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Gallipoli Diary

[July-1915]

Thursday July 1st QUINN'S POST

Weather again clear & fine this
morning. and all effects of last
nights rain were gone by midday.
Ruahine & H Bay Coys returned to QUINN'S
Fairly quiet day. Exploded a 50 lb
mine 11 am to blow up some enemy
works under our front. Lt. Turnbull
returned to duty last evening from
Alexandria. Nothing out of ordinary
exchange of compliments during night
but I had 4 men wounded by bombs
falling into trench.

Friday 2nd July

About 5 am enemy
shelled our trenches at QUINN'S and
blew out a machine gun emplacement
fortunately without injury to men or
the gun. Our guns replied and page 99 Turk soon ceased fire. Only
damage was parapets & bomb screens
were knocked about.

9 am WWC & H Bay Coys relieved
us as usual. Fine day but dull
which is nice change from hot sun.

Saturday July 3rd

Fairly quiet last night. Ruahine
& H Bay Coys relieved again at QUINN'S
having easy day in trenches.

Sunday July 4th

Enemy again shelled the trenches
at QUINN'S from close range, our
howitzers being unable to accurately
get the enemys gun emplacement
which was cleverly sited. Only
1 man wounded by shell & parapets
a bit damaged. At 9 am 2 coys
of Canterbury Batt. relieved us.
we proceeding to MINE GULLY for
a few days change. At 3 pm
WWC & Taranaki Coys followed
The Maori contingent arrived
here yesterday & have been granted
their wish to be sent to the front.

Monday July 5th

Fine hot day.
from day break enemy have been
heavily shelling our positions while page 100 some of our guns have taken
up the challenge and shells are
screaming over in all directions.

Tuesday July 6th

Fairly quiet – much as usual
men are doing about 4 hrs fatigue per
day constructing artillery roads etc
in preparation for an early change
in our dispositions. I visited the
Wgtn Mtd Rifles lines on “Wellington Terrace
below Walkers Ridge where they are at
present in reserve.

Wednesday 7th

Weather continues
fine – fighting steady as usual.
Sgt. Thompson my pay & record clerk
wounded (broken leg). I much regret
losing him – one of my most reliable
NCO's. Quiet day.

Thursday 8-7-15

Fine day as usual. Last night
Turks made several minor attacks
but were repulsed very easily.
Fairly ordinary day. About 3 pm
enemy shelled us a good deal
our guns replied particularly the
heavy howitzers which must have
dusted up the Turks trenches
very considerably HMS Scorpion page 100A also passed over a few rounds
with good effect.

Friday 9-7-15

Usual day with ordinary
exchange of compliments. During
night Turks opened up a bit but
nothing serious occurred.

Saturday 10/7/15

8 am with 3 platoons (No 16 with
Mr Carrington being left) I moved to
QUINN'S POST to support Canterbury
in that garrison. Artillery firing
good deal today also the HMS
Lord Nelson”.

Sunday 11/7/15

Continuance of splendid summer
weather. Fighting goes on as usual
with occasional diversions and
attacks when mines are exploded
etc. Nothing unusual to record.

Monday 12/7/15

W.W.C. Coy & Taranaki moved
to QUINN'S to relieve Canterbury [gap — reason: illegible]
H Bay Co joined mine in the gully.
Usual trench warfare continues
occasional heavy artillery duels

page 100B

Tuesday 13/7/15

Ruahine & H Bay coys take
over QUINN'S as previously relieving
Taranaki & W.W.C. Usual fighting
in trenches with severe artillery
firing from Turks which caused
many casualties in STEELE'S and
Courtenay's. Our guns replied with
good effect.

Wednesday 14/7/15

Major Brunt went to hospital with pneumonia.

Usual reliefs. Ruahine & H. Bay
returning to gully. Quiet day.

Thursday 15/7/15 QUINN'S POST

Ruahine & H. Bay
returned to trenches 9 am. Fairly consistent
machine guns & bomb fire at intervals
but no special fighting. Several
slight casualties during day from
bombs. 5 pm Major Cunningham
went away (sick) and I
assumed command of the battalion
for the time being, leaving Lieut
Taylor i/c Ruahine Coy. Very
fine weather continues. Turks shelled
adjacent trenches with high explosive
doing some damage & causing
number of casualties.

page 100C

Friday July 16th

About 5-30 am.
Turks opened with fusilade of
bombs from trench mortars &
in different localities wounded
Lieut. G.C. Wells & Carrington both
of Ruahine Coy. 2nd Lieut. Stead
Canterbury Batt. reported to me
for duty temporarily and I have
attached him to Ruahine Coy.

Col. Malone O.C. Post went off
on a destroyer to view the
country along the coast preparatory
to impending operations there.

Gen. Birdwood inspected our trenches.

Saturday 17th

Quiet day mostly bombs
being exchanged very few casualties.
Bevy of war correspondents Ashmead Bartlett & others today
visited our post. Usual
reliefs by half battalions is
being carried out. Ruahine &
H. Bay today in trenches.

Sunday 18th QUINNS POST

Very quiet day as usual hot
and sultry. Fair amount of shelling
but no fighting of any consequences
in the trenches.

page 100D

Monday July 19th 15

Heavy shelling at times but
otherwise quiet. Together with
Major Williams & Glasgow of the Australian
L. Horse & Major Sinell Auckland, I
went out on H.M.S. (destroyer) “Colne” for
a reconnaissance of country N. of Anzac
towards Hill 971 & village of Buyuk Anafarta.
Boarded the destroyer per pinnace from
Watson Pier 11-30 am patrolled off
Ocean Beach until 6 pm returning
to QUINNS POST 7-30 pm after a useful
day. The change from sultry air
ashore too was very beneficial.

Heavy bombing at Quinns during
night. While aboard “Colne”. I
witnessed H.M.S. “Abercrombie” firing
on to shore targets these being
“spotted” by naval captive balloon
& a seaplane.

Tuesday 20th

At 8 am Canterbury
Batt. relieved at QUINNS' POST and I
moved to MINE gully with Ruahine &
H. Bay Coys detailing W.W.C. Coy to
support Canterbury Batt. & Taranaki Co
(less 50 men) to support Auckland Batt.
Courtenay Post. Very heavy shelling
going on at Achi Babi all quiet here.

page 1

Wednesday 21/7/15. Canterbury Gully

Quiet day – we are in reserve for a few
days but men are doing heavy fatigues
on account of Otago being absent at Imbros
for a spell. We have learned today
through our Intelligence Dept. that the
Turks are about to bring up 100 000
reinforcements and make a great
attempt to score a victory. Also
that they intend to commemorate
constitution day (23rd) by a vigorous
offensive. We are quite ready to
receive them.

Thursday 22/7/15

Quiet day again.
Very unpleasant owing to dust
caused by gusty winds which seem
to last only between hours of sunrise
and sunset. This latter circumstance is
fortunate as we are able to sleep
in peace. Began inoculation of our
batt. against Cholera yesterday. I
was done today. Heavy bombardment
is going on in some parts of the page 2 field but no definite attack at our
end.

Friday 23/7/15 MINE GULLY

“Business as usual” and
very warm weather continues. We are
quite expecting an attack at any time
as Turks have been reinforced considerably
and it is very probable the period of
Constitution Day or thereabouts will
be chosen.

Saturday 23 24/7/15

I relieved W.W.C. Coy today in support
of QUINN'S POST and sent up Ruahine Coy
to replace them at 9 am On Thursday
evening sent H. Bay Coy to garrison
part of Inner Defences at No 6 M.G. Post
They were relieved Friday 1 pm by
company of Otago Batt. the latter
having returned from spell at Imbros
the night before.

Today a coy. of 4th Aust. Brigade
moved to MINE GULLY from RESERVE GULLY
the latter being prepared for a new
brigade to arrive shortly.

page 3

Sunday 25/7/15. MINE GULLY

As per usual. A few heavy bursts
were heard from the firing line during
the night and our Howitzers kept the
enemy on edge, but nothing of serious
nature occurred. We are rather disappointed
that the Turks have not attacked as we
hoped to have the satisfaction of dusting
them up again and of probably then
following on with an attack ourselves.

Now nearly completed anti-cholera
inoculation of our battalion. This has
had to be carried out as circumstances
permitted. It is quite voluntary but
very few objections have been found.

During the past four nights our
battalion has “stood to arms” in
general reserve for half an hour each
night during period before moonset,
but nothing in nature of attack
has occurred. Combined service by
Presbyterian Minister held at 7.30 pm

page 4

Monday 26-7-15. MINE GULLY

The battalion remains in general
reserve and few duties being necessary
is having a fair spell for a
week. It is very refreshing to be
able to get a sea bathe every day
or so.

Tuesday 27-7-15

As per usual. A good deal of
shelling and general fighting has
continued through the week in
the front lines and our beach &
depots also stop a good many shells.

Weather continues very warm & dry.
Lieut. Turby returned (severely wounded
on April 27th) to duty & temporarily
takes command of Ruahine Coy while
I act as C.O. of the battalion.

Received orders to resume garrison-
ing
of QUINN'S Post tomorrow.

Wednesday 28-7-15. QUINN'S POST

8 am I took over garrisoning of
QUINN'S POST from Canterbury Batt.

page 5

(Col. J. Hughes) and put (Wgtn W C. Coy)
& Taranaki in the trenches, Hawkes
Bay & Ruahine Coys being in local reserve.

100 men of Cant'y Batt. remain here
in order to keep garrison up to the
required strength. (Last evening instructed
Paymaster to transfer £50 from salary ac/
to Bank of A'lasia H/a to my account.)

Thursday 29-7-15

Very quiet period.
At 9 am usual change took place — Ruahine
& Hawkes Bay Coys. manning the trenches.

Weather continues very fine indeed.

Friday 30-7-15. QUINN'S POST

At 4-10 am. Turks exploded a mine
about 10 yards in front of our No 4 Post.
It was heavily charged and opened up the
surface of the ground for about 12 yards parallel
to our line but did absolutely no damage
to our works. The mass of earth &
debris however which was showered
over our habitations in rear and the
falling of a bank during the “quake” page 6 resulted in the deaths of 3 men and
wounding of 7 more. It was rather a
thrilling moment as we half expected
the enemy to follow up but had they done
so we should have been “top dogs” as
our trenches being unharmed our men
kept the firing line intact. After that
had very quiet day until 5 pm. At
that hour, owing to receipt of news
today of a victory at Persian Gulf
by our troops we decided to celebrate
it. It was prearranged & at 5 pm
the garrisons all along our lines
cheered and then starting from the extreme
right, we fired a “fue de joie” at the
enemy's trenches. It had its effect
for Turks kept up constant fire for
about 15 minutes straight on end and
sent up an aeroplane to reconnoitre.

They probably thought we were
celebrating the arrival of new troops.

Last evening German aircraft tried
to get the beach depots with a
bomb but it landed nicely page 7 in the water. Our craft landed
a cwt bomb well in their trenches
earlier in the day.

Commander England of H.M.S. ‘Chelmer’
today visited our trenches with the
Brigadier (Gen. F.E. Johnston).

Saturday 31-7-15. QUINN'S POST

Usual change of companies in
firing line. Fairly quiet morning.
Afternoon our artillery ‘pasted’ the
enemy lines particularly on extreme
right Tasmanian Post where a small night attack
was to follow. The latter was duly
carried out by troops there (Aust. Div.)
who were very successful, capturing
a trench about 150 yds long and a
machine gun. During the operation
we kept up bombing & firing here
to contain the Turks on our front.
We also exploded 2 mines close to
Turk trenches. This was followed
by very heavy fire from enemy who
probably expected an attack.

page 8

On Friday afternoon a Turkish 6″
high explosive shell buried itself
right in our trenches fortunately
without exploding. The men dug
it out and it had penetrated about
six feet of hard clay bank. The
projectile weighs 60 or 70 lbs.

Aust. casualties at Tasmanian Post attack
alluded to above 10 killed & 74 wounded. Turks
left about 60 dead so wounded must be
considerable. HMS Mersey also did much
damage by firing on Turkish supports.