Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/32/1 - 1915 - Part 3
19
& answer came back “No
more bombs." Garvie then
began to shoot on Ts in 2nd
line of trenches & shot several.
They slipped down so a within
½ hr over edge on rt &
remained in dead grd. all day.
One ws wd in arm, 2nd
unwd, Garvie in foot w
bomb; they started him
off 1st as w. in foot - but
Ts immed. - he got in opened
w a demonstration & others
probly caught in this & never
turned up. Turks came
out & searched some bodies -
went back & ws laughing &
joking; second man got out -
our men ∧in trenches spotted him & fired
(Garvie was in /
first line.)→
:X:
[In our front trench (?).
The earth was falling
down in a continuous stream
from parapet so tt Dr cd not
dress his patients there.]
20
& he got back. After tt they
came away. ⇡
Someone saw a man plant
a flag on parapet on right
It is sd tt he planted a
flag, & as he planted it jumped
into / trench. - probly he wd
be in / first line - (who were
to take 1st line of trenches &
stop there). This may be taken
as correct. :X:
Tpr. Wilfred Harper of W. Australia
in 3rd line on extreme right
was last seen sprinting for his
life towards / T. trench.
2nd Line saw first line
go down. 3rd line saw
them & went out fast.
(Take this page in at X, next page but one.)
Gollan ^(who has died since) ws in 4th line wh
ws certainly ordered to go.
17 casualties in C.Sqn
(wh ws in 4th line)
10. L.H.
A & ½ B. 3rd Line.
Maj. Todd: Capt Fry, Capt M'Masters
Lt Heller, (Jackon D.A., bomb officer) Kidd,
Harper, Turnbull, Roskarns.
4th Line (½ B & C) ∧Maj. Scott: Capt Piesse; Lts Hamblin
Burgess (Irwin), Lyall, Capt Rowan, Lt Craig.
Maj. Scott who commanded
4th line got wounded ∧ws wounded - by
piece of bomb.
Piesse, Craig, & Rowan k; Craig
& Scott w.
Rowan ws k on parapet - body
recovered at once.
x Turnbull, Roskarns, & Lyall got stars night before
x Rhodes scholar
21
Sergt. Hampshire- who went
out w / 3rd line brought in6 or 7 several men - pushing them in
going on his elbows; he ws
in / centre - Lt Craig ws one
tt he saved. H. went out abt
5 & Lt Macbean sd he had to
throw his arms round him
to stop him going again. He
was getting someone else in
& passed Craig & told him he
wd come back for him.
C. lost his leg thro fracture
(also shot thro' elbow). m.g.
ws sweeping / parapet & hit
men in legs.
Maj. Scott 3rd line on left
got order to dig in - Lt Kidd
22
ws only officer in there ws some
of the 8th L.H. & 10th.
Lt Lyall ws w. on 8th - (previously w.
at Quinns). (X Take in here the last
page but one.)
----
11th Battalion, Landing
Note. Pinktop of the 11th (see regt Recd record)
called himself so because of
his red hair & used
to trade under / name.
(Dave Simcock ws his ∧real name).
----
Scott (4 Bn at L.Pine)
[Diagram - see original scan]
Maj. Mackay
had just
bn hit at L
Our aeroplanes had
made good trench
maps before L.P.
not accurate as to angle
but on whole excellent Officers knew by
name trench
they were to
take
Originally we had XY
Trench as Z made it untenable
thro' want of bombs
23
Lt J Osborne got hit at D in groin
Lloyds men got bombed to P & came
back without warning men in D
& built barricade at P.
Men in D were cut off.
M'N. sd to Scott: "Lloyds men have been
bombed back - you will have to take the trench."
I don't think he knew men were in D.
(Scott) "I sd who'll come w me.
We hopped over barr. at P
& made a rush straight towards
A not knowing what going at &
got them red handed bombing
just behind barricade & shot
3 or 4. Barr. was 4ft high
& we saw them over top - They
ran further along.
I sent 2 men along to bomb
hold Ts back while I &
another bombed. One of 2 men
on guard watching w rifles
& shooting got killed. They fired
(Take in opp where marked)
[At Lone Pine - young Richards
(4 Bn) tells me tt he thinks the
T. machine guns were picking
out the machine gun carriers
etc. Theirs were killed & they
seemed to play on them
when down.
Small bodies of Turks
remained when 3rd line got
in - abt 7 mins after charge.
When 1st men were already
just at furthest trench.
Shrapnel ws then drenching
space between & many got hit
in lining parapets - he noticed
them shrivel up, as it were, as
he ran past - one after another. The
Turks wd come out w their rifles
down - one or two first - then / rest.]
24
into Turk smoke. Bombs began
coming only one got in; did no damage.
One man got shot in / arm - one took place of dead man.
Man suddenly crawled in
from back (really from D).
[*(1Bn
4 Bn
3 Bn
all mixed*]
[*3 Bn
6 reinf
got killed)*]
M.g. from Jolly ws hitting bank
at S. I put Lloyd bldg a
barricade at S - mg.
I sd to other men ∧in D wriggle
along trench to end & get out
One man got shot & sd he cdnt
move.
I sd youve got to move. Get
along as best you can.
They made one flying leap
They threw their rifles over first
They threw us all sorts of bombs.
including some 75 cases filled w
H.E. one fell short- next settled
the Ts ∧in tt place. We threw our rifles & dead
mans rifle to Lloyd. Told him to
clear things while we made a dive -
weren't hit in crossing.
----
Trench ws v. low.
We had to wait till barricade built. ⇣
The Nek.
25
It is being asked in Engl. why
/ Light H. charged on / Nek?
I have often wondered if it ws
justifiable: But - putting it /
other way - w / N.Z. bde
fighting for its life on / slope of
Rhodo to reach / summit - involving
/ success or failure o / whole
operatn, as it appeared, -
cd they have stayed in their
trenches & done nothing?
They did help, undoubtedly,
to keep Turks away from B'ship
Hill.
---
[*4th Bde*] Aug 8 Rawson ∧o / Mtn Batty tells me tt he
did not see Monash's attack.
But at 8 or 8.30 on Aug 7 he
got notice to stand by to support
1 Australn Bde wh ws going
to attack Abdel Rahman Bair
at 11 o'c. This wd be from Gen. Cox.
The attack never came off.
Next day from abt 8 o'c onwds
he had shell / Razor Back
wh runs in a southerly direction
from Abdel Rahman (partly to
cover 4 Bde's retreat after attack)
It ws m.gs wh defeated / attack.
-----
27
Auckl. M.R. Maj. F. Chapman.
Aug 6/7 k. Chunuk 8th
Sphinx
Sphinx Gully between Walk. Ridge & Sph.
Came out on 5th. Rested 5 th
Slept on No 2 outpost w Otago.
All day 6th there (shelled some
casualties 1 k 2 w
abt 6pm.)
Moved 8.30 w orders rifles not to
be loaded. only bayonets used.
We were to rush Old No 3 outpost,
Rush & bayonet pickets.
Attack for 9pm.
3 Sqn. had met some pickets
& killed them - dont think there
ws any firing. Gun fire from
ship covered movement.
Interval of 10 min. Then
at foot of hill - we closed up
[*Take in this map
& note
here* →]
[Diagram - see original scan]
Heavy wire across
Nek
w gaps &
battery
of mines
in each
gap.
Man ws
standing
w hand
on
button
in
dugout
in trench
In beautiful dug out was switchbd
& 5 wires- batty only connected w one
Bayonet ws stuck thro him before he
had time to do anything
28
ranks. Then 2 sqns went up on
either side 3rd ∧(Auckland) on rt, 11 ∧(N.Auck) on left.
4th Waikato in centre in support.
We had got right to sandbags
& destroyer had lengthened fuse
& ws firing down reverse slope.
As soon as Destroyer shut
off her light tremendous cheer
Men clambered over trench,
others ran to rear jumping over
trenches not worrying abt positn
in front wh 4th wd deal with
found no m.gs. Large quantity
of bombs. Only one shot came
near one sqn. 8 k & 13 w ws
all regt loss (some bayoneted by
picket on hillside)..
→ :X: 2nd troop of 11th Sqn went
straight to dug outs on
near slope. Other 3 troops
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