Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/8/1 - May - June 1915 - Part 7

49.

As a matter of fact the intelligence people say about
all the German gunners w / turks had bn lost. Our artillery
people say tt they have noticed a marked falling off in
German firing the T. firing the last few days. Their observation
is certainly bad. Time after time they hit their target once & then stop.
The officer (name in Divl. orders) came was in
Anzac H.Q. until late in the evg. The officer who ws
w Blamey began to get very anxious as dark came on.
& walked about w his hands in his pockets. 
B, noticed him put his hand to his hip pocket, wh
was buttoned. He made up his mind that before this
pocket cd be unbuttoned he wd have had time to get
one in on the T. majors jaw with his fist - of course he ws 
unarmed. The T. major explained he was not uneasy
about our fellows shooting, but abt what his own
T. Sentries might do if he went back after dark.
[*on the point*]
Blamey had suggested to his pal on the
beach as soon as the others left them; that they
shd sit down on / bank above / shore. So they sat
in a field of poppies & flowers w their facing / sea
& yarning in French.
The officer ^ asked him if  told him they had abt we had many
T. prisoners.
B. Oh- I think abt. 300 (He knew I was lying)
How many have you got?
T. Abt 500 (B. that means abt 300) 
Your men pretended to be wounded
the first day when ours passed them
coming forward & then fired on them us after
we had passed. Of course we killed
all those (B. Th means our men
put up a jolly tough fight & weren't
going to give in, & didnt give in
Even when they were in the midst
 

50

of the Turks.
T. sd he knew we treated T. prisoners well -
they knew we were their friends – we always
had bn. They knew we were friends of liberty.
But why had we taken their two ships.
and why had The Germans had come & given
them two. And why did we try & force
them to let contraband of war thro the
Dardanelles? They cdn't help themselves - "  xxxx
had to made us fight you" he sd. we are sorry - they
didn't want to fight / English.
He wanted to know who are the Australians.
B: They are the same as the British.
B: told him of the war news – abt the
German rush for Calais; Russians coming in
before ready - getting beaten but Ger. having to
retur give up attack on Paris.
T: saw point of this & seemed impressed.
They had heard nothing.  xx
T: How abt Calais-
B: G. never near it?
T: How abt / war in Ireland?
B: has bn no war.
T: How abt commotion in Egypt?
B: Has bn none.
B. was trying to be frank w him so as to
get him to believe / true news he gave him.
T. Asked what our men got for pay
B: 6/- a day.
T: (to himself : damned liar). Obviously.

[*The T.s had been told the Germans had taken Warsaw
whilst they were talking the T. guns over Kojadere way started blazing at / beach.
Blamey sd
" I think you'll be telling your man hit"  T. stood up and got excited. I must get it stopped
he said, and ordered
the orderly to ride off off k ?  and telephone to have gun stopped. [[Mary?]] rode straight to K Tepe from there

This T. officer said that too much cd not
be sd abt the sinking of the Lusitania - it was indefensible.
He ws a Major commanding a battalion.*]

51

didn't believe it. Why so much.
B. Oh Austn.  is a very rich country &
wages there are high

T. What do officers get?
B. told him
T. That's war pay
B. no - the same as ^ in peace time.
T. Wanted to know what the colours on our
arms were.
B. Oh you know / way soldiers like to
get a little bit if colour into their uniform ("of
course he won't believe it").
T. Of course you won't get to Constantinople
B. sd we shd. 
T. How far is it?
B. Abt 300 Km.
T. well at 1km. a month or not it will take a long
time!
B. sd our men were hoping the T. wd
attack again.
T. Why do your men fire so much at night.
B. They dont - (& the ammunition returns
prove this).
T. The Turk is a brave man.
B. Wait till you meet / Australians, ws charging
w / bayonet. Why do you make all these
little attacks?
T. well - why do you? (that's not an easy
question to answer) we had made 3
isolated attacks on Baby 700 & all
failed.
At one time he showed a disposition to look at

[*T. admitted that if Italy were in the war wd be over in 2
months. He didn't know what Romania, Bulgaria or Greece might do.
He said " The Turks are v brave"  Blamey sd These men are all volunteers & are worth 3
ordinary men*]

52

our works. B. pulled him up at once. That's not
/ way we do things, he sd. He himself naturally
looked at K. Tepe as often as he cd without
it being remarkable.
The Turkish battery or gun near Jaba Tepe
v. nearly got the old barge-tramp Jessie off our
pontoon today. It put him four or five shots about
4 yards short of her all in identically the same spot
- right into the middle of the rings caused by the last
shot - then one over -  xxx the Jessie ws slowly
moving out by now - then one shot between the
two, exactly where her stern was ten seconds before.

                                          --------

[*Later she hit the
trawler 329 - exploded
inside her.*]

                                         ---------

Interpreters went out yesty to trenches today (? yesty)
to see / Turks & say tt if they wanted to bury their
dead (as they did when Gen. Walker had to go out
to them) they must cease firing. One T. Officer
answered tt if they we wanted to talk to them they
must cease firing we must send out a
Parliamentaire.
A T. prisoner also ws sent into / trenches
to tell / Ts. how we treated prisoners. "Brothers" he
shouted " I am a prisoner - I am well treated."
The voice of a Turkish officer came back from the
other Trench: Who are you? No answer from
prisoner.  What is yr name? No answer.
Are you a prisoner? Yes Sir.
Well then go away & dont talk.
Our prisoner promptly obeyed.
Watson suggests if wd be a lot simpler to
lay a telephone wire onto the T. Headqrs & let the
generals speak to one another whenever they want
 

53.

(The first day we got thro' a T. camp somewhere with
complete T. telephone equipment.  I have seen their
wire –- tiny stuff xxxx insulated w black
paint. You cd carry a mile of it in your pocket.
?Four Japanese trench mortars have bn sent up
under Lt. Fowler to fire 40lb bombs. They fling this
bomb very high thro' the air & you can see the
fuse - it looks like a rocket.

--
The 6 in howitzers are in charge of
Rawson (?) of the Indian mountain battery until the
marines are broken in to the use of them.
Kaba Tepe gun has not fired tonight
for some time. Maj. Hughes' battery may have
knocked it out, or the Bacchante. &

--
An engine can be heard working somewhere in the
Enemy's lines-
Col. Bolton has been sent to on board the Canopus
"thro' illness". He wrote a letter about the
attecd attack made by 2nd Bde at Krithia which
was in a spirit which xxxx I believe the staff didn't
at all think suitable for a man charged with leading
a brigade - exactly what I thought down there -
Wanliss has bn appted temporary brigadier, &
Brand given the 8th instead of Bolton. Col. Smythe
v.c. gets 1st Bde (I dont know who he is)
Col. Owen goes back to 3^rd Bn. Brown of 3rd is Col. of 2nd
7 9.2 shells were pitched by Turks from

[*Hancock Brg Maj: 1stInf Bde*]
 

54.

director of 238v. around th 1st Bde H.Q, or within
reach of it. Its a far better H.Q. thn Col. Maclaughlins
old H.Q. in the fire trench. But as I was sitting there
the other day inside the dug out - (they were sorting
the news papers outside) a shrapnel pellet
went through a wrapped up copy of the S.M. Herald
lying on the back sandbags behind me.
The Indian mountain art. Brigade is the best
artillery we have here. They are onto a target like
lightning. A battery of ours or N.Z. ws the other day
asked to fire on an object. About 5 minutes later
a beautiful shot ws put right over it. The observer
wired - splendid shot - keep on at that -O.K.
They wised back" We haven't fired? It was the
mountain battery which had found the target. &
got onto it like lighting.  o/course its just
their job - this sort of country, not the navy's
nor our guns. Our l was have done road work
in the firing line though badly concealed. NZ.
are better concealed but apparently do not
fire always well - (however I'm only told
this - I dont know it from observation)
The howitzers are most useful & ?Plants or?
Palmers ^ NS battery on Pluppes Plateau made wonderful
shooting on the night of the attack May 18 19.
The Triumph & Bacchante in the navy
have made wonderful shooting - always
instantly ready (except when the Admiralty
 

55.

put a limi limit of 5 shells on the number ^ of 6" shells they
might fire per day (? or 5 per gun per day). But
the guns of all are these little old pattern mountain
guns - the 29th Bde. of Indian mtn artillery
consisting of 21st & 26th batteries under Col. Parker
Capt Kenyon Adjt. They are in 6 two-gun
sections - officers Rawson, Trenchard & others.
They snap at a target as a swallow snaps at
a May Fly - & they have not yet been hit.
We have bed 3 Australian guns knocked out
by direct hits - one of which has on repaired
(The story of the man of this Bde who went on
workin with both his Eyes shot thro I have
already told).
11.50 p.m. gun or bomb explosion in trenches
Heavy burst of firing. Our men, ^ at  9 amns amuse themselves
at night now by throwing a bomb into the T. trenches &
cheering at the same time. The Ts. blaze away for
10 minutes as hard as they can;  our men
sit back and laugh & cheer again.
The 3rd Light Horse Bde &,  I believe, part of
the 4th L.H. are landing today.
The Artillery H.Q. are needed to be in
closer touch with Divisional H.Q. & so
they have been asked to move into dugouts
up on our path on the hillside instead of on
the beach. Maj. Anderson is for a night
or two sleeping in my dug out. He tells me
 

56.

we have placed one of the big 8 in puns of the Ts
at a junction of 2 roads N. of Mal tepe. It was
worked out by taking the angle of two shells which
fell unexploded near the 1st Inf.. Bde H.Q.
The two lies crossed just at this road junction-
a very likely place. Our naval people fired at
it & the gun hasnt for since.
our
Sat may 22. The Army stick (as Tyke wd have
said) has I believe been approved for tomorrow
Today the fleet anchored in front here
suddenly began a series of extraordinary
movements. There were two battleships
(?Vengeance & Triumph ^ or Canopus ), the Bacchante &
a number of destroyers & trawlers; 4
or 5 transports & a hospital ship. The
two battleships suddenly turned inwards
together, steamed along Either side of
fleet of then picking up the transports
steamed in a winding, course towards
Imbros. 
(diagram of ships route)
The Bacchante
shortly steamed
away & did not, I think, appear again.
then the fast ? the destroyers
began to move - the transports had gone
but the battleships returned--
quickened speed; they raced in and 
out amongst the other ships & around them



 

57.

 in circles this way & ten that way & then that way & then
round again - each going a different way
--& then out to sea just like little dogs
int a pack of little dogs will do when their
master opens the front door (after teasing
them for a bit behind it) & goes out for
a walk. They simply foamed at the bows,

(In margin -- Like little mad dogs foaming at the bows)
All the battleships were moving in & out at
a slow stately pace like a waltz --
sometimes revolving three in a circle,
but generally moving on completely different
paths. It was quite clear a submarine had
been reported - & we heard afterwards that
she had bn seen taking a spell (& porting
water or provisions at some bay with
a name like Erjingian abt 10 miles N of
us. After an hour or so they settled
down again Later in the day afternoon
the vengeance blew four blasts on her
Steam whistle & the whole pack started off
again. During  I believe the beast was
reported in Walker Bay just to our N.
During these scares our left frank was left
as far as I cd see more or less unguarded
Somebody sd tt l navy people themselves

are often very sceptical abt these reports
of periscopes seen. On a windy day
every other white horse on the  edge
sea is reported as a periscope.
 

59.
 

Lt. Clowes of the 1st Artillery Brigade has
on chosen to act as observer for
the ships fire - in the balloon.
Our own gun fire has been about
drastically cut down. An order come
from G.H.Q. that, except when we are
attacked, each Howitzer is only to fire
2 shots a day. Each field gun m may
fire 4. I don't know where these in instructions.
come from – I suppose G.H.Q.  But batteries
now have to watch the Turks digging without
being able to fire a shot at them. The Turks are
making a big road - almost a railway
cutting so they say – in the direction of
Bab. 700 I believe. Before we used to
frighten them off this sort of work – but now we can
scarcely interfere with them.
Playfair (one of our observers) asked the
ships to fire on a good target the other day. The
reply was: "Sorry, l've used my 5 shots"
It is said this rule wd apply even if we
saw a battery coming into position - but
I think our people would surely fire fine
& ask leave afterwards.
When Blamey & I went around the
trenches the morning after the big attack
we found in a sap of the 2nd Battalion
two men fiddling about with a wonderful
arrangement that seemed largely composed
of bits of new wood from broken cases - but

(in margin--periscope rifle)