Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/8/1 - May - June 1915 - Part 18

160.
I reached walked up the valley in the pitch dark- the moon was not yet
there was a rattle  & clink a and laugh of talking men, just in
front of me up. The Indian provision carts coming back down the white road
were almost on top of you me before you I saw them - about 20 of
them - the first carts I had seen working at Anzac. They supply
the depot in Monash gully from which quartermasters of battalions
draw their stores with Turkish snipers firing from Deadmans
Ridge all the time. As I got higher up the gully I thought
I could hear the thump thump of snipers bullets upon the
bags of the traverses. And Col. Chauvel told me when I got in
that the snipers keep up their firing down the valley all
night now - lay on during the day time
There was a light shining dimly in Col. Chauvels big
dug out when I got there. It was like a fair sized old
fashioned room with a broad flat beams laid parallel
across the ceiling dark ceiling - ships the planking from some
barge that had gone ashore & been broken up. The light was
shaded by a big flat wooden biscuit box - it glowed that the the box 
we set up on end & the lamp set in it lantern placed in it - you cd see
the light dimly through the grain of the thin wood at the
back They had had the [[?]] light naked a few
minutes before. But a sniper had seen the glare of it on the
sandbags [[which jut bay?]] of the rear wall wh juts beyond the
door & had put half a dozen shots one after I other [[?]]
into I sandbag at I top left hand corner. So out
of fairness [[?]] signallers just outside they shaded I
light & I snipers, turned elsewhere.
Col. Chauvel ws there, & Col. Johnston o I New Zealand
Infantry brigade, Farr of the Chauvel's Staff Captain & several
others. [[?]] The talk was about all sorts of subjects
- particularly - How were wo doing at Cape Helles?
I said the shells seemed to be bursting tonight Exactly
when they were bursting this morning. There was the
usual crack crack thud of snipers along the trenches
high on the hilltops above us a the occasional thud of a
nearer shot finding its mark in the valley.
[[?]]At a particular moment the shooting
at the valley head seemed to increase a little. There was
a shot, then two or three shots together, then a few more.
Col. Chauvel said "Hallo- I expect that's
 

161

our job sounds as if they'd begun." He looked xxx down at a
[[?]] watch wh ws on I table at his side. "Yes
just eleven o'clock'" he said.
So there must be men
So our men must be up there, rushing over
that deadly little bit of skyline. They should be half [[?]] of them
across by now. I thought, its only a few yards. The fire
was growing thicker - the crackle of machine guns joined
in, the thump of a bomb, then more & more thumps;
within half a minute it was a regular roar. We went
to the door & looked out.
[[ High ? ?]] Over the black hillbrow
opposite us there came was a thump. A fizzing red
spark like that of a rocket stick rose in the air
ever so high & slowly turned & fell. It seemed & go almost
straight up& down. There was a momentary pause
- then a roar as tough some shell as big as a
house had plunged into the ocean. [[?]]You could
hear the plunge & then the shoot up of the crater of
water all around it - plun-ge - The
sky had been  flushed above the [[?]] on as
with summer lightning. They were firing into
some of [[?]] the trenches opposite
them in order to keep those trenches from firing at
Quinns. Up at the valley end where you cd see
the black outline of the Razor Back (as they call it
locally - the ridge which crosses the valleys end)
& Deadman's ridge one cd see the occasional
sparkle of a rifle shot – very faint on the top of
the Razor Back; but one very bright flash from
down on Deadmans Ridge. It was right down
the Ridge, at least half the way to the bottom
of it one wd say. 
Over the horizon at
Quinns came the
constant flash of
bombs - no one
cd say if they were theirs or ours.
Presently our first gun began to fire
 

162
a heart satisfying sharp bang down behind our backs.
Then another & another. a bit more flashes in the sky
beyond Quinns. Then a brilliant little rocket flash
just this side of the ridge. It lighted the long line of the
ridge top - pink bar earth - too instantaneously
for one to see anything that was happening there.
A Turkish star shell flew out like the star of a
Roman candle; then a second & a third, slowly falling
towards courtneys & showing up the whole [[terrain?]]
as though with a very bright moonlight - the shadows
all lengthening together. All I time our guns were firing
up I valley over our heads. You co hear I swish o I
shell - & for first time I noticed tt you cd see I shell. I
had thought tt occasionally I saw a pinpoint of light
moving deadly fast over head - didn't know whether it
was imagination or not : but then once or twice
I saw it most clearly- the pace of it of it a faint
pinpoint travelling overhead from one horizon to I other
with almost sickening swiftness. [[?]]
There we stood with this uproar going on all
around us, [[?]] overhead on the ridges & up the valley -
lights, flashes, explosions, twinklings like summer lightning
some box of ammunition probably left by our men on
Deadman's Ridge when they were driven from it caught
fire. One cd see the cartridges jumping in minor explosion
will little wreathes of smoke lit up by the fire.
We watched it flicker out and die.
Inside the dugout the Signal officer was sitting
behind the improvised box lantern shade; the light screened
from I room, beat fair onto him as he sat with his elbows on I table
And held shook the old aluminium field telephone receiver-
& put it to his ears - shook it again testily & put it up
again listened
The line to Quinns was out of repair. It is
rather extraordinary that this line isnt buried or raised
or something. It is simply damaged by people [[?]] moving over
it, & as the principle time, when they move over it is during
an attack, when they are crowds of troops up there it
naturally goes wrong whenever it is most wanted. [[?]]
new could be got The rush had taken place at 11 o'c
& still no news of what had happened. Maj. William
Col. Chauvels Brigade major was up there & would [[?]] eventually
 

163
bring down news.
[[?]]The firing outside was subsiding - things
had settled themselves one way or the other - Only ¼ mile
away and we had as idea what had happened there.
first message tt amiss ws from 1st Inf. Bde of 1st
Austrln Divn:
                          Inform guns they can fire agst German
                          officers trench. None enterprises of our men are
                           out there now. The enterprise has failed.
(The enterprise - I forgot was first to send out 8 men
& 2 engineers to blow up the machine guns in German
officers trench. Opposite courtneys (o between it &
Quinns is a disused marines trench. The Turks
1st Bn) is a depression in I ground wh is not covered
by any German officers truck. It  is dead ground, one of
our tunnels goes under it but came to I surface by
mistake & several shells also went through it & left
sort of skylights in it. To I left o this depression
is a disused marines' trench- not occupied at all
by Turks by day - & to I right of it is I German officers
trench - you can see I sandbags of it on I edge o I
hill (se next note book P.I : also p. 167) Little Street o I
1st Bn, with Sergt Wykeham Freame & 6 men were to
go out at 11 o'c & see if they cd creep to the machine guns
in G.0f trench bec. these were the ones that [[?]] Quinns
so badly. they Freame (who ws I real leader) decided to
[[?]]slip onto I hole in I trench near Courtneys,
creep down into I marines trench; along it to dead
ground, then up G.O's trench.
They slipped out & got into made for
marines trench. It took a long time to get out o I hole,
but once done they crawled to I [[?]] marines
trench. Freame put his leg over & began to swing
in & Street also had his by over when they saw
below them. A lot of black things, looking up at them.
It was a row of Turks crouched down, poor chaps.
in I bottom o l trench, probably afraid to move. The
black things rose towards them. Freame swung 
his legs out & sd. Mr Street - you'd better get
 

164
 back. The six men instead of lying flat were all bunched together like
sheep back. Street swung his legs out too & back they crawled.
They had a consultation. Freame sd: I'll stay - but
you had better go back thro' the hole. when you are back
I'll come. He got down low into a dug out w his
revolver. He Turks were firing up into I air -anywhere
- they daren't stand up in their trench. Presently Freame
looked round to see if they were in I hole. There were
still 3 or 4 outside of it.
Then I Turks started to come out. They crawled
up & as they came Freame fired his first bomb at them.
It failed to explode. He threw a second, That failed to
explode. He fired the two others wh he carried.
They did not explode. "That broke we up," he sd.
His revolver ws useless to him bec. he ws in such a
cramped position tt he cd not aim He got back to I
hole somehow & got back before 12.]
[*?*]
So his message. (1st Battery a little later. See next P. Inform
Courtneys tt, I trench on their right front wh they thought
unoccupied is full of Turks & is a menace to their right
post & to 1 gap betw them and the [[?]] Bn)
Then silence Batteries were rung up & told this.
Then silence,
12.5. Quinns post reported to they were suffering
casualties from their right owing to enfilade fire.
Japanese mortars asked can you help this
12.10 message to Courtneys asking if they
cd help reduce this enfilade fire.
12.20 Williams came back & requested tt
both parties [[?]]. Left Party without
difficulty; right party was a little slower
as a few men were knocked over!
Both parties were now in and working steadily
The digging parties were both working. Right
digging party at first had some difficulty
owing to nor finding trench. They lost
a number of men but finally men
 

165
were passed in to the left & along I trench to I right.
Col. Brown thinks they can hold on if Turk. machine gun is
silenced but I think tt if I m.g. opens on them at day break
it may endanger I position.
Next came a message from 1st Bde: wh I put
wrongly Inform Courtneys tt I trench on their right
wh they thought ws empty is full of Turks of is a menace to
their right flank & to I unguarded section betw. Quinns & Courtneys
& I 1st Bn
12.35. Message from Quinns Party of prisoners coming
down. They came in w their hands up.
Message from Lieut Shout (to ask Courtneys: How are
our bombs falling?
Answer from Courtneys: Very well - last two in trench.
keep on like that. 
A little later to Popes. Can you help us keep down the enfilading
fire from our right? fire onto Quinns.
[[?]]Popes: cant see any sign of enfilading onto Quinns. Not
firing much in front of us now.
Abt. 1 o'c. Maj. Temperly comes in. The Right party
had a lot of difficulty . & rt digging party cdn't get across
at all - had finally to be passed round.
The fire from rt. ws still dropping men in Quinns
seemed to him to come from right down I valley, perh.
1200 yds away, owing to I angle of descent, also they
cdnt hear the m.g. "I'm afraid I m.g. is a good way
away. You can hear I bullets - not I report.
The men on left at first ran right over trench they
were making for-it was bomb proof - & into support trench.
They only discovered it when found bey were being shot at
from behind. First man get to trench Then returned to bomb proof trench.
First man into trench saw two Turks below him. One of them
took him for one of themselves & put up hand to and helped him
down into trench. Thn saw he ws Australian - called
to mate to kill him. Sees mate had not bayonet handy
but stabled him w a knife.
message to Col. Brown. Can he see I flash o I
 

166
wh is enfilading him. It might be worth while to try &
discover from prisoners if they know where it is.
Farr says most of prisoners have gone down - abt 20 of them -
already. There are 3 or 4 wounded in dressing stn. & abt 50
abt more in communication trench cut off by our
men who will prob. surrender if can be made to understand.
(I hear later tt our officers summoned them to surrender
One man came in - but some of I N. Zealanders, who did
not know to I man had bn asked to surrender, shot
him as he came. Naturally I rest wd not come. Isn't
this I way a lot of so called "white flag" incidents arise?
The officer who called the man told me this himself).
Message Answer from Japanese mortars in reply to message
for help. We can worry German officers trench & the Chess
board. The shall trench opp. Courtneys must be
left to Courtneys.

[*signed Lieut. Bean x Bean x this is Bean to CK
Brigadier to Col. Brown: Dig communication trenches
& support at dawn. Bring assaulting party 
out if possible & put fresh men in*}

As Col. Brown ws trusting to I machine guns
being in G.Os trench being silenced by 1st Bn. the N.Z&.A.
divn. Asked the Austrln Divn if it wd have another
try. It seemed to me getting a little late to ask. But
almost at once the reply came from Austrln Divn. A
another attempt cd be made. 100 men o I 1st Bn wd
go out & try & silence I gun & wd start almost immediately.
Right party had reported it had abt 40 yds of trench;
Left party abt 4 chains (This, ws put down as an exaggeration
The message sent down for Army Corps ws tt they had
taken abt 3 chains of trenches) They went beyond trench first
of all over I covered in trenches - they got past this on I work
& found tt between them, & their trenches were more Turks.
The Turks under I roof were firing at them.
Temperley says he doesn't think Brown can
hold if tt gun is not silenced
Traverses are being made taller
Turks were not bombing as much as expected
 

167
Our men overran trenches  [[?]] support
trenches
Canterbury on left.             Auckld or right.
nearly all got there             of abt 30 only 10 unwounded
                                                 got there practically no 
                                                  digging party at all.
Report from Quinns. Can get I right & left traverses done.
Common trench is thro'. Dont know of traverses can be
put in in time (in middle of trench). Left: abt 4 chains
of trench; night abt 40 yds. killed a good many
Turks. Very little fire from front & left. enfilade
m.g. fire from right v. heavy. Men now
Temperley says many o our men had lost their rifles
(apparently in the scurry or else hit by bullets)
500 sandbags had be sent up Another 500 ws originally
now required. Message, now arrive for 500
Sandbags - a good sign.
Godley sends a message tt they must hold on
at all costs.
Turks were also firing on them from a saphead.
The T. prisoners had not been interrogated
(the interpreter had not arrived) when I left to
see the 1st Bn attack. I went round through the
4th Bn trenches. It was nearly dawn when I reached
1st BN (perh 2.30 am) attack had not yet started.
When I got to B. Coy's lines the rush ws just
preparing. Moon was well up by now. I had just got
there when there wo a hurry of men thro' I support
trenches. "let then by- they're going out now" I
looked up to parapet - & there ws a line of men
scrambling up the reverse slope: you cd see their
heads outlined against the moonlit sky - the
crouching figures jumping over I parapet - little
noise except a scuffling o the falling of Earth. The
 

168
support - right or nine of them, hurried past me
in I trench & started to run over I parapet. There were
few shots at first - in deed a man cd have got half way
across the 50 yds to G.O's trench before I first shot. Then
two or three - perhaps ten or twelve - spasmodic
shots for 5 or 6 seconds before I real fusilade began.
I put my head over I parapet once or twice but cd
see little & didn't keep it there long. The last man had
scarcely gone when someone shouted look out, here they
come! and the first lot of men appeared over I trenches
& started to tumble back into them. For about three minutes
they were coming back. Going first I didn't know if they
had got there & were returning or if they had failed altogether.
Maj. Kingdon coming up the communication trench from
the back passed me: "Hallo what's up? he sd. What's
the matter? What are you coming back for?
"[[?]] Lloyd gave the order to come back. sd one
o I men
"We got up to I trench & tried to push I
parapet down as far as we cd, [[?]] it was all covered in" sd one.
"Lloyd came along at tt moment, very out of breath.
"Did you get there?" Maj K. asked
"Yes."
"Well, what abt I machine gun? Did you
destroy it?"
"I didn't see any machine gun," he sd panting
"Well I'Il report tt got a you did as instructed
& could find no machine gun"- sd Maj. Kingdon
finally
To me, I must say, it seemed on what I
heard, a most misleading report. Many o I men
never got near I trench - they saw I first lot coming
back so they came back too. One chap told me that
[[?]]when he had gone -15 yds he met men coming
back & so he came back himself. Others were tripper
up either by their wire or by ours & lay down &
I think fired a round or two Lloyd got to I parapet
o I trench & ws seen standing up there & other men got
there too. But several told me thy were sure a m.g.
 

169
was there. (Someone, I believe, afterwds reported tt
he thought he had demolished one of m. gs) but I
am no sure of this).
After the first few into I trench, back came I
wounded - poor chaps - tumbling over I parapet,
limping down I narrow trenches. "Get that man in
somebody" - sd an officer-all I cd see ws figures
doing something in I edge skyline o I trench. Ten minutes
later on I shelves behind I Headquarters, shelves dug out
out o I steep back of hilltop, [[?]]
[[?]] was I light of two, lanterns showing on bare
thighs - o the faces o arms of Am.c. men - other
dark figures tenderly Cowering helpless bundles
down to I shelves near by - just like a picture
of Rembrandt. (I hear later I loss was 7 killed 16
wounded. Only two men tt they cdnt account for)
what [[?]] tells me that the plan
ws not carried out. It ws for 50 men to go
to I small old marines trench & bayonet I Turks there;
& for I other 50 to go to German officers trench with
two Engrs who were to insert blowing up
charges below the machine guns & demolish
Embrasures o I machine guns & demolish
them. The Engineers did not go out at all.

I went from there straight down I hill by I
hand rope, back thro I ordinance depot to Chauvels
H.Q. Col. Johnston had thought I enterprise rather
a wild one as he wsnt at all sure these machine guns
in the G.Os trench were the ones annoying Quinns - 
& as I moon ws up. When I told him I thought I loss
ws abt 20 he ws relieved.
The a The dawn was breaking. Presentley thro
intepreters There had bn no counter attack at
Quinns. It ws too late for a successful counter
attack over I parapet now & so things looked