Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/31/1 - April - May 1915 - Part 7

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59
By water bottle if passed down wd
never arrive back. During those 3
days one man ws k. shot thro' neck,
3 w. (& I think one of these ws shot
when getting out up trench). I got out
on Frid. morning for some tucker. 
Trench to left ws unattended. Got 
some bully, biscuits, 2 bottles
water - for abt 20 men.

Frid. afternoon relief started,
one by one, by marines. Those 
who came into my pit tt day
worked splendidly.

From Wed to Frid. no Ts
came close to us.  On Frid. mg.
we were under a heavy shell fire.
There ws a m.g. on ridge opp. at 600
yds . (cd see dust coming up).
She moved her positn after several 
volleys. There were others to rt &
left wh enfiladed ends of our trench.
This gun ws probly on Mortar Ridge 
Our Positn: N side of Wire Gully looking on
Jolly, Mortar R & towards G.O.T.

60 
To the last there ws a break in / 
line on our right & orders had to
be shouted across a bit of a dip 
there.

Came back & reported to Bde
H.Q. I had no sleep & no rest
for men. Maj. Brand gave men - v. tired
& hungry (two were left sleeping in
gully on way down) - biscuit,
cheese, cigarettes, tot of rum. They
started to eat & dropped asleep w 
food in their hands.              

Lt Connell.

61
3 guns - / T. going away w breech
block on saddle of mule ws shot.
Lots of ammun lying round - looked
as if guns had bn galloped on.
No emplacemnts. Tents much
[shorthand], left tt I saw.
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2 whole guns,
1 w breech
block taken
away -

Capt Maj. Brand & an officer
& some 20 men had plenty of
time gathering ammn. They went
on further. To our left ws
m.g in trench - we went on
& routed that out. We took
/ trench - they put a burst into
it but when they saw we
were determined to take / trench
they cleared w / gun.

We were in / trench just
an hour - by tt time / T.s
were coming down hill to [shorthand]

62
front. We came back by rushes to / line.
& ws there till Thursd. when RMLI came
in. We were S. of Bde H.Q.
----
On May 19 - 21st Batty got off
150 rounds per gun - between Quinns
& Popes, on Kaba Tepe (where guns
were still kept at tt date) & on Gun
Ridge. Their range ws abt 1700 on
valley ^head betw Popes & Quinns.
This day an infantry officer came
to Rawson & sd tt / Turks were getting
a waggon up hill - of some sort -
opposite a dead end o / Pimple
- cd he come & smash it. He put
one gun onto mules & brought it
into firing line.  It opened at 600 r
knocked out / waggon arrangement.
On returning Rawson found /
rest of his section v. pleased w
themselves. What is it? he asked
It turned out tt a battery had come
into / open. on Gun ridge at 2200

63
yds - these guns had / place
registered. The native officer
got onto them straight away w
4 shots & they uplimbered & went
off. Clowes vouched for this.

Olive Grove ws very lively this
morning of May 19, onto our
gun positions.
----
No of guns we had on us in
Ap. ws abt 46. Abt end of 
first week artillery actions were
important (acc. to Gen. Owen) &
Rosenthals & Browns guns did
good work in repelling real
attacks.

In May enemy had his 9.2 in W
Hills on us & abt 4 other guns from
there.

No. of guns now abt 70. (Nov 2.1915)
P.T.O.

64
Blamey tells me tt he went
up / night Maclaurin died
to / 1st Bde & spent / night
"holding old Owen's hand: The
Poor old Owen had worked
tremendously & ws very much
overstrained. Abt 9 ^or before an urgent
request ws sent to / Beach
& Blamey & Wagstaff gathered
up all / strays & / men they
cd get & took them up - &
found things v. peaceful.
They spent some time
arguing w Owen as to
whether they shd be put in.
That ws at 9p.m.