1 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova As the companies were parading for digging at 7.30pm the enemy suddenly opened a heavy and accurate shrapnel fire in our area. Luckily orders had been given to take shelter as far as possible when parading or to be well extended, and so, although the shelling went on for an hour intermittently there was not a single casuality. 6 men went to hospital
2 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova Digging in communication trench by day and night. 09.30 General de Lisle inspected the trenches. 22 sick.
3 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova Digging in communication trench by day and night. 23 sick.
4 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova Owing to shelling on our area between 10 and 11 am, orders were given for work to be done by night. At 10.30am the enemy shelled Brigade HQ just as a party of our men were passing, 1 man was killed (Private Lovatt, Z Company) and 1 man wounded. Brigade blamed the shelling entirely on this party moving in a continuous line in the open. On this night W Company marched to the beach for 24 hours rest, washing clothes and bathing. 2 wounded, 14 sick.
5 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova 1 man killed, 9 men to hospital. Ordinary digging in parties by night. 2 rejoined
6 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova 12 men to hospital including one man who got a bullet through the palm of his right hand pressing his trigger while cleaning his rifle. Lt Bustard to hospital with dysentary. 1 man slightly wounded at no3 Well. Started work on new support trench. 13 sick.
7 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova Major Riccard (dysentary). Lt & Quartermaster Kennedy (septic knee) and 11 men to hospital. Usual working parties.
8 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova 7 men to hospital, and 1 rejoined. Relieved in trenches. At night Battalion marched to beach for embarkation to Imbros. 20.45 arrived at beach. Half Battalion only embarked that night owing to trouble with lighters. They embarked at 23.00 , the rest at 08.45 next morning.
9 Sept Kuchuk Anafarta Ova Battalion disembarked at Imbros during the day and went into camp for rest. Peace routine instituted. 3 men to hospital. Very bad camp expposed to all winds and extremely dusty.
10 Sept Imbros Drill and bathing parades. 16 men to hospital. Lt Sparlise appointed Orderly Officer to 86 Brigade Commander.
11 Sept Imbros Drill and bathing parades. 12 men to hospital.
12 Sept Imbros Drill and bathing parades. 13 men to hospital. Machine Gun instruction. Capt Carruthers and 2 ORs to Alexandria to pick up base kits, etc. Parade divine service 9.30 and 10am.
13 Sept Imbros 23 men to hospital (dysentry and diarrhea). 2 companies went on route march into valleys and took dinners. Instruction of bombers and machine gun section. Inspection by Divisional Commander. Suspected cases of Scarlet Fever. 6 men isolated.
14 Sept Imbros 14 men to hospital. By order of General de Lisle, changed camp for a more salubrious valley in the hills about a mile away, from the sand heap first allocated. 2nd Lt Rose Cleland returned from hospital looking very ill. Battalion settled into new camp expeditiously.
15 Sept Imbros Lt Moffat and 12 men to hospital. 2nd Lt Rose Cleland was sent to hospital, but they would not take him in. CO lectured to Y and Z Companies on trench warfare and sanitation. General instruction of companies and specialists.
16 Sept Imbros 5 men to hospital. CO lectured to W and X Companies on trench warfare and sanitation. General instruction of companies and specialists.
17 Sept Imbros 11 men to hospital, 5 rejoined. Holiday and regimental sports, with concert in evening. Strength of Battalion 15 officers and 719 other ranks.
18 Sept Imbros 8 men to hospital. Brigade concert.
19 Sept Imbros 9 men to hospital, 1 rejoined. Capt Trigona appointed Brigade Machine Gun Officer and appointed to Brigade HQ. Divine service. RC at 7am and 9am C of E at 10am.
20 Sept Imbros 16 men to hospital owing to severe cold, no sun and heavy wind. 1 rejoined. Baggage sent to beach at 6am, but sent back at 1pm as too stormy to embark for the Peninsula. Sun came out midday and the temperature rose. Under orders of "constant readiness to move"
21 Sept Imbros 14 men to hospital. Marched to the beach at 12.40pm and embarked at 4.30pm. Sailed for Suvla and disembarked at 11pm. Marched to the reserve nullah (a steep narrow valley. Like the wadi of the Arabs, the nullah is characteristic of mountainous or hilly country where there is little rainfall ) where the battalion passed the night. No unusual ocurence.
22 Sept Suvla 6 men to hospital. Stayed in nullah all day. CO, Adjutant, Company Commanders and A1 Gun Officer went and inspected new trenches and made all possible prepartations for occupation at night. 2 new officers Lt Harrison and 2nd Lt Randall arrived and taken on strength. Latter appointed M Gun officer, former posted to W Company. 2nd Lt Sparkie rejoined Battalion from Brigade HQ & posted temporarily to X Company. Trenches taken over in one hour, 20 casualties.
23 Sept Suvla Strength of Battalion 17 officers and 670 men. 5 men to hospital. Organisation of trenches. Fire trench W Company. Support trenches Y and Z Companies. Reserve trench X Company. Working parties except fire trench company, day and night, 4 hours by day, 4 hours by night. Work in hand, excavating new line of fire trench, improving existing fire trench and communication trenches masking conspicuous traverses, assisting RE in blasting work. Divisional Commander and Brigadier inspected line. 100 Newfoundland Regt (2 platoons) attached for instruction for 48 hours. 2 men rejoined. Lt Littledale to hospital.
24 Sept Suvla Strength of Battalion 16 officers and 662 men. During the night 23/24 Sept, 2nd Lt J A H Taylor was shot in the back whilst walking along advanced, uncompleted fire trench by a sniper. He was buried at 10.30am 24th near Brigade HQ. Work during the night was as on previous day. the RE firing charges at daybreak, 5.45 am. Battalion on our right (1 RMF) also at work on an advanced line, and both they and we had two advanced listening posts out at night.
9 men to hospital, 1 rejoined. 21383 Private Murphy, Y coy, killed at 4pm in new trench.
25 Sept Suvla Work during the day and night continued in the existing fire trench, new fire trench and communication trenches, masking of traverses etc with brushwood. At about 5.30am 4589 Private Murphy, Y coy, was shot in the left support trenches. He died in the Field Ambulancethe same morning. 11 men to hospital. 2nd Lt Benson to hospital with jaundice. 2nd Lt Dalton arrived, gazetted from ranks
26 Sept Suvla 11 men to hospital, work as yesterday and in addition Lt Hawes and men of Y Coy constructed a barricade in front of our fire trench to connect our new forward trench with 1/Munster Fusiliers on right. Listening posts went out in front as usual. 2 platoons of 2/3 London Regt attached for instruction for 48 hours.
27 Sept Suvla Battalion strength 16 officers, 634 men. 7 men to hospital . Work continued on existing and new fire trenches. Sandbag filling and stone carrying for new new alignment of trench. Weather slightly warmer. Flies very bad and dysentery still rife. Divisional and Brigade commanders visited trenches and expressed themselves vary pleased at work done. Very little firing has gone on during the last week. Simply intermittant shelling and consistent sniping. Work on the trenches continued until 7.30pm when a great fussilade broke out on the right of 29th Division. Our guns replied with a great cannonade. The Battalion remained steady withour firing, but the gorse was set alight and the rest trench work in the open that had to be begun was abandoned owing to the fire. The Turks tried to extinguish the fire and came under fire from one of our machine guns and rifles in the front line. Only 300 rounds were fired and the Turks dispersed. The rest of the night was undisturbed and work in the now almost completed front trench was renewed. One machine gunner wounded in elbow.
28 Sept Suvla Conference of COs of units with Brigadier. Discussion of coming events. Work on forward fire trench had to be discontinued at 11am as 1 man was killed and 2 wounded (one since died of wounds) and one man was wounded by accident, RE blasting. The men were. Killed 20215 Private Gorman M of Z Coy, died of wounds 7479 Woods R of Z Coy, wounded 20116 Private W Cummins of W Coy, and 7046 Private A White of Y Coy.
6 men to hospital sick, 1 rejoined. Arrangements were made for night work. One man of Y Coy 18770 Private H Wilson killed at about 6am 29th in forward fire trench. Excellent work done during the night in the exposed part of the forward fire trench and in new sap line towards 1/Royal Munster Fusilers. One man 3?Londons (attached) wounded during the night. Weather warmer than usual and flies very troublesome.
29 Sept Suvla Sketch of our trenches made out and attached. Work organisd for next 24 hours. No casualties during last 24 hours. Orders received to move to new line, no details.Work continued ion forward ttrench and new sap. Also sandbag filling ready for night. Work eased down at night except rock drilling with RE.
4 to hospital (Strength 15 officers and 613 men includes yesterdays killed, wounded. 1 duty at Alexandria, 2 at Mudros)
30 Sept Suvla Orders received to move to reserve nullah tonight. Day spent cleaning up trenches ready to hand over and explaining details. 5 men to hospital, 1 rejoined. Handed over to 11th Manchester Regt by 9.30pm and spent night in the nullah.