Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/32/1 - 1915 - Part 6

49
The relief got up there at 10 p.m.
“orders wd come along “ No 2 sqn
to leave / trenches” Meldrum
had to pass back order on no
a/c to leave them. Relief finished
by abt 12pm. M. said to
L.N.L. man - " your trouble
will be to get eno'  trenches
to cover your men. I'd
keep them digging all night
 - you're safe until then” (digging
at night ws safe) Told Bdier:
I think who asked have 
I eno’ men to hold it?? " I
think youve too many -If
I  were to hold it for 24 hrs 
I'd like 700”-

Otago - Inf.
[hand drawn symbol - see original document]
(Take in 2 pages ahead, where marked)
Thousands  of Tommies ^were lying abt
in reserve stand. night getting up no bombs.
You cdnt get water while in
reserve.
Otaga went into
Chunuk Bair on
night of 8 without food or water.

Otago p. 1. 
50
Otago Infantry left
J left  ^ No 3 Post at abt 10.30.pm; they
ran straight into wire in 
Chailak Dere. Several men
wounded on leaving cover of No.2
post
Mounted men xxx ^were supposed to clear
the bottom of Bauchops.
Bde halted under No 3.
There seemed to be isolated Ts.
on S. slope Bauchopes.
The lower wire had bn cleared
by / Maoris.
But there ws wire higher up.
There were 20 Ts. in this trench
(who had got there after M.R
passed).
We climbed N.slope of Table top.
There ws heavy opposition on
this slope from abt 700 Turks.
We came along Dere.
spread whole Bn out in line
& went up slope from N.

[Hand drawn diagram-see original document ]
 

Otago p 2 51
Just before we rushed them (they
were in bivouacs) They shouted,
piled arms -  & yelled "Finish
war! " All sorts of phrases
meant for English - kissed
officers, shook hands. It ws
just at dawn. They were just
under top Capt. Wilkinson
had bn k. by them.  Prac. no
loss till Rhodo ^Spur -We bombed
them out of Rhodo w battalion
bombers & went up onto
Rhodo. Lay there morning &
afternoon. m.g. fire on us
from direction of Apex & shrapnel
from N? Recalled at 4 pm into
valley. Spent night just
above bde H.Q. ^on night of 8^th we
went into trenches on lower
Chunuk.  At Daybreak we were

[Hand drawn symbol-see original document]
(Lt Dougal, was thro’
the fight.
Glos & Welsh
Pioneers
were in originallybut ^were held by us.)

Otago p.3
52
blown out w bombs & H.E.
shell (supposed to be our own but
no one quite knows - Ts were
in rear). Retired abt 50 to 100
yds back into 2nd line. The front
Fiost trench ws v. rocky & had
to be dug deeper - so probly ^was not an
Turkish ^trench. The chief attack ws in
early morning betw 4 & 5
Reld. at 10 -12 pm on 9th.
by L.N.L.
Wilts (below farm)
[Hand drawn symbol- see original document] (Take in here passage from
2 pages back.)
Capt Colquhoun} 
Lt Kerr                   }hit on Rhodo Spur
Capt Wilkinson hit at 2.30 on
Table Top.
Lt. Nesbit ws hit abt 11.30, 20
mins.  after leaving. He ws

Otago p 4

53
hit trying to draw / men in 
under cover of Bauchops Hill.
Nesbit tried to turn fellows in 
& ws hit thro abdomen & spine.
Died same night.
Capt Rev. Maj Luxford ws hit thro’
back of leg on Apex - Shrap. &
m.g. ws coming from left. Capt.
Baigent (Dr) got one thro arm
in Dressing Stn. ^Maj Statham,
Lt. Mackenzie, ^Lt Sargood, ^Lt Waite
all k- on Chunuk Bair
& Statham's brother ws K beside
him. Col. hit there, Maj.
Moir, shot thro [shorthand], Maj.Mitchell shrap thro' ankle.
Bn came out w 5 subs -
senior officer ws Lt Bishop.
One m.g. left on Chunuk.
Sergt.Maj. Porteus ws k

Well Inf page 15  71
They hugged / gaunt N.Z.
Who saved them.
Capt Grainey ws their 
officer who went down
for them.
/ /

Otago p5
54
w Statham. No men left w
gun - it ws blown to bits,
useless.
Col. Sutton of Gurkhas,
Carden of Wilts
& / Maoris were by  / Farm
till relieved by / British Bde.
We were underneath ^the lip of the
Farm - Coy Commander of R/R
sd he had bn  ordered to cross
farm. O.C. Maoris sd : you
cant. The Capt sd " I am going.
I've bn told to," He went fwd 
& not one man came back.
Plat of Maoris were sent to
get wire in Challak as they 
as ^were good at stalking.

Well Inf Page 14
70
shot thro spine. Ts came along
to know if he ws dead - they
pricked him in shoulder -
Turks used to came on them
twice - gave them water 2nd time.
On one occasion a Turk 
took one of them to a better 
bivouac. They were all
jabber once we got them.
One had bn wounded / day
we got them - he ws out
looking for tucker.
Mahoney saw 3 dead - probly
Gurkhas.
They sd they had bn fired
on by Auckland.
Didn't want to leave wounded
 - & Turks didnt fire on relieving
pty bec. Tthought they were these 
men. Ts wdn't take them prisoner

Otago p 6
55
Morning of 8^th 3 am. Auck.
M.R. under Maj. Chapman
& Col. ^A.H. Herbert (x ^w Maoris)
reported to NZ Inf Bde
at Apex. Chapman &
Aucklands went in to
build up firing line
& got round to left
under Farm - 13 men
K. &. W  in 10 minutes,
Morning of 9^th a Brit. Bde.
came in at 10 am.
They had made no
attack then.
Attack ws to have
bn made as Maoris

Well - Inf Page 13
69
Went down 2nd line same
night - within abt 5 yds of
these fellows ^  in washout -  sang out
3 times "Sergeant" heard
nothing.
Next night Mahoney & abt
10 carried out one of wilts men
(too sick) - moonlight night.
He gave a good directn.
Wilts offr & Mahoney then 
went down. Trenches were 10 [chain
up sap looking for a place
where to get out. They had
no rifles xx just looked at 
us. 3 in wash out. They
were weak & starving.
They sd there ws a nice
spring below them &
they got some biscuits off
a dead officer. The O.C. in
charge of coy died- officer

Otago p. 7
56
did previous day at
5 am. They came off
Agbyl Dere & didn't get
to position below Farm
till x men spread out
along hill. Got an enormous
quantity of shrap onto us,
we were reld. by Wilts
& next morning Chunuk
ws lost. Farm ws temporarily
lost on 10^th but regained 
& only finally left later.
(
 / /

well. Inf Page 12
68
Well. were to reorganise 
on the Farm after other
[[patrols?]]made good.
Wiltshires found abt 11 days
in [[Suzhi?]]
after fight (abt 19 Anz). 2
Wilts got in ^in aftn up. T. Commn
trench on Rhodo. 1st Report 
tt " 11 were there "- next report "5.”
Wilts officer wanted 2 guides
to go out, Dr, sev. s. bs. abt 20.
went out where they came in
(Mahoney ^well inf.  guiding), 5 went
over. M. went down hill
- others up - found hat
& water bottle . They
knew 
name in
hat.
Wellington Inf
Ap 26

Wellington Infantry Page 1.
57
Landing
Landed Sun after Ap.25 &
night.  ½ Coy^ Taramaki put in on
right on Sund  aftn. Rest
were held as Divl Reserve
in Anzac Gully.
Monday ½ coy still on rt.
Rest turned ridge above gully
& Plugges Plateau as 2nd line.
[(shorthand)]
Tues morng. assembled on 
beach at breakf. & sent up
Walker's Ridge - Heavy counter
attack. Started abt 9 am. 
Turks coming thick down Baby
700. Ships didnt do much good.
Wellton sent up to reinf. 2 Bn.
got there abt 10.30 past Walkers
H.Q.; left overlooking Sphinx valley
rt. on Walkers. Mixed w 2 Bn wh

Well Inf page 11
67
Wellington
Landed w 29 officers.
Subsequently
to Aug 8 got 28 others as reinfo or
promoted     
57
During those 4 months (less)
44 casualties (2 sick)
(14 k  30 w)
3 sick in Egypt. 3
of 44 6 ret. to NZ.
27 in Eng or on water
14 killed
 _______
50
3 sick in Egypt.
7 on duty. (this was at end
of August when Bn had
bn fighting 4 months).
At Helles - Ruahine  Coy who
were in reserve got it from
shrapnel - front line didn’t
get shrap.
 

Well. Inf Page 2
58
very weak then. ^ 2nd had practice. no officers
col. adj: 3 offrs - ^ men 6 were very glad of
officers. Abt 11 o'c advance ; they
got thro' bush a good way. Came
on Ts in much gter. numbers.
Remained abt 1 hr. Then were
ordered to withdraw. Withdrew
by successive platoons to original
position. Abt 12 o'c from left flank
came back fast- "Ts coming in
thousands."Maj. Hart ws able to
stop it. Short of offrs worn out.
Heavy fight in morng - & thought
when withdrew were beaten {mostly
2 Bn]. Got them back into position
a little further original line -
Heavy losses - m.g. & rifle, not-
shrapnel. They cd see us from Baby 700,
across Monash Gully, & Snipers Ridge.
That ws 2.30. Fighting heavy till
dark - cdnt see much of Turks. They
tried to come down from neck of Popes 
Hill or N of it but we caught them