Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales
King war diary, 8 May-21 September 1915 / Henry Aubrey King
MLDOC 1296
[Page 1]
[Cover of diary.]
Trooper King
13
2 A.L.H.R.
1st Bgde
K
HA King
Yarronvale Stn
Yallamurra Sdg
Via Charleville
Pur. H.A. King. 10.9.19
[Page 2]
[Printed Memoranda commencing "1. Never be without pencil and paper in the field….". Not transcribed.]
[Page 3]
[Printed document headed "Gale & Polden’s Military Series" – not transcribed.]
[Page 4]
[Printed page – not transcribed.]
[Page 6]
May 8 1st Light Horse Brigade leaves Cairo.
9 Arrive Alexandria.
Exchange leggings for puttees on the warf, and thus miraculously transformed into infantry embark on SS Nevahna & sail at 6.30 pm
11 Arrive Dardanelles. Light rain.
12 Disembark. Spend night in reserve trenches.
13 At 12 noon we take over Quinns Post from 15th Bat. Knowing that we are new arrivals Johnny Turk kids to be busy and shows a lot of fixed bayonets above his parapet. We fix ours so he takes his off again and cools down.
14 Enemy bombs very persistent. Stretcher bearers busy all day. 15th Bat. returns in evening & 2nd Regt, except our sqdn goes down the gully.
[Page 7]
May 15 At 2 am our sqdn takes Turks trenches, but party detailed to fill them in cant get over, so we return at dawn. Knocked over by a bomb in this event but nothing serious. Very few answer roll call.
16 Spend day in dug out.
17 Quiet day.
18 Trench digging. New kind of shell arrives & tears the scenery about.
19 Turks attack Popes, Quinns & Courtneys at daybreak.
Repulsed everywhere.
20 Fifth attack within 2 ˝ hours occurs at 12.15 am. Hell of a row but no luck for the Unspeakable. Armistice for about 1 hour in the afternoon.
21 Very heavy firing in the morning.
22 & 23 Quiet. Rain (23)
24 Armistice from 7.30 am till 4.30 pm. Turkish losses in last attacks estimated at 10,000.
[Page 8]
25 "Triumph" torpedoed. Watch her sink from B.H.Q.
26 Relieve 3rd Regt on Popes Hill.
27 Popes Hill.
28 Popes Hill
29 Popes Hill. Turks blow up Quinns Post
30 Popes Hill. Successful sortie from Quinns.
31 Popes Hill
June 1 Popes Hill
2 Relieved by 1st Regt. Bivouac in Shrapnel Gully.
3 Quiet day.
4 Quiet. Heavy firing at Cape Hellas.
5 Letter from home.
6 Various fatigues. ["Various fatigues and swimming parades" is noted for June 6 to June 13 incl.]
10 Bread introduced.
[Page 9]
14 Fatigues.
15 Fatigues.
16 Relieve 3rd Regt on Popes Hill.
17 Popes Hill
18 Popes Hill
19 Popes Hill
20 Popes Hill
21 Popes Hill
22 Popes Hill
23 Relieved by 1st Regt.
24 Fatigues commence
25 Fatigues continue
26 On detached post.
27 Picquet fired on in valley.
28 Good progress reported from Cape Hellas.
29 Turks attack Walkers Ridge. Enver Pasha superintends. Ottoman Guards get bushed and bump our Cossack Post which gives them a shock.
30 On Cossack Post (Violent thunderstorm)
July 1 Quiet. Fatigues.
[Page 10]
July 2 Fatigues
3 Cossack Post.
4 Cossack Post again.
5 Fatigues.
6 Cossack Post
7 Relieve 3rd Regt. Popes Hill.
8 Popes Hill
9 Popes Hill
10 Popes Hill
11 Popes Hill Transfer to C. sqn sigs.
12 Achi Baba heavily bombarded by navy. Turks put big shells into Courtneys.
13 Courtneys still heavily shelled.
14 Relieved from Popes Hill by 1st Regt. Our reinforcements arrive at last.
15 Visit 9th Bat. on right.
16 Quiet
17 Quiet
18 Two letters from home.
19 and 20 Spasmodic bombardment down South.
[Page 11]
July 21 C Sqn joins 3rd Regt on Popes Hill.
22 Popes Hill
23 Expect Turkish attack (Ramadam)
24 Still expecting attack
25 More expectant than ever.
26 Give up all hopes of attack
27 Popes Hill
28 Popes Hill
29 Popes Hill
30 Popes Hill
31 Popes Hill 11th Bat. capture trenches opposite Tasman’s Post
Aug 1 Popes Hill
2 Popes Hill
3 Relieved by 1st Regt.
4 Fatigues
5 Take over Quinns Post.
6 Witness charge of 1st Inf Bgde on Lone Pine Hill.
7 Our regt attacks from Quinns 1st Regt attacks from Pope’s. Heavy casualties No luck.
8 Aust & N.Z. Div continue attack on 971. Heavy firing.
[Page 12]
Aug 9 Relieved from Quinn’s by 3rd Regt. Take over Popes Hill from 1st Regt.
10 Heavy firing continues
11 Heavy firing No news of progress
12 Heavy firing on our left
13 Heavy firing
14 Comparatively quiet again.
15. 16 Quiet
17. 18 Quiet
19. 20 Quiet
21 Fresh action on left starts
22 Quiet in our vicinity
23 Quiet in our vicinity
24 Overdose of rum
25 Receive parcel from home.
26 Nothing doing
27 N.Z. & A Div gain Ridge 60.
28 Few reinforcements arrive.
29 Reinforced by part of 11th L.H.
30 Move to trenches on right of Popes Hill.
31 Quiet.
[Page 13]
Sept 1 Fairly quiet
2 Fairly quiet
3 Fairly quiet
4 Relieved by 17th Bat. Inf. Camp in Reserve Gully.
5 Move to No 3 Outpost. Pass new battalions on the way.
6 Sapping
7 Sapping
8 Sapping
9 Clearing Stn. Anzac
10 Imbros.
15 Lemnos
21 Worst birthday since birth.
[Transcribed by Rosemary Cox for the State Library of New South Wales]