had
4 or 5 live men & sev. wounded
holding on. He had bn there
all morning & had sent back
agn & agn for reinfs. We
asked who ws on left. Got 
reply 2nd Austrlns. On high
ground on our right rear were
Austrlns & (?) mtn guns.
Went on to edge of scrub where
it cleared - clear valley ws
in front w enemy trench abt
800 yds on.  ⇣  We were there

abt ½ hr - some Australians
with me - on crest of Baby 700
- cdnt see the sea. We went back to
 

3
Kingdon. I wanted to go back
& dig in by Nek but K. wdnt
leave his wounded. Stayed there
till 4.30. Fire very hot, m.g.
& rifle fire. Cdnt see T.s reinforcing
Had a platoon on right but
platoon comdr. missing ever
since. (Baddely).
Got back to Nek & found it
held by a few of 6^th Haurakis
(hadn't seen anyone there on 
way up). Got wounded & went
back to beach.
Were in 80 . O . 4 & looking
at 80 p. 6 - noticed quarry.
Turks first fired one gun
& then series of 4 - Sustained
rifle fire as long as ^^lying in scrub but
moment got up to advance
fire greatly increased. (Tho cdnt
see Ts except over towards sand
pit in trench). Brown line thro'
open, half way. From crest of
Baby 700 we finished w / scrub.
It ws open from there to sandpit.
 

Auckl. Inf. Aug 7.

4.
Col. Stuart ws k. between
Walkers & Nek abt 80 n 7.
& Major Grants body wd be betw
80  n 8 & 80 s. 2. His body
ws found. He ws Stuart ws
then advancing. Probly k. abt 5 to
5.30.
____________________________________
No N.Z. Inf on Banchopes
________
Auck. came following on Wellington
up Chailak. Reached top
after Wellington abt daybreak
4.15. Had no fighting so far.
Had breakf. M.G. from Chunuk
B. spotted us during breakfast
on southern slope of Dere -
rather west of Apex - & 9 men
lost. After breakf. Col. ws called
to Bde & put in over Apex
to take Chunuk B.
 

N Z 
We left 4 mgs on Chunuk B. some with
parties some without - these of course all 
lost
 

Pinnacle = Turks position

Apex ours
E. of Pinnacle there

ws dip of abt.
15 or 20 ft - then 
uphill to top of

Chunuk Bair.
The neck is abt
75 ft wide.

[Diagram]

5/
As soon as got over slope of
Apex - in lines of platoons.
Gurkhas (supposed to go 
simultaneously) started a little
after us to go in a curious
diamond shaped formation.
But some swerved into Sazli
& some to / Farm. N.Z. Men were
asking all / time - "But 
arent / Gurkhas coming."
They ∧^Gurkhas tried to creep round
under cover but got it
tt seems to be their way of
fighting - they cdnt face
/ fire. ∧^{(※ Take in map & notes here)} Auck. went over 
line after line over Apex.
Men went down so fast
as went over edge of Apex
tt Col. Younger thought they
were diving for dugouts. But
it ws m.g.s on Chunuk
(not Battleship) tt ws catching
 

[Diagram]
Auck put in wavy trenches.
T. latrine ws very flithy - No hole.
No sign of sanitation
 

6
it. ""There was nobody on Battleship
They cd have enfiladed us
from there there ws no one there."

We got 100 men out of the 3
Coys into / Turkish trench by 12 am
We had started at 11 a.m.
There ws a T. mountain
gun on Abdel Rahman -
she put in 60 shots or so.
This Turkish trench ws good
cover - ran down into Sazli
Beit. It had bn occupied
but they must have cleared
out tt morning - it ws a
good fire trench from Sazli
to Farm. We took up to slope
(drop of 30 ft) above Farm. Lost 
no one after getting to trench.
150 yds ws covered in abt
2 rushes. (X Take in here maps & notes)
That night we put in support
trench & ^^{started to} join it ^^{on Mond night} to trench on

Before Wellingtons attack we put
in tremendous shelling - our own
arty & ships - started abt
8 - right on top of Chunuk
Bair - from Walkers right
round / crest. That stopped
just before W. came up - they
followed almost just on,
Malone ws a little late. It
ws a splendid bombardment. →
 

7
Apex. Whole line had bn dug by
Mon-Tues. night - it ws 2-3 ft down.
Saty night you cd work out
in / open - Col. came back to
Bde H.Q. 3 Gurkhas got in.
We werent in touch w / Farm.
Men in Sazli (Gurkhas) were
never seen again - they must 
have got it from lower on Bship
Hill.
Sund. morning Wellington
came over in lines of platoons
extended, just before daybreak.
⇣ We watched them go up / slope
(straight slope from us to Chunuk Bair)
Every one of us got out of
trenches expecting every
minute to see the Turks open out on
them. First line disappeared
over crest. Some firing started.
Abt 10 mins. after they passed