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

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
Diaries and Notebooks
 Item number 3DRL606/4/1
Title; Diary, April 1915
Describes landing at Gallipoli and initial fighting.

AWM38-3DRL606/4/1
 

[*Diary 4
& EGYPT
(Notes Ap 16 to 24
[[deral?]] Panier
7th Bn.*]

Original
DIARY NO.4
AWM 38  3 DRL 606 ITEM 4 [1]
DIARIES AND NOTES OF C.E.W. BEAN
CONCERNING THE WAR OF 1914 - 1918

The use of these diaries and notes is subject to conditions laid down in the terms of gift to the Australian War memorial. But apart from these terms, I wish the following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every reader and writer who may use them.
These writings represent only what at the moment of making them I believed to be true. The diaries were jotted down almost daily with the object of recording what was then in the writer's mind. Often he wrote them when very tired and half-asleep;
also, not infrequently what he believed to be true was not so - but it does not
follow that he always discovered this, or remembered to correct the mistakes when discovered. Indeed, he could not always remember that he had written them.
These records should therefore, be used with great caution, as relating only what their author, at the time of writing believed. Further, he cannot, of course vouch for the accuracy of statements made to him by others and here recorded. But he did try to ensure such accuracy by consulting, as far as possible, those who had seen or otherwise taken part in the events. The constant falsity of second-hand evidence (on which a large proportion of war stories are founded) was impressed upon him by the second or third day of the Gallipoli campaign, notwithstanding that those who passed on such stories usually themselves believed them to be true.
All second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind.
16 Sep., 1946.                   C.E.W. BEAN
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

4
 

£5
ng. ✓
.Bucket. ✓
Table for holding Soap etc.
Holdall. ✓
Knife. ✓ Typewriting paper.
Ink. ✓ Pegs.
Loan of a Naval Manual
___________
Cooks. 10/- [shorthand]
Write Dr Ferguson.
See Dr Reissner.
Envelopes
Washing
Change
List of mails.
Ap 30 [shorthand]
& May 9
[Shorthand] trenches

Bring in J.'s watch
_________my films.
Pay Capt Foster.
Paper.
Write Sir [[G?]]
Cloe
[Shorthand] Aunt Katie

Looking Glass
 

Diary 4
(Notes Ap 16
to 28)
*EGYPT
 

62    1
1^st 8^th Lanc. "Fusiliers.  Medical Panier
Belonging to 7th Bn.
Near our old Bivouac.
9.15 pm Ships sailed from Lemnos
___________________________________
12 pm Conversation outside my
cabin window.  [Shorthand] xWhat time
is it? "10 past 12". She's sailed.
Where have you been. Me & Bell
have been down below - What
were you doin? Having a 
farewell yarn.
Song: What Oh for a life on
the sea
So give it a chance
an' come & ave a dance
Come along an dance w me.
___________
"When I am dead my dearest"
________________________ 
12.30. Beautiful moonlight night
Passing N E point of some Island
Prob. Lemnos (Light flashing 3
times every  5 seconds at ½ sec.
intervals). Ships following us.
I can see faint glow of one white
light on one & stern lights of
two far ^out on our port bow.
 

62   2
Right ahead is another stern light.
We are making almost due NE.
Guard tucked away on deck in arm
chairs. Some sleeping. One x spr
great chap sprawled on deck at full lengh
Mostly in overcoats & Balaclavas.
Aho! Chilly isn't it says one.
_____________________________
Young [Shorthand] there on chair talking
to interpreter. Orders to wake troops
at 4. No lights at all off Gallipoli.
1.10 I turned in again.
_____________________________
Some say English landed 7. Saty 24.
5000 [Shorthand] crossing at Narrows.
__________________________
Bright ½ moon - 36 off full.
_____________
2.30. Moon almost down. Steaming
just N of a high coast line ^(Imbros) - clouds
on hills. Smooth water. Other land
(Samothrace) to North. Can see form of 
ship away on port quarter. Two white 
lights ahead. Limnos light far behind
still winking. Man lighting
pipe on deck forward
 

62   3
3am all lights out
43.30. - Two lights on our right
4. Search lights over hills
at Chanak.
Another searchlight.
We turn in.
Dawn slowly breaking.
No sign yet of action
We turn in S. between two
flanking ships, & [Shorthand]
Very cold wind - (between two 
ships)
Still too dark to see
what one writes.
Man strikes match.
Another.
Officer (British) stretches [[legs at?]]
4.30 Still no sound
Dawn breaking.
Moving into positn. 3 ships
ahead. Destroyer moves
slowly to left beam.
[Hand drawn diagram - see original]
 

[I was apparently 13 minutes
out (by comparison with
corps diary wh. gives firing
at 4.30 & Indian Mtn.
Arty. Bde diary). By the 
ship's clock I was 5 
minutes fast. These 
times shd all be 13 minutes back
C.E.W.B. 19/3/21]

62  4
4.42 Signal lamp flashing
from beach w just off cx
4.43 Sound of continuous rifle fire
Battleship ahead with
pinnace astern.
Rifle fire like a distant
axle box.
4.58. shrapnel high on aft
Flash from battery target
Flash right ahead.
5 a.m. Our ships start firing.
5.3. Novian seemed to be hit in
stern.
5.7. We are just moving in between  xxships battleships 
Queen & Bacchante firing
(P of W
has one [shorthand]
turned to us )
one ahead
One upturned boat drifted by
[Shorthand] 2 big guns together
Small bats in water ahead
2 shells close to us at 5.15
 

62  5
Men v. [Shorthand] at first [Shorthand] shots
a shot [Shorthand] seems to hit. Rushed
to side cheering waving cap.
By gum that's pat!
Small upturned returning boats rowing back
to ships - not towed [Shorthand]
Breakfast at 5. min [Shorthand]
Officers in saloon - cd see flash
of each gun.
One man says - "Say mate,
"They're carrying [Shorthand] joke too
"far - they're ^using ball ammunition."
________________
Shot every 10 or 20 seconds
Shook the ship.
_______________
Smoke of shrapnel I think
on Kaba Tepe

Firing still heavy ashore
(2 sailors  1
maj of 17th
3 wounded
came aboard)
6 oc. Destroyer due.
6.3.  destroyer appears towing 6 boats
Gun on Pasha Dagh making fair 
practice towards Galeka.
6.7.  3 shrapnell in air not far away
3 much closer Sprayed up water
 

62   6
6.15 Lake Michigan moving in.
Usk - come back [Shorthand] at once
Field guns to S. very close but we
were just out of [Shorthand]
Fire hot for a time. 1 battery.
12 wounded on destroyer alongside
6.25  2 of our
Early in morning 2 guns galloped
into positn.
(2 wounded on Scourge -Navy
men put hammocks round them.
(Started [Shorthand] 6.5.
Crockery falls down on [shorthand]
Stoker dont smash. happy none up.
A.S.C. wounded man in boat alongside.
6.30  Ships firing Salvoes on Kaba Tepe
where 4 guns were ranging on our men
on shoulder

[Hand drawn diagram - see original]

62   7

6 47. aeroplane back.
Shelling of us seems to have finished.
But they are still shelling boats on way
to shore & shoulder of hill.
__________________
Triumph ? & 2 cruisers 2 miles away S.
or S W of Kaba Tepe.-
6
{Bacchante firing at Kaba T.
{Q. Eliz. Signalling from far S.
{Captive Baloon. To S of us.
{Queen London P of W. not firing

6.45 Derfflingers 1st tow goes ashore
Michig - gets a tow away
_______________________________
Gun still shelling point of hill.
N of which we landed.
____________________
Many transports coming up.
Naval guns [Shorthand]
________________________
7 o' c. Bacchante moves in to shell.
Kaba Tepe. We can see flash
of gun.
Firing spasmodic on beach.
 

62   8
I am 5 minutes fast
7.22. Our men seen on top of
ridge. (Helio working from
further hill face of it 7 o.c.)
Men quite plainly visible in 
large numbers -
Entrenching slightly behind
Hilltop - walking in quite unconcerned.
All coounted in boats
(Big gun silenced. Bacchante inshore
of us.
[Hand drawn diagram - see original]
Firing absolutely ceased.
[Shorthand] (our flags here)
_________________________
Firing Hot at first.
Turkish aim v. bad.