Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/32/1 - 1915 - Part 4

29

got into rearmost trench

& made good position.

Sergt Maj. Milne got 5 running

Turks to one grenade. The

Ts seemed (all exc. abt 40) to have

pulled out to dugouts during shelling

-proby asleep. Some had no

arms. No great yelling - Our

own cheer proby startled

them - cheered loud to let

fellows on left know.

 

Were thro' to rear trenches by

9.15. No live Ts. (exc. a few

prisoners taken) until on position

after 9.30.

 

There for rest of night &

till 1.30 next day.

Then went to Overtons

Gully near NZ Inf Bde H.Q.

There all tt night, till 2 am.

on 8th. 

 

[Hand drawn diagram}

Chunuk.

Rhodo

iii

 

30

Aug 8th-2am. moved to support infy.

Remained by Bde H.Q.

Abt 9 am. ordered to support infy.

Deployed into 8s & ran across

neck in 8s. 3 or 4 migs on as there -

Had some wounded. Lay down

behind a saddle - (whole

regt). X (map here) There when men moved

the shrapnel got onto as 2 guns on far hills indirect fire. Extreme range.

Col. Chapman K. by shrap.

5K.8w.

At abt xx 1pm. we moved 

to support firing line - crawling

on stomachs. We had to crawl

over a little ledge into a second

shallow gully wh took us within 200

yds of firing line. Then we

deployed & charged across

in ½ sqns. (Maj. Schofield comdg)

Fire ws high. We found men in firing

line were done. The trench

ws 3/&6 deep. On rs it ws

within 5yds of T.trench, on

 

[Hand drawn diagram}

Turks

Little trench w 4 or 5 dead territorials

Turnks get in here (on 8th)

NZ Trench

Turk Trench

NZ trench

4 sqn charged

Headq. of Base

Turks get in here

 

31

left 15 yds. They were bombing

-succession of attacks all I

time. New bns seemed to be

coming whole time. 50. 60.

hand grenades in air at once.

We had no hand grenades &

those in trenches had pl used

all theirs. They Turks were getting

right out of trenches & coming on 

w bombs, officers leading them -

just got over trench to make

attack & we knocked them

down - Also opp saw at least

10 or 15 attacks all afternoon

Little shrapnel. Wounded out

in rear were getting it -

s.bs were working all night.

→

The 4th Sqn bringing up

rations etc ws somehow or

another ordered to charge

& ws cut up.

 

At little sandbag H.Q.

Signallers were sitting 

outside main H.Q. when

German officer came up &

asked signaller if he were

English or N.Z. He sd yes.

Stranger fired w revolver,

missing him. Sergt. Maloney

(N. Cluckil Sq.) picked up rifle

& drove bayonet thro. him.

Turks coming behind shot

Maloney. In night - diff to see

Alsopp saw it - cam thro

prickly scrub - spoke beautiful

English - he ws not more

than 3 yds away.

You cd see/ other

Turks. Capt Wood ws shot

there (sniping there all day)

All comms were cut off. Had

telephone but wires destroyed.

Lt [?] went down 2 or 3 times

for reinforcements. 

 

[Hand drawn diagram]

 

Remaining 2 sqns were to

have come thro scrub but climbed

up clay faces (enabling to cut -

 

33

Wellington M.R.

Started behind Auckland.

Turned (1st 2 troops.i.e. abt 50) Turned

off to right at abt 10.xx & seized

Destroyer Hill by 10.15.

Bayonets abt 20 Turks, 8 were

taken prisoner; many ∧were in dugouts -

It was done & v.quickly. The Trench

was on top -∧they went thro the dugouts first.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

(map in here)

Common betw. Old No 3 & T.Top. They

zigzagged up I end ∧o/gully. When ∧they were half

way up, Turks threw a flare

on ridge between Old No 3 &

T.Top wh set fire to scrub &

raised a big flame. Men

were just then digging zigzag

steps in clay face NW of Table

Top & were clearly visible.

They stopped a moment -

thought might be visible from