Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/10/1 - June - September 1915 - Part 11

96
A fierce outburst of firing for 10 minutes
at abt 10.30 p.m. Evidently a counter attack 
at Despair Post (wh we took last night). 
The Turks have  A lot of R.F.A guns
have bn arriving here - an order has gone 
out tt owing to aeroplane visits 
all guns ^etc are to be concealed. When I 
went up to Reserve Gully yesty there were 
all the R.F.A guns  in tt neighbourhood 
out on a phel white path without an 
attempt at concealment - there were 
a few sprays of holly on / limbers but 
guns and gun carriages absolutely uncovered 
& obvious. 
A Taube flew over tonight towards
Imbros & then turned towards Helles. 
A Fr. & a British aeroplane - 2 of them - 
almost immediately appeared here &
sailed over us to / N for abt ½ an 
hour. Our men, thinking tt one was / 
German, thought they had got their
long looked for air duel at last! 
The water scheme was handed over to / 
Royal Engrs after / first filling yesty. It 
has since broken down - I don’t know why. 
The follg. is an acct. of last nights fighting -
fifty men from ^each of A B C & D Coys took part in the first 

97 
rush. They were to go out as soon as the mines
exploded as follows:
Diagram - see original scan

5, 4, 2, & 1A were extended into tunnels for 
mines but No.4 did not explode.
The distance ^from our trench is 30- 40 yds on / right - abt 60
on the left.
At 7.26 the moon had just risen; a red light
ws put on / parapet. The Light Horse in / South
& the 9 Bn in / North opened fire to draw fire off
the 11 Bn; & two o / mines exploded - one at 
either end o / trench. Most o / parties at once
dashed forwd without waiting for / other mines,
but some, who knew there shd have bn 4 explosions,
waited. The third mine exploded late. The 4th 
mine didn't explode at all. I am not sure tt /

98
3rd mine did not explode after our men had got
into / trench because I saw an Australian & a 
Turk being dug out from beneath part o / trench wh had
fallen in. It looked as if they had been there facing one another
when / mine went off - but of course / Turk may have bn
lying there killed & / Australian may have bn buried by
a high explosive shell next morning, when the m.g. ws
Turks were shelling / trench.

The right flank party (50 of A Co. under Capt.
Rockliffe) consisted like all / others of 50 men;

26 storming party; 20 workers; 4 bomb throwers.
The working party carried picks & shovels & each
man ^of it carried 10 sandbags.
Rockliffe saw / mine ^in front of him explode & then rushed at
once. [Some of ^in / other parties waited for / third or 4^th 
mine to explode & so caught it pretty severely on
/ way over.] The Turks opposite Rockcliffes party
retreated into / commn trench at their end o
/ trench, waiting there for any other mines to
explode. The Aust Rockliffes party just got
into / trench as / Turks started to come back
into in from / commn trench. One of our men
ws lying, when I ws there today, right beyond /
trench, by / edge of this Turkish commn.
trench. He was carrying ammunition
for / machine guns. He was hit on /
way over & wandered aimlessly about off 
in a dazed conditn in quite / wrong
directn.

99

Rockliffes first act ws to get sandbags
across tt commn trench. Rockliffe's party
got a few bags from / T. parapet & began piling
them across / mouth o / trench when /
Turks began to return with bombs & lob them
over into our trench. Each of our parties had 4 bomb
throwers each w 8 bombs - 32 in all. 
All 4 bombthrowers got across safely - 
as they advanced they had thrown
bombs into / trenches. They v. soon ran
thro' their stock & / situatn became xx v. bad.
They didnt know what ws going to happen
when Rockcliffe noticed a box lying out on /
surface. He sent for it thinking it ws ammn
when he got it in he found it ws full
of bombs. The boy carrying it had bn hit
& had run back.
From tt time things were much easier.
We xxx drove / T.s back down the commn
trench where they co do [[?]] harm &
barricaded the entrance. The Ts made
one or two attacks later in / night But
these were never out of the their commn
trench & must have suffered severely.

Aug 3. Brit. Troops landing. Shelled at night. Did Ts know
Aug. 3 & 4 Transports stand in
Aug. 5. Bridges & Birdwd wanted Maclag. ^in May to take Kaba Tepe.
He sd he didnt want to owing to diffty of 
holding it.

Our whole attack [[shorthand]] is a [[shorthand]]. White
is v. much agst the attack on extreme
right. [[shorthand]] issued. It ws to have come off yesty.
White still hopes to avoid it.
Kato k. on beach today after 14 wks 
continuous work. c.f. Col. Lesslies wk
- not more than 2 hrs sleep per day.
2 pinnaces & water barge sunk.
Jack has to charge out 20 minutes

after the first line.
Ts put up a notice today "Warshaw
as Falten" - one of our men sd. on
hearing it - Lets see if we cant make
is blood notice fall. We put up 
an answer So will Stamboul!
G.H.Q. operations have not been on
the spot at Helles. The C of S & C.I.C. are
I believe bitterly opposed.

[*100*]

Aug 5/6
Night of 5-6    Leanes trench

1^st bomb 4.35. am.

Ts came up gully
---
Shower of bombs on right of trench [[shorthand]] far as Y tench. Lt Robertson ws k. in trench

Capt. Aarons [[shorthand]] trench. Bomb [[shorthand]] 

bay in wh 4 or 5 [[shorthand]] He got [[shorthand]]

A. grabbed sandbage & Aarons threw it on
[[shorthand]] xxx foot on / bag till [[shorthand]].
Got splinter in knee.
Turks [[shorthand]] parapet w bayonets
showing. [[shorthand]] whole [[shorthand]] 
the commn trench. Bombs [[shorthand]] thrown
over [[shorthand]] of trench.

K. or bombed / everybody in last
2/3 bays. 6 dead 6 wounded including Capt
Lt. Robertson (rif. arrd. on Wed. 3 wks days before)

Turks [[shorthand]] 
9 Bn [[shorthand]]  Turks massing under
end of Leanes trench at A. Party
of 30 men under Lt Hall (3 [[?]] arrival)
were [[shorthand]] supports out of Oratuya
[[shorthand]] trench (abt 6 o'c) charged 
across wheatfield. The got
[[shorthand]] on edge of cliff, m.g. from
Snipers Ridge and Knife Edge at
abt 200 yds. Lt Hall fell over

[*100*]
Leanes trench

cliff dead - k. w bomb. Abt. 10 men were
found at bottom of cliff.
The men got into trench.
The [[shorthand]] had run on seeing [[shorthand]] come [[shorthand]] 
the [[shorthand]] ordered to fire ^on own men as soon as they
ran - did so (G.O.C. [[shorthand]] 
6. m.g. officer [[shorthand]] )
Turks were in ^end of trench on right for 2 hours.
Lt. Proctor ([[shorthand]] as of oldest lot) [[shorthand]] 
w 30 men abt 6 o'c. Some got onto
back of trench & stood [[shorthand]] into trench.
Second [[shorthand]] under Lt. Franklin were
sent out [[shorthand]] 
Proctor ws k. by shell almost on
parapet. Franklin ws hit by
Shrap. in liver in [[shorthand]] 
They got all Ts out of trench &
took 6 prisoners in tunnel. 8 dead in tunnel

We had a [[shorthand]] bombs in trench
& each [[shorthand]] had bombs. [[shorthand]] 
from first.
Some of Proctors charge got to right 
of end of trench & were lost in front of it.
Turks had put a parapet in / tunnel
of s bags. Pte Smith of A Coy running down
tunnel heard a click in front of him
& ran back. He had run was only

May 6. Leans [[shorthand]] 
Aft 19 May 7. Went out burying dead. Fired on
Capt. Bage (Antarct. w Mawson) went out to
sight trench on Silt spur. He got fired
on as he [[shorthand]]  in pegs. Leane
got one thro' putties.
Pt. "Klondyke" Greeves (H.Q. Cook) [[shorthand]] burying
w covering [[shorthand]] when [[shorthand]] on he
crawled forward & stayed in hole.
Got hold of [[shorthand]] & [[shorthand]] stayed till dusk
Crawled in & ws [[shorthand]] by our men.
K. & w in original attack:

[*100*]
Leanes Trench
one left in right section [[shorthand]]
[[shorthand]] & rushed [[shorthand]] thro' tunnel to bring
up supports.
The attacking line never [[shorthand]]
the brow of hill wh is very close. A few
were k. over the top.
Past Brennans [[shorthand]] or Tasmania
post [[shorthand]] of 4.
[[shorthand]] burst & 3 [[shorthand]] killed & 1 wounded 
& none of guard. Olive Grove did this
thro an xxx opening to a side trench.
Diagram - see original scan
By abt 7 the thing ws over.
Someone counted 163 dead - bombs & rifle fire from trench.
We lost 

Officers - Lt Hall k.
Lt Robertson k.
Lt Proctor died in [[shorthand]]
Lt Franklin [[shorthand]] on [[shorthand]]
W: Capt Rockliffe - shock [[shorthand]] bomb.
w: Capt. Aarons - 
-----
One man in early ^1st original attack ^46 [[shorthand]] chucked back 6 bombs
Pte Lucky 11 Bn.

Directn of boats Ap. 25
Diagram - see original scan

100
Aug. 6. Shelling trawlers in morning. Many small
trawlers in offing & Ts. shelling ^one of them.
For diary rest of Aug 6 to Aug 24
see small notebooks wh I carried round with
me.

Aug 25. Today ws to be the beginning o / 
rainy season & / weather has clearly 
changed.  It ws very muggy - I ws in 
bed w laryngitis & most uncomfortably
hot - a a little rain fell.  Aug. 23 
was the first noticeable change - hazy
w a strong E wind. Aug. 24 thundery
& some rain. I am having my dug out bagged
for / winter - Bazley built quite a nice looking front wall.
Arthur Maxwell who is
now sniping - post sniper at Quinns
post, 2 in a 'posy' 12 hrs on & 12
hrs off - tells me tt the Turks have
/ periscope rifle. He first saw one 
on or about Aug 19 or 20.
? did the Tommies have them in
their trench on Chanuk Bair before they
legged it on Aug 10?
On Aug. 23 or 24 the ^2nd Light Horse went out of the
extreme left of our line & bagged I believe
about 100 Turks & only lost 3 wounded. It
seems almost too successful but Army Corps
is my authority.

101

Cass ws in yesty.
He tells me 1st Austln Divn is to
be relieved at last - the 2nd Divn will
take its place. Bns to be moved out at
intervals of 3 days one after other &
taken to Imbros for a month. Good
canteen to be there & men allowed 2
good beer drinks a day. 8 Bn will go 
out first into Pine trenches; 21^st or one 
o / others will relieve it; it will relieve 
2nd or 3rd to go go to Imbros & so it
starts. Well, they deserve it if ever men
did. Brig. Gen. Maclagan, Col. White & Col. Brand are
all ill & on hosp. ships, so its about time we went.
[* ^x 

1st Div.*]
Cass says he found abt 500 yds
down Owens Gully main T. watering
place. He pointed it out to Bde - the
T. mules go there & a prisoner has
confirmed this but howitzers wont
go for it. Afraid of wasting ammn.
Arthur Maxwell also tells me they
(he & Dunc.) who are snipers (see E. Paper
Letter 21) spotted a m.g. but guns wont
got for it. This, if true, seems to me sheer
idiocy. One T. machine gun does abt
as much damage as one British
field gun - probably more & the
guns cdn't have better objective.
The fighting at Lone Pine has bn very

102
interesting. Things are so close there tt we
actually have a peephole thro into a T. trench
(wh ^peephole is kept carefully covered up). It only
shows the opposite wall & so far no one
(as far as is known) has walked along it.
The Ts have tried to mine but we blew
down their tunnel & are now counter-
mining or sapping at any rate.
We have three long dead end commn.
trenches A B & C. In the bombing contests
at B the Turks have come off badly. They
have some wire mattresses for overhead bomb
cover - we tried to knock this down & they
ours - but both failed w big guns. Then
they put we put a lucky Lotb. bomb
under theirs (the Light Horse did) & hoist 
it. (Cass has 153 effectives 2nd Bn & a
Squadron from 2 LH Bde) They then rained
in bombs & managed to shift some more
roof so tt Ts practically had to leave /
sap. All of a sudden one night before
anyone realised what ws happening Ts
brought up a m.g. into their sap & cut
a hole in our barricade - & then withdrew
/ the gun & fired thro / bags.  Our men saw
sparks coming from / bags & cdnt make
out what ws up. When they discovered
they built up a second barricade 5ft this
side & are filling in / interior w earth.