Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/16/1 - August - September 1915 - Part 4

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brump brump brrrump of
heavy bombardment. I cdnt
sleep for it - struck me it ws
most likely to be a T. our guns
rolling into the Turks after a
heavy advance on Knoll 60
& / Northern half of Anzac -
& I ought to be there - However
I know - I must have this
spell or I shant stand a chance
in / winter - so it cant be
helped. (Howse suggested sending
me away in a hospital ship
but I stood out for Imbros)

In afternoon we went over
to G.H.Q. & there asked
Col. Tyrrell what had happened
& what / meaning o all /
firing was & he sd he had

41
heard nothing new at all -
as far as he knew everything ws
absolutely stagnant.

On We arranged w Maxwell
to leave tomorrow morning for
Mitylene. Grey day all day -
- the first as far as I remember.

Sept 13. Monday.
After The wind was so
fierce last night, and with a
shower of rain in addition,
that I didn't think we
shd start. But we did. There
is a little white swan bowed
steam yacht formerly owned
by a Russian but lately
bought by a Mr Chalmers of
Constantinople, (a merchant

 ^X Ensign
 42
who ws dispossessed of his steam
tugs by / Turk Govt on Nov 1 & who
left on Nov 2 Constantinople on
Nov. 2). He calls her / 
Victory & runs here under /
red flag^X between Imbros & Mitylene.
Her owner kindly offered to take
us for nothing this voyage &
Mitylene to give us our
meals - we to pay for wine.

It ws roughish getting
out but before we reached
Helles it was smoother & by /
time we got to Tenedos
it ws absolutely glassy.

We saw 3 monitors behind
Rabbit Is. Tenedos, shelling /
forts on / Asia side. The Turks

 43
also from some gun over opposite
put a shot into / sea quite
close to Tenedos.

We came down through
between these Islands & /
mainland & by lunch cd see
Mitylene. The villages on /
Turkish shore all seemed
deserted & they say they are
- except for one Turk (or Gk)
standing on / bank near / river
& then going down & walking
to some bright coloured objects
on / sea shore wh I think were
women. By afternoon tea
we were off Mitylene, steering

Adramitic
44
down between it & / mainland,
the Gulf of — (something like
Adramitica) Smyrna is 70
miles further S.

It was after dark before
we steamed into / harbour -
only 12 hours from Helles.
A new crescent moon was
up. The water ws glossy
black. Across it lay the
waving path o / moon &
out against this background
stood the black outline o /
ancient fortress on /
promontory N. of / harbour.

45
The harbour itself ws a collecting
of dancing bright lights - all
cafe's as we learnt afterwds.
There were two red lights at
the end of / moles on either
side o / entrance o / tiny
Inner harbour. Crowds were
moving up & down the street
outside o / brilliant Cafe windows
- there are 70,000 refugees (Gk)
in Mitylene, & 70,000 ordinary
towns people.

We landed & took rooms
at the Grand Bretagne.
Mr Hesketh Pri Smith came
in during dinner - / Brit.

46
Consul. Britain has no status
here under International Law but
as / Gks are willing & / Turks
& Germans have & recognise no
international law Britain
just stepped in &, w / consent
of Greece, runs Mitylene.

The cafe of / Hotel, where
we had dinner, ws full of
people - many officers in
white caps, white tunics or
red & gold arm shoulder
straps, & ^light blue & red str
trowsers with a double red
stripe - scores of them
seem to be about. After a

47
very good dinner we went
for a stroll ending in a little
square and where we sat at a
table w Heathcote Smith
under trees & palms &
listened to / band & yarned -
12 hours from Gallipoli.

Tonight a bed!
And tomorrow we go to Thermae
for a bath.

I hear a wireless says
There was an heavy attack
agst / Northern Zone at Gallipoli
- doesnt say how it ended.
Well - cant be helped.
Were all here; that's one
thing.

48
Sept. 14. Tuesday.
By the news, Hear that the
"attack" ws clearly the bombardment
I heard when I was w
Charlie Taylor & the 4 Essex Bn.

Nevinson & I went
out this morning & walked
to the old town & from there
up / hills - struck a road
over them. - & finally down
to the We rearched / top
abt 2 miles out & found
ourselves looking down on a
beautiful inland harbour -
miles of water reaching away
back into / hills ^(N) & to / xx
South as far as we cd see.
We went round the hill
shoulder on our left to see if

49
we could catch sight of /
Entrance from there - but although
we went a long way & finally
went right down to / shores
of / lake itself we cd not
see / Entrance. There was
/ Canopus behd & a couple
of cruisers & several destroyers
lying behind a l net - we
we cd see / buoys - and with the
red roof of an olive factory opposite
on / far shore.

We had lunch in a
village cafė - very simple
people straight out of Sinbad
/ Sailor, & very pleased to see
us. We thought this ws /
big harbour on wh old
Mitylene stood but on reaching