Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/32/1 - 1915 - Part 2

7th &6th day

Reserve Gy.

C.EW.B.

25/5/23.

but our men were still far away

at / bottom o / Gully. But / time

they got up / Ts. had all got back

& they got it in / neck

They also say tt / start for the 6th Aug

attack ws fearfully slow. The

mortar guns were to push off at 9.30

 - They did so & arrd. at Rest Gully

at 10.30. There a staff officer sd

" The advance guard even has not

pushed off yet" (I think he was

wrong). The battery officer made his

men lie down & sleep till called

while he sat watching / start.

When it came, men had to be

hunted from their dug out; /

regts were not ready paraded;

they started in batches w huge

gaps between - both Australians

Indians. Some hopeless staff

work there. This wd be / last 2 Bn of the 4th Bde.

 8th L.H.

↑

Col White

Dale

Redford

T. Woods

a. Wilson xxxxx Marsh say Grenfell Borthwick Hurly

[[?]]

McLauren   Hore

Rob. Hy. Craw Grant Car. Hound

_________________________________

175 (abt) in each line. No one went

sick since they knew there was an attack - one

old miner,very bad for a long time, wont go sick

The job of those [[?]] be right o / line  was to

To [[prbly?]] [[?]] / pocket or 1st

(the head of Monash Gully, so → 

Diagram

at the Nek.
work there. This and be /

last 2 bns of the 4th Bde

8th L H Reg Aug 7

From Rt

1st line

Col White  

Lt Table Woods

Lt Dale 

Marsh

Borthwick

Redford

Anderson

Wilson

 

2nd line

Hore

xxxx

Howard

xxxx

Grant

Carthew

Higgins 

Deeble 

Crawford

Wilson

Robinson

xxxxxxx

( by red lamp

Maclaurin

(at Wispering Tunnel)

10

Account of Nek charge as

seen by Sgt Ashburner from Turks Head

Diagram: please see scanned original document

Aus 7. The Nek

Sgt Ashburner- 10-000 rounds from

Turks ^^post during nights

4.30 am. told  to cease fire

Bombardment shelled into Gully

& other lines but missed front

line of trenches. A Turk Officer

kept on looking over from front

line at end of proceedings after

charge - shell hit him.

11 10
Turks were on top of parapets

Ashburner opened with m.g.

onto Turkish right agst orders.

Front trench ws full of Ts breach

bigde - We cdnt see back line of 

trench - not bc of

Third line got as far as Knoll

to scaling ladders had bn dropped there

by first party.

1st & 2nd lines went out running -

charging; 3rd line bent w

rifles on guard, walking.

When they got as far as Knoll they

turned & those who cd get back

to trenches did so.

Order came thro' from Col Russell-

aren't you firing on our own men.

Men were then call down-

Mr Hutchinson took a party sniper

(5) & shot Ts at 200 yds & guns got /

lot- As soon as gun got onto

12

then they got down & knocked

out 2 men of section.

As soon as  bombs ceased (w

couple of stray shots) Turks began to

get near our parapet. After

charge ws over destroyers

starter firing. No shells seemed to

go into the front line till after show

ws over when destroyer put

abt 10 shell straight in.

Some of first party, bombing party,

got over the skyline to the right &

we thought / thing ws going well till

word came down (after 3hrs had

gone thro tt it ws a failure

Capt Hoare running a long way

ahead  & one man, got within 

 abt 15yds of Ts. He

had abt 80 yds to go where he 

was - looked round once to see

13

if men were coming.

The Ts. started to fire before our

men got out - they seemed to

expect a bombardment.

Bombing party ws 1st then main party 3 or 4 mins

cd see men trying to drink

out of bottles afterwards - & raising

arms- but within 3 or 4 hrs they 

seemed to be dead.

Then ¼ hr before next lot.

Then a long time before last lot.

10th L.H., Hill 60.

Russell wd w

Sanderson - Saunderson in

charge of Bombers, Throssell in

charge of sappers. Started abt

20 mins later. Got into [[?]].

Capt Fry (in command of the 1st ^Bt line) wd

13a

Diagram - please see original scanned document.

(my sketch- from memory

 - not fresh evidence)

Turks in Quinns

1pm Robson last of line ws getting out

of trench when he fell back. xx Turk

appeared over parapet abt to shoot.

Other T seized rifle & shot him - Last

seen struggling w some others.

15

K is throwing bombs - here (referring to diagram)

See diagram Pge 13a

were bldy parapet & throwing Turkish

bombs. (No fighting for a few

hrs - some waited for 1st party).

Prob ^^Turks left to waited on rear side

of ^^their parapet for xxx xxx xxxx we lost so

heavily on left.

It was on Aug 29. / Aus tt 1st time

left trenches.  Joined w 9th
 xxx abt 10 minutes after.

Tk went w 2nd line on extr, right;

The Ts made a bit of a fight as

they retired. An unwounded T

prisoner indicated by signs where

c - attack might be expected. It

came off at abt 4 am-cd

just see them coming out of

 trench wh ran from top of ours

on right - (these seemed to be

old trenches - those down /

hill on plains  flat).

By this time McBean had bn

14a

(Take in this page at A)

When we got into them the

trenches were in some places half

full of dead Turks who had often bn

lightly buried under floor of trench

leaving surface springy.

Plan of Turk. Counter attack.

Diagram: please see original scanned document

Kidd put in little

T trenches afterwards

at S & S x tt men

cd fire without getting

into open →

In first attack

When Turks came in at Y Capt  Kidd

threw out a party into scout on own

initiative & cleared them back from

Z into their own trench.

A Kidd party (he ws out w them)

Kidd certly did excellent work (his 3rd [[?]]

battle

15

k in trench (after charge he met

pty of Turks in Trench. He k

one, next k. him - shot).

We were consolidating - Throssell

& Fry were busy putting up

overhead cover - were

caught in middle of it.

Attack ws chiefly w bombs.

We cd see them - apparently

in lines. First line wiped

out or took cover. Second

line wd pick up remainder

etc. We had erected 2

barricades & ^put up a Bn.

(Ts are now using our first.)

We beat off 1st C.attack

in abt ½ hr. & then went on

consolidating (while T.s

bombing only from x) Before

15a 

light they delivered 2nd (0r 3d)

c-attack - for an hour abt xxxx, all

bombing x we replied w rifles &

bombs; men on left had to get

over parapet to fire. It ws v fierce

 - lost many of these men on parapet.

There was a third milder attack abt

abt 6 am. Throssell ws working

at shelters & c attacks & practically

held / end o / trench himself

while parapet ws being built - barricade

& overhead count- He ws bombing. He

must have k abt 7 Ts w his rifle -

he was holding end of trench while barr.

blt in front of him. He ws hit w bullet

at abt 7 am in shoulder; he didnt go

to get wound dressed. In 4 o'c. c - attack

ws hit thro neck w rifle bullet & didnt

leave trenches. Capt K. ordered him out -

at abt 8 am. He went to Capt Bentley & 

ws told much after-will  tt he won’t

to go back as he ws unfit.

All men thro / night spoke of [[?]]

gt encouragement he gave them.

(A) Here

take in last

half but one.

16

10th L.H. NEK

Aug 7. Capt Vernon Piesse

10 Regt ws sent away to [[Hosp?]] ship by Dr

abt  aug 4 - he objecting.

 

He knew there ws an attack

on - So he got off on night

of Aug 6 & ws k. next morning.

"I'd never have bn able

to stand up after If I hadn't

he sd. the night before.

Serg Gollan ( son of Maj. G.

of Beverley W.A. ) whose father

made him start in / ranks

was in F Amblu. He not

begged not & be sent away

[[4 sake ?]] was & so he ws alright /

day before - he dr tells me

he wsnt alright. He

ws wounded in / trench

17

thro ' hand before starting, went out never the less

& had his thigh shattered -

(bomb or [[75?]]) many men hit

thro leg fell into streamof bullets.

2 men ran past Hoare.

Bomb

There ws a distinct pause

betw time when went bombs.

ceased & 1st line went.

Destroyer started firing

in to trenches in front &

on Surprise' Ridge (prob. after

our attack started).

75 guns firing v rapidly

after our men started.

2nd line aft 2 mins after

1st. Some from secret sap (aft. 3

ft deep).

On left the word 3rd line

18

advance ws passed down

before 2nd line ws clear.

4th line didnt get out on

left & part of 3rd line (a troop

of B sqn.) didnt get out

owing to wounded blocking

trenches & difficultly of 

getting in.

Gen Hughes, xxx was

looking thro periscope from Olivers

trench mortar position.

M Garvie of 8 L.H. ws out all

day, all tt night all next day,

& confirm night betw 7 & 8;

He & 2 others got underneath

T. parapet (sandbags) unwounded

at time. They one  of bombs 

all of wh they threw into

T trench; called out for more