Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/5/1 - April - May 1915 - Part 3

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the knock - knocking of an axlebox heard very far off, very 
faint, through the bush.  To my mind there is no mistaking
it whatever. It is the sound  first time I heard the sound, but I 
have no doubt whatever of on earth of what it is.  It is the distant 
echo of heavy continuous rifle firing - first a few shots, then heavy
 & continuous.
I called the attention I told the ships officer next me to 
listen.  He heard it too; he knew what it was.  There was some 
doubt amongst others.  But five minutes later there was 
within five minutes there was  ∧ could be no mistake.  Heavy firing was
going on in the hills ahead.  We could not see the flash.
Ahead of us there are three warships - London, Queen, 
Prince of Wales. Closer in are four transports; & nearer in to 
the beach still four more. We for the moment are steadied
stopped some way outside the warships.  We can see that one 
of the warships has  a ste her small steamboat astern of her 
but we could can see nothing of any boats further inland.
4.53  A flash has just burst from the face of a point 
about two mile to the South of us. Shxxxxx many xxxxx seconds
later there is Just now there was the sound like a bursting rocket in the High  high
in the air a little aft of the ship.  A small woolly cloud has
unrolled itself.  Below it ∧a small circle of the surface of the silky water 
was lashed up as if by a very local fierce thunder rain.  
Presently there is far away on the face of a ∧small promontory 
abt two miles to the south of us is a brilliant pinpoint 
flash.  xxxx Some seconds later a curious whizz through the 
air to the South of  air - a whizz-on a descending scale 
just the opposite to the whizz of a steam siren.  The 
long drawn out whizz sinks & sinks down the scale.  
There is a flash high in the air a quarter of a mile in 
front of us this time.  xxx Then a bang, the whirr of 
a shower of pellets sprayed as if from a watering can, 
the whip up of the another circle of sea below & another 
white fleecy cloud slowly floating to overhead.  The wondering

 

? queen
 20                                                                                         
crowd on the promenade deck says to itself "So that is shrapnel".
"Look mate", says a voice on the focsle, "They're carrying this joke too far - they're using ball ammunition" 
4.45  There was a bang which shook our ship - A huge 
bilious yellow cloud for a moment sprang out from the side of 
one of our bet the warships just south of us.  Far down on the 
point where that other flash came from a _∧huge geyser of blac 
yellow black earth lifts itself - a lurid red flash just showing through the 
cloud of it.  The Infantry - they are new south welshmen - on 
the deck below run to the side, cheering, delightedly 
"Whew! that's Pat", says one big chap  excited boy waving 
his cap.
Several of the other ships are begin firing, but the shrapnel 
still bursts ahead.  At five oclock one seems to burst fair over 
the stern of the Novian a transport ahead of us carrying xx
a battalion of the second Brigade.
Three minutes later we ourselves start moving in 
to take up our berth.   In Four of us, in line, are passing 
slowly in between the warships.  Just on our port side 
we look down quite close upon the deck of one battleship 
- the Prince of Wales, I think.  She has one pair of great 
turret guns pointed straight at us, the others ahead.  
On our right the Triumph & Bacchante are firing round 
after round - the two big turret guns roar of the former 
roaring together.
Not a sign yet from the beach.  Only that ceaseless 
knocking knocking knocking . Presently a low and shapeless curiously oval 
object floats past us low in the water.  It is a small rowing 
boat bottom upwards.  That was the first sign that one saw 
of any activity what had been we saw.
Now at last as we moved in we cd see on the 
sea beach, just below the line of the beach, an swarm of small 
boats - small boats everywhere.  They seemed to be going 
each on its own & going every sort of way - rowing, 
not being tugged some were stationary - or seemed so.  It is hard

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to tell at this distance.  "I don't like the way they're all 
scattered about," sd a staff officer near me.  Some seemed as tho 
they might be helping others in difficulties.
The warships are firing more heavily now - there go two 
great turret guns together.  The enemy is still scattering his shrapnel 
over the water but always between the ships or just short of them.
xx 5.15 - Two shells pretty close to us.  Those small boats returning 
for all they are worth each on its own - we can see them 
much clearer now - make some just a little anxious.  Why 
are they going so many ways - digging out for all they are worth.  
Has the landing been beaten off - is this the remnant.
At five o'c the men went down to a hot breakfast.  That 
firing is still going on in the hills.  Whilst it continues one can 
scarcely think of eating.  Someone says "You'ld better come," says someone.
"Never know when you may get a good meal again."  It was a 
very hurried breakfast and the officers took - 50 or 60 of them there at 
the saloon tables.  Shells were falling near the ship; any minute one 
might come through the side.  xxxxx every now You can see 
plainly the flash flash of the warships guns - xx the glare flashes 
thro the portholes like lightning . The stewards very willing this morning.
Up on deck again after a cup of tea & plate of porridge.  The 
knock - knock - still coming heavily from the shore - the hills resound 
with it.  But look never so hard you can't see a flash.  "I'm afraid 
they've not got very far" says a staff officer.  The se There is 
one comfort.  The small boats which are rowing back are merely returning 
to their ships.  He There are no soldiers in them - they just four 
seamen & a cons with another sitting at the tiller - rowing for all they 
are worth to their various ships.  So our men must at least be  
on the beach.  The sh warships a supporting them for all they are 
worth - a great shot every x  great shots are shaking this ship 
every 10 or 20 seconds.  I can see ths Far down south on the ships neck 
of Kaba Tepe I can see the smoke of ∧ our shrapnel bursting over where we  
the point where we must have xx located their guns.
A destroyer is ^swinging is due to land take the first lot of men off 
our ship at xx 6 o'clock.

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Close in shore one can just make out the low shapes of one or two 
destroyers.  They are were to take in the men from the ships further 
out & to transfer them to boats.  The boats will were to take them from 
the destroyers in shore.  Others were to land straight in boats from the 
ships.  The second batch must Those destroyers in shore must just 
be discharging the second batch now.  Another is swinging round xxx
three hundred yards away from us.  It must be the first to discharge 
us.  She was due at six o'clock.  It is exactly 6.3.  A geyser of 
foam rises beside the Galika - I think it is from a gun on the hills 
big hills far away to the South.  It was not far off.  The shrapnel 
is now bursting in the air a little south of the transports; 3 shell 
this time.  Now another three!  Those x must be from field guns to 
the South of that promontory. We are just outside their extreme
range. x
The destroyer is alongside. _∧ Some The men on her decks are 
standing round something which they have protected with a little 
nest of hammocks.  It is a wounded man.  One seems to be an 
Australian sailor - another is a sailor. His face turned away from them 
very white & still.  A seaman sits by him, holding his wrist.  
Now that one sees them there are half a dozen wounded men on 
that destroyer.  Another has drawn alongside our other beam.  
She has a dozen wounded on her.  Some of the small returning boats 
have wounded in them to  come along the destroyer.  They lift 
a wounded man or two out of them also.
Still that rattle rattle all through along the beach hillside.  It 
doesn't sound as if our men had got far.  The ships are 
roaring whole broadsides now, huge buffets of guns upon the 
neck behind that promontory.  Four guns down there continue 
to spray shrapnel over / water.
A few minutes ago there was a heavy whirr in the 
air.  An aero^A seaplane went up & shorewards ∧like a big bee.  She has just 
come back.  They are no longer shelling the ships. But we can see 
the shell spraying the strings of boats as they move in shore.
[*Dartmth 
*& Doris?*] Two cruisers are round the South West of that obnoxious battery
promontory shelling it - & the Triumph.  Just this side of it lies 
the four funnelled Bacchante - sistership of our old Euryalus 
From Far to the South is the Queen Elizabeth, signalling with 
some brilliant light.  Our men must at least have got

Hand drawn diagram - see original document
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a footing on the land for those _∧enemy guns to the S. are still 
shelling the right hand shoulder of the nearer hill in front - 
four of them were shelling it some moments ago.  There only seems 
to be one now.
6.45   The first of our The infantry from our own ship are 
climbing slowly down rope ladders into their destroyers - one 
on the left f or rather into one of them.  The Derfflinger has 
just got her first destroyer away.  I watch it - old Jock is in 
that lot.  The Michigan has got her tow away.  Astern of us are 
one can see in the distance transport after transport coming 
up.
That obnoxious gun on Kaba Tepe is still blaz 
plastering the shoulder of that hill with shell.  I think I can
see the flash of one gun there.  The naval guns throw a very
quick shell.  You see the flash almost as soon as you hear the 
report.  The Bacchante is slowly moving in closely  closer to shell 
the northern side of that point promontory.  She moves slowly 
round & then straight in on it, very close.  It is nearly seven o'clock.  
The firing is very weak & spasmodic along the hillside.
Suddenly - from high up on the further hills - there twinkles 
a tiny white light - very brilliant.  What on earth can it be?  
We can hardly have got our signallers right up there, headquarters
properly fixed and the signal communication opened up by this 
time!.  "It cant be us - must be the Turks" is the general opinion.  
But what  do the Turks want to helio toward us for - must be 
towards signalling to their men on the nearer hill.
Ten minutes later someone sees men upon the skyline.  
The rumour gradually spreads round.  At x 7.17 I xx heard of it.  x
some put my Through the telescope you can see them, numbers 
of them - some standing full length.  Others moving over it.  
Certain ones are standing up, moving along the amongst them.  
Others are sitting down apparently talking.  They xxxxx be Are they 
Turks or Australians.  The Turks wear khaki, but they are 
the attitudes are extraordinarily like those of Australians.  Just below 
them, on our side of them a long line of men is digging quietly on a 
nearer hill.   One seems to recoxxxxx the  They have round caps, 
how I think clearly you can distinguish that round disc-like cap.  They 
are Australians!  and they have taken that further line of hills!

 

Hand-drawn diagram- see original document
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- three ridges away you can see them; the outlines of men on the 
furthest hills, men digging on the second hill; and the ∧white flags of signallers
waving on the ridge nearest the shore.
There is no sound of firing at all now.  And those guns to
the south are silenced - apparently even that last solitary one. 
For No - just as a launch with a string of boats in tow taking 
men from a ship ahead of us gets into the beach the beggar 
fires again. The Bacchante immediately blazes at her.  She fires 
[*7.45:*] only one shot once. Five minutes later when another tow is on 
its way to the beach it fires again.  wonder if any were hxxxx 
The Bacchante ∧immediately smothers them again.  Clearly they come out to
 fire one shot & then dive for their gun pit till the storm is 
over.  Their last shot was right over some disembarking troops 
wonder if they got any. Another ship - The Triumph is moving 
close in to the S. of the point.
Meanwhile At Ab 7.30 The firing on shore had begun again.  There are
men now on the crest of the ∧high hill to the left of the ridge. ∧[These must have bn Turks] The
morning is glorious - the sun xxxxing the sea as smooth as 
satin shining in the sun; the great ships & their reflexions
make with Mudros & Samothrace hung in the skyline make a
perfectly beautiful scene.
8-8.15  more firing on shore; - part of it rapid as if 8.25 short spell of firing very 
rapid as if to cover an attack.  The Triumph round the promontory is 
firing - I cant see the burst so it is probably at the back 
of the hill.  xxxxxxxxxx The wounded men from the destroyers 
are being brought on board.  Stories come up from the cabins where 
Col. Ryan is tending to them that the first 2 boats got it very hot & lost 50 per cent of their men, 
some lost heavily the Turks getting on to them with a machine gun. 
[This turned out afterwds to be wrong - it was 
some of the later boats of the covering force & the first of the 2nd Brigade 
that lost heavily]
8.30   The second destroyer (Ribble) is alongside - she has 
many wounded on board - men come to me & say that
her decks are a sight - simply slippery with blood.  I 

didn't go to see - somehow if that sort of thing has to come 
it will come of its own accord; no need to go & look for it.  
They dont seem to be hurrying about loading the Ribble - not a 
man is getting on to her although lots are getting on board waiting.  

I wonder why.
8.45-9: The firing seems by the sound to be getting down the shoulder of 
that ridge.

 

8.30 a.m.

Hand drawn diagram - see original document

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By the bye - the first tow left the Derfflinger some time ago - long
 before ours left us.  I saw her go - & I knew my brother Jack was 
on it - He was is surgeon to his bn. & was to leave with the first lot.  
They didn't seem to get much shrapnel (our destroyers are the 
Esk, Ribble & Scourge).
8.55.   Another tow going inshore.  Shrapnel bursts 
right over it.  Our General & those rest other members ∧of our H.Q. staff
who were on H.M.S. P. of Wales passed us, going ashore in trawler 
49, at abt 7.30.
The balloon is coming in closer.
9.20   Another burst of firing on hills.
The third destroyer (Ribble) is alongside.  Put on 
my packs (i.e. overcoat & 1 ration & towel & w.p. sheet in an infantry 
pack; 2 rations in brown canvas satchel wh Myers gave me - 
also most of my papers & some chocolate; xx rug & leather 
lining to overcoat in roll.)  Went down onto fo'csle deck with 
Capt Griffiths - got the packs slung over & climbed into the 
destroyer & then climbed down rope ladder.  xxxxxxxxx 
9.40   moved off.  waved good bye to Bazley & old Fitzgerald.  
Most of the batmen with our sleeping bags, horses, grooms, the 
French interpreters, motor cars, Maj. Matson & the pay 
office people remain aboard until our landing is established.
Some say they may be off in 2 days - some a week.  Of 
course the horses may be longer.
As we are going ashore some heavy battery fires 
a big shot at the P. of Wales - a monstrous fountain 
of foam rises beside her.  Second shot at P.of W.  
Then a 3rd big shot near Minnewas right over the Queen near the Hessen.
They'll be sinking her if our people dont look out.  I 
believe we ∧quite expect to lose a transport or two & it looks 
as if any minute we shall see the beginning:  4th big 
shot alongside Hessen - ∧she's a German steamer, too.  I wonder 
when they'll get her moving - they're frightfully slow - No, she's
 thrashing out at last - screw very high out of the water.
Next bn Then a big shot - 5^th - close alongside Minnewaska.  
Next a shot close alongside a destroyer - it

July 28

I am told / Turks only claim to have 60 or 70 Eng. speaking prisoners including British.  Can 

this be true?

Col. Maclagan ∧& others told me on Wed Ap 28:  He & Ross were first out of their boats wh were
not much behind / first landing.  The men went up / high hill & were on 

top of it before / Turks knew where they were. [There were two Turks, Howse

told me, on / beach, one w his head smashed in].  It ws at 4.18 (acc. to 

Maclagan ) when 3 Bde in boats landed from / ships.  Boats had ∧just landed when bullets 

began to whiz.  The men were out of them at once.  The shots struck sparks onto / 

beach, regular fireworks from / stones, as they hopped across them. These were from 

rifles from / knoll at / S.End o / beach.

There ws a m.g. on / hill at N. End of beach & also in a gully to S.E
of Fisherman's Hut.  The destroyers knew they had chosen / wrong place 

but it ws too late to change.  Col Maclagan became convinced o / mistake 

when he had reached / top o / camp ridge.

The first boats ashore were on / extreme left, nearly as far down up 

as Fisherman's Hut.  They are still there (Wed. 28). many men were killed 

in them, probly of 10 & 11 Bns, by rifle fire & maxim from up gully in 

front.  The boats seemed to be filled w dead; but some o / dead were seen to 

move.  It turned out they were wounded but were afraid to move.  Two stretcher 

bearers of 2 Bn were sent along but one ws killed & other mortally wd.  

They got the men out of / boats finally on Monday night.

[* Really mostly 7 Bn?*]

[* This boat belonged to 12 Bn. 7Bn had sent away their wounded. *]

The men went straight up t hillside.  Col. Maclagan had trained 

/ platoon & section leaders & so they were well qualified.  The 11, 10, & 9 

went in in tt order from N. to S.  The 11 worked up spur W4 & got to 

top of bastion B2 where they were blocked (?) Some got to Fishermans 

Hut where there were Turks & took it.  The 10 (part of it) went up 

spur about G 3 & up / precipice thro' / break in / ridge B7 & 

nearly to D2 (Baby 700);  Col Maclagan who came ashore from destroyers at 

4.28 (his time) saw tt he ws wanted further South & cut thro
/ same gap up to ∧below top of 1st Plateau.  Then over into Shrapnel gully 

& up to position where Bde H.Q. now are or near it.  Maj. Brand 

after sending a communication as to his position [Johnston's Jolly Lone Pine] 

went on towards a position to / right of Col. Maclagan where there were 

3 emplacements [Gully in Lone Pine reentrant] He cd see / emplacements.  They 

fired on / Turks there - & then took / guns (T.s didn't wait) & spiked them 

as best they cd.  M'L. saw / position ws too long & he knew made his party 

on right retire.  "We had 1 hour, fortunately, to dig in. Our advanced party 

ws kept up to help another to dig in.  By 7 when the 2nd Bde ws landing this 

had bn done.  The 1st Field Co of Engrs were making a road."  Second Bde 

had to come in on our right after consultn betw. brigadiers.  They went on & 

by 11 o'c were over on / slope overlooking / enemys positn.  Some got onto a 

further ridge still.  Later tt night the 2 Bde had to retire to its present positn 

(Thurs 29) They left many of their officers & men there & those Turks who 

are using our uniforms genly use theirs.
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seemed to explode on touching the water - wonder if it

went through her - it wd sink her surely. You can see a

white powdery patch on her side black side, where the explosion

dried the spray on it, I suppose. A sailor went straight to the

side & looked over to see if any damage had bn done. If it

had she'd have bn sunk by now - so I suppose it just missed

her.

Kaba Tepe ∧has fired two shots a shot at us as we came

ashore - at least I suppose they were ^firing at us. xx

It fell abt good way short. The second fell between us

& Another destroyer wh had just ∧was moving in with

troops parallel to us, alw from carrying troops from

some other transport. Abt 200 yds from / shore /

destroyers stopped. There were some very big empty ships

boats coming alongside & we clambered into them - Gellibrand

& most of our party got up into the bows to be out of

the way. I dont think anybody in the boat worried

about shrapnel. Somebody says another shell burst

between us & / other destroyer - not far away; but

I didn't notice it. I ws busy taking photos of the boats

& the hills.

The first sight o / hills as we got in closer &

cd see what they really were made one realise

what our men had really done. I remember someone

saying tt t map ought to have bn made more precipitous,

tt it didnt really give an idea of what t hills how steep the hills

actually were - & I xxx understand what they meant.

The place is like a sandpit on a huge scale - raw

sandslopes & precipices alternating with steep slopes of covered

w low scrub - the scrub where it exists is pretty dense.

There seems to be a tallish hummock at / N. end o / beach

and another at/t South End. We are landing between them.

The boat grounded in at 2 ft of water. We jumped

out - got used to this at Lemnos where I saw many a

man spilt by his heavy pack, so I got out carefully,

waded to / beach, & stood on Turkish soil.

I took a photo or two of the fellows landing &

Hand drawn diagram- see original document

By 9.00a.m. the 1st Day Lt. Williams & 14 men o / Divl Engrs ws ashore 

looking for water. They left 7  xxx first day on the beach & took the other 7 round 

Shrapnel Gully; & there abt 300 yds up they found under a 

bit of a cliff on the right a trickle of water about 6 in deep.  

They dammed it & began to sink by it. They were at work by 10 a.m. 

& by 2 had a little well w water running into it. They went back 

to / beach for pump, pipes & so on & for 2 days this little godsend of 

a place ws t only well in ANZAC. The next well ws sunk 2 days 

later in Walker Valley.

A feature of 1st day ws t signal service.  3rd Bde H.Q. (No 3) section Sig. Co came with 

H.Q. 3 Bde.  N^o 2 Section. w H.Q. 1st Bde. N^o 4 Section w 2 Bde ws in beach at 7.30.  The N^o 1
sectn. landed between 8 & 9.  Men carried their signalling kit.  Commn ws thro to all 

brigades by telephone at 9.45.

27                                                                                                       

then turned round to see / beach. It ws a curve of sand, 

abt 1/2 mile long, between the two knolls before mentioned.  

Between them, high above us, ran back a steep scrub covered 

slope to an edge a skyline about 300 ft above us.  One 

or two deep little scrub gullies came down the mountainside, 

each with ∧a little narrow winding muddy gutters, but very 

gutters in / depth of it; these gutters were about as deep 

as a man, sometimes deeper, not more than 5 or 6 

feet wide, more of less covered in the low scrub (largely 

arbutus) & so splendid natural cover against shrapnel 

whether it came from N. or S.  On t beach some seamen 

were rigging up / first pole of a wireless station; infantry 

& engineers as they landed were being lined up & marched 

off at at once - mostly, I think, towards / South End of /

beach. Foster & Casey met us & took us off in a Southerly 

direction to the 2nd gully where they sd / General had decided 

to make his divisional H.Q.  The place they chose ws / 

bottom o / gully just where / gully opened out onto / sand.  

I chucked my pack & haversack down w / others on 

a bunch of bush in / middle of this gully. ∧Shrapnel had been dropping
here thickly.  & then as I didnt
want to be in / way, & as Col Hobbs ws going up / hill to
see if he cd hit on an artillery position I also crawled 

up / hill after him. 
It ws a matter of crawling to get up the gully, 

crawling and clambering

I think / General was away when we 

arrived - anyway Foster c'dn't say definitely if this 

wd be / place for / camp; so we waited on to see where 

H.Q. wd be.  Presently The General ws there shortly afterwds.  

White, Glasfurd, Blamey, Howse & Foote were all ashore 

before us.

10.00 Maclagan's Brigade were abt finishing their 

landing, & men walking along by / shore.

10 a.m. The mountain guns have just landed.  

There is continuous firing. X

10.30.   The wireless is up.  The boys are digging 

out a place for Head quarters in this gully near 

/ beach. The signallers seem to have bn allotted a

We saw a few wounded men, a very few, limping or carried 

along / beach.  I think about half a dozen poor chaps were also 

lying there dead - with overcoats or rugs over them. Most of these 

were carried away round Northern point o / beach, & away 

along / Northern beach where they were laid out together, abt 

30 of them.

There was one dead Turk on beach (? w head bashed in); 3 in 

the blockhouse on Ari Burnu - on big chap bayoneted; & perh 

20 others inside our final lines tt evening.  There were many outside 

our lines, of course, but not so many as sometimes claimed.  Of our 

own men abt a dozen were dead at foot of Ari Burnu - 6 were taken 

off from there in boats; most o / damage ws done further North.

On our way up we looked down on the beach and / hillside 

below, & cd realise the climb tt our men must have had up that 

steep slope before they got to / top.  The knoll at / N. end o / beach ws 

well entrenched - you cd see a trench running back along it & 

a regular little blockhouse on top - covered in. Along / beach to 

/ north, some way this side of Fishermans Hut, were lying some 

bodies - I think they had bn gathered there. And some men were strolling 

quietly along it as if they were out for a Sunday's walk.

As we went along this trench there ws a dead Turk lying in it ∧people stepped over him as they went along - he was there most of the day.
& there ws one of our own men, dead, lying just outside the 

trench.  Some parts o / trench had a very nasty smell - there 

ws no mistaking it - / Turks must have used it for purposes 

of sanitation as well as of protection - I believe their trenches 

serve them for every purpose.

[Ramsay's diary "The first job I got - was shown a dot on the map ∧where 3rd Bde HQ were & told off
to take a corporal & 12 men w 6 cases of ammunition to it.  We started off up /

hill & got to / top where we met a good many wounded.  The hill was very steep & it ws hard work... but we got to / top alright and then on over a level piece of ground across some 

Turkish trenches.  After / first rush a good many Turks had bn left behind & had hidden themselves in / scrub & gullies & were sniping our men. We got on to a corner from wh you cd see HQ 

on / other side o / gully not far on to / right so we got all / men up w / boxes.  The Corporal took
them on & I went back to see if any more was wanted.  Coming down I heard Casey sing out to get

down & found him w / Genl, Genl Walker & Col White down behind a piece o / ill.  A sniper 

had shot a man dead alongside Genl Walker & had put 5 shots pretty close to / rest of them."] 

28                                                                                                            

bit o / gully just above us & / artillery just above them.  A Turkish 

prisoner is on / beach being examined at H.Q.

[The fixing up o / wireless to / ships was rather slow & 

delayed / artillery ships guns considerably. Our own signals were 

through remarkably quickly.]

I didn't want to get in the way at H.Q. so as Col. 

Hobbs ws going up to see if he cd find a position for his guns I 

decid  asked if I might go with him. The artillery staff scrambled up 

the gutter at / back of our H.Q. Winding in & out under / leaves, 

gett  dragging one another up / sandy gravelly banks until we got to / top 

of our ridge.  When abt half way up I noticed an insect with 

a soft rustle of a flight, like a bees, flying over - I cd hear them 

& looked once or twice to make sure. Then for / first time I realised 

it must be a bullet. It was so feeble, tt sound, & so spent 

that it ws quite comforting.  One had expected something much 

more business like. As we got higher up they the whistle did 

become louder, but I hadn't any idea whether they were 

near or far.

At the top we got into a path - I dont know 

if it is was ours or Turkish, but our engineers were building 

quite a fine path lower down - wh led us for about half 

a dozen yards over / beginning of a plateau & then into a shallow 

trench crossed our path, running from right to left; so we dropped 

into it.  There were several men in it & I think they were 

chiefly engaged in passing ammunition along it.  We crept along 

it, passing a certain number of men - Col. Hobbs seemed rather 

desperate of getting any artillery up this way.  Finally we got to 

where / trench opened out finished abruptly on / other side o / plateau 

in a V shaped cut thro wh you cd see down into / valley & across 

to / other side of it.  Col. Hobbs went on & had a look out o / opening 

& as he cd do no good here we all returned to / beach.  I 

stayed for a bit to talk to some o / men in / trench.  One cd hear 

occasionally a burst overhead and a whizz wh I took to 

be shrapnel; but in this trench one ws reasonably safe.

By / time I got out o / trench / road up to / 

entrance of it seemed to be nearly finished. Men bringing up 

ammunition were resting there for a moment.  A certain number 

of infantry were sitting down there also for a breather.  The ammunition 

men didn't get down into / trench but went straight down over 

on across / plateau - where to I cd not see.  It was a big labour 

bringing those boxes up / hill - but I knew it ws awfully important.