Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/76/1 - April 1917 - Part 1

AWM38
Official History,
1914-18 War: Records of C E W Bean,
Official Historian.
 Diaries and Notebooks
 Item number: 3DRL606/76/1
Title: Diary, April 1917
Includes references to the 9th Battalion and to 
the Turkish attack on 29 June 1915 at Gallipoli.

AWM38-3DRL606/76/1

Original
DIARY No.76
AWM38
3DRL 606 ITEM 76[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 the conditions laid down in the terms
of gift to the Australian War Memorial. But, apart from these terms, I wish the
following circumstances and considerations to be brought to the notice of every
reader and writer who may use them.
The 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.
The 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 event. 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 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

Duke of Sutherland has
been staying here two
days. He is a young
man in the R.N.V.R.
& I believe runs his
motor launch as a
patrol on the Suez
Canal or something of the
sort. A quiet enough
chap - not very brilliant
They were discussing Well's
letter on Republican
England which clearly
came as a bit of a shock
Neither White nor the General
at all approve.

5      1
27 Ap.
76 1917
25 Ap. 1915
29 June 
1915
26 April, 1917.
Went down & saw
Dougall of old 9^th Bn
A.I.F. who gave me /
followin account of the
landing of his coy & C coy
9 Bn on extreme right at
Anzac. He was clearly
landed well to the right of
the rest of the force-
They thought they were
landed first, but as
a matter of fact the
red light & rifle shots wh
occurred when they were
leaving their destroyer
were on the 3rd Bde
troops already landing at
Ari Burna.
His Coy was to have
taken Gaba Tepe, but
did not get further than
abt where was Chatham's Post.

2
25 Ap.
1915
9 Bn D & C Coys.
Hand drawn diagram – see original
D Coy 9 Bn landed on extreme rt where marked.
A & B Coys were on Queen C & D were on Destroyers - D on
Colne. When they got close in after noon down they cd
see the shore (while still in destroyers). The tbds edged abt
a bit as if hazy as to correct place. Dougall ws on
bridge of Colne. The commdr of destroyer got excited & used a
a megaphone saying "Ease of to the right - we're too far up to
the left". His destroyer ws in / middle o / others. They

3
There seemed to be
odd sniping shots for
a few minutes from
then on before firing
became continuous.
No boats wd be
ashore by then.
5     4
manoeuvred a little.
Dougall ws keenly watching
/ shore & he saw a red light
flash & then rifle shots rang
out. Men were standing by at
this time. Gen. Maclagan ws on
board the destroyer & he
gave / order to push off in
/ small boats.
Small boats cast off
& were rowed by Blue jackets
from H.M.S. Blake.
Dougall had 5 men hit
going ashore from / destroyers.
A fusilade of rifle fire ws
opened on them as they
pushed off - rifle fire
only. You cdnt say where in
particular it came from.
They jumped quickly 
ashore - got under the bank
& got bayonets fixed &
charged over the hill.

5
The packs were thrown
ashore & one man
per coy ^under C.Q.M.S.
left to guard
them. These were well
looked after.
5     6
The platoons & Coy. were
together up to this. This
Coy ws to take Gaba Tepe.
There were snipers everywhere
the fire ws coming from
direct ahead - they took it
as coming from what was
afterwds known as Gun
Ridge.
They charged up by the
hut. There were Turks
in the hut - ½ dozen
-they had a little fire going with
a pot of coffee on it heating.
The Turk who looked after it
had left his turned up shoes
& fled. The Ts there were
bayoneted & the coy went
on up the rather steep slope
opposite towds Plateau 400.

5     7
C & D coys attempted
to carry out instrns by
swinging to / right.
C Coy Capt. Milne.
D Coy Capt Jackson who
ws hit on the bank above
/ beach - slightly. Lieut
Capt. Dougall took over
from him from that point.
Up on the plateau they
changed direction for Gaba Tepe.
There were no Turks there on /
plateau where they were.
Dougall had only Lieut Chambers
& Lieut. Ross (C. Coy) with
him then. Capt Fisher 2/in c
of C Coy had bn shot in /
knee just as they right swung
& Milne had bn ^was hit at
sometime.
Dougall pressed on
 

5     8
with Ross & Chambers
& all / men they cd
gather. They reached
an empty T. trench & cd
get no further. Chambers
had bn hit - they had
too few men - & fire
ws too hot. This
trench ws down towds Twin
trenches where Chathams
post wd be.
Sitting in / trench they
cd see brigades of Ts
coming up on their left
front on the ridge opposite.
They watched them deploy
on / top o / hill & remarked
th they must be regular
troops to do it so well.
Dougall had bn a regular 
soldier & it struck him
 

5     9
at once th they must
cd not be hastily raised
levies. He remarked it
to Ross. They were
being fired at then from
Gaba Tepe. The
shells were bursting
badly & high. 
Dougall sent back
for mgs & reinfts in
order to help to hold
- field guns & mg. wd have
bn necy. to go n. No
reinfts were forthcoming.
Dougall went back himself
& saw Gen. Maclagan with
Maj. Capt. Ross on the top o
/ hill - where / troops had
 

10
Previous to speaking
to Maclagan Dougall
saw Wilder (aftwds
W. Neligan - then orderly
room Sergt) & asked him
where Bn H Qrs was.
He sd "Bn H Qrs is buggered."
He sd "See Gen Maclagan".
W. Neligan was fighting, 
directing men on. Mach.
& Ross were there 
directing very coolly -
Bn H.Q. ought of course
to have been there.
x they were exposed to
/ full fire & it gave gt
confidence to / men.
5 11
been ordered to dig in,
fully forwd. Gen. Dougall
asked him for men.
Maclagan sd "Take
those men forward." This
referred to / men he
had beside him.
Dougall & Sergt
Knightly (now Capt) took
A Coy forwd (it ws lying
there apptly preparing to
dig in) in little rushes.
They got them to the ridge
above / trench but /
fire ws too hot to get
them further. This was
rifle fire - rather heavy -