Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/64/1 - November 1916 - Part 1

AWM 38

Official History,

1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,

Official Historian.

 

Diaries and Notebooks

 

Item number: 3DRL606/64/1

 

Title: Diary, November 1916

Relates "Chauvelle's" (ie Sir Harry Chauvel's)

account of the Australians in Palestine, July-

September 1916.

 

[Bar Code]

AWM38-3DRL606/64/1

 

Original   DIARY NO. 64

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 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 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.

 

1   64

[Hand drawn diagram with symbols & letters]

 

45.    2 Nov4

Nov.4. Chauvelle arrived ACat

in France, on 6 weeks leave from Egypt.

He stays here tonight - He gave me follg.

acct of Light Horse fighting in Egypt. 

L.H. used to make patrols

On July 19 ∧ 1916 starting to

make patrol from Quatia,

(1 Bde there, & another at Romani,)

when aeropl. reported 3000

Turks at A, 2000 at B, 2000

at C, 2000 at D.

 

Chauvelle ordered

patrol to off, & small

patrols to be made west end

(The other Bde ws to move up

to Quatia when first Bde

went out to patrol - but

this ws counter manded now).

 

Turks dug in on line

A-B. Light H. ws kept at 

 

65    3

 

Romani, but each night

one Bde moved out to Quatia

before dawn & stayed there

all day & withdrew after

dark, so tt Ts. Thought

Q ws held by us.

 

On night of Aug 3 Ts

attacked Q.- their orders

showed they planned to

attack it; next morning

they were in occupation

of it, clearly attack at

hand.

 

It had bn arranged.

3 or 4 days before tt if

Ts attacked, L.H. shd

 

65    4

 

strengthen infantry's right.

52nd Divn (to 3weak Bdes)

held line of posts ∧(0000) from E to

F∧ (beat back to Romani). From F to Romani ws

plateau, fairly good going -

firm sand - but dotted

part ws very loose heavy

sand. L.H. ws to hold

edge of this plateau from

Southern most infantry

post.

 

Turks attacked this

on night Aug 3-4 at 12

midnight. They meant

to turn infantry's flank,

 

65    5

 

cut them off from rly,

& dig in front of

Romani facing Romani

(where railhead then ws).

The L.H. held them for

4 hrs - they attacked up

valley between F-K, & K-J, -

around by I. The

L.H. defence made them

stop & extend further &

further to H where they

got into bad sand.

 

The L.H. were now 

out flanked & had to

retire (as previously

arranged) on a line to

 

65     6

 

join up w infantry at

Romani - This had all

bn mapped - telephone

connections made etc.

(But Chauvelle ws

unable to get to his

arranged D. H.Q, where

telephone ws, bec. of m.g

fire).

 

The N.Z.  [?] R. & the

5th Mounted Bde (yeomanry)

were now ordered to come

up & attack from Roman 

the West - from H T M

Eastward. They got the

edge of ridge by 5 p.m.

Then the 1st & 2nd LH wh

 

65     7

 

had fallen back to F-G

c. attacked & the Ts were

driven gradually off the

position they had won.

[Hand drawn diagram] The 52nd

Div. was 

also asked

to let a Bde attack from

F - but this Bde did

not begin its attack till

8 p.m. & didnt finish

it till 9 a.m. next

day. In I mean time

the Ts. had bn asks

to retire - we got 500

prisoners overnight &

2500 next day in this

angle - but 6000 or 7000

 

65     8

 

got away who shd have

bn taken.

 

The. 42nd Div. at

Romani, on I other hand,

when asked for 2 bns

to hold point G when,

the L.H. advanced, sent

up a bde an hour

earlier than asked for!

The Turks went back to Quatia

On Aug5- next day

-Aug 5- [Antilles?] 3rd Bde

coming up from S ws asked to

secure the flank by securing

O. The 42nd Divn were

to attack from P - but

never got half way there,

poor chaps; the 52nd

were to secure point N, but 

 

65    9

 

never reached  got it. The

two first LH Bdes were

to make flanking attacks

-one at Q. one at R.

As none of other attacks

came off this had to be

a frontal attack by the

two L.H. Bdes alone -

& it did not come off.

There ws fighting for some

days at Quatia ending

w a big attack on the

9th in wh I losses were

heavier than at Romani.

On the 10th the Ts (I think

this is right-) went back to

the Bir El-Abd position