Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/76/1 - April 1917 - Part 2

5      12
You cd not see the 
Ts. It just came from
the scrub. The post 
had been shot out -
abt 3 or 4 men came
back only.
On / top o / ridge the
reinfts (A Coy) lay behind
the bushes - cdnt
attempt to dig in.
They were under shrapnel
fire.
Abt 10 am. the 1st Bn
came up through there
Col. Dobbin ws amongst
them. Strachan of 6 Bn
was there in the afternoon.
The Turks appeared to have
trenches in front & brought
machine guns up in the

5       13
afternoon - The Turks
whom they saw were all
day creeping about
from bush to bush -
guerilla tactics almost.
Men were being lost all
/ time.
Lt Hayman of B Coy
was standing up beside
Dougall abt 3 pm. wanting
to know where Bn HQ. were
when he was shot dead.
Dougall had told him to
lie down. The fire
seemed to get tremendously
heavy about 3 p.m.
That was when it seemed
to be most intense.
it ws rifle & m.g. fire _
Turks cd see our men when

5      14
ever they moved or stood
up. There never seemed
any chance of the line
going back. The men
seemed to be confident
& cheerful - they were
quite enthusiastic - &
Dougall doubts if you
could have pulled
them out of it easily -
They were doing their job
& knew it.
There were carriers
bringing up ammn in 
boxes - there ws never
any shortage. They 
picked up the ammn of
dead or wd men also.

5      15
D. had 2 haversacks
full, & was throwing
clips to / men here &
there.
Dougall spoke to
Glasfurd - who ws a
little anxious as to whether
the men cd stand like
regular soldiers. D.
told him "they were
enthusiastic amateurs."
MacL. & Ross were like
a rallying point - Their
example did a great
deal to steady the men
especially as the Bn Commdr
& Adjt behaved in exactly
/ opposite manner - in
fact, were not there -

5      16
As it ws darkening
they began to dig in.
There were not too many
of the 9 Bn then - the
Ts. had scattered & wd
& killed a lot. Dougall
ws digging roughly on /
line where they were
during / day. The
Turks made rushes
during / night but
were not seen very close.
Our rifle fire kept them
off. Water came up in
tins during / night -
staff people on / beach
collected odds & ends & 
sent them up. The

Monday 26.
5       17
whole thing seemed to 
have bn well thought
out & / scheme well
carried out. By /
morning with entrenching
tools they had got quite a
fair trench.
Things were quieter
on Monday morning.
Abt midday Capt Ross
pulled out the 9 Bn to 
reform in / gully below
Bde H.Q.
Abt 4 p.m. Gen. Maclagan
came along - gave the 
9 Bn an objective &
let them up in person.

5        18
They worked up thro'
the scrub onto / top o /
ridge & found the 15 Bn - 
too crowded in / trenches.
Some ^of 15 Bn came back as 9
went forward - they 
had probly been ordered
back, they didnt seem
at all panic stricken.
This probly drew a
certain amt of our
own people's fire onto
the 9 Bn. The 9 Bn
did not go beyond /
trench where 15 Bn were.
It was very hot on top
- rifle mg. & ^a little shrapnel

19

The 15 Bn. coming
back were not coming
back in a panic
stricken way.
During the rush up /
hill Dougall had a
rifle shot in his hand - 
shock knocked it out
of his hand & broke it
in half. Some of He then picked
up a shovel. Some
2nd Lieut was shouting
Retire - dont fire on those
men - theyre the British
& Gurkhas. D. gave him
a bang over / head straight 
away with the shovel &
he went down like a
stone - D doesnt know
if he was k. or got up agn.
[*The T.s cd be seen at this time on a ridge sloping up to
/ right front - Lone Pine way.*]
5      20
When they finished
they were holding /
trench with the 15 Bn.
Dougall was withdrawn
during / night to 
another post with
100 men.
_______
They were taken
away to / left to
reinforce 1st Bde -
Maj. Hancock of Anzac staff pulled
them out - They were
put in trenches with 1st
Bde. Maj. Irvine & Col.
Maclaurin were sitting
in an exposed positn
when D. went up to them
to find out what he
ws to do. They were

5      21
near Steeles point -
sitting on / hill in a
most exposed positn
using the telephone.
That mg. the message
came up: all the 9
Bde are relieved.
They went down into
Shrapnel Gully & Plant
ws reforming them.
Brand came along
& sd. "I want 100 men
from each Bn of 3rd Bde
under an officer of 
Capts. rank - I
want one who had
a sleep last night."
D. had had no
sleep but he was / only
one available. He

Ap. 27
5      22
reported w / men
to Maj. Hancock.
(who ws up near / firing
line). The 3rd Bde were 
put into a hollow, & put into 

[* / line in bits almost at once as Hancock wanted.*]
The RMLIs
came up imd. after.
One RMLI offr.
came up & asked if
D. knew where the
offrs mess was - 
D. sd a good deal - but
amongst it was:
There's a bit of a dugout
& a waterproof sheet
over it & theres a
little rum in there ...
The men came up
w helmets, blankets,
w.p. sheets - & were
done w / climb.