Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/30/1 - April - August 1915 - Part 2

8
a pty came back w a
m. g. section (5 men. and German
N.C.O. from Goeben). They told
us they had captured the Turkish
trenches. By standing upon
our trench you cd see
some o / changes they afterwds
made, but (they left us alone).
Fight ws incessant (we came
out on Monday night).
L.N. Lancs took over our
trench on night of Mond. Aug 9. N.Z.
left 4 m.gs on Chunuk Bair - some with parties; some without.
These of course were all lost (the guns).
Saw nothing of Baldwins attack
on Mond. morning - B. got up
Aghyl Dere & entrenched below
Farm & ws there on Tues.
morning. On Monday night
some ^K.Army (39 Bde) people started to dig
(39 Bde)

trench to join up w us from /
Farm but it had not got thro
when we left.  Abt 80yds to come.

[The 8 10^th L.H. on No 1
Post saw at Daybreak
Turks attacking in at
least 4 or 5 lines from Bship
hill - our shrapnel on them,
some falling - then came on
out of sight.
That after abt 100 men
came rushing down Sazli Beit

→
 9

On Mond night we were brought
back - on Tues. morng. put onto
Cheshire Ridge. There ws
no artillery bombardment
of our trenches by Turks as far
as we cd see. There ws a
tremendous shooting from Chunuk
Bair. We did not see trenches on
top go bec. they had come out by
daylight . Saw Turks coming
over from Chunuk towards farm -
coming in small parties -
dozens at a time rushing over
(cant see very top of Chunuk
from there) This ws from 6
onwards. Our own trench had
gone also - Turks were not up
w them at all. The second line
went at same time as Chunuk
Bair. Turks never got there in
force. Unquestionably these trenches
cd have bn held & wd have
saved / Farm. ↑
On Wed. Auckl. & Otago

10
took over ^the Apex from Leinsters
& covered it while trenches were
dug by the Welsh Pioneers - lying
out in big screen. Turks at
this time were digging in - busy
at night robbing our dead
- all covering pties for some
days reported this. The Ts.
were fought right out & were
very quiet. You cd sit
out on / parapet those
days & not get a shot fired
at you. Reld ^Relieved on Sunday by
40th Bde 10 Divn (Royal Welsh)
when trenches finished.

----
The Farm. This ws left
on Tuesd. No one ws there on
Wed morng. Turks didnt
come down there till abt
Friday or Saturday.
Ts never got as far as Farm
on Tues. but got down ridge
to left towards Abdel Rahman - 
we had a line along ridge

Gloucesters went out more
towards Farm.→
11

slope towds Abdel Rahman but
it ws ordered back as it ws
considered tt / salient ws too

big if left exposed.
Gurkhas who came in
with Auck. on 7th had lost
way & come up Chailak
instead of Aghyl. They
were afterwds sent back to left
but very few left. ↑
The British troops simply
left the Farm - they were not
losing heavily & there ws 
no need to leave it.

-----
At bottom of sap down
Sazli there ws a Turkish
well & all our wounded
were lying there - fully 300
were there, crowded round it. Men
who weren't badly hit were

2 Auckland m.gs were
left w / Wilts in
Malone's trenches - 
& m.g. crews. (Two of
these gunners survive). →
12
giving them drinks. One
man belonging to Wellington
who ws shot thro leg (broken)
(from in front of Farm)
& 3 bullets holes thro / other

foot, crawled all night 

on Sund. night up & got into

our trench on Mond. at
daylight - lay there bandaged & set by chap
who knew first aid; lay
all day in sun (Paddy
M'Gurk, cook in Hawkes
Bay Coy) & ws carried
out by s.bs at night.
"I'll run you 100yds 
yet Sir," he sd as they
took him over / trench.
S.bs were working to
wounded in Sazli Beit
- weren't even sniped-
probly most were got out.
We were short of s.bs.
→

Helles
13
10.30.  Auck. first over
Innisk. & Hants trench, then
over Essex (150 yds forwd).
Under Shrap. & unaimed
fire ever since left 2 support
lines. At 1^st trench got
m.gs. on us. One m.g.
from across Big Nullah on left
other on hill near Daisy
Patch. Fir trees were far
to our right. Auck & Cant.
between us & Austr.
Got 200 yds. from Essex
& dug in - Centre ws
held up. Our extreme
left ws held. K.O.S.Bs
& Indians were there.
At 5.30 Gen. Marshall
ws there. KOSB officer told
Marshall he cd not go forwd -
wd rather be relieved of his
command. At 5.30 Essex

14
came into our trench
Sent ford. sectn on rt of
Wellington & they got wiped
up on the hill - only
2 men got back - So
line ws held where it ws
& Essex went back to own
trench agn. The right were
a good deal further back -
had made abt 100 yds.
They advanced but had
to fall back w heavy
casualties in Daisy
Patch (Auckl-)
Canterbury on extreme
right got up to where Austrlns
were & held on but w ?
their left bent back.

Lone Pine
( 7 Bn)
15
On morning of 9th (see cable 49)
the T. machine guns, ^in J. Jolly kept up a
constant fire on our parapet.
They could get our men in / back
where they cd see them on / Southern
flank.
Diagram - see original scan
Our parados 

had not bn

made high eno'
T. mgs cd see a
row of men w their heads over
/ parapet. At dawn this day
they swept down this line ^- of 7th Bn & - so
men who are there say - practically
killed the lot. They just fell forwd
one after another w their heads on
/ parapet as if they were resting
My informant spe (Corpl. Ball) spoke
to one officer (Lieut Edwards) - thought
he ws merely deaf (as he had bn) -
but he ws dead. The diffy of the
7 Bn ws tt our commn trenches
were so bad & so few as yet tt
bombs cdnt be got up & we were
afraid to hold / front line lightly
& trust to / supports - thought

18 Bn at Hill 60
16
/ supports cd not be got up
in time.

----
An officer o / 18 Bn  who ws present tells
me tt On 22 Aug 18 Bn at Hill 60 had
no preparation except tt at 4 o'c a.m. or
thereabouts officers were asked to meet
the Bde Major of the NZMR. He sd:
Gentlemen - there's a hill over there
in / possession o / enemy. You
can go round to / south side of it
where / Sikhs have a trench & you
will take it from there." They understood
Gen. Monash's men wd cooperate
w them - & there their advice
ended. They were marched straightaway
to / place, w a guide - when they
reached Kaiajik Dere / guide
turned up it & led them right
up it instead of across to /
Indians - & they had to turn
round as best they cd & go
back down / creek & then
across / field - Result ws tt
Turks saw them in / Kaiajik, & and
knew something ws up. The Turks
saw them again (it ws now breaking
daylight) crossing / wheat or stubble
field before getting to / Sikhs -

17

They were here in column of route
& several m.gs & rifle fire opened
on them when they were all in / field
They broke. Some ran to / Sikhs
trench - others to / scrub (most of
these were k.) Abt 40 were knocked
over. At the gate (or gap in / hedge)
in / Sikhs line / offrs got together
what men they could & pushed
on to / attack in little parties
of 8 or 10. A  m.g. opened on them
at once in / gap. They some of
them reached the T. trench
- others didn't. They didnt

Diagram - see original scan
know N.Z. ws holding part o
/ trench, they didn't know what

trench or trenches there were or
what they were supposed to do.
(Their Col. may have known but
he didn't tell / officers -
I doubt if he had much time)
Maj Lane took his party down
/ trench to / left & ws bombed
out. Ts. counter attacked bravely
- officers at any rate. They cd
see officer on parapet waving
his sword - he ws shot.