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

Diagram - see original document.

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 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 ammn lying round - looked  
as if guns had bn galloped on.
No emplacemnts. Tents much
[[shorthand]], left tt I saw. 
Diagram- see original document. 
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 perh. 
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 & 
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 up limbered & 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 / 1^st 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.