Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/18/1 - October 1915 - Part 1

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Awaiting approval
Accession number:
RCDIG1066795
Difficulty:

Page 1 / 10

AWM3S Official History, 1974-18 War: Records of C E W Bean, Official Historian. Diaries and Notebooks Hem number: 3DR1606/1817 Title: Diary, October 1915 includes references to RAN Bridging Train, the landing, Sir Walter Braithwaite and Sir lan Hamilton. AWMISS-SDRLCOGHSH
MARYCS Ocr. Mn MMMMIMIMIIIII LD. . . B . B D. 30RL 606 17 AAM3E 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 Ansfralian War Memorial. But, apart from those 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 or such stories usually themselves believed them to be true. All second-hand evidence herein should be read with this in mind. CR AUSTRALIAN VIER ME. 16 Sept., 1946. C. E. W. BEAN. ACCESS STATU WMISEEEMLEEKKEEEEESSS REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESESSSSSEE TeCCEEEERe
October 5. Went to Anzacwith Lawrence found my dugon't in poces of being rrebuith for winter where it was a draine There was sugft it 3lopp of half-attack here. The was a violunt andment of anzac on Oct e p gain to to am. He the end of it a be Thrks came up the end of a sap which had sand bagsed, & a lopin or so worth over the bank in some dear pound & presend to ruch the barrier from behaind A couple of bomns killed some of them attack petered out. One ll nst, outsid Won Ma the barrier, wounded The men threw over grapphiy crows & hooked them in his clothing & lifte him half way & bid to get hols hem theff got two of their arms shot thro in dong so- but he fell back. Foor Divil, what we wanted was his ppers, not him why must we torture here poor brutes by worriging them when they are dyny. He did i nighs & we sot him. He had a paper w 12th Battr on it proby. 12& Rust. ws meaut That ws I regt previously here. The Araby fir is up at 1 Worth of tim - a sort of haff heurtisattack we made on the 29 Dw. there all t E. came on to Suola thio' brun & for First time saw Austalian B.Di Tere is their story as Bracegirdle gave it to me: Ponton Cl Kellye Nation old DIarGI Ocr O423 bat take
6 76 On Majesty's Service. 4
Dear Bean hers to 100 sorry you and no to have able to sery been 9000 personally 0 Best - All my heartfely - luck o wishes are with 9000 Y Yur Anstratian
October 5. Went to Anzaewith o seot 82 Baltn on it proby, 12 c kect ws That we I regt previously here. The Arab Dion is up at 1 worth of time - a soit of has heurtedattack we made on the 29 low. there ale Jct 6. Came on to Suola this' bring for first time saw Anahalian B.Di DArN There is their story as Ocr Bracegirdle gave it to me: OF23 old Ponton bak tabe i Col. Kelley Hosp tonbon Bacouat X Tresle Pouloon 2 BanelsJ. S. Langarod Cthe all i10 barrer. Sc 1 B wsat B &A I. Post Said hard change of plan. A Ane 17 or. Stone Piers 11C7 DPiers. Engis if anafaite- is e Salttate Pier I7. be 2.30 sat
Chattam were going unt to 1 W. office -but Por under cerbeins. Transferred victory NO. 2r6 J. x (i Admirsty & N 16 8 C CPSS at lockstoo & harblds. wayons (of"2½ Col. Stanley ? te unit 11 Yr Lett Jue 3. At Psd on Suat 18 Tuly -C 13 Wedforc. Madro Reached 10am. 21Ju bro 720 July 25 288 offs & man 26 pRif 314 An grif asked. to 20 X 2 Reached & 3 x At mudros X in H Macquarie Senior wire to Bracijell as Arragon 61)P oN.C1.G 2039 GHO 19t 1 79 lego 2 9 for towing across 1s1 24 2 for water storage purposes r poulions burie are i if it is fallup it water f H7& ponloons -1. A ple se 8d by sH0 to take notes on use of se for Purs, also Rnosians & inseytion Engineers barril peers. I 1 Gmbros 57 & we 2Cat A beach. REnenton in be we had
beach. I came i £79t Corps B. Gen. H. Bland. Lt. Comnr L.S. Bracegerdle R.A. D. and lasting 6 ye want tow an a seaway - went s.J. Read Adm. Lo to tow them. embarked we te bows out f o Strea look 26 to lad. shipp aftr First voors 7 P.M. staight I dask. The 7 95 suola. we lefalls w51 t am. It stelled at 8 am. neer Tauk o 2 bombs one stern all it on beamn it up ander at noon 1 N3W3 closer in eo 2. barret pier at A 1 310 k 6 supports. beaded Allag I mined. We day out mine But This w up (some 6) atrip ware somewisist of boxs lever F fction tae innuies beg round stones. intertaon fuse. bron box filled t black shing powder. widny one up in 1 prass by 1 beach. it Found 6. 516 pa 18 week 02 Abs en on A welling. 97 X mad Detonator Thiphexpl in cake Expl foiton tate try wire wh discovered. neves wery were Over 20 blown up.78 stday. Ic no mines at old & P is I waondI I think Hly wh They edlay OneSa & battnoterwise Gabl 10.30 or 11 on Saturd 15 Abt7S -Ex (-9 up & any one cs -
y only 7 isw ✓ Revoubl o on Labe Baba. Doris now V up Kavine 296 on let Cor. 7 on 7th& She. or 1 H opened (6-0) at to on 2 18 pdrs. C2 on or A c& Doriss catin ach E8 W Hills & Anafartac &Cafarte Lela Baba & B Not Roja Chemen Tepe - probly occupiet t Ansac. 1307ds Per on A 285c i fednt get inaces 73r (059 on - 9t 3 i20 0t 9200 +
5 se pinnace rafts. as the 8 17Se 11is palled thake se tin 1.0.2. C ct 27 I C 207 11300 20 conmted buy igu ✓ end July 4 feet poater bay. 4C then wading to pub in anchors canped Red F contoor x Ksank co apologised. cauply dearin of wd haviy shi f. it again if we afld troops to pass along oic. to beach up di cove Every s 107 4 c di ve Cavry bulding 7 . 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.

Diaries and Notebooks

Item number: 3DRL606/18/1

Title: Diary, October 1915
Includes references to RAN Bridging Train, the
landing, Sir Walter Braithwaite and Sir lan
Hamilton.

AWM38-3DRL606/18/1

 

Diary  18
Oct 5 -

Oct 23

Original.   DIARY No.18.
AWM 38 3DRL 606 ITEM 18 [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 those terms, I wish the 
following circumstances and consideration 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 mistake 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 wat 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 Sept., 1946.         C. E. W. BEAN

AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL 
ACCESS STATUS 
OPEN

 

October 5. Went to Anzac with
Lawrence . found my dugout in process
of being rebuilt for winter - where it was
it stopped a drain. There has been a violent a sort 
of half-attack here. The was a violent
bombardment of Anzac on Oct 4 from
9am to 10am. At the end of it a few
Turks came up the end of a sap which we
had sand bagged, & a dozen or so worked
over the bank in some dead ground &
prepared to rush the barrier from behind.
A couple of bombs killed some of them & /
attack petered out. One fell just outside
the barrier, wounded ^& crying on Allah! The men threw over
grappling irons & hooked them in his clothing
& lifted him half way & tried to get hold of
him - they got two of their arms shot thro in
doing so - but he fell back. Poor Divil,
what we wanted was his papers, not him -
why must we torture these poor brutes by
worrying them when they are dying. He died
tt night & we got him. He had a paper w
12th Battn on it - proby 12th Regt. ws meant -
That ws / regt previously here. The Arab
Divn is up at / North o / line - a sort of half
hearted attack ws made on the 29 Div. there also.
Oct 6. Came on to Suvla thro' trenches
& for first time saw Australian Bridging train
 

Diary 10
Oct 5-
Oct 23

Here is their story as
Bracegirdle gave it to me:
Hand drawn diagram - see original document

 

On His Majesty's Service.
Personal
C Bean Esq
IanH

 

[*Hdqers
Dardanelles
17.10.15.*]
Dear Bean
Too sorry to miss
you and not to have
been able to say goodbye
personally - Best of
luck - All my heartfelt
good wishes are with
your Australians & NZers
[*Ian Hamilton*]

 

Diary 10
Oct 5 -

Oct 23
Here is their story as
Bracegirdle gave it to me:

Hand drawn diagram - see see original document

[Shorthand] Port Said heard change of plan.
At Aden [Shorthand]
Stone Piers [Shorthand]
[Shorthand] Piers.
Engrs got into Anafarta - and probably taken prisoner.
Salt Lake Pier was [Shorthand] by 2.30 Sat.

 

were going to Chatham
under [Shorthand] - but unit to / W. Office by Australia.
Transferred [Shorthand] "Cerberus, "
[Shorthand] to the "Victory"

W.O. 2 [Shorthand]
[Shorthand]
Admiralty [Shorthand]
[Shorthand]
at Cockatoo [Shorthand] harness &
waggons [Shorthand] Col Standing [Shorthand]
[Shorthand] unit [Shorthand]

[Shorthand] Left June 3.
At P.Sd on
Sund 18 July received [Shorthand] orders to withdraw
Medforce:
Reached Imbros Mudros 10 a.m. 21 July.
Imbros 7.20 July 25.
288 offrs & men
26 1st Rif.

314  Un
9 rif [Shorthand]. Asked to increase to 20
2
& 3 [Shorthand] officers. Reached at Mudros
in ^S.S. Pt Macquarie. Senior naval
officer didn't know anything about us. Wired to by G.H.Q
& Bracegirdle [Shorthand] went to the Arragon next day & was told in
confidence that some British Officer had  [Shorthand] without an 
armoured cars and have a  [Shorthand]

G.H.Q. & 9th [Shorthand]

[Shorthand]

[Shorthand] test my equipment in their way both

for towing across it under the road to [Shorthand]
[Shorthand] for the troops and also for water
storage purposes. Many of our pontoons
are buried underground full up w
water.)  It was all that the pontoons - 1.
A [Shorthand] officer was sent down by GHQ
to take notes on use of pontoons
for Piers; also Russians.
Engineers barrel piers ^in sections RE
Engineers [Shorthand] at Imbros we [Shorthand] 
of the attack & we [Shorthand] them at A beach.
R E went on w advance.  We had

 

beach. I came [Shorthand] engineer of the 9th
Corps B. Gen. H. Bland.
Lt. Commr L.S. Bracegirdle
R.A.N.
I [Shorthand] out testing wdnt tow in
a sea way - wdnt stand the stress.
Read Adm. refused to tow them.
We tore bows out of one.  Was embarked on
Itria. Took 2 days to load.
First boats ships left about 7 p.m. When it was
getting dusk. They started straight for Suvla.
We left abt midnight. We were here at
5 a.m.  We were  shelled at 8 a.m.
Taube dropped 2 bombs one near
stern one on beam.  We were shelled
ab noon and had to up anchor and [Shorthand] 
closer in.
I had relieved some of the men in the meantime
to erect a barrel pier at A bridge
for a [Shorthand] of the 10th divisional supports.
All these beaches mined. We dug one mine
up (some consisted of box & lever)But this was a trip wire

Diagram - see original document

 

3
Hand drawn diagram - see original document

Iron box filled w black shiny powder.
We dug one up in / grass by / beach -
examined it.  Found this. 5th day.
Abt 2nd 1st week found nothing  on A beach on
sand [shorthand] walking on it.

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

Over 20 ^mines were blown up. 7 men planted mgs
1st day. There were no mines at old A
& B
I think they Turks wanted to be warned of a [Shorthand]
They cd lay one again ^wh [Shorthand] battn otherwise
1st expected abt 10.30 or 11 on Saturday
Abt 7 were killed.  They came straight up &
any one seen is killed.

 

4
only 7 [Shorthand] and 7 [Shorthand] 
have gone up.
There was  Redoubt on Lala Baba. Doris
[Shorthand] at up Ravine now occupied by the 29th
division on left flank.  With all our dead a lot of [Shorthand]
on 7th. She [Shorthand] it.
It opened (6 guns) at [Shorthand] on troops

about 18 pdrs. They were running [Shorthand] on old
A beach. Men went down at every shell.

They limbered up and went away. Doris would anticipate
each fresh move and finally stop them firing.
W Hills & Anafarta [Shorthand]
[[shorthand]] Anafarta [Shorthand]
Lala Baba & B beach and 
Not Koja Chemen Tepe - tt probly
occupied w Anzac.
130 yds Pier on A beach
285 wounded [Shorthand] & cdnt get
pinnaces in [Shorthand]
[shorthand] urgent message  [Shorthand]
that 9th can [Shorthand]
[Shorthand]

 

5
not despatched? I got to [Shorthand] gear [Shorthand]
into rafts - as the [Shorthand] pinnace
[Shorthand] pulled [Shorthand]
1 ½ miles  khaki [Shorthand]
and superstructure [Shorthand]
[Shorthand]
[Shorthand] buoyed and connected
they were using it before we had [Shorthand] the end
bay. Only 4 feet of water all day.
Men wading to put in anchors
Red X [Shorthand] camped up by
beach. Turks sank several  [Shorthand] in pontoon
[Shorthand] and then apologised to Col.
/ casualty clearing stn. said they wd have to shell
it again if we allowed troops to pass along /
beach under cover of it,
Every [Shorthand]
We have a crowd for relining on the [shorthand]. Our men carry
wounded for them and had building for them..

 
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