Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/35/1 - March 1915 - Part 2

Sec Diary 111. page 53. How Reynolds got his tibbens
 

The A.S.C.
Horses.
Chaplain.
The General
The Censor
Indians
Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy
 

Transport
Hasnt bn studied by others: Prob [[?]] p11.
French Transport (Messageries [[L]]. Sydney) came into
Marseilles, Horses. You cd smell on board, the
stalls deep in manure etc – cleaned
on wharf were all over sores. In the morning 3 dead.
Altogether has not be so bad on

[* Horses.
Chaplain.
The General
The Censor
Indians
Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

The last sermon (on Sund. Ap. 11 1915) rather missed. There were the troops
waiting for a message - & it was rather a cold one. Birdwood
gave them a little more what they wanted. Old [[Juniny?]] wasn't bad
for him - but all the time one was thinking what he might
have said. He told them one good thing - to help one another,
if a man were sent, out on duty, to see that his
see that a man's kit was there when he came back - & his rations

[* Chaplain.
The General
The Censor
Indians
Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

B.'s Birdwood's letter Sund. Ap..11 Lemnos, 3.30
3 Cs Covering
Communications added Cunning
Control. Confidence.

Even generals cannot get messages around a fleet when
you have not to boats to take them. (the use a despatch wd have bn)

Bridges: first man to shoot the snowy in a canoe.
I am indebted to him personally for being here.
——
The Brig. Gen. amateur: Old Ryrie tremendously pleased w l
nit/guns shooting. Oh good! Keep stamping
"Oh that's awful – nobody bad ws being instructed

Ohi by God!
that's good.
Oh good boys!
Got im that
time! etc.

[*The General
The Censor
Indians
Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

The weekly Dispatch March 28. 1915. Athens. Preparations for the
"final assault of the Dardanelles are by a friend arrived
fr. Mudros as Colossal."
The Call of March 25. 1915 Had a photo of a British Post
on the E. side of the Canal. (From Italian sources) A French paper
published one months ago. An officer friend of mine had his
photos confiscated until after the war until of course they were included
some of the Canal; The English Illustrated Papers had
pictures of the Canal, & names of ships attached - We, after
the fighting was over, were not able to refer to the names
of ships.
A French paper months ago published all abt. the the fact of the
French force sailing for the Dardanelles. An Austalian
paper (which our men were reading out on deck) sd
it was believed this force wd be joined by a British
force from Egypt.
The Turks who get their news from Greece or Bulgaria
of course know much more than these newspapers
do. We know that for certain.
At a time when our beach ws under fire & it ws
most impt for Enemy to know where each department (ordnance etc)
was a London daily paper publish a photo (I'm not sure it
wasn't an official photo) of it. Scores of men were writing to l
papers subject to as censorship. Photos were absolutely
prohibited from being sent from Gallipoli - of course
scores were sent to Gk & Syrian photographers in
Alex to be developed - & the Daily Mail or [[?]] ws
advertising for photos from officers at the front.

[*The Censor
Indians
Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

Sweeper caste. In little tent by themselves Cook. Bradman [[?]]
Others throw them food. Do has to throw
than pay - cdnt hand it. Wd tend in hospital
but
Our men are brothers now - barriers rather broken down
since they h. bn in battle
Sweeper after May 19 shown to doctors.
knew of shell shock but doctor sd. doesnt get
better I shall stop have to stop pay - if not better in day or two stop
food & Leave here to get on as I can.
Next day sweeper came. magic sahib
Doctor
——
Sikhs saw Lt Clowes sitting on shore without any clothes on in O German;
askance Sahib. No: Shook head.
towel shirt on
——
man shot I eyes see diary
Sikh servant see diary
——
Called our men "Brudder" -
Used to bring Chapatties.
 

 [*Indians
Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

Can see Howitzer shell -
like big bumble bee - also any
shell at night - vent hole of fuze
Fuze of Jap. mortars.

Extraordinary ricks ES. June 15. Browns Betty, 1: 8in Shell at extremes
range hit parapet -didnt explode- & just dropped into empty gun pit at extreme
end of pimple. Second hit man lying on ledge inside trench - took of leg &
arm - hit floor of trench - ricked out - & disappeared ovr back parapet without
hitting it
It ws 8in for I saw the groove

Another shell burst xxx some time back in bomb proof dug out
of this battery. There were four people in it & it did not hurt any
of them tho' it ws only abt 7ft square.

Shell bursting in ground close to you gives an ugly sort of thud &
shake E.g. June 11 or 12 - the one tt woke me up hit Austins dug out next door.
Monitors' guns & 1 Turk gun seem to have a song
The usual song is I dont know difference.

Cd see howilzer 8in shell on June 15 falling & tell wh side of you
it ws going. Howitzer. Little N of Kojadere.
 

[*Shells.
Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

Drilling in valleys. Cant practice attack

"You put your finger in the wood catch hold of piece of wood & put your finger round corner."
wood put your finger round Korner
" [[?]] 9 shots in l tin box & 1 in l funnel".
 

[*Reinfor
The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

Stretcher bearers & Doctors - See Diary.
The great majority of our wounded - excluding those in l enemy's
lines - were brought down & clear o l beach by 12 - or rather 11.55.
(Boats went off at 2).
The navy took I responsibility from l high water mark.
Told  They worked indefatigably. All wounded had to be cleared
bec. of the congestion - you can't accumulate even light cases on
I beach. They ought to have gone to Mudros (if we  the authorities had had any
forethought). As it ws they went to Malta, Alex & England.
If we had gone 5 miles inland the light cases cd have
bn kept on I beach. As it ws they had to be cleared as quickly as
possible; & any case not ^likely to be well within 24 hrs still has to be (July 27)
A gale of wind & a big gen^l action at I same time here wd bring a
catastrophe - 2000 or 3000 wd. men & accommodation for 200 or 300.
The beach is within 1000 yds of the furthest point of our firing line.
We cleared 250 men from Anzac yesty - the rate is now
nearly 100 sick from our division per day. There men are really ill -
often they are passing blood, & are weak. A weeks holiday wd set them right.
If they cd go to Mudros & then be back in 7 days the division
wdnt suffer. But when they get to Mudros they're as often as
not sent to Alex & often given I choice of being sent to England.
There are 100's of Australians in England with not a thing
wrong with them.
Col. Howse has protested E.g. that not a man
aftectd w nerves, neurasthenia, nervous breakdown -
shd be alld to go to England. Gen. Maxwell still
allows them the choice. The kindly amateur
solder-doctors in Egypt are just as bad. One of them
asked Giblin if he hadn't better stay in Lemnos - much
more comfortable. G sd "Oh I must get back to my job
at Anzac." "I've heard the beach there is very
liable to shell, sd l other," I'd stay here if I were you -
You're xxx much safer here!"

[*The A.M.C.

The Navy*]
 

Life in the navy, sd 1 mid, consists 'ages' boredom punctuated
by intervals of abject terror.
Look on joke. Hoare with four windows ashore -
(near Dardanellss). We've joined them up now - there's only
one. And so there ws.
sitting down smoking w a dog ^&parrot. They were at 2.3m.
Georgeshead.
The trawlers - some w spotted funnels & striped sides.
One had come
bulkhead. George ws avin is tea
in cup to is mouth when
stopped it.
Immense No of small craft
When anything happens
They go into it so But when anything does
happen they
tottering
Fair haired in the boats; one anxious looking little boy
14 our big khaki clad youngsters

The The 6^th is as cut up

[*The Navy*]
 

A captain monitors ws shelling Zeebrugge -
3000 360 marks.
He ws no nerves
shells a road
shore & they shelled The they
moved - Ostend
& broke up.
They
had observing ^He ws supposed to telephone his observations but At the
crows nest
& took off his cap at each good shot.
A Naval
Joke
One was start other at the
came Old man
shrapnel.

about 20 ^Then they took up their boats again awfully good
bit of sport.
Magnificent steaming off N. Western shore of
Dardanelles when 14 at Maidros.
From
Navy at Smyrna.
No. 1 Dago Chief Officer} See diary. And see diary III p. 60
"H.M.S. Incapable"
They or young. E.g.. the lieut, directing on the Derfflinger.