6-7 August - Unit diary - Battle of Lone Pine

Reinforcements arrived in the 2nd Brigade trenches starting at about 5am. The 5th Battalion was allocated four of these men. The 6th Battalion were allocated 1 officer and 117 other ranks. Some of these men were returning after previously being wounded. The 6th Battalion needed these fresh troops as they were about to attack the German Officers' Trench.

In the early morning of 6 August, the 3rd Brigade made a minor diversion near Ryrie's Post. This did divert the Turks as they opened up with heavy fire from machine gun and rifle on these trenches.

Arrangements were made for the attack on the German Officer's Trench (see map in 2 August blog post). This was opposite the northern most section of 2nd Brigade's trenches.

At 4:30 that afternoon, 6 August, 'intensive bombardment of Lone Pine followed at 5:30 by assault by 1st Brigade, assisted by rifle fire from whole of No 2 section. During assault, Turks observed leaving from trenches of Johnstone's Jolly, crowding to the rear'. This barrage of gun fire included support from warships off the coast. Unfortunately little damage was inflicted on the Lone Pine Turkish trenches as they were covered with a roof made of heavy timber logs.

At 4:30 whilst the bombardment was occurring, 'C' company of the 5th Battalion left their trenches at the front to allow the 1st Brigade to take their places. There were to be four waves of troops dashing from these trenches. The first were to spring out of pop-holes from the forward-most trenches, and the next waves were to follow up from the trenches behind.

At 5:30 that evening the Turks replied with heavy shelling of Northern No2 Section. Considerable damaged was inflicted on 2nd Brigade trenches by this shelling. At 8:30 further shelling by the Turks fell on the support trenches and further rear - firing at a rate of about a round a minute.

Whilst Northern No2 Section was being shelled at 5:30pm on 6 August, the 1st Brigade were ordered out of their trenches and ran forward towards Lone Pine. The Turks replied with devastating small arms fire. However, many of the 1st Brigade made it to the Turkish front lines. These men tried to prise open the timber lid of the trenches. Some were able to throw in bombs, others fired through gaps, some were able to jump down into the Turkish trenches and force their way along with rifle fire and bayonette and small bombs.

Some of the Australians which followed in the next waves passed over the lidded trenches and made it further inland where they captured three lines of enemy trenches.

The Turks' counterattacked quickly and the Australians made efforts to stop-up the communicating trenches. Most of this part of the battle was now at close quarters and in darkness.

At about 10:30 that evening the men of the 5th Battalion in the Northern No2 Section (opposite the German Officer's Trench) were ordered to remove all barbed wire from forward firing line recesses to allow attacking men to go over the top. The 6th Battalion were about attack the German Officers Trench.

By 11:30 that evening the 6th Battalion were ready for their assault and close to midnight three mines were successfully detonated hoping to blow up Turkish positions before their assault.

AWM image G01129 (Photograph taken by CEW Bean) Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey. 

Bean says 'this remarkable photograph was taken on the date of the Battle, 6 August 1915. It shows the position of a trench, occupied by German officers, which was assaulted after midnight. Our trench ran round the near side of the distant hill on the right. German officers' trench was situated in the distance, a little to the right of the highest point of the sandbags in the foreground'.

The 6th Battalion made their attack up this slope towards the German Officers' Trench rushing out of the trenches at 0035hrs. They were met with devastating machine gun fire. Few made their objective with many being cut down in the pop-ups thereby blocking the exits for the men following behind. The Division Headquarters ordered (at 1 in the morning) that the 6th Battalion should be withdrawn, re-organised and again put to the assault and that the German Officers' Trench must be taken. This message was telephoned through by a Colonel White. The Unit Diary understates: 'The Brigade Major assisted with the re-organisation which was very difficult in the darkness and the narrow confines of tunnels and the dead and wounded lying about. A very difficult operation'.

At 3:55 on 7 August the 6th Battalion again left their trenches but with the same tragic result. As soon as they started their run into the darkness devastating fire opened out from the flanks and front. The diary notes that 'the action of all ranks as gallant and brave as could be desired'.

Officer commanding the Brigade informed the Division Headquarters that this second assault had also failed. Further, they were informed that it was impossible to reorganise the remnants of the 6th Battalion. The Brigade commander was instructed (at 4:30am) to 'personally supervise a new reorganisation and then another assault is to proceed without delay, but to wait orders when to commence'.

It was not until 8:30 on the morning of 7 August that Division Headquarters advised that the 6th Battalion should rest for the day.

Further along the line and also on 7 August, at dawn, the 3rd Light Horse Brigade made a number of assaults towards the narrow bridge of land between Russell's Top and Baby 700 at the head of Monash Valley. This action became famous as the charge for 'The Nek' and remembered in Peter Weir's 1981 film 'Gallipoli. More on this tomorrow.

In the morning (7 August) daylight revealed the bodies of over 300 men of the 6th Battalion lying in the scrub of no-man's land between the Australian trenches and the German Officers' trench. But there were many more in the 1st Brigade who lost their lives in those Turkish trenches we know as Lone Pine. The intense fighting at Lone Pine continued until 9 August. In total, at the German Officers Trench and at Lone Pine and the Nek, six Battalions suffered the bulk of the casualties with nearly 2,300 killed and wounded during the battle. Seven Australians were awarded the Victoria Cross after the battle of Lone Pine, the highest number ever awarded to an Australian division for one action.

This wooden cross was erected in one of the Gallipoli battlefield cemeteries by soldiers of the 2nd Brigade, AIF, who fought at the Battle of Lone Pine, 6-9 August 1915. [AWM C03193]

The location of this grave is possibly Brown's Dip which lay in the gully behind the Lone Pine plateau.

The graves at Brown's Dip were removed to Lone Pine Cemetery after the war.

Brown's Dip was the position of the 1st Division's headquarters during the Battle of Lone Pine.