Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/18/1 - October 1915 - Part 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
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 proces
of being rebuilt for winter - where it was
it stopped a drain. There has been a sort a violent
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 works
over the bank in some dead ground &
prepared to rush the barrier from behind,
A couple of bombs killed some of them & l
attack petered out. One fell just outside
the barrier, wounded ^ & enemy on attack! The men threw over
grappling irons & hooked them in his clothing
& lifted him half way & bid to get hold of
him - they got two of their arms shot thro in
doing so - but he fell back. Poor Devil,
what we wanted was his papers, not him -
why must we torture these poor brutes by
worrying them when they are dying. He did
tt night & we got him. He had a paper w
12th Battn on it - proby 12th Regt. ws meant
That ws l regt previously here. The Arab
Divn is up at l North o l line - a sort of haff
hearted attack we made on the 29 Div. there also.
Oct 6. Came on to Suvla thro' trenches
& for first time saw Australian Bridging [[?]]
Here is their story as
Bracegirdle gave it to me:
Diary 10
Oct 5-
Oct23
[hand drawn diagram, please see original]
On His Majesty's Service.
[[R?]]
C Bean Esq
[[?]]
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
October 5. Went to Anzac with
On His Majesty's Service.
[[R?]]
C BeanEsq
[[?]]
12th Battn on it - proby 12th Regt. ws meant
That ws l regt previously here. The Arab
Divn is up at l North o l line - a sort of haff
hearted attack we made on the 29 Div. there also.
Oct 6. Came on to Suvla thro' trenches
& for first time saw Australian Bridging [[?]]
Here is their story as
Bracegirdle gave it to me:
[hand drawn diagram, please see original]
1st Bn ws at B & A
1 Post Said heard change of plan.
At Aden [[*shorthand*]]
Stone Piers [[*shorthand*]]
Piers.
[[?]] [[*shorthand*]] Australia - [[*shorthand*]]
Salt Lake Pier [[*shorthand*]]. by 2.30 sat
were going. Chattam
unit to l W. Office
under [[*shorthand*]] - but [[*shorthand*]]
Transferred [[*shorthand*]] "Cerberus, "
[[*shorthand*]] "Victory"
W.O. [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
Admirals [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
at Cockatoo [[*shorthand*]]
waggons (6P\Z) Col Standing
[[*shorthand*]]
At P.S.d on
Sund 18 July [[*shorthand*]]
Medforce:
Reached [[?]] 10am. 21 July
[[?]] 7.20 July 25
288 offrs & men
26 1st Rif.
314
9 rif [[*shorthand*]] Asked [[*shorthand*]] to 20
2/
& 3 [[*shorthand*]] reached at mudroo
in S.S. Pt Macquarie x Senior [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
G,H,Q [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
for towing across [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] for water
storage purposes. [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
to take notes on use of
for Piers, also Russians &
Engineers barred peers. ^ in sections
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] & we [[*shorthand*]] at A beach.
R E went on w [[?]] x we had
beach. I came [[*shorthand*]] 9th
Corps B. Gen. H. Bland.
Lt. Comnr L.S. Bracegirdle
R.A.N.
[[*shorthand*]] wdnt tow in
a seaway - wdnt [[*shorthand*]]
Read Adm. [[*shorthand*]] them.
we tour bows out of one [[*shorthand*]] embarked
Itria x Took 2 [[*shorthand*]] to load.
First shire left 7p.m. [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] dusk. They [[*shorthand*]] straight Suvla.
We left at [[*shorthand*]]
5am. [[*shorthand*]] shelled at 8am.
Taube [[*shorthand*]] 2 bombs one near
stern [[*shorthand*]] on beam [[*shorthand*]] sheeled
at noon [[*shorthand*]]
closer in x
[[*shorthand*]]
barrel pier at A
[[*shorthand*]] supports
All these beaches [[*shorthand*]] mixed. We dig our mine
up (some [[*shorthand*]]) But this was a trip wire
box & lever
hand drawn diagram - refer to original.
brown box filled w black shiny powder.
we dug one up in l grass by l beach -
[[*shorthand*]] itx Found 6.5 [[?]]
[[*shorthand*]]
hand drawn diagram - refer to original.
Over 20 mines were blown up. [[*shorthand*]]
1st day. [[*shorthand*]] no mines at old A
& B
I think Turks [[*shorthand*]] l warned [[*shorthand*]]
They cd lay one [[*shorthand*]] battn otherwose
1st [[*shorthand*]] abt 10.30 or 11 on Saturday
Abt 7 [[*shorthand*]]
any on [[*shorthand*]]
4/
only 7 is [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] Lala Baba. Doris
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] on left [[*shorthand*]]
on 7th. She [[*shorthand*]]
It openend [[*shorthand*]] at [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
W Hills & Anafarta [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] Anafarta
Lala Baba & B [[*shorthand*]]
Not Koja Chemen Tepe - tt probly
occupied w Anzac.
130 yds Pier on A
285 [[*shorthand*]] & cdnt get
pinnaces in [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
5
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
1 1/2 [[*shorthand*]] khaki [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
bay. only 4 feet of water [[*shorthand*]]
men wading to pub in anchors
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] apologised. [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
it again if we alld troops to pass along
[[*shorthand*]]
beach undercover of it [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
Every [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]] crowd [[*shorthand*]]
[[*shorthand*]]
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