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

5  23
Hancock put them
in where he wanted.
An R M L I Genl
ws up there tt night.
The R M L I were
put in amongst our
men.
Ms of Ap. 28 D's
men were withdrawn
The fight had just bn
a sniping one. The
T. ws walking abt
in front during /
night making a great
noise with horns,
shouting, barking of
dogs - possibly
intended to frighten us.
 

5  24
The Bn ws reformed
on Shrapnel Green.
Reinfts had arrived
by then. They camped
just abt where they
had landed.
The 9 Bn ws sent
from here to relieve
10 Bn on extreme
of the line. Wilder
Neligan had change of
the post on the beach.
Robertson had bn
wounded early just
off the beach -
Salisbury was in
commd.
 

19 May.
 

5  25
The Turks after
attacking all night were
seen in / morning
doubling in single file
across Poppy valley
(there ws a beautiful
crop of red poppies
growing there - well
down the valley toward
the Ts) 3. M. Gs were
got into position & played
on them & broke them
up before they cd
deploy on the
Chathams Post ridge
& the Seaward slope.
 

5  26
Abt 5 p.m. afternoon
before an aeroplane
warning (troops landing)
had come from
G. H. Q.
D. slept in a blanket
in / front line trench.
Abt ? 11.30 dogs were
heard barking. wh
meant some sort of
activity.
Abt 3 mins later
a shot went off
from the Ts.
The Ts came out in
waves all night.
A sergt in a listening
post wd call Allah
Allah as the Turks
 

27
Wilder Neligan -

then a subaltern - ws
Dougall's rt hand man
on this occasion, &
a tower of strength
 

5  28
did. The Turks
were shouting Allah
Allah - & the sergt
replying seemed to
draw them up into
a little gully betw.
D & C Coys where mgs
were got onto them.
The next morning
there were many
Ts dead in / barbed
wire - "The shelling
with HE which they
gave us ^then caused
more casualties
than / attack.
The 9^th Bn buried
abt 200-300 Turks
in Poppy Valley.
 

29
Wilder Neligans
Raid:
[diagram-see original document]
 

5  30
Neligan took 50 men
for an enterprise arrayed
w G.H.Q. for a night
(or dusk) raid.
Abt 7.30 he took /
men out through /
wire on / slope towds
the beach.
On a given signal
(a rocket) the destroyer
(with Eric Plant on bd)
steamed off parallel with
the beach - she had bn
waiting opp. the Beach post.
Wilder got out & put
his men fan fashion &
 

5  31
the tbd advanced
parallel but forward of
him.
She fired 33 4 in shells
just in front of his men.
As soon as each shell
had exploded they
wd go on like a creeping
barrage.
When she got opp.
Twin Trenches she
plunged her search
light onto / objve -
put in 2 shells, &
Wilder & his men jumped
straight in immd after the
two shells.
They brought back one
live Turk (in accord. w orders)
 

5  32
They bayoneted all /
men they cd get &
came back without
/ loss of one man.
Dougall tells me that this
is what one Bde (6th, 24 Bn) left at
Becourt Camp in 1917
(spring) a few days ago.
 

5  33

5  34

He reported it to Somerville,

& Somerville strafed the 

Battalion over Gellibrands

head without letting G. know.

Bridges the GSO1 of the 2nd Div.

is very hostile to Gellibrand

for some reason. Somerville

is not.

Ap. 27^th. Osborne tells me

he has a post, very far

forward by the Tank, from

which to watch the

coming fight. It will be a

pretty hot corner. He sd

he wd invite me there

to watch it with him.

Hore thinks that there ought

to be some second person

there with Osborne & was