Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/32/1 - 1915 - Part 5

39

up postns in central trenches

on Chunuk.. No rifle

shooting. Abt 600 yds to go -

we occupied right half of

left trench & left half of 
right. Otago inf occd. flanks.

Col. Moore w^d in leg and

retired 10.15 (Telephone

place sand bagged at left. edge -

I shifted it to centre 10 yds

behind main trench - we

only had 1 trench abt

5 ft 6 in ^deep; practically prac no traverse

we were digging all night till

daylight. In centre we were

abt 25 yds from T. Trench.

I dont know if they occupied

it.

Turks not attacking

nor bombing tt night.

40

Dawn 9^th Bomb attack

started. seemed to be coming

over constantly. One man

wd run forwd & throw

bomb & be shot down (they

had to run fowd on

flanks). They threw socks

bombs in socks -cd throw

abt 50 yds. their shrapnel

xxxx started. Ours also.

Abt ¼ hr after Turks began

to move (5am.) our 

how^s. threw 3 big shells

into our trenches. Some of
men on left broke(this after
bombs) & began to retire
from trenches. Meldrum

went out w Capt Kelsall

& Maj Elmslie to turn them.

41

Elmslie who had his troop

by him led them up to fill

in where these men had

left / trenches. Men very 

quickly came back (abt 40

or 50 yds - one shell had k.

Statham, anor officer, & 7 or 

8 men - shell came

definitely from behind us. Trenches

xx were within 40 or 50

yds & other shells were

exceedingly well timed)

Elmslie ws hit w rifle

bullet just as he got to [shorthand].

He fell fowd, got up & got into

trench - but hit from shoulder

to neck & died a few mins

later. He smiled to some o /

on left ^there were 3 trenches as under

[Hand drawn sketch, see original]

(probly dug by our men) ⇣
 

42

men & sd " I'm afraid I

cant help you much further

boys; but you're doing

well - keep on."

Kelsall folld into trench w /→

men near Elmslie & ws very

soon k. w bomb. Capt Hastings

& Capt James had had legs

shattered by bombs. They

& many men got out of trench

& lay behind parados firing

over it (this left more room

in trench). →

Attack lasted in full

strength abt ¾ hr. We lost 50 per

cent. Not a budge in / men -

they stood up to it joking & laughing

Turks were rushing forwd

dropping down & shooting - 2 or
 

43
3 lines of these lines of
skermishers - then bomb
throwers threw from behind.
Our men on left cd see Ts.
attacking on our rt. Our rt
cd shoot across to left (dip
in centre of positn) & we
kept this going all day.
There must have bn gd
executn done amongst
their supports on hiill bec.
we had much greater arty
fire.  They only had 2 guns -
one Gaba Tepe way, one
from Anafarta (these did
most o / damage).
Turks made little attacks
20 at a time all day.  Never
14 hr without over blazing at
 

 

44

Ts somewhere.

At xxxx 7 am. I had sent down a

message to Bdier to say

Ts had attacked heavily &

we wanted [[?]] & [[?]]

No answer. (messenger had to run  like devil)

repeated message at 8 am.

Abt 10 I saw movement down

hill. Sent word along tt reinfs

were coming. Abt 12, 40 odd

of 6th L. Laucs. got into trench

just in front of me - (Major had

bn sent w a coy. Didn't know

where rest we).

Only one

of them fired a shot during / day

They only lay in bottom of

trench. No 3 officers kicked

some of them. But I saw we

45

cd hold / post till relief

as our men were holding [[?]] well

 y [[?]] were tt / post

ws to be held to / last man.

I sent tt message a little after

noon (there is a [[moral?]] effect

in reinfs coming in - but /

actual men were worth nothing), 

Ts had no chance w

our men during day. Some

shells got in , but we cd hear

/ gun & pass / word along.

Never more than 20 Ts showed

at a time tt afternoon.

No ammn or water during /

day but [[?]]. after dark up

it came - water, s.bs., Dr, ammn

46

up by 9 o'c (all our N.Z. even).

we got wounded out. Held

trenches to [[?]] 11 8 12

when [[reld?]] 9 retire below

Divl H.Q. on cheshire Ridge-

Infy Bdier & mounted Col.

"Well Col. you may tell -

your men this if you like

tt I'm satisfied now you

can fight as well as 

we do." Got by, [[?]] also

Maoris were on Farm.

Auck. M.R. went up on

second morng & lost 19 out

of 248 [[?]] [[?]] (in open in day time).

Well lost 110 out of 183 on

top of hill.

47

500 6 loyal [[?]] &

400 wilts (900 in all)

reld. as - more men Than

we ever had - we went in as

583 & came out as 280.

Well. Inf., And few [[?]].

Auckl. M. R.; well, M.R.

& Otago M.R. inf. reld. there

on Sunday night.

30 well. I rather up within

a day or two. Malone ws

talking to another officer at

his H.Q. on [[Sun?]] after [[?]]

abt 4.30 when one of our

shells killed.

on Mond morning

abt 7. or 8 am a Turk came

round left round [[lay?]] face on

5 Otago Inf

1 well m R

48

on W of Chunnk carrying rifle

in sling in hand, & coming up

to crest from rear. He seemed

to lunge at someone w his

bayonet & we shot [[?]]

[[?]]. after

____________________

____________________

We left 6 men behind on /

L.N.L. xxx

Meldrum asked one as to

strength of Ts. tt morning. He said

/ Turks had not fired more than

60 bombs all thro - he ws revelling

in it, shooting for all he ws

worth. He looked along & saw men

bolting from the left.

6th L.N.L. had one of well. M.R.

m.g.s left w them but none of

Wellington [[Sunners.]]

____________________

They [[?]] just at daylight.

______________

5 of Otago Inf - 1 of well. M.R. were left

(is this men or guns?) xxxx