Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/8/1 - May - June 1915 - Part 14

121
course of these long trench battles - settled down
into a daily string of little incidents like this.
The time for big things seems have passed
w / Turkish attack on the 19^th. We might
possibly have attacked after that when /
enemy was very shaken -  but /
chance passed. It is past / time now
when we cd take isolated trenches - the
enemy has them so well covered from other
positns (wh are all / time improving) that
/ only chance is now to take the lot - or
at least make a big advance. After / attack
of the 19^th when /  Turk ws really shaken
it might possibly have bn done. But it was
not until hours afterwds tt / authorities
down here realised tt it had bn a big
attack - at least tt ws how it seemed to
me. I wish White had a bigger say in our
tactical plans.
Theres still firm
As I write this / hills are echoing
behind me like an empty fives court
& the rifle _^ shots sound are not unlike the knock of
a bat fives bat. Every now & then I can
hear the plunk into the sea of one o /
enemies bullets - sometimes / long
whine of a rick first. Then at times
all the echo stops & all one can hear is 

122
the constant distant plump plump plump
into / sea of bullets from a rifles wh we
cannot hear at all. Once or twice there
has bn / usual outbreak - accompanied
by the punt of a trench mortar as when a
rather flabby football is punted about the
field - and once or twice no report at all
but the mysterious swish swish swish
swish of machin a flight of machine gun
bullets thro the air.  It is getting late -
almost time for our nightly fleet sweeper
to start for Lemnos - She is taking the
French Interpreters, I believe, as they
are no use to us now - The mules are
gra stamping in the gully below -
occasionally some chain on the picketing
rope or on a bridle jingles. The snore
From the dug out beside me _^ comes a solitary
snore. I must blow out the candle
which is close beside me under the
wall (so as not to show to Turkish eyes
on Nibranesi Cape - _^ jutting out 5 miles away to the
N.) I will drag the sleeping bag down out
a bit towards away from the earth wall
so as to get out of the way of centipedes
one of which dropped a little ago - whilst
I ws writing - down my neck: it seems
to be a resort of theirs; I found 2 in my
shaving mug this morning - & so to sleep. 

123
May 29. Sat.
There was a I was awakened last night by a wild outburst of firing last nght
at about 3.20. It seemed to come from Quinns
Post. I had been working late & didnt want to get
up - but as it went on continued I went up to the signal
office & asked if they knew what was on. There
was the usual light shining in the dug out three little
big dug out & its two little brothers by its side. In
The signaller told me it was nothing. The 4^th Battn
had decided to made a dummy attack &
cheered & fixed bayonets in order to make the
Turks blaze away. The xxxx shooting went
on so long that I was a bit dubious - & there
seemed to be a furious bombing with it too -
ten bombs within 5 seconds or so I shd say -
such a bombing as I had never heard. Then the
guns started. A message came that Quinns
Post was being violently attacked - asking the
artillery to help with their fire. I went
along & got my telescope & camera.  xxxxxxx
passing Col. Hobbs dug out he told me I looked in.
He said that there & asked if he thought it was
worth while going out. The N.Z. battery was
pumping round after round into the night.
He said there was nothing in it - he was
annoyed at the t great expenditure of
ammunition by the N Zealand battery.
The fire seemed to have died down - so I turned 

124
in again.
This morning on getting up the first thing I
heard was tha Phillips battery, still firing. Then
someone said that the Turks had taken a trench
at Quinns Post & that we had retaken it. The
firing there was still furious at times. x I
started off at once.
I found that there had been fierce fighting
during the night At the 4^th Brigade H.Q. I got some
details of it. But Things were not quite certain
yet. Half an hour before, they sd, you cd have
seen _^ from H.Q. a row of Turkish rifles sticking out over
the reverse face of the support trenches at Quinns
Post. They had gone now, thank goodness - the
trenches had been retaken. Whilst I was there
a message arrived that there was communication
through the support trenches. But there was still
one part of the trench wh they cdnt get thro! A
man was barricading himself there -  they cdnt
say if he were an Australian or a Turk; some
Australian there might still imagine he was
surrounded by Turks.
I went onto the post & sitting out on the
slope behind the post oin the support trenches heard
the actual story. The supports all had their
bayonets fixed. Whilst It appeared there
were Turks still in the trench, quite cut off,
in a bomb proof shelter. We were sandbagging
the end of this section & were going  to drive them
out of it. But presently they came marching 

125
the path thro the crowd. They had surrendered. There
were 17 of them. The men on the way down patted
them on the back, gave them cigarettes - &, further
down the path, some tea & biscuits.
Whilst I was standing there on the edge of
the path talking to Col. Pope about his attack
adventure with Turks when M^cDonald was taken
prisoner, Our men were dragging dead Turks
out of another part of / trench, down / path &
onto a slab of hillside at / back. Two men had
just passed when pulling a Turk by  / leg when there
was a general scatter. Men got to / side
o / path or shrank back up / hillside. Somebody
sd "What is it - a bomb?"  They Someone
answered - "Yes, a bomb" - & down / path
came rolling an innocent black ball like a
cricket ball. It reached the dead Turk
who was abt 6 feet from me & then exploded
like a cracker  big chinese cracker. There was a
blue smoke & a bit of dust, something hit me on
the hip - dont know what - & the dead Turk ws
lying there with one leg blown off. I expect it
wd have been mine of it hadn't bn his. I was
spattered over with bits of dead Turk -
fortunately not very thickly.
The story which I got of tha this

mornings attack ws as follows:-
The garrison for the night at Quinns
consisted of 350 of the 13^th Bn & 100 of the 10^th L.H. 

T. got into support

trenches.

126.
About 3.20 a.m. the Turks exploded a mine under
N^o 3 section (counting right to left; / trench has 6 sections) of Quinns.
They then threw a shower of bombs into Quinns & walked
across into it. The explosion stunned some of the men in
the section for a moment – threw them down & dazed
them. Coming to again they  One of them told me tt / first
thing he remembered _^ ws hearing some strange gruff voices
talking. The men shrank away a bit - & into tt
section / Turks walked - I dont know how many.
They cd be clearly seen from Popes - one chap standing
by / side o /  trench calmly lighting bombs & throwing
them in. But they cd not be sure on Popes whether
he ws an Australian or a Turk - they cd have hit him
easily.

The Turks found themselves in a sectn o / 
trench with the mound of earth left by / explosion on one
side o them - separating them from our men; & a
traverse on / other side. They cdn't  get beyond either
- our men held / other side. About 3.40 (acc. to
one officer) some more Turks tried to charge thro' into
/ trench & got through. They carried numbers of
bombs w them. W these they bombed the support
trenches & actually got some men over into /
support trenches (acc. to one a/c) Our supports
were all crowded in the little gully at / back
& the bombs rolled over & down amongst them
- but did remarkably little damage. The
rest o the 13^th, the 15^th & 16^th were sent up in
support - & the 10^th L.H. ws kept in reserve.
(Cont. p. 128) 

127. see p.131
[May 30. Sunday
I stayed in & wrote all day today
except for short walk to road up hill behind N.Z.
H.Q. wh overlooks the left of our line. From there,
looking thro' _^ my telescope saw for first time N.Z.
posts on hills along coast. There was an attack
being made by Turks against trench which NZs took
the other night; & N.Z. seemed  I spotted the position
after a bit - you cd see where bullets hit & shrapnel.
Turks were shelling all posts hard. One In N.Z.
trench up hill blue flag suddenly appeared &
sent several messages. Almost at once a Turkish
sniper appeared calmly running trotting at full
length thro scrub on hill. Bullets fell
thick around it.
During this time fierce fusilade suddenly

occurred. Guns also were busy. I thought
they might be connected with this attack where
shot were certainly flying thick.
Afterwds - after dinner (wh I hd w
N.Zs at Shaw's invitatn) I heard from Casey
the sad story of days attack. They had told me
at N.Z. H.Q. they didn't really know the
result of the days work or the positn at
Quinns. That explained a good deal  Evidently something had happened
there.  During last night / Turks had built
up a big work there apparently, & I suppose

 it ws connected w this.
Casey told me afterwds that as far as
they cd see about 30 men had bn sent forward

to reach a trench opp. Quinns. They st fell in every direction,

scarcely any reaching / trench. When they got in there was a

series of furious explosions.  C. doubted if a single man survived. 

(cont.^d from P. 126)
128
Col. Burnage of the 13^th was in command - his H.Q. ws
just at / back o / post.
The moment the mine exploded (with a big
dull thump - not a loud explosion – the Turks turned
on their shrapnel.  Some o / The shrapnel ws / first
thing many people in / valley knew o / attack).
The place ws more or less of an inferno
of bombs. At abt 5.30 the Turks made a second
attempt to get across the top into / trench by charging.
Our whole line made a countercharge – & the Turks
did not wait.
They tried to attack again abt 7.30
The men had all meanwhile been sandbagging
across the part of the trench wh ws exposed to the
Turks who were in our trenches; & had established
communicatn again.
Col. Burnage - ws hit by a bomb in
both arms. The men observed him as he went
down / gully on a stretcher. He ws not a
popular officer at first - & perh. rather weak. But
he has been in the thick - & generally in / front - of
every engagement since / first landing & his
men swear by him now.
In one o /  tunnels men sd they heard a tapping this mining going on
at 6 o'c. the evening before. They had 40 to 50
expert miners there.
We blew in a Turkish tunnel at abt
2.30 yesterday morning (Frid 28^th) 

The Turks also attacked the hill 9^th L.H. on
the hill - Walkers Ridge - bombed them, killed 4 & 
wounded 12. This ws where the 9^th L.H. were for /
first time in / trenches. There were abt 25 Turks dead
in front o / line o / 9^th L.H.
 

129.
Lt Little of the 15^th (just promoted from sergt) had a bomb
in his hand ready to throw when a Turk. bomb exploded.
He put up his hand to save his face when his own bomb
exploded, injured his eyes & blew off his hand. He sd as
he came in to be dressed: "They may damage me but
they can't damage my spirit." 
Maj. Quinn was leading / charge, or
just preparing to do so, & ws throwing bombs himself.
Standing half up under heavy fire when he
ws shot dead - prob. by shrapnel; he ws
standing up at / line. Four company officers of
one company were lost - (wounded) Capt Forsythe,
L^t. Smith, L^t Vin Hall L^t Ha Vine Hall, & Lieut
Sinclair.
Some percussion bombs were fired
by our men, But without their being taught
to use them. They did not take out the safety
gear & so the things didnt explode.
Whilst, I ws up there "There are still Turks
in one of our saps"  sd someone.
"What's / difference between a still T.
& a dead T." asked someone.
Another version. Mine exploded
abt 3 a.m. in N^o 3 Sectn. Blew in firing line
trench. Bombs then poured like rain. This
drove men out of firing line. Turks
ran in & occupied front trench & bomb
proof shelters. Started throwing bombs from
there & had some of men driven right down
out of support trenches. Col. Burnage ws 

130
wounded is both arms. Maj. Tilney in command
for while . Col. Pope ws then sent up.  Abt ½ hr.
after explosion (3.50) remainder of 13^th arrived
in support (abt 150 - i.e. 500 strong) Maj.
Durrant brought them up. Then Col. Chauvel
arrd & remained till all quiet. We still had
sections 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. Abt same time as Col. Pope, the
15^th (abt 200 under Maj. Carter) arrived in support.
It ws then decided to drive T.s out by
bayonet charge. & bomb throwing. Some T.s
were in the support trenches. We drove them
out w bombs
At 6 our men massed o / skyline.
At 6 the T.s made a charge - Our
men opened w rifles & saw tt not one T.
got back agn. None who got into Quinns got out
alive. (Prisoner says their officer left them &
went back)
Working parties were then put in No
2 & No 4. The T.s inside used to shoot to
our men passing along / communicatn
trench used to be shot moving past the
mouth of / trench held by the T.s. They
didn't know there were T.s there.
Rally pres Later 17 men came out.
13^th lost 5 officers wounded.
About 15 of our dead were taken out of the
short trench. About 20 T. dead were also
taken out, & there may have bn another
30 lying outside. The artillery also
played on them - say we killed 50 to 60
that wd give 200-300 casualties. Ours