Chapter 54 – Jayjay

The 1st Battalion war diary describes the return to front line trenches to relieve British Marines on 1 May 1915, and remaining there until beyond 5 May (AWM4/23/18/1).

Charles Bean states in Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol I, that “The 1st Brigade returned to the trenches on Saturday night [1May 1915], relieving the Marines on part of MacLauren’s Hill and the 400 Plateau” (p.537). The positioning of the 1st Brigade at MacLauren’s Hill at this time is confirmed on p. 582.

Les Carlyon states in Gallipoli “the latrines were exposed to shellfire. The men sat on a pole over a deep hole, ‘like sparrows on a perch’ as Sergeant Lawrence put it.”

An AWM photo of one latrine overlooking the beach illustrates the pole being used by four men at once with no shelter from the enemy or privacy screens – AWM photo J03659. Men can be seen swimming at the beach below from this vantage point.

In Gallipoli Diaries , Jonathan King includes an account from the diary of Lt. F Barton at Gallipoli where he describes a Turk as “the old Joe Bourke” (p. 170).

Charles Bean describes in Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol II the Turkish use of hand thrown bombs, and states that in early May 1915, “Bombing was still entirely strange to the Anzac soldiers” and describes the first serious trial of locally manufactured “jam-tin” bombs on 7 May (p. 95-96). Bean states that “in early May [1915] all sections of the garrison were informed that troops not actually guarding the trenches could be sent to the beach in small organised bathing parties.” Bean continues to state that into June bathing became so popular, that the Turkish guns aimed for the beach and many men became casualties while swimming (p. 382-383).

Bill Gammage includes the quote of a Gallipoli swimmer wounded under fire, “Cripes, I’ve been torpedoed” in The Broken Years (p. 103).

Jonathan King records an entry for 4 May by Lieutenant Small in Gallipoli Diaries that “…snipers were giving a good deal of trouble on the ridge…” (p.59) However, Charles Bean recorded in his diary on 5 May that “snipers have now been cleared out of the gullies.” As recorded in Bean’s Gallipoli – The Diaries of Australia’s Official War Correspondent , by Kevin Fewster (p. 106)

Charles Beans described the issue of Turkish sniper fire in Monash Valley during May 1915 in Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol II (p. 127-131), including the fatal wounding of General Bridges, the commander of the 1st Australian Division on 15 May when visiting the Monash Valley. Map no. 6 shows the location of the Australian 1st Infantry Battalion during May 1915 to be at Steele’s Post, opposite the Turkish position known as German Officers’ Ridge (opposite p. 150).

In Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-18 , vol I, Bean describes parts of Monash Valley as being “under a casual sniping fire” on 2 May (p. 584). Bean also describes the death of Colonel Braund: “At 1:00am on May 4 the gallant Colonel Braund of the 2nd Bn, returning to the rest camp in the scrub on Braund’s Hill, met his death…He was slightly deaf, and appears to have disregarded the challenge of one of his own sentries. The sentry shot him.” (p. 599 note)