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

7^th & 6th Aug
Reserve Gy.
C.E.W.B.
25/5/23.
8
but our men were still far away
at / bottom o / Gully. By / time
they got up / Ts. had all got back
& they got it in / neck.
-----
They also say tt / start for the 6^th Aug
attack ws fearfully slow. The
mtn 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 ws
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 outs; /
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 Bns of the 4th Bde.
 

8th L.H. 
↑
Col White
Dale
Redford        T. Woods
A. Wilson ilson Marsh Sergt M. Grenfell H. Borthwick B. Henty
Deeble
McLaurin   Hore
Rob. Hy. Craw Grant Car. Howard
_________________________________
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, wdnt go sick.
The job of those on the right o / line was to

To get round / pocket on / rt
(the head of Monash Gully, so → 
Hand drawn diagram, see original

9
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   Henty       Lt Tablet Woods
Lt Dale 
Anderson   Redford    Marsh   Borthwick
Wilson
2nd line
Hore
How Howard
Hoare
Robinson  Higgins Deeble Crawford Wilson Grant Carthew
Maclagan
(by red lamp)
Maclaurin
(at Whispering 
Tunnel)

10
Account of Nek charge as [1]
seen by Sergt Ashburner from Turks Head.

Diagram - see original 

Aug 7. The Nek
Sergt Ashburner- 10-000 rounds from
Turks To Pt ^post during night.

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 out w. m.g.
onto Turkish right agst orders.
Front trench ws full of Ts breast
high. We cdn't see back line of 
trench - not bec. 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 all down -

Mr Hutchinson took a party of snipers
(5) & shot Ts at 200 yds & guns got /
lot - As soon as gun got onto

12
them they got down & knocked
out 2 men of section.

As soon as bombt. ceased (w
couple of stray shots) Turks began to
get heads over parapet. After
charge ws over destroyers
started 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 3rd had
gone thro out) tt it ws a failure

Capt Hoare running a long way
ahead & one man, got within 
abt 15 yds of T trenches. 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 1^st then main 3 or 4 [[?]]
party
Cd see men trying to drink
out of bottles afterwds - & raising
arms - but within 3 or 4 hrs they
seemed to be dead.

Then a 1/4 hr before next lot
Then a long time before last lot.
10th L.H., Hill 60
Throssell ws w 
Sanderson - Saundison in
charge of bombers, Throssell in
charge of sappers. Started abt
20 mins later. Got into trenches.
Cpt Fry (in x ^in command of the 1st line) ws

13a
X as T bombs were 
falling in. They told
Fry to leave it but he 
wdn't →

Hand drawn diagram - see original 

(my sketch - from memory
- not fresh evidence)

Turk in Quinns:

Tpr. 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.

14
k. in throwing bombs - ⇣ were
bldg parapet & throwing Turkish
bombs. (no fighting for a few
hrs - some waited for 1^st party).
Prob ^Turks on left to waited on rear side
of ^their parapet for tt side is where we lost so
heavily 
on left.

It was on Aug 29. / aux tt 1st line
left trenches.  Joined w 9^th
9th abt 10 minutes after.
Th. 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 - see original 

Kidd put in little
T trenches afterwds
at S & S so tt men
cd fire without getting
into open.

In 1st c- attack
When Turks came in at Y Capt Kidd
threw out a party into scrub on own
initiative & cleared them back from
Z into their own trench.
A Kidds 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 & ^now put up a 3rd.
(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 (or 3d)
c-attack - for an hour abt ½ hr, all
bombing. 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 cover - 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 2 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 agst will tt he cd ws not
to go back as he ws unfit.

All men thro / night spoke of work &
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 agn 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. Amblce. He not
begged not to be sent away
& sd he ws alright /
day before - the D^r tells me
he wsnt alright. He
ws wounded in / trench

17
thro ' hand ^before starting, went out nevertheless
& had his thigh shattered -
(bomb or 75) Many men hit
thro leg fell into stream of bullets.
2 men ran past Hoare.
Bomb

There ws a distinct pause
betw. time when went bombt.
ceased & 1st line went.

Destroyer started firing
into trenches in front &
on Snipers' Ridge (prob. after
our attack started).

75 ws firing v. rapidly
after our men started.

2nd line abt 2 mins after
1st. Some from secret sap (abt. 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.) did not get out
owing to wounded blocking
trenches & difficulty of 
getting in.

Gen. Hughes, xxx was
looking thro periscope from Olivers
trench mortar positn.

M Garvie of 8 L.H. ws out all
day, all tt night, all next day,
& came in follg night betw 7 & 8;
He & 2 others got underneath
T. parapet (sandbags) unwounded
at time. They one bag of bombs 
all of wh they threw into
T trench; called out for more