29th May 1915

Looking towards the Knife Ridge (Edge) and Gun Ridge, from one of the 3rd Field

Artillery Brigade's gun pits, which took fire fro Turkish artillery (Major Hughes,

below) - one of a series of photographs taken on the Gallipoli Peninsula under the

direction of Captain C. E. W. Bean, during the months of February and March 1919

as part of the Australian Historical Mission, showing rotting sand bags in the

foreground and bricks piled in the central trench.

[Courtesy of Australian War Memorial - G01984]

May 29  Saturday

At 3-30am the enemy opened a violent bombardment on our position from all directions + continued for 1½ hours.  Burgess engaged a Battery firing from Olive Grove.  Our 6 in howitzer engaged their howitzer + our N^o 2 Gun engaged a Battery firing from Gun Ridge on our front.  Our casualties slight.

Enemy’s rifle fire during day + night was slight.  Their Olive Grove guns reopened at 10am + again at 11am but shut up when fired on by Burgess.  In the afternoon one of our aeroplanes dropped a bomb on Turkish Camp South of Olive Grove.

[Courtesy of Australian War Memorial - Official unit war diary, 7th Battery] 

Saturday 29th May

The enemy at 3.30 AM opened a heavy Artillery cannonade from all directions and must have fired over 1000 shell up to 5 AM, when we had managed to locate their batteries and silence them. Very little damage generally was done and very few casualties, but unfortunately two were Artillery officers, Lt Siddall of 4th Battery, and Major Bruce of Mountain Battery, both killed.

Last night a destroyer shelled the approaches from our Right Flank to Gaba Tepe. One Infantry patrol went out and got some useful information, besides bayonetting six Turks and capturing one. Party returned safely.

This afternoon another Battery opened fire, but Major Burgess silenced it. Today I selected new position for Head Quarters and new Brigade observing stations in vicinity of 10th and 11th Battalion observation posts. B.A.C. detachment commenced work on "dug outs".

Visited Head quarters at night, discussed question of N.S.W. Howitzers. Col Hobbs agreed to proposals and forwarded same officially. Very quiet night.

[Courtesy of State Library of New South Wales - Sir Charles Rosenthal diary]