Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/163/1 - 1915, 1917 - Part 2

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Some gas shelling on Oct 5 aftn

on front line – v few

casualties.
 

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2 were wd on 3rd.

2/Lt Tebbutt I.O. pegging

out a route beyond Westhoek.

 2/Lt Miller - on Westhoek.

No other officers were hit.

4 Bn ws reld night of 5/6 Oct.

Went in again on 8/9 – were

to have held front line but when

3rd Bde found they had come

from Cafe Belge they made

other arrangemts &

the 4 Bn reld 3rd Bn.

Later, 4 Bn ws in from Nov 1 - 11

on Westhoek & forward –

Their patrols got onto the

Keiberg Spur & got in touch w /

German outposts – on night of 7/8.

11a

Col. I. Mackays account of Lone Pine.

Mackay and 4th battalion went over from the foraward
underground firing line AB.  Mackay went over on right,

Milson on left.  Nackay had spent some time the day before studying

the trench as far as he could see it from the parados of our
old firing line from which he could see down Owens Gully – it

was possible to make out a front trench and a commn. trench

running back, along which they understood they had to go to

a further trench behind.  He then went round to the Pimple,
but from there you could see nothing of these trenches (not

of the same ones at any rate)

When they got to the frontTurkish trench they found

it covered.  Mackay doesnt know how he got over it.  His job was

to go(as the text books still advocate for the front line of the

attack contrary to all practice) straight over or through the

front trench and on to the second, along the C.T.  He thinks he

probably got over the pine and earth headcover, at about E. xxx

Milson was killed about D, probably tearing at the headcover.

Giles was k. there also.

Mackay and some men ran along the C.T. to P and jumped
in there. There were Turks running along it and they shot 

at these Turks as they went along the top, the Turks being in

the trench. xxx M. got into the trench RL and as they came up it

Turks were running down GIM and LK, and our men and Mackay shot

at them as they ranpast, and tumbled over five or six.  Mackay

then rushed across to L.  This was a fine broad trench coming

up from the Valley (KL) and Mackay took up his position at L

guarding the trench with his rifle.  The next man who followed

him was shot from M where the trench a little way down was covered.
The next four men to follow were each shot as they tried

to jump across. The orders were to barricade at K and M.  This was

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11b

managed by throwing sandbags from O over into the sap near M.

these sandbags built up a barricade gradually and it was possible

to get past to L.  Then , with Mackay still holding the sap at L

they heaped up a second similar sap at K.  While Mackay was holding
the sap a Turk came up the sap from the gully towards K with

his rifle incautiously poked out in front of him so that Mackay

saw the bayonet come poking round the corner first.  Of course he

had a line on the Turk and when he tried to retreat he shot

him before he cleared.  Other Turks were beaten off there - a few.

The two barricad s had now both been made. During the night

there was continuous bombing into LO. These bombs probably came

from both saps beyond M and K , and also (as the ground was

pretty low there) from the open between them.  The trenches were

crowded and a lot of men were wounded there.  In the morning Col.

Brown of the 3rd Bn came round, and as he considered that a c-attack
was imminent ordered a number of reinforcements (who

were quite new having landed the day before) to line the parapet. 

They did this, practically lying up on the parapet and

parados with their heels and shins overhanging the trench.  The

Turks saw them and they were pretty well all killed by rifle or

M.G. fire from the Jolly.  The German Turks. could snipe directly into

this trench from the Jolly.

It was during this night that Mackay , when the trenches

had been a bit cleared, seeing a bomb fall into the trench

fizzing and sparking, and roll along from L towards I, ran to

it with a half filled sandbag as the custom was, and was just

dropping the sandbag on it when it went off and hit him in the

chest.  It would have hurt no one had he left it alone.  But he was

new to the game and the sandbag theory was preached.

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11c

Next morning (Aug 7) this trench was considered by M. to

be dangerously exposed.  Massey who was in it was shot by a 

Turk who put his rifle over the parapet pointing down into

the trench and fired apparently at random.  Howell Price and

Scott were there, xxxxxxxxxxxxxx when the barricades were

being built the first evening.  When M had recovered a bit in the 

morning M. ordered the men to build blocks at I and O.  These were

made with two loopholes on them – so that one man could fire

from the higher and one from the lower.  They then retired

behind these and held them; and it was intended to cut a

trench from I to O.  Mackay went before it was well begun.

Young Merivale lay badly wounded at Q – M saw him there at

one period.

There was wire between E and H, a sort of fence.  Giles 

was killed at D near Milson.

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The 2nd Bn wh adjoined Canadians 

ws more heavily shelled.

Hand drawn diagram - see original

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Hand drawn diagram- see original

Brown went over with 3rd wave 4 Bn.

with 3 guns – the only m.g.

sectn wh went over in / attack.

One gun ws got across. They

were mixed w 2 & 3 Bn.

There were T.s behind & they

sniped the crew.  The gun

ws got into actn across Owen

Gully.  A C. T ws there wh

the gun overlooked & outflanked.

This ws full of Ts coming to

reinforce.  The first burst got

onto them.  Gun then traversed

up & down.

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within 10 mins. the crew

were shot from / rear. A

Turk field gun started ranging

onto them & put Shrap.

right round / gun, wd

rest of men & spoiled the

belts.

The gun ws taken down.

B got another man to help him

 – they spent ¼ hrs fixing gun

up again, looking for new

belts & filling them. A 

no of wd helped.

The gun just before dusk

ws brought into action in

/ forwd trench of 2 Bn.  

As soon as it ws up

a bullet pierced the barrel

casing & gun became

useless.

After x Brown sent /

gun back – went back to 4

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Bn & became adjt temporarily

 – in place of Massey. during

night 7/8, & day of 7th.