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

39

up posns 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; pracy  ^practically 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 forwd on

flanks). They threw socks

bombs in socks - cd throw

abt 50 yds. Their shrapnel

final started. Ours also.

Abt ¼ hr after Turks began

to move (5 a.m.) 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.

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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

were within 40 or 50

yds & other shells were

exceedingly well timed)

Elmslie ws hit w rifle

bullet just as he got to trench.

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

Diagram - see original document

(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 gt
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
¼ hr without our blazing at

44

Ts. somewhere.

At 6.48 7 a.m. I ^had sent down a

message to Bdier to say

Ts had attacked heavily & 

we wanted ammn & reinfs (messenger had to run  like devil)

No answer. 

Repeated message at 8 a.m.

Abt 10 I saw movement down

hill. Sent word along tt reinfs

were coming. Abt 12, 40 odd

of 6^th L. Lancs. got into trench

just in front of me - (Major had

bn sent w a Coy. Didn't know

where rest were). Only one

of them fired a shot during / day

They only lay in bottom of

trench. N.Z. officers kicked

some of them. But I saw we

45

cd hold / post till relief

as our men were holding so well

My instrns 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 imd. after dark up

it came - water, s.bs., D^r, ammn

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up by 9 o'c (All our N.Z. men).

We got wounded out. Held

trenches to betw 11 & 12

when reld. & retired below

Divl H.Q. on Cheshire Ridge -

Infy Bdier to 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." Godleys congratulns also.

Maoris were on Farm.

Auck. M.R. went up on

Sund morng & lost 196 out

of 248 on Sund (in open in 
day time).

Well lost 110 out of 183 on

top of hill.

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500 6 Loyal Lancs &

400 Wilts (900 in all)

reld. us - more men than

we ever had. We went in w

583 & came out w 280.

Well. Inf., and few Glos.,

Auckl. M. R.; Well. M.R.

& Otago M.R. inf. reld them

on Sunday night.

30 Well. Inf. rolled up within

a day or two. Malone ws

talking to another officer at

his H.Q. on Sund afternoon

abt 4.30 when one of our

shells killed him.

On Mond morning

abt 7. or 8 am a Turk came

round left round clay face on

5 Otago Inf

1 well M R

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on W of Chunuk carrying rifle

in sling in hand, & coming up

to crest from rear. He seemed

to lunge at someone w his

bayonet & ws shot himself

imd. after.
------

We left 6 men behind on /

L.N.L. xxx

Meldrum asked one as to

strength of Ts. tt morning. He sd

/ 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.
------

6^th L.N.L. had one of Well. M.R.

m.g.s left w them but none of

Wellington gunners.
-----

They gave just at daylight.

-----

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

(is this men or guns?) xxxx