Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/210/1 - 1915 - 1918 - Part 5

As the Bn got over the

slope o / gentle crest

they saw the Germs coming

up extended (not more than

100 yds away) from the

lower ground where he had

massed. Our barrage

caught him, & the L.G. fire of

our men some of whom

took up positns & got onto /

Germs - others firing from /

hip. Those who were not

caught by / rifle barrage or

L.G. simply threw down

their rifles & walked right thro

the 45th, surrendering

immediately - this ws abt 

8 a.m. & / Sun was up - things

were looking a lot brighter.

39

There were probly 350

prisoners taken there - this

c/attack wd certainly be one

& possibly 2 Bns strong. The

45 Bn had 471 fighting stength 

exclusive of officers. The

Germans had light & heavy

m.gs. w them. Probably

they thought our advance

had finished w / first

objve, & were making an

immediate c/attack. 3 officers

were captured there.

The advance continued

without much oppositn

or shellfire till / final

objve ws reached. Two 77s

were captd just before reaching

/ objve, at Red wood; & on the

40

objve a complete Bty of

5.9 hows with complete staff

of offrs - 6 guns & 4 offrs.

The horses were there A m.g.

wh ws xxx As / Bn came

up a m.g. near by opened.

The battery personnel ws

seen attempting to limber

up - with their six teams there.

one platoon of A Coy (rt)

saw this & went beyond the

objve & took up cover where

w their L.Gs they cd bring

fire to bear on / horses.

This ws spontaneous. They

shot all / horses except tt

of one offr wh ws captured.

They shot the crew o / m.g.

& got the gun later. This gun
41

ws evidently protecting the

battery, ( wh was abt 500

yds S. of / centre of

Somerville wood.

Just to the N.W. of

Somerville wood ws another

Bty of 5.9s - when Bn got

to its objve it simply walked

onto these - the crew had

previously fled. (2. 77s, 12 5.9s)

7 offrs & 474 ^men prisoners.

This brought 45 Bn onto

the high ground on our side
of Ascension Valley overlooking
the low ground to the Hindbg

outpost line. The opposite

line cd just be seen here &
there & there were Germs 

transport, gun teams pulling 

out all over / country. There

42

were alas German guns

firing at extremely close

range. On the X Rds in

the centre of Ponbruet Village,

for example, a Bty of 77s

cd be seen firing - Our

barrage ws in / village &

all round them & they did

not last long there. These

guns were firing onto the

high ground where 45 Bn

were - you cd see / flash

& then came / shells.

Consolidatn ws chiefly

troubld by this bty but ws

not difficult exc. for scattered

shelling. Lt B Deitz, a

1914 man, just recd his communicatn

ws hit direct by one of these

43
 

54 l
At / end small posts were dug down
/ valley across to 3 Bn post - just rifle
pits.

shells. He ws due to go back

to Australia, & wd have

gone as soon as / Bn came out.

He wd have bn left out, but.

as it ws his first time in as 

an offr. he asked to go in.

This Bty ws firing

for quite an hour before /

barrage shifted it.

The Tommies on / rt -

1st Bn Suffolk Regt who

conformed w our movement

& started with 45 Bn.

They got the Tumulus

along xxx in line with 45 Bn; but

shortly after that point they

were held up - & reached 

their final objve w / assistance

44
 

54 k
up so far -  The men supposed to be
Indians got right up between / two but
on / foot o / Gully.
The Turks had began trenches on the
G. Offrs. Trench Ridge.  and had 2 guns
somewhere down by / flat wh shelled
with shrapnel J. Jolly & Shrapnel &
Wire Gully.  These guns cd nt be 
picked up.  Haig & Loutit had abt 9 men when
relieved.  Behind ws a clef in / gully and
into this they rolled / men who were killed.

of 46 Bn some hours later.

The fire from the

rt front in British area

did not constitute a

serious obstacle to 45 Bn.

Some undoubtedly came from

there; but / Germ. ws so

disorganised tt our

advance ws not delayed

by it. The Rt flank of

45 Bn ws absolutely on its

boundary on / objve. The

2 rt platoons were flung

back. The left flank ws

in touch all / way w 13 Bn

who reached objve with 45

Bn.

46 Bn went through 

almost at once. The 45 Bn

45 

54 j
They had 50 or 60 yds to go to get over / ridge.
They had to wait till Monday night
when they sent back to Lt Todds post
150 yds in rear & got all rations &
water from him. (Lt Haig ws there all /
time.) -
The Marines who relieved lost this
post / same night & fell back onto Todds
post wh became / original front line.
Our men were dopey by tt time for want of
sleep.  The whole time / Turk ws trying to
work up to between / two posts but never got

had gone out under /

barrage, & as soon as it

lifted they went thro &

patrolled over ground wh

46 Bn were to advance over.

They took a few prisoners o /

parties who were wandering

around. Bn had 471 strength
captd 474 prisoners:

The Bns total casualties

were:

Lt Hill. k. sig offr.

Lt Horne k. as above

Lt Hughes wd. dofw " "

I.O.

Lt Hines k by sniper (as above)

Lt Diextz .k. as above.
 

wd. Maj Capt. Young- wd during reconnaisance

day before attack by shell.

Maj Loutit,      )

Capt Adams  ) wd during advance behind

Lt Fifield         )   48 Bn.

Other ranks : k. 8  w. 101  total 8 offrs 109 [[?]]

40

54 i
towds Quinns & Popes.  Germ Offrs trench
hid them from Loutit.  It ws probably
these & those from Gun Ridge across /
flat who made / attack at dusk.
↓
    ←
On Monday morning 2 men collected
all / waterbottles of the 19 men & tried
to go back over the shoulder where
Maclagan ws to obtain water ; but going
over they were shot killed by snipers from / flat.

47               

Maj. Loutit.  ^(Then Lt Loutit) A Coy 10 Bn. Was in a destroyer & landed in row

boat S. of Ari Burnu opp. Anzac Gully. one man ws k.

on / destroyer by a bullet in / head. From  / the time they got

off / destroyer into / boat they were under rifle fire

& 3 men were k. ^in / boat going ashore. They had one

sailor in / boat who steered. The men rowed & did it

well. They landed w rifles rifles empty. You

cd just see / top o / hill. Flashes were still

coming from there & there were Ts still on /beach & in

beach / scrub at / bottom firing at point blank range as they landed.

When / boats got in (several of A Coy & others) these

Ts cleared up thro the scrub (impossible to say how many)

54 b
on the left got up & charged out to meet them.
The Ts broke & went back to / flat.
In / mg of Monday crowds of
Ts kept coming down Sari Bair but
their formatn & / whole attack ws
smashed up by the Q. Elizabeths big
shells.  There must have bn Battalions
after Bns of them. One shell wd burst
& / whole hill seem to move in
smoke & flame. Some o / Ts. went back
but small parties still dribbled down

48

Our mens rifles were not loaded nor bayonets 

fixed till them.

They got ashore, dumped packs against the

bank , & fixed bayonets & loaded rifles. Shooting

then ws coming from ^directn of Gaba Tepe & enfilading /

beach (Hell spit).

The 10 Bn rushed / hill & from / top in

/ open looked down into Shrapnel Gully where

the Turks were retiring in single file down

a small track at / bottom o / gully & up /

hill towds / head of wire gully. They were

shooting at these Turks from / Top & then ran

down in amongst them while they were still in